please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Lovely looking pub on the CAMRA Heritage list. It's good that it retains it's compartmented drinking areas despite the pressures there must be to open it up to make more room. Packed with tourists, office workers, casual droppers in etc which makes for an interesting mix. The barstaff were nippy and pleasant despite the crush at the bar and the three beers I tried were excellent - Thwaites Wainwright, TT Landlord and Bee Zone (Highgate Brewery?) Very competitively priced for the area too at around £2.70 a pint and a good choice of beer.
chick - 10 Sep 2008 09:42 |
A great pub which has kept its original decor despite the temptation to change the lay out which would certainly get more punters in. The price of the drinks is remarkably cheap for it's location, being in the heart of central London on one of it's busiest streets but I suppose they can afford to as their turnover must be massive. One of the pubs I always start off at or finish at when I go on a pub crawl around London. It is also great for a pre-theatre drink if going to the Palladium literally opposite. A lot cheaper than paying their prices!
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Absolutely crammed full of original Victorian features, it is worth visiting just for those alone. It usually has two or three guest ales on as well as regulars such as Landlord and London Pride. I had the Pride, which was OK, and decent value for the area at £2.50 a pint. If only it wasn’t right on top of Oxford Circus. It just gets too busy during the tourist season, and I very much doubt whether any of them realise that they are looking at some of the very best examples of original Victoriana rather than modern facsimiles. I probably won’t visit again unless I want to show a visitor a fine example of a Victorian pub interior.
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I agree with others that the interior of this pub is fantastic and it is worth popping in just to have a look.
My London Pride was a bit iffy and the Deuchars was off, but also on offer were Doombar, Bitter and Twisted, Thirsty Work, Landlord, Sunchaser, Stella, Fosters, Heineken, Amstell and Guinness among others.
So, an extensive selection in the centre of town – surely this is a great pub – Unfortunately not. We were served by a clueless barmaid and then asked to leave by another as my 14 year old brother shouldn’t have been served his blackcurrant and water. We were then asked to stand outside with all of the smokers – Nice one! We stayed inside until we had finished our drinks as they should have told us that we couldn’t stay in the bar before we were served.
Good looking and interesting pub run by rude and thick bar staff – Shame!
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What a shame, beautiful decor, though dilapidated and very poorly maintained. We were quite taken aback at just how contemptuous the service was but I suppose the tourists and shoppers who frequent this once great pub don't hang around long enough to find out.
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Not a bad pub considering the location. Unusual layout inside that can be confusing if you've had one to many but apart from that nothing to outstanding. Good to have a haven so close to the crazy crowds of Ox' street.
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Well worth a visit just to admire the well-preserved interior decor, but probably best done at a quiet time of day due to its proximity to Oxford and Regent Streets. No surprises, but a good range of well-kept real ale available. Definitely one of Nicholson's best (although that's not too hard...).
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Wandered down here for a pint or two after a meal tonight. In the National Inventory (I think) so worth coming down just for a look around. Tonight they had Black Sheep, Landlord, Pride, Abbot, Spitfire and Everards Tiger so a reasonable if unexciting range. Busy but we still found somewhere to sit. For such a central London pub this is as good as you could expect. As we were waiting for people to catch up before we went in we did get to look at a nice selection of young ladies in short skirts too.
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Because of it's location, a good starting point for a crawl around Soho, but also an oasis from the chaos of Oxford Street. Great interior with lots of mahogany and glass, and several little nooks and crannies. Can get very busy. Beer normally very good, and a good place to stand outside in the summer and enjoy people watching.
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Stopped off for a swifty afer a lunchtime spent Christmas Shopping in Regent Street. Peaceful oasis in a very busy area. Unspoilt decor and choice of 5 beers (though none unusual): Pride, Youngs Ordinary, TT Landlord, etc. Well worth a visit.
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The starting point of a short crawl undertaken yesterday. Interesting pub architecturally, full of nooks and crannies, nicely kept beer. Apparently breakfast is available from 8 o'clock, a fact I've noted for the future. Definitely worth a visit if in the area.
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Fantastic interior. Beers well kept and efficient bar staff
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worth a visit to see what a pub interior used to look like before theme pubs took over..nice pint of Fullers and a delicious snack well served .....sat outsdide ....sun shone ....had another pint of Fullers.......heaven
July 31st 2007
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Visited this pub as part of the "Dick Whittington Ale Trail" - Soho and Noho. 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 - Good selection of real ales and Lagers - Well worth a Visit was absolutely packed of a Friday Afternoon - even more on the Pavement outside. Nice ornate mirrors on the wall
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Quite a good pub considering it's location.nice decor but has always been busy when I've been in but what would you expect being right next to oxford circus tube.worth a visit
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One of the best pubs I've ever visited. Just by Oxford Circus so perfect for if you're shopping. The place is a lot less expensive than you might imagine given the location. The London Pride was in excellent condition when I visited again the other day.
