please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Have you ever dreamed of having the superpower of invisibility? Sneaking into the cinema for free, having a good old gawp in the ladies' changing rooms, scaring the bejesus out of people by pretending to be a ghost? Well, dream no more, you can have the best emulation of invisibility superpowers ever by standing at the bar of the Royal George and trying to get served.
I really like this place, quirky, great music, attractive clientelle. Maybe they had a 'special' day of guest bar staff or something when I went in there the other day, because the staff in there then were as effective as lepers in wind tunnels. Highlights included a bar maid who kisses her teeth at you if you have the temerity to tell her she just brought over the complete wrong order, and some little idiot who only seems to be able to serve whoever is standing directly in front of him at the time, rather than scanning the bar to see who's next. Even told him that's we'd been waiting there for yonks, said he'd come over next, then just served a girl who plonked herself directly in front of him about a nanosecond before.
I'll give it another go, maybe when the Summer holidays are over though and the barstaff have gone back to school.
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Once upon a time they did quite nice food. But the last two meals I ordered her were reallly bad - the second time I just gave up and sent it back. Burnt steak sandwich. (How hard can that be.) The time before that they served a lamal kebab not in the pitta as it used to be srbed with mint yoghurt, but next to the pitta which was cut up into pieces as if for a child, in what appeared to be a dog bowl. Won't be eating there again.
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Looks a bit bland and not particularly welcoming from the outside but inside it’s OK and has some decent beers. Located just off the Charing Cross Road at the end of Goslett Yard.
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Used this pub on Saturday evening by default (stag do). I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by this pub. It's nowhere near as bad as it initially looks. Service was fast and efficient which was a surprise as it was quite busy. The London Pride was quite decent as it goes.
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I enjoy regular visits and have allways found the london pride in good condition.
Staff polite and helpful, though not as well trained as should be.
Pleasant outside seating area.
This pub has a pleasing quirky/unusual feel to it and is a refreshing change from the bland, standardised offerings nearby.
A notice states that only plastic glasses are allowed outside, though i have not seen this enforced.
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Quite simply, LETS GET DRUNK! Quality booze.
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I like this pub, very handy for the Astoria and other places.
They do some great beers too - if you like stouts, try Dark Budvar for a Czech alternative to Guinness, it's actually a dark lager but has a similar taste to a good quality stout.
I love sitting out the front in the summer months and watching people walk or drive down the little road, not realising it's a cul-de-sac. The look on their faces when they realise it's a dead end and the only thing down there is the Royal George is great. :D
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Very handy for meeting up before gigs at the Astoria or Mean Fiddler or Borderline - preferred it when it used to be a proper rock pub though, it was definitely a place to specifically travel to rather than just somewhere convenient to have a beer due to its location if you see what I mean.
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one of the better pubs in the area - good mix of drinkers in a quirky bar. excellent lager selection, although it had no bitter on my last visit.
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Usually plays decent music, has no smoking room downstairs (pah). Interesting mix of people but usually friendly enough
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Set back from Charing Cross Road, it is quite easy to walk past the Royal George and some would say that’s not a bad thing. Built into a rather nondescript and unattractive building down a rather unwelcoming yard, the pub has little going for it to attract new customers off the street. The interior can best be described as Continental Bar meets Las Vegas - a bit tacky with an over-indulgence in left over Christmas lights and mirror balls making the place look like a seedy strip joint. London Pride is the only bitter (and is hard to spot being tucked away at the end of the bar) but there is a decent selection of continental lagers. The Elvis pinball machine adds to the Vegas feel and there is a widescreen LCD TV (presumably for sport). You certainly do not feel like you are in a London pub and traditionalists should steer clear. It can get packed and service can be very slow (I have walked out of here in the past as it was impossible to get served). There are some seats outside but Goslett Yard is not the most attractive place at the best of times. Basically, not a lot going for it in my book but if you are looking for something other than the typical West End pub, it may have some appeal.
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odd place. couldnt settle in either like previous postings. in an odd location too. probably wont return as much more fun to be haad further south at Cambridge Circus environs
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Found this pub a great place to go during the day time/ early evening, it is not too busy, prices are what you expect for west end pubs. note that they stop food at 3pm then start again at 5pm. which left me hungary. haven't ventured there in the night yet, but am planning to soon. staff are friendly and had no wait to get served. they play good music as well.
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well....i would rather explain this pub as a funky pub ...my main attraction of this pub was thursday night live blues music,now they stopped it for last one month(bad,bad,bad)...but still i would love to go there with mates ...though i need to wait sometimes 20/30 mins to get a drink on the weekends, and yes ..would love to see the old people are behind the bar again !
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Hmmm, normally I have no problem whatsoever formulating an opinion on a pub I've had a beer or two in, but this place leaves me confused.
Neither as fantastic as some would have it nor as awful as certain others would suggest. Prices are typical West End so no complaints there. Service when I went was pretty poor but the beer was good. It's the look of the place and the atmosphere that perplex me though. Neither feeling comfortable enough to really settle in nor being so trendy that normal blokes like me stick out like sore thumbs. In a short time there the atmosphere seemed to continuosly oscillate between being strangely quiet and dead to very noisy and boisterous without any obvious reason for the change. Wouldn't whole-heartedly recommend it but can't advise against giving it a go either. Will probably return for further drinks here but there is a nagging suspicion in my head that the other pubs nearby are better if not as oddly complelling.
Sorry if this is no help to anyone!
