please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Always try to get a half in here and wait for the rush hour to subside (thats my excuse anyway!) STaff are varying, but ales always well kept. Just don't try to order food
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Visited this pub yesterday Afternoon as part of "THE THEATRELAND" Dick Whittington Beer Trail. Usual Nicholson selection of Cask Conditioned Ales on offer, well kept. Full of locals and Tourists alike all having good time. Well worth a visit, would go back.
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Visited on a Saturday afternoon - not too busy for its location, sat outside.
Reasonable beer prices for the location, 6 beers and change from £20 - unusual for the West End!!
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Remembering the favourable posts by fellow BITErs prompted me to call in at this pub as was passing yesterday and was duly rewarded. A lovely pub in a very busy part of town. Choice of 6 ales - 4 of them commonplace but also had Stonehenge Ales "Sign of Spring" and Brains SA Gold. The SA was excellently kept and I just had to have another. The eastern European barman/landlord(?) chatted and gave me a sample of "Sign of Spring" which was very different, very green(!) and also very well kept. Reasonable prices for this part of town - I paid £2.90 but the Pride was £2.50.
Nice well maintained interior, typical theatreland pictures on the walls, a lengthy sausage menu in the main bar and steps to an upstairs bar and restaurant. Quiz machine (silent) and some unobtrusive piped music.
I'll be back :-)
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Never seems to let me down this pub. Six handpumps and generally some interesting guests. Plenty of premium lagers, Heiniken Export, Stella, Kronenburg etc., Erdinger on draft and Erdinger Dark in bottles. Right in the heart of the tourist area so is always busy but the crowds are accommodated well by the efficient staff.
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Not too busy early Saturday evening. The place had the feel of a friendly local. Surprised given its location. Quick, efficient service and an excellent pint of T.T.Landlord. Most enjoyable.
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Wow Tank boy - all that choice must have blown your mind, Uncle Joe would never have allowed it!
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A great little pub, 6 real beers with 2 guest beers always on and always in good condition, friendly staff. Only gripe is that it is often served with a large head but never any hesitation in topping it up when asked.
tanky - 25 Sep 2007 15:44 |
Always try and stop here for a beer when "up west" never too rammed to get a pint and you can stand outside only on the side next to the zoo bar though as was explained to me by the Polish/latvian/croation doorman!(still he was polite)
Nice pub worth a go while on the crawl
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As noted by others, never too busy which is surprising given it's location. Not a bad place to stop in for a quick jar.
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I have always found this to be quite a decent boozer - the ale is usually on good form and there's a healthy buzz about the place, with it being just on the edge of Leicester Square. You could do a lot worse.
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Good choice of well kept ales
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I have been in here on a friday night and has not been busy at all.not sure why, seems a good little pub.
good to sit out side and ogle the crumpet waiting to enter the zoo bar
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I was surprised how not busy it was when I went. There were plenty of seats available. The staff were friendly enough.
It is not that indistinguishable from other Nicholson’s pubs, which are becoming a lot more common throughout London. They are practically an identikit chain with a rather faux-historic approach. That said, having a reasonable selection of ales (including guest ales) probably makes them preferential to Fuller’s or Young’s.
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Beer is still good a nice selection. Punters can even vote for the next guest beer at the bar. On the wall you get a choice and you place your vote at the bar, how cool!
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Apart from us 4 and a couple of others this pub was virtually deserted on sunday lunch time around 1 in the afternoon.Glared at by the barmaid for offering a little Northern humour.Decided on the Guinness for a change.Been going in this pub for years.Even before they bought the tobacconists "Inderwicks" next door to make the pub bigger.
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Good food, good choice of ales.
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Usually busy, as one would expect from a well-placed Theatreland pub, but prompt and efficient service by the bar staff.
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Friendly staff, well located to meet up with friends - thumbs up.
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a damn nice little pub.Ive been drinking here for six years and it is one of the only pubs in the area that has a loyal little collection of regulars which gives it that local feel,rather than a stereo typical west end pub.Does fill up with curious tourists but luckily they tend to bugger off to the upstairs restuarant,leaving the real people doing the proper business of drinking downstairs.
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Not a bad pub for a couple Ive been in here more than once so it cant be that bad
juzza - 14 Aug 2006 19:35 |
Agree it's better than most in the area. Not a bad spot to meet people as you can watch Charlie Chaplin films while you wait.
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A very small pub in comparison to most around this area. Bouncers were polite and let us stand outside with our beers as inside was very busy.
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Not a bad boozer.
There's better around the area but there is also ALOT worse.
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if you find yourself in leicester square most weekends, then don'y inflict your opinions on pubs on the rest of is, yes? no? yes?
this pub is a standard, soulless nicholson's. dross.
anonymous - 28 Mar 2006 11:47 |
I LOVE this place! It'a a great little traditional pub near Leicester Square. My boyfriend and I go there everytime we're in the area (which is practically every weekend). It's slightly cheaper than the big bars in the square. Perfect if you want a drink in a good old english looking public house, although it can get very crowded at times.
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I like this pub, can get crowded (location, location, location) but it has some atmosphere, certain regulars, and good staff that make it a better pub than others in the west end.