The interior is magnificent - original screens, bar and frosted glass that are all centuries old.
Well worth a visit - you'll stay a lot longer than you planned to!
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Superb traditional boozer with truly delicious ales which are always well kept.
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This is one of the handiest pubs in London, right by Oxford circus so really well placed to meet people or to bob in if you have had enough of shopping, in some ways it can be a bit of a creche for grown men.
It has seating to the front on the pedestrianised part of the road which obviously get rammed, the interior is fantastic, its like taking a step back in time. The beer is nothing special, nor is the food, I once ate here and the guy even apologised before he put the food on the table, but they did give me 2 pints to help wash it down so I suppose that makes up for a bit.
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Alaways enjoy this pub, sunday evening used to see publicans from around the area meet up for a drink and a chat, greg and ginge were always the quintessential hosts and a good evening was had by all. staff were always attentive ( cause we were sitting with the boss??) greg always kept the beers in top notch. havent been back since they left. suppose another visit is due
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Quaint interior is attractive, but this means little seating space downstairs. Pub was absolutely heaving due to its proximity to Oxford Circus station, with a stream of people constantly squeezing past. Still worth a visit.
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Great pub just off the throng of Oxford street. Numerous real ales plus a guest always on. Food pretty good too. 8/10.
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The downstairs snugs are certainly beautifully crafted, and the Argyll is worth a visit just for that - though there is a noticeable patch of white ceiling that hasn't been painted, which spoils the effect a bit.
Had five fairly mainstream ales on draught yesterday - the Black Sheep was good, but wasn't too sure about the Old Hooky.
I suspect that many grubby hands will be wanting to rip out the downstairs as they have with the upstairs, so enjoy it while you can.
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I take it back - the staff here are great and gave me back my money - I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. It's a great looknig pub and I love the pictures of all the music stars - Judy Garland/Sammy etc
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I just went there for lunch this afternoon and they shortchanged me. They were quite unhelpful when I called to see if I could come back and get my change
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I love this pub and would like to go there more often for an evening, unfortunately I can only ever manage one drink before everything tastes and smells of tobacco and it always seems such an effort to get the bar staff's attention and then when you are served there is a communication difficulty, which means you get the wrong drinks or told the wrong price so you're forced to question your change or something like that. Perhaps I don't love it after all. Perhaps I just love the interior design!!
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A nice selection of beers in a beautiful (if chokingly smoky) setting, largely spoiled for me by the astoundingly poor service. A danger of going into a pub located, like the Argyll, on a tourist strip is that everyone hearing my accent assumes I'm on vacation. Sometimes that means I get friendly questions, sometimes it means people studiously ignore me in the hope that I'll go away, and sometimes it means I get treated like dog droppings by bar staff. At the Argyll, I was treated like someone who'd stolen the thrice-blessed goblet from which the barmaid drinks virgin blood to stave off the icy hand of death.
This is doubly a shame because the place really is a beauty, and the beer, when I was finally permitted to buy one, was well-kept and fresh (there's a beer festival on at the moment, with a selection of five real ales to choose from). But I won't be back again--there are too many friendly pubs to waste time in a place like this.
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"Real traditional" pub (see previous!!) in a busy location. The front area can get choked at busy times, but move further inside and you'll get served fairly quickly. Food upstairs if you need it, good range of beer and ale downstairs. Could be a nice spot in the summer with the outside tables, but I wonder if there's a lot of hassle with beggars from the tube next door?
Friendly service and decent beer when I went - under new management perhaps?
anonymous - 15 Feb 2006 14:35 |
Fantastic looking pub, faux traditional or real traditional, not sure. A real interesting place to drink. Did have some difficulty getting my order across but thats nothing new these days. A pleasant palce to meet friends but one you probably wouldn't linger in.
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Shockingly poor service by staff who didn't know what they were doing and couldn't understand the words 'pint', 'one' or 'of'! Not their fault being foreign and looking for jobs but the management really should put more into training staff. The only one who was any good was the elder irish lady. Really was bad service. It's got wonderful decor especially downstairs didn't see the upstairs before but it's definitely a little out of keeping with the downstairs so the other reader was probably right. The Pride was nice, downstairs is 'splendid'. A bit smokey. SORT OUT THE SERVICE - IT SHOULD BE A FLAGSHIP!! ...so there!
