please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
I Visited this pub yesterday as Part of the "Westminster to Piccadilly" Dick Whittington Pub Trail". Nice Pint of London Pride, usual selection of Ales served in a Nicholson Chain pub. Foreign Bar Staff who provided short measures (but was the same in all Nicholsons run pubs visited that afternoon). however was topped up without fuss. Very Busy when I was there, recommended but watch the size of the head on the Beer!!!
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I liked it in here and have to say that it is one of the better pubs in the area. The very nice barmaid served me excellent Deuchars during an afternoon session last week.
The chatter can get a little mind numbing as people start competing to be heard over each other and their voices echo through the long thin bar, but other than that I was impressed and will go back.
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Good pub with great beer. Any pub that sells Timothy Taylor Landlord must be okay.
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Decent ale selection. The wife was happy here until she needed to use the Ladies. I have been informed that they are shocking!!!!!
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NOTE TO SITE ADMINISTRATORS - AS other people have already pointed out, the pub pictured here is The Market Porter, NOT the Old Shades
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Good little pub and stands above most in the area. Excellent beer, quality and good value food, staff are right on the ball - even when busy it's easy to get served and they keep the floor well run (you don't end up sitting at a table surrounded by a sea of empty pint glasses).
John Prescott was in here when I went in but it's still a decent pub. It's shockingly easy to stack it down the staris to the blokes toilets if you get wellied though. I speak from experience.
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It's The Market Porter.
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That picture is NOT "The Old Shades"!!
You can see the street sign is Park street, not whitehall!!
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Visited this pub as part of the "Dick Whittington Ale Trail" - Westminister To Piccadilly. You get a Frre T Shirt after visiting 5 different Pubs - There a Six different Trails to do, all run by the Brewerey. This pub offered God Food a Beer at very competitive prices - the cheapest of the day £5 for two pints of Carling Lager. - Well worth a Visit
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Nice friendly pub. Very wooden all round. Great beer and food. However, the wrong pub shown in the photo is not 'The Clarence'! I thought it was 'The Market Trader', E1 at first but not. Any ideas anyone?
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I love this pub - despite the picture above being of the WRONG pub! As I write this the picture shown for the Old Shades is actually of the Clarence, so be warned - if you are looking for the Old Shades, it is closer to Trafalgar Square than the pictured one, and has a very narrow frontage.
I started using The Old Shades while the Clarence was being refurbished, and wouldn't change back now that I have found it. It has a wonderful friendly atmosphere, good food, good drink, and is now a Bookcrossing zone - there are free books you can take away with you (and keep if you like) on the shelf on the right hand side as you go in. It's the sort of pub you go into for a good time with friends involving good booze, good food if you're hungry, and good conversation - with that wonderful bonus of no TV! Perfect!
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Not bad at all. A less good range of ales than the average for Nicholson's (although my IPA was perfectly adequate), but a lovely wooden-panelled interior made this a pleasure to spend time in. I'm not sure whether it's original or a more modern pastiche, but either way I liked it.
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This is probably the most traditional pub in Whitehall and the least changed over time. Not as touristy as the Clarence, with a higher proportion of local customers and vastly superior to the neighbouring Silver Cross. The Old Shades has a narrow front and looks tiny at first glance from the outside, but on entering, it is tardis-like, i.e. surprisingly long. Definitely worth a visit, if you fancy something with a more authentic feel. Very pleasant staff and at peak periods tends not to get quite as packed as the Lord Moon of the Mall opposite.
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not particularly memorable.Didn't stay long.
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My grandfather's local when he worked at the Admiralty. First time I visited was after the Remembrance Day ceremony at the Cenotaph. Wonderful atmosphere brought about by the place being full of bemedalled veterans. Have eaten there once and found the food excellent. A nice pub probably largely unchanged from when my grandfather used to sup there.
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Unremarkable, but pleasant enough. Close to Trafalgar Square.
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A nondescript but pleasant enough pub to duck into if you're in the area. We had drinks and a bowl of chips, and both were good but not overly memorable. It's a Nicholson's, and all the usual suspects were available on tap (including what seemed to be a well-kept Landlord).
The decor, like everything else about the place, is pleasant enough. The only real surprise about the Shades was the very friendly barmaid, probably one of the nicer people I've met behind a bar in that area of the city.
