please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
With most Porcupines the pricks are on the outside, but with this one... lets just say it attracts a "mixed bag", and leave it at that.
Olde Corner pub with a certain amount of charm. The bare stained wooden interior is attractive enough and the upstairs bar is quite snug if you can get a seat. Drinks selection varied. There were 4 handpumps in operation and the ale quality was good.
Crowded with the exact mixture you would expect; bewildered tourists, kids in from the 'burbs taking in a bit of the West End, argrieved brickies "up west" glugging lager and swearing, outraged middleaged theatre goers grabbing a quick libation before the play. From this you will garner that the atmosphere is not exactly harmonious and not always pleasant and relaxing, but what can you expect from a pub a stone's throw from Leicester Square?
Clientele and crowdedness drag this pub down to an average 5/10
Jay28 - 24 Jun 2008 17:02 |
I love this pub, the restaurant upstairs is a nice surprise in the middle of London Madness. Worth A try!
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Better than it has a right to be given the location. Dropped in here for a quick couple before going to the Alex show just before Christmas and was pleasantly surprised. A wide mix of people although none objectionable. Have to agree with a previous poster though in that it is geared for standing up drinking so probably not great for a long session
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A pub taken in transit, or towards the end of the evening before one heads beneath the streets to catch the last tube home. And that is all it deserves really. It is designed with standing in mind, with hight round tables serviced with the occasssional stool. I seem to recall it being pricey too. But then, most places are around these parts.
Good for: One for the road.
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A decent enough bar in the middle of tourist hell. Good beer, nice lunch, good friendly service. Just about everything you could ask for. It does seem to be lacking any atmosphere though. A good place for a quick pint and and lunch. Not a pub for an evening's session.
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Handily situated next to the tube station, The Porcupine is an okay enough pub to pop in for a quick one. I should emphasise the phrase ‘quick one’ as after a few here on Friday evening (Sept 7th) I have reached the conclusion that here is a little dull to warrant too much time inside. Ales were pleasingly on offer though and The London Pride passed the taste test (though it wasn’t wonderful). Interior wise its quite bland and woody. I didn’t pick up on a lot of character and it’s not an establishment I’ll be rushing back too. A swift one? Yes. A session? No thanks!
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Whilst upon first glance the porcupine would appear to be about as inoffensive as a pub in this part of London could be, the sunday evening staff made every attempt to be as unpleasant as possible for the time it took for us to order a drink, realise our mistake in electing to come here and go looking for somewhere else more welcoming. After being rudely told by the bartender that we wouldn't be served in one part of the pub we witnessed the same customer oriented individual respond to a request for assistance from an elderly patron who had just had her handbag stolen with repeated statements that the pub was now closed and no longer serving. When he finally understood what she was requesting his reponse of "it happens every day here, that's why we have signs up saying to watch your belongings" and subsequent refusal to be drawn further on the issue made me appreciate why the place was so empty in the first place. The sign we should have taken heed of was the name on the door - after all the porcupine is known for it's prick(le)s...
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Any discerning drinker will naturally seek to avoid this neck of the woods at pretty much all costs, but occasionally the thirsty man will find himself here - and if so there are far worse options than this one. It's a Nicholson's so you know what you're going to get - trad. dark wood sort of environment, couple of guest ales. The Taylor's Landlord I had there was none too shabby and I don't recall it being too overpriced. Eastern European staff were friendly enough and did an alright job of keeping the place tidy-ish. I was in on a Tuesday so there was no sign of any of the Burberry Brigade.. Only slight objection would be the beggars coming in and hassling for change, but I guess that that goes with the territory round here. Pretty much best in show for the vicinity.
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I only recently went here for the first time recently, despite spending half my life hanging out in pubs in this area. I always figured it would be heaving...but it's fine, decent beer and the staff were happy to let you taste the more unusual ones...
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My boyfriend walked past for about two months before realising this was here! a miracle seeing as he is usually spot on with his pint detection. Nice and cosy. Good pint and friendly staff. Will go back if we remember it exists!
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went in 20th jan expecting west end prices and sour beer.
reasonable prices, well very reasonable to be fair, decent london pride and landlord(T Taylor)
rubbish policy though about not having sport on the telly. i wanted to watch the racing on channel 4, but was told only wimbledon and fa cup final could be shown. what a load of bollox and waste of a telly!!!!
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I think the review by pgazz is spot on - basically the pub is in a poor area, but has potential to do better if management got their act together and made a bit of effort
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The Porcupine is one of those quaint “oldie English” pubs that cover central London like a rash of malformed boils (i.e. always small, always annoying and always containing something pretty stinky).
To be fair though, the interior of the Por. is a lot more authentic and rustic than many of its competitors, with a nice paled dark wooden effect complimenting a tall and imposing bar that towers over the tight (20 yards each way) and many tabled downstairs room. On the second floor there is an even more charming and comfortable lounge in the same style that is always considerable less hectic than below. And the beer selection is very reasonable, with a good range of cask ales, lagers and shelve tipples, if at the typically high Leicester Square prices.
However, while the potential is there for a nice oasis in the sea of surrounding cack, ultimately the management, staff and the natural disadvantages of the area combine to drag the whole place down.