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miserable pub, miserable staff, full of tourists
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Downstairs still has the 'Olde' furnishings but has unforgiveably ripped it all out upstairs to attract the tourist foodies. Disgrace.
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Made another visit recently and there were no ales on at all. Lagers only! Won't be going back again.
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"Famous for our snugs" is the proud claim for another central London pub which has managed to retain original features. Most of the others in this area are owned by Sam Smiths, while this is owned by Nicholson's so has a broader, if not very exciting, selection of common or garden cask ales kept in just about acceptable condition. The "snugs" are the main attraction here; but while the glass, marble and mahogany is interesting, the service is off-hand, the music unsympathetic to the surroundings, and the atmosphere indifferent, so this is not a place that would attract a return visit, other than as a piece of historical curiosity to show a friend.
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Exactly as described by realalesnob. Hopefully it'll resist the march of 'progress' and not end up as an All Bar Slug. No smoking at the bar in this place but then again it'll be no smoking in pubs full stop sooner rather than later.
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The dying beast that is a West End pub with true character. Really interesting layout with lots of little cubby holes to hide in.
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Not a bad pub, nothing special. Very convenient for Oxford Circus so a good place for a drinks break when shopping, or a good place to arrange to meet people.
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Quite a strange pub in reality. It was very busy downstaris, and although the upstairs was nice and quite it certainly through us as it definitely did seem like a dining area. The whole of the downstairs area is like a bizarre hall of mirrors or labyrinth. As said by others it's not at all bad for it's location, and the beer was fine, although slighty expensive if I recall. Although, of course, there are some far better places to drink in the area (namely the Samuel Smith pubs) which are slightly more off the beaten track.
anonymous - 16 Apr 2005 17:59 |
oh yeah,..true true,......the five stop journey from Bank to Ox circ puts me in mind of the effort Hannibal had to make in moving those elephants....The Argyle is like a mirage as one exits ox circ tube,...nothing better than tying on a session there and forgeting where you were supposed to be meeting up in the first place......Uptairs bar as well for a bit of privacy away from the plebs
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this place is an oasis. slap-bang in the middle of town, it's ideal for that pint you need after a gruelling tube journey into town. plenty of fruities. nice dark corridor to hang around in and quietly shake.
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Have regularly walked past this place over the years but only went in for the first time the other night. The internal architecture is very interesting; it looks like the pub has been relatively unchanged for many years and the surrounding area has sprung up around it. Seems like a good spot to meet your friends if you are going on a night out in the west end.
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Not a bad pub, but when the Palladium turns out it is crazy. Ideal for a train home from Oxford Circus tube.
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It's actually alright in this place, considering its location.
I was forced to go there through meeting non-London living friens and found it quite bearable and not overly expensive.
If you must be in this vicinity then there are worse places to have a pint.
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Manages to be surprisingly good despite being smack bang in the middle of the Hell on Earth that is Oxford Circus. The interior is interesting (lots of old fashioned mirrors, corridors, etc.) and the staff are friendly and efficient (they need to be given how busy this place gets). London Pride is pretty well kept if slightly unmemorable. I can't remember what the prices were but it certainly didn't stand out as being overly expensive. If you have the profound misfortune to find yourself in the vicinity then the Argyll is well worth popping into to console yourself.
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Nice pub with beautifull interior. Nice screens and mirrors and stunning bar-back. Friendly efficient staff and a great pint of Tim Taylors.....Because of its prime location gets very busy though.....Is the upstairs area for drinking or dining only?..even the staff seem unsure. Other than that though, well worth a visit.
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I took over the management of this pub recently and would like to emphasise that we are now operating a bar area upstairs , not a dining area.
We are happy to welcome drinkers or diners in all areas.
Any poor service , food or drinks should be reported asap to the management and will be dealt with as a matter of urgency.
We are committed to offerring a variety of products including a minimum of 4 cask ales and 4 lagers.
Customers can email me direct if they have any comments or suggestions.
Thanks
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Beautiful pub in all aspects. Good selection of beer. It does get crowded... But aren't all good pubs suppose to be popular???
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This bar has so much potential but consistently refuses to live up to it.
Be prepared to wait for a decent seat even at off-peak times of the day. Seating downstairs is limited and the upstairs area is reserved for food only and has been known to be booked out for private parties. This drives the few random shoppers/lunchers in search of table space downstairