please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
It has to be in St Giles ! I worked oposite and slightly to the right of the pub in St Giles House and went to the odd lunch time music in St Giles church to the pub's left ! This pub is also in St Giles High St ! Who is lost ? It sure as hell aint chopin or me !!!!!! ps, one of the best boozers in this (pricey) part of town.
Biker - 20 Jun 2008 13:09 |
Soho it aint. Neither is it Covent Garden or Holborn, or Bloomsbury or Fitzrovia.
It's St Giles
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Ohsusyq is a fine barmaid and brightens the place. The depressing beer zombie is still there, despite a leave of absence (maybe it was to do with his Scrabble obsession). But Mike the landlord is still the star of the place, bringing his lovely smile and Northern wit and charm to warm the hearts of the punters.
I love The Angel, I just wish that other people didn't know about it. Weekends can be rather busy in the evening.
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ohsuzyq
You should be Proud to work in St Giles, a historic part of London,more murders in the old rookeries than most of the rest of the smoke put together :)
It has changed some what in recent years;)
Still a good pub,and proper prices....It can be done
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Sean: I'd love to believe that I work in Soho.. But no, it's more like West End/St Giles indeed.
And there are not a lot of girls behind the bar. It's still just one, myself. But I try to be nice and friendly indeed.
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Haven't been in for ages - the miserable beer zombie behind the bar seems to be have been replaced by chatty, smiling ladies.
The interior is pretty drab, but ornately functional. You can't see in from the street, which is refreshing when so many pubs have installed clear glass. Personally, I don't care what's going on in the street when there's serious drinking to be done, and I don't want to be watched from the street when I'm drinking seriously. The atmosphere is one of time stood still from the late sixties.
This is a great pub - and the polar opposite of some of the pretentious places hereabouts. Beer is fine.
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Was in he(as said below) last night.I love this pub.1 Pint of stout, 2 pints of Lager £6.13p, in the west end!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Quality
Rather a rough looking crowd in there yesterday though ;)
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I've said before and i'll say it again....This pub isn't in Soho, it's in St Giles Grrrrrrrrr
Stop moving the Boundaries
I'll be in here tonight for a few before a night of Classical Music courtesy of the Cockney Rejects
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Decent traditional Sam Smiths pub - we ought to stop bickering amongst ourselves and be grateful that we have such a fine watering hole so close to the tawdry hell hole that is the Tottenham Court Road / Oxford Street junction.
Its my pub of choice when I'm in the area - always happy to pop in for the proverbial "swift half" with or without work colleagues
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Nail on the head there Mally, nice one!
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Rog, Matt, calm down. You are both right. The Angel is dull, but isn't that the point? A dull,old fashioned pub serving good cheap beer in the very centre of the capital. Fantastic! I took some French friends in there on a cold icy day. We sat by the coke stove and knocked back the beers.They thought that was great.And so did I. A world away from the world outside.
And Biker: you are badly wrong about the other Sam Smiths pubs that Matt mentioned.
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Well i like this pub.I was in here on Sunday before doing a stint behind the decks in the 12bar.
Nice traditional Boozer, and at £7 something for 3 drinks quite fairly priced(this is the the west end remember)
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Ah, I see pretty much all of Roger's reviews are in a similar vein. Fair dos then. I only assumed he must be connected with this pub in some way because he was so gushy about such an average place I spose.
To address Biker's other comments...OK, firstly, I'm not "wrong" about this pub, it's my subjective opinion. Which you are welcome to disagree with. Secondly, what are you on about with this "overpriced, pretentious and full of wannabe entertainment types"? The Cittie Of Yorke and the Princess Louise? Are we talking about the same pubs?? For a start, they're both Sam Smiths pubs (like your beloved Angel) so they're dirt cheap by London standards. Pretentious and full of wannabe entertainment types? When?
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15 All.
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matt_k, You, my good Sir are 'up a tree' with your assumptions about Roger B ! Click on his username and you will see where he has reviewed before. He can't possibly be a Landlord of any pub ! You're also wrong about this pub, I worked opposite (St Giles) for years and in my humble opinion, you can stick the other pubs you mentioned - all overpriced, pretentious and full of wannabe entertainment types. Well done Roger B, good descriptive review.