In terms of the latter, the Por., like all its neighbours, is always swamped from late lunch onwards (ever day) to the point where drinking and breathing becomes a sustained battle. The clientele veers between the bearable tourists and shoppers (in the week) to the loud muppet brigade who at the weekends use this area as a launch pad for a heavy night of fake jewellery, panda cars and prison cells. Nothing anyone can really do about this, but that still doesn’t stop the Por. becoming about as attractive as a bucket of sick in the late evenings, which incidentally is something you might come across if youre especially lucky.
And that final points leads into the self-inflicted wounds. The staff operate in slow mo, are pretty surly and seem to be tied to the bar by invisible strings, hence why the place begins to resemble a wooden skip by closing time. Admittedly if I spent my days serving Mr Electronic Tag and Ms What You Looking At FuckFace, I`d lose the will to live as well, but this doesn’t compensate for shoddy service. Moreover and most perplexingly, the upper area which could provide a permanent and pleasurable pressure escape for the crowded first floor, appears to operate on bizarre (and irregular) restricted hours, cutting off a decent plus point.
If you can get to this pub on a quiet early afternoon or upstairs when the owners bother to open it, then this pub would rate as a solidly average 6/10. Unfortunately, since everything is sloppily operated and crammed most of the time, it goes down to a 4/10 – and on a burberry night that rating might appear a bit generous.
pgazz - 23 Dec 2006 19:34 |
always been a nice no nonsense nicholsons pub for a couple of beers,nice cosy atmosphere.
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This place is a lovely little pub in the heart of London with very nice staff and I would recommend it to all. I stake my reputation on it.
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Realised why the staff look so miserable in here went in a few days ago (early evening)and they had 1 member of staff behind the bar I apologise for my comment about the staff but management need to sort that problem out asap you may not have noticed but you have a pub near leicester square you might get busy!!!!
juzza - 16 May 2006 16:46 |
strange place to be honest staff look suicidal most of the time puts you off going in there
juzza - 29 Mar 2006 12:33 |
Strange place, this. Seeks to attract theatregoers, but makes no attempt to reward them appropriately. Fortunately I do not go to the theatre. The pub would suit the hard of hearing since the music is extremely loud - and sign language is required to communicate your order at the bar. Good place to meet an old friend arriving at Leicester Square tube.
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Faux theatre bar decor not reflected in clientele, a mixture of office types and rough chavs.
At risk of sounding old, the place is far too smoky with unnecessarily loud music.
Staff are average, as is the beer.
Visit was made palatable by excellent company.
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A real last chance saloon. Had one grim pint here once after a long day of drinking. A sad end to a great day. This type of pub is typical of the area. Avoid and get yourself to the nearby Lamb & Flag.
anonymous - 9 Jan 2006 15:36 |
A great place to meet (next door to Leicester Square tube). The staff have every right to be unpleasant (v. busy at times) but they're surprisingly friendly. Some decent ales on too. Also good if you're alone for people watching!
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Not too bad for a quick ale or meeting point. Upstairs pretty good for a function (around 30 people or so).
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Quite a small pub for the area so can get a little cramped. Just opposite Leicester Square station so a good meeting place to kick off a pub crawl.
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Crowded downstairs, but there were tables free upstairs so we sat there and enjoyed the view up Charing Cross Road. A good traditional pub.
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I visited on my honeymoon last year. The staff were very friendly to this "Yank"! My wife and I had a great time and look forward to visiting again on our next trip to London. Certainly one of the top pubs we visited.
Scott Weinstein - 18 Nov 2004 18:22 |
Great pub,good food (very reasonable),friendly staff especially the young lady with the dreadlocks. I always go there before football when I do the London games its there as soon as you come off the tube at Liecster Sq. c u soon
anonymous - 16 Aug 2004 17:31 |
The pub is great. The staff are fantastic. one of the best pubs in London. Only thing, the gents toilets are the size of a match box! not great when you've had a few!!!.
Martin Knight - 6 Jun 2004 19:08 |
Not bad,never has been.This pub always reflected who ran it,and it has been run well in the past,howver at the mo it is another branded "nicholsons" pub and seems to have lost its individuality,much like the bear and staff across the road.But all in all not a bad place for a couple of beers and an excellent corner spot to people watch,however the downs stairs small bar gets busy and fills up quickly,try the larger upstairs bar,a hidden gem from the madness below.
Nick Hamer - 20 Apr 2004 18:41 |
Fabulous place. Great for single women. Bar jocks are great. Upstairs is great for a date or just hanging out.
Bella - 30 Mar 2004 06:53 |
A very handy pub, adequately stocked with a range of beers. Just the right amount of traditional English pub authenticity. All this and the world's smallest men's room!
Martin - 2 Mar 2004 15:56 |
good "meet and move on" pub. dingy, good staff, bonus level upstairs, terrible blokes toilets, quizzo, oh and you can watch people try and park cars in the West End and get clamped, hilarious :D
oliver - 5 Nov 2003 18:24 |
My nephew David reckons it's a fantastic pub, though I think it could with a slight makeover and maybe the addition of a few real ales.
Kirk - 14 Oct 2003 17:51 |
Standard beers a few real ales, this is a tiny pub that benefits from one of the best locations in the west end directly opposite Leicester Square tube. With seats outside to watch the world go by and a fair sized bar upstairs I tend to arrange to meet people here before moving on somewhere else. Which is a shame because it's a decent place with friendly staff, a few choice real ales and a reliable well priced food menu.
Agnes - 2 Sep 2003 11:21 |