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A Quality little boozer! Pleaant staff and a lovely pint make this pub a winner. Live sport is also shown here! Situated about 3 minutes walk from Leicester Sqaure underground and 30 seconds walk from the main square, this place is in a great location! The toiles are kept very clean which is also a bonus when on a London pub crawl
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Nice little pub, good bar staff, theres an upstairs as well.
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the only oub with some feeling in the area.
I like it!
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Yep, agree with shit500, best of the bunch round here, used to be Preedy's local when he was milking Capital, now just a convenient place to lay your hat nr Leicester sq,........I love the idea of people getting the train in, for a night out in "Londons West End" and ending up in this dump,......lits a lot more credible than the "Long Island Ice tea" shop or other tips of that ilk.......
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any pub with Bear in the name should serve Hofmeister
good boozer, my pick in the area
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Was very crowded which limited my assesment of the pub. Heard many good reviews but it really came off as just another Nicholson's London pub in the end. Great area to people watch.
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I had some of the best times of my life in the Bear and Staff. It was back in the early 90's and the gov was John McFadzian at the time. It was packed with theater goers then too, but they had a VERY small theater they ran upstairs. They also had pool and darts upstairs, but John only let us regulars up there. At a time when Americans weren't always welcome in central London there were always friendly faces in the Bear and Staff. Americans were mostly accepted by the older folks, but the youngsters didn't think much of us. I remember one time the bar was stacked to the rafters and a young guy was trying to get a pint from the bar. the barman was passing it by me, but the kid couldn't quite reach it, so i took hold of it and passed it to the kid and said, quite offhandedly and barely audibley, "here you go, mate". He looked at me icily and said "I am NOT your 'mate'". so I said "OK, here you go asshole". His little girlfriend burst out with laughter, but he didn't appreciate too much. If he'd been Irish I suppose we would have had a row, but he just walked it off. And then there was an elderly gentleman who "met" me several times at the Bear and Staff over the course of my 3 year stay in London. The reason I say he met me several times is because he never remembered having met me before, but he'd invariably introduce himself and pound me on the back saying 'God Bless you yanks' 'If it wasn't for you yanks, we'd not be speakin the Queen's English today' and he'd buy me a pint. Just like in America, there are all kinds of people in England, which is why I love it there, almost as the U.S.
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I've been here once in 2004 and it is a lovely but crowded pub. Ther have what I call two tier tables where you can put your drinks on one level and empties on the other.
They have few well kept real ales which are lovely, including Hobgoblin.
Well worth stopping here for a few.
NeilA - 24 Jun 2005 19:48 |
A very nice pub, its nice to sit outside, they have heaters in the winter and watch the world go by. Its just off Leicester Square so alot of interesting people, locals and tourists.
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It is very nice pub in a very crowded place.They have lots of lagers,but only two Ales. There is a TV set in there,so You can see some sport.Manager(Lee)and staff are friendly and familiar to the customers.You have to visit this place,but not on Saturday between 11 and 12 pm. it is too crowded then.
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If anyone knows of a better pub within 5 minutes walk, could they please tell me, as I was VERY IMPRESSED.
alan - 22 Oct 2004 19:50 |
Since my last comment I must report that this pub has improved a tad.There is a new manager by the name of Lee whom knows what he is doing.Also the pub has more of a "worn in" feeling now and isnt so ghastly as it was just after the last refurb.So yes it is a nice pub for a few quiet pints.
Nick Hamer - 21 Aug 2004 18:39 |
Before the recent refit this was my favorite pub in London.I treated it like a second home.It was cosy and dark,very atmospheric.The bar used to have a wooden beam over the top,making it like a country boozer in the heart of central london.Then,as seems to be way now,the brewery "branded" the pub,took the beam from across the bar away,put stupid pictures everywhere and brightened the pub up so much that all the previous character and coziness of the place has vanished.Wouldnt recommend it anymore,tens to attract loud obnoxious pricks as well since it was given a new coat of paint.However the upstairs bar has been done nicely and is the only redeeming feature the bear and staff has to offer these days.
Nick HAMER - 10 Apr 2004 16:41 |
This pub used to do a lovely pint of Timmy Taylor's Landlord, but it has just been taken off, unfortunately. However, the rest of the beer selection is okay, and there are some decent wines on offer too. Tends to be a haven of (relative) calmness in the madness of Leicester Square area.
Jo - 5 Apr 2004 15:07 |
since the refurbishment the pub has come back to life! the perfect place for pre clubbing drinks and the meals are excelent, espeacially the steak and giuness pie. the staff there are mostly international and are constantly telling a yarn!!! friday and saturday nights tend to be busier and more popular with the younger age groups!
matt - 31 Jan 2004 00:54 |
Not to large, and luckily not too too busy. Has a differnt brand of Cider than I usually see 'addleton's' I think. Worth a taste. Nice look and friendly staff.
Richard - 7 Dec 2003 16:29 |
Well run and always welcoming, which is a bit of an oddity in The West End!
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visited today on the strength of it entry in the CAMRA 2004 good beer guide - something of a let down in choice and quality of real ales available, however on the plus side i had nice bangers and mash, and the place was comfortable and quiet - which is suprising given its location
Steve - 7 Nov 2003 21:44 |
went there last night (30/7) and was told it will be closed for the next 3 weeks for refurbishment - great shame as it's a top notch pub in a great location which doesn't get too busy
Darren - 31 Jul 2003 09:48 |