Biker - 29 Dec 2007 10:26 |
Roger B, your comment reads like an estate agent's blurb! I particularly like your summing up line at the end, and your lovingly detailed descriptions of the decor. Are you the manager by any chance?
Basically this is a fairly dull pub, and there are far better Sam Smiths pubs in town. Try the Cittie Of Yorke in Holborn or the Princess Louise (also Holborn, if it ever re-opens that is).
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The Angel is an absolute treasure of a time warp pub that escaped my attention for many years. Now split into 3 separate bars with the addition of a screen in the main bar which is presumably how it originally was judging by the door positions. The Public bar is on the left with its own entrance and it really feels like stepping back 40 years. The soft tiled flooring is well worn and the furnishings are basic and simple with a few padded pew seats, stools and small round tables. The high ceiling is the colour of many years cigarette smoke and with the large half frosted patterned windows and large plain mirror, make the bar feel quite spacious although it doesn’t take much for it to get busy. The wallpaper is not what you will generally find down the local B&Q and only the Theatre posters give any hint as to the current century. The carpeted main bar is smaller but noted for its ornate plaster ceiling. The screen now separates this from a third tiny bar at the rear with room for a solitary table and a fireplace with stove. To get to this you need to now pass through the magnificent tiled, heated passage which itself contains additional seating for the overspill. The great thing is that everything (apart from the new screen) is tatty and worn and not an obvious recreation. As someone who has no problem with Sam Smiths beers (and the OBB is on handpump) the cheap prices are almost as much as a trip back in time as the pub. The only real downer is the toilets which are down a narrow stairway through the rear bar (although I presume there is another one in the Public Bar). Just room for 1 urinal and a sink and I dare so many have used the latter option rather than wait. There is also a small outside beer garden but this is generally inacessable during winter months. It gets packed but if you want to get away from the swanky neon of the West End, this is the place to do it.
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A refreshing change from the other pubs and bars in the area. Perhaps more of a "working mens" pub than an "old mans" pub, but also frequented by some more bohemian types and students (and never seen an obvious tourist in there). Sam Smiths Stout at £2.15 per pint - not at all bad for central London.
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Fairly typical Sam Smiths pub. Decent-ish beer. bit of an old mans pub really, with theatrical types scattered about.
Not somewhere I've ever been excited by, but it'll do.
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Fairly typical Sam Smiths pub. Decent-ish beer. bit of an old mans pub really, with theatrical types scattered about.
Not somewhere I've ever been excited by, but it'll do.
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Since when has St Giles High Street been in Soho??
It's St Giles!!!!!
Rant over
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Seems the perfect place to host a dutch birthday party.
anonymous - 27 Jul 2007 23:20 |
Superb pub, cant understand the critism.
Had a blinding night in there before the Rejects gig last Saturday
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A year or so since I've been here but attracted back by the OBB on handpump which has become a bit of a rarity. Seems very drab inside but not helped by the dreadful weather outside.
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Avoid this place like the plague. Went there for the first (and last) time on my 21st. The guy behind the bar was unbelievably rude, for example I ordered 3 pints of the extra stout and turned to ask the rest of the group what they wanted. About 10 seconds later he says 'what else do you want, I'm not a f***ing mindreader'. I just found it completely unnecessary. Plus the beers were all incredibly average...
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This pub can get incredibly smokey but that apart it has OBB on Handpump for less than £2 so you cant go wrong
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Fantastic pub with a good atmosphere! Managed to sample many Sam Smith's which was great until the next morning! Dartboard located directly outside the gents was slightly dodgy - Bradshaw could have lost an eye!
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Not meant as a criticism Biker. I liked the pub. The outside needs a facelift though but that may make it too attractive.
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"You seem to have to go through a dozen doors to find the toilet"
What on earth are you babbling about HorsesMouth ? Of course you go through several doors, this pub has got 3 separate bars and a courtyard area! What do you want, Belgian loos!!
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I think it looks awful from the outside but found the inside to be quite unique. You seem to have to go through a dozen doors to find the toilet and through a number of separate bars. I know that Sam Smiths beers ain't to everyones tastes but I like them and the pint of Old Brewery I had was lovely.
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I know that a lot of people who put opinions on here are really into real ale and choice of drinks available. But as someone who likes to drink cheaply, I love Sam Smith pubs, and this one has a nice mix of people in it: regulars, old men, art students and workers.
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A nice 'olde worlde' (ie it looks like it hasn't been bastardised by a brewery with too much money and not enough sense) type pub. Went in the tiny wee bar on the left side as you look at it from outside. Watched with much amusement as the dour barman refused a drink to a quite clearly underage German (?) boy.
Would go again. Can't comment on the beer as I was full of flu and only sampled Diet Coke.
anonymous - 14 Jan 2007 14:17 |
Thanks for defending my honour Anonymous. But what I actually said was that it "was all one bar". It is not now all one bar because the original Victorian partitions (or reasonable facsimiles thereof)have now been re-introduced. For the record, it has never been one of those so-called drinking establishments (to protect Biker's sensibilities) whose name should not be spoken of in serious drinking company. Just to add a piece of trivia, the pub on this site used to be called the Bowl, because, being roughly mid-way between Newgate and Tyburn the condemned would stop here for their last bowl of ale in this world.
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Ye..gods..what are you trying to do to my nerves ? Here we have my favourite 'town boozer' and someone with a bad Christmas spirit has the audacity to introduce the word/title/term "all bar one" or "All Bar One"
Whatever the hell you call it, please desist from such unjustified cruelty! I also worked over the road and though my office window didn't overlook the Angel, I could find my way there blindfolded, handcuffed and walking backwards on my hands !
Biker - 22 Dec 2006 08:31 |
Actually it was all one bar until a refurb a few years ago. Personally I think the one bar concept worked OK for this pub (it doesn't always) but being a traditionalist I always support pubs retaining, or reverting to, their original character. Used to work in the office block opposite for several years and this was just one of my locals - but the nearest and useful if time was at a premium. You could look into the pub from my office window which could be handy, or an embarrassment, depending on your point of view. Happy days. Must pop in there again sometime soon.
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Interesting interior, good to see that it hasn't been knocked into one bar. Extremely cheap bitter, though quality is variable. Quiet pub, a rarity for this area.
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I only go in the right handside of this pub (there are 2 sides as you look at it from the street).
Great pub, Old Brewery is nice. You wouldn't believe it was part of the same pub chain as The Crown round the corner on New Oxford Street / Shaftesbury Avenue. The Angel is so different from The Crown, much more like a traditional pub.
Close to Denmark Street - so you often get people with guitar cases in the pub.
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No problem with your 'late bid' Martinl, thank God for no music, people actually talk to each other in this pub! As my old local in town, don't I just love it.
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Can I launch a late bid for the Pedant of the Year title by pointing out that Sam Smith pubs have no music but there is no ban on fruit machines: should you desire them they can be found round the corner in the Princess Louise.
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Have passed many times but ventured in at the end of a pub crawl with a pal on Sunday.
Interesting interior - as with many Sam Smith's pubs. The pub is divided into three areas, saloon, public bar and lounge if I recall, with an additional tiled alleyway to one side with a few tables, closed off at either end with large wooden gates which I assume are opened in summer.
As with all SS pubs, no music, no fruities, no quizzer... cheap beer but only one real ale ...
Worth a visit if you like pub interiors, or you are skint and can tolerate indifferent bitter or rancid lager (both under £2 a pint).
anonymous - 15 Nov 2006 15:12 |
good traditional pub with good atmosphere spent many a good fri nights in here when I worked accross the road. Good food wonder if they still do the Tuna melt?
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Sam Smith's need to serve more than one real ale. End of story.
anonymous - 16 Aug 2006 00:01 |
This pub is round the corner from anoth Sam Smith's pub called The Crown - but the 2 pubs couldn't be more different.
The Old Brewery Bitter at The Angel is really nice. Plus the pub is also handy for Denmark Street and Forbidden Planet.
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Wandering the Soho area on a mini pub crawl I came upon this not to impressive looking exterior but gave it a go. What a little gem!.The whole place had a wooden old world feeling about it as if some famous figures of the past made it their regular haunt. If it is a refurb its a damned good one.Then there is the price A half of Sam Smiths for just .89p,in central London!!.There was a darts match on in the other room and everybody seemed to be enjoying themselves. The staff gave them what from a distance seemed a very nice supper.A real locals pub.As Swiss Tony might say: A pub is like a woman, sometimes the outside does not portray the inside, alternatively... do the rest yourself.
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Neglected Sam Smith's pub in neglected wedge of London between Soho, Bloomsbury and Covent Garden. Pub is ugly and boring enough from the outside to dissuade people from investigating, yet has a forlorn appeal inside. It has been refitted in typical Sam Smith trad-pub style with plenty of dark wood and Victorian trimmings. In the main bar there is an open coal fire and a deeply ornate ceiling. To the right a tiled coach house has been fitted out with chairs and tables, but no heating. This stable area leads back into a one table snug, which is simply a partioned off section of the main bar, and doubles as the corridor to the toilet. A seperate entrance outside on the left leads into the public bar with darts board.
The Angel has the typical Sam Smith's virtues of unfussy, good value food (veggie bangers and mash!) warmed in the microwave, and a relaxed conversational atmosphere. A pleasant and quiet if rather bedraggled place.
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Like a quiet and introverted Holborn sister to the nearby 'Princess Louise' the Angel has a brooding external appearance. However,further investigation reveals a gem of a pub that Sam Smith has preserved to great effect on a number of levels:
The excellent ale,both in quality & value (Good Beer Guide entry should be a formality)The real fire, the unusual 3 room arrangement. The quiet,relaxed atmosphere that exists regardless of the number of drinkers. A rare place,in London or anywhere else.
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Beyond being a superb value sam smihts pub this is a quaint little place with several distinct little areas that makes it feel like a snug little rabbit warren of a pub. Its not huge but i thinkn thats why i like it.
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Great place, great Samuel Smith beer served in great condition. Nice and quiet--and it's a minor miracle that it's survived where it has--if you stuck a big needle in the center of the city, it wouldn't miss the Angel by much.
I had the finest pint of Extra Stout I've had in a long while, and I'll be back there for another very soon.
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Glad Martin the Artist still drinks there. Wonder if the lovely Dick Fiddy does too? Great location and building and even the miserable bar man is ok I reckon as he is a character that makes the place what it is. Spent many a lunchtime and evening in this place when I worked accross the road. A hidden gem.
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This is a lovely pub with character and lovely deco, keep it a secret though, don't want any treny wanna be's ruining it.
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Great pub, lots of different little rooms, something you don't see enough these days. Plenty of character and being a Sam Smiths the ale was dirt cheap, but in perfect nick. I'd definately go again.
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I worked over the road from this first class boozer and attended several (many!) lunchtime 'sessions' for 2 years and all I can say is... keep doing what you are doing...you're good at it. Don't listen to the smart-asses, you will still be in business long after they are long gone. (9/10)
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Character, charm and cheap beer; what more can you want? How about a bizarre one table back room with the allure of a David Lynch movie. Great pub which I never fail to visit each time I'm in London. Quality.
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The misery is still there. To be fair, I have encountered him socially and his a much less
dour character than he makes out when behind
the bar. But it wouldn't hurt the bugger to
crack a smile once in a while.
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The Angel might be unique in central London because it's got a real fire! Hats off to Sam Smiths for their no-nonsense-typically-Yorkshire attitude to their pubs. For example, the gap in the wall that led from the main room to the bar (one of 3!) on the left was blocked-up a few years back, which if anything has added even more character to an already characterful place. Beer is cheap and exclusively Sam Smith's... i wonder of the staff ever get bored of being asked for the Guiness they don't sell? Talking of the staff... Is that miserable barman still there? He was the only drawback to this place... he had a face that would make an undertaker with toothache look like the Cheshire Cat.
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Quality boozer for the those that like to hear themselves think - don't come here expecting a party. A mixed crowd stops things from getting too sedate mind and the layout of the place makes for an interesting atmosphere. I'm advised that in summer it's best but I can see it working as a cozy winter boozer too.
Good for: Anytime.