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loved this pub, what has happened.. fridays used to be amazing and all the staff danced behind the bar.. bring back the two sisters marylou and bex
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I think this is a great pub. Differant and even though it's in the middle of all the chaos, it's tucked away just off Charing Cross, so it's not over crowded. I work in central London right near tottenham court road tube station and I think it is a great place to take my mates after work that isn't a giant crowd. Great beer, great staff. Highly recommend this one!
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This is a great little pub - a real find in the middle of central London. I just happened upon it one day when looking for a loo after shopping!The "oddness" that others have mentioned is its real bonus. It's a bit arty and different which is a real breath of fresh air after the hundreds of bland boring chain pubs that central london is plagued with.
If you want a nice plain ordinary bar then go to 'All Bar One' if you want the staff to smarm all over you with a fake smile on their faces then go to 'TFI Fridays' or some such place. If you want an interesting, decent pub to have a quiet pint (or a good night out with a lively atmosphere - depending on when you go) then I'd definitely recommend this little Gem.
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A strange one. It's got character for sure with cool furniture to boot. An odd mix of people frequent here and the downstairs bar begs the question; who is this intended for? If these sound like slurs then they're not. Anything that can disorientate in such surroundings is fine by me.
Good for: This has yet to be defined but I shall be back to found out.
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Can't agree with the recent comments. I have been coming to this pub for quite a while. You must have caught it on an off night. It is distinctly different from the usual chain pubs....which is the great appeal for me! Bar staff are usually friendly, nice mix of people. On Thursdays they have a blues jam which is always a great night.
anonymous - 7 Mar 2005 13:16 |
Accidentally strolled in here during yet another drunken haze. Sooned sobered up though. This place just seemed very odd - just had one drink and left very quickly. Bar staff were not particularly polite and did not speak to anyone other than the mate I was with. Possibly just caught it on a bad night ?
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Great jamming session last night :-)
anonymous - 3 Dec 2004 12:54 |
We have been drinking here for the last couple of years under the reins of Mary-Lou and Becky, unfortunately they have moved on.
Such a shame, the new staff seem to have a problem with serving clientele in the order they arrive at the bar. You can wait for ages to even be noticed.
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What a great pub! Used to be better when the old management was running it.. I think her name was Becky or something similar.
Still great though. The blues jam evening on a Thursday night has to be one of the best free nights out in London!
Roger - 1 Oct 2004 10:56 |
I used to work here - when it was a rock pub. (2 years ago) Two refurbs later - it looks amazing, and when it comes up for a management vacancy, I will definatly think about going for the job. For me, it's perfect - cool without trying too hard. I will definatly go again.
anonymous - 28 May 2004 18:21 |
i like a place with fairy lights and 70s sofas. it is quite mental, in a kitsch way but like zoe says it does work.
not the cheapest pub in the world, but no worse than anywhere else that fancies itself a bit in that area. if you want cheap go to wetherspoons, right?
if you want somewhere with nice lighting, comfy seats and music that isn't too loud you can't hear.... that's a bit different from your usual stodge boozer, but without the self-conscious "we want to be in time out" factor - you could do worse...
clarabelle - 12 May 2004 15:42 |
This pub is fine. If you like a pint of Hoegaarden or Leffe then this is a place for you. Sure it's over priced, just like every other bar in central london, but so what? it's a nice enough place to meet mates and sink a couple...
steve - 14 Apr 2004 17:00 |
I say ignore the disgruntled rockers, it is now a decent pub with a good atmosphere. I like it a lot.
If you want a metal pub, this is not what you're looking for, if you're looking for a nice atmosphere, friendly people and a central location, then you're in the right place.
One more thing - The eclectic decor shouldn't work, but it does, really well
zoe - 3 Apr 2004 15:14 |
Used to be better when it was more of a rock pub. Now it's a trendy bar (like 90% of other places in the west end) and even more overpriced than it was before. If you want to go to a decent pub before visiting the Astoria, try the Angel on St Giles High Street (2 minutes walk away) instead.
Chris - 18 Mar 2004 12:08 |
This bar is great. Handy for supping a few and meeting your mates before heading off to the Astoria. When I was there recently they has a band playing in the basement bar.
Dave - 16 Mar 2004 14:03 |
this used to be an excellent pub u used to go here then to the intrepid fox and then on to a nice rock club but nopt anymore:(
u used to meet metal ppl like ½ of iron maiden but not anymore this place suxx now
fever
anonymous - 12 Sep 2003 21:53 |
A real toilet - overpriced, bad beer and a clueless clientele.
Darryl - 11 Aug 2003 12:53 |
don't book this pub. It is unorganised, the management does not know what is happening in it's own pub. They cost us money due to their bad organisation. I will never go there again.
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hi there we were all at this pub last weekend went to see mostly autumn playing at the mean fiddler, great time in here, the assistant manager, forgether name now, was gorgeous, if any one sees her ask her if she remembers the lads from york drinking them out of guiness!!! grat spot, watch out for the tequila girl!!! DITA from Denmark!!!
Martin - 9 Jun 2003 14:18 |
This used to be a heavy metal pub, but now it's the sort of pub they have in Islington.
John - 16 Apr 2003 13:17 |
This used to be a great 'rock' pub with decent music, footy on the telly and a pool table downstairs - 20 of us turned up there on Saturday night to find it had turned into a somewhat more 'upmarket' establishment... Still, not to bad after the shock had worn off - comfy sofas downstairs and a late license placated us.
Pauly H - 23 Dec 2002 14:59 |