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I't been nice reading your comments, I recently popped in to the pub for a beer a while ago, my reason to go in? My Grandfather ran it about 60 years ago and my Mum grew up there.
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Just had a refurb - which has added to rather than taken away the atmosphere, which, seems to be the exception rather than the rule for pub refurbs! It's now more intimate and with very subtle lighting, giving it a dimmer light. Certainly an improvement on what it was before.
Beer, which was the usual fare was well kept and served just right. Amstel was superb, though in fairness i've yet to have a bad one in London.
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Good pub, friendly bar staff - tasty food. Looks like they mostly attract tourists.
Addlestones Cider on tap which was nice.
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You can always get a seat in here, when every other Whitehall pub is bursting at the seams. It has some atmosphere, but really the guaranteed table is its biggest draw.
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Traditional pub that was fairly quiet even on a Saturday evening, despite being just south of Trafalgar Square. Fortunately no TV blaring football at us, so we could have a conversation....
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Because of it's wooden furniture and old graphics the place got it's own charm.I used to be there every day in August and September and I was very pleased.The staff is really nice and helpful.See for yourself.
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I've worked there in August and September 2004 and I spent most wonderful time of my life.There were some problems, like e.g. TV set without a SKY SPORTS and problems with Ale,but the atmosphere in the pub was really great. Staff and manager(Natalie)were best I've ever seen and we've worked very hard to give customers the best we can.Now I've heard that there is new manager(Dermond),so I'm sending my best wishes to him and all of the staff.Take care boyz and girlz.C U soon.
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watched euro 2004 there, due to convenience and only pub in whitehall showing the footie. Wouldn't do it for any other reason - they are ALWAYS running out of ale and the lagers too. PLUS went there to watch the England game (v Ukraine) and 5 mins before ko found that they had 'technical' problems withe the tv and would no longer be showing the game.
Saturday Boy - 22 Aug 2004 11:40 |
What happened to Dave, the manager? Used to be a good mate of his when I ran the Silver Cross next door. Where did he end up?
Dan - 20 Aug 2004 20:33 |
Very traumatic experience last week - went there to watch the footy, got there early to nab favourite table and settled in for the night. Found out 15 minutes before kick off that they no longer have Sky TV! This is a very worrying turn of events, and I hope its just a temporary absence...
Pauly H - 29 Mar 2004 09:04 |
Brilliant pub, great people, manager crazy guy but very funny, cant wait for another night out at the Old Shades. The Chef is so very sexy (Yes you Marco)
anonymous - 21 Feb 2004 21:13 |
Top pub on the Whitehall strip. Good mix of people in there, and more importantly good beer.
Rob - 20 Aug 2003 14:59 |
Excellent Special deals Food Good and service fantastic. Have best Barmaid in London Sarah. Can serve beer blindfolded standing on her head and she won't spill a drop, she'd also do it quicker than the average illegal immigrant barmaid. (no Pubs named Silver Cross whoops!)
Ashley Neal - 14 Apr 2003 16:06 |
Specials £1.99 - Carlsberg some bottles and Double Spirits. Jugs of Carlsberg (4 pints) £7.60, and iwas led to believe this place was expensive. Watched England game here after leaving witch in Coal Hole (now there is an expensive dump of a pub)thrown out for watching the football.
kate weldon - 4 Apr 2003 18:18 |
Completely agree - it was top notch for the England v Turkey game last night, and 4 pint pitchers of lager mean no unnecessary stumbling to the bar during the important bits! Don't know anywhere else round here, short of the Sports Bar, with a projector screen TV.
Pauly H - 3 Apr 2003 15:32 |
Best place to watch football anywhere around Traf Square in 2/3 mile radius. Good beers and special offers 2 for 1 etc.. Food very good and service excellent. All barstaff seem to speak English which must be the only pub anywhere around here were this is the case, they also do their job!
arturo_morales - 25 Mar 2003 16:49 |
large pub with sky big screen. Closest pub to Trafalgar Square that bothers at sporting occasions so if you want to see Football Rubgy whatever and then dance in the fountains come here. oh yeah the beers not to bad and food very good. Barstaff abit queer though!
christine young - 25 Mar 2003 14:38 |
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