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Super little pub to pop into during a weekday afternoon, when the 'affected' "suits" are not in attendence - but even they are worth a smile! As usual, Sam Smiths' great beers/prices.
mikem - 10 Aug 2005 10:24 |
Brilliant little pub for those that like it old school, yet fills up with all types of characters, young and old. Has two entrances for the split areas of the pub, so be sure to try both if you're meeting people there for the first time. There's also a large hidden table on the way to the toilets, via that strange cold garagey bit. Good selection of beers, haven't tried the food but the menu did read of nothing that fancy. Definitely worth a visit.
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Interesting pub for its layout - the central bar serving several rooms and snugs but badly in need of redocation. Sam Smiths was awful (even for Sam Smiths) and the Irish Wiskey came from a bottle marked just that i.e. Sam Smiths own brand.
Odd clientele most notably the chap with the pink hair.
Best to avoid except for a quick history lesson
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Nice pub tucked away from prying eyes behind Centre Point. Space is at a premium inside but it's cheap and cheerful both in terms of drink prices and decor. A real old fashioned boozer that gets it's atmosphere mostly from conversation rather than gimicky entertainment. Being a Sam Smith's pub it serves very little other than Sam Smith's beer so those looking for more familiar brand names will be disappointed but they shouldn't be as the lager is very nice indeed as are the ales.
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Swift one last night, the vibe wasn't quite there even though the Denmark Street regulars were.
Still a great pub though.
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What a strange pub this is! I love it! Beer at £1.68 a pint (though mine was going off); completely unrenovated since the early 1960s (and probably uncleaned and unhoovered too). As well as the public and saloon bars, there's a snug bar with room for just one table and standing room for another half dozen drinkers.
And what a weird clientele! Most of them looked like they were in the Tooting Popular Front. I doubt any of them ever looked in the mirror or bought clothes outside of charity shops.
And I especially liked the two lesbians whose idea of a good night out on Saturday was to sit opposite each other at a table in the passageway, reading their books in silence - obviously married, I guess.
Mike - 20 Sep 2004 11:45 |
The Angel is especially notable for its serving Ayingerbrau Heffe Weisse, an excellent wheat beer and its serving of roast beef contained within a yorkshire pudding the size of the plate. Martin the artists does still drink there. The "garage" is in fact the old dray lane which has been gated off and still displays the original tiles.
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Great little pub. Excellent (and cheap) Sam Smith's beer and really good food too, also at very reasonable prices.
The last couple of times I went there was no handle on the inside of the gents, which meant that every visit contained a degree of uncertainty, due to the possibility of being locked in there until the next person came in.
Best spot is the tiny back room with one table. Worst spot is out in the alley, as it gets pretty nippy out there in the winter.
Johnno - 22 Jun 2004 14:11 |
Good cheap booze, as with any Sam Smith pub. Often a good place to go before going on to somewhere else as you can normally get a seat. Not too keen on the garage-type area though.
Buddy - 5 Mar 2004 16:37 |
lovely pub, one of the best in london.
katie nix - 3 Mar 2004 15:58 |
this used to be my local when I worked opposite. A real local out of town pub in the middle of town. Friendly people and a few famous faces spotted from time to time too. A hidden treasure. Wonder if Martin the Artist still drinks there!
Heather Henthorn - 11 Feb 2004 17:54 |
I love this pub and have been gere a few times recently. Alright food, cheap (for the middle of London) and nice beer and lots of little snugs and stuff. Don't tell the tourists.
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Cheap and cosy local which has somehow materialised smack bang in the middle of London's West End. I've spent many a happy night there drinking the high strength Pils lager and wondering why my legs have stopped working. Every drink bar none is made by Yorkshire independent Sam Smith, the toilets in the lounge have the door by a very busy dartboard and the others are outside and down a narrow flight of stairs. Which all makes for an interesting night out. Oh and the beer garden is closed as the neighbours are a bunch of whining nimbies. Which is a shame because the pub gets packed very quickly.
Agnes - 21 May 2003 17:01 |
Serves cheap Sam Smiths beers and decent pub grub. In 2000 this was split three sections as it was in Victorian times.
Beer garden in yard at the back.
John - 16 Apr 2003 13:13 |
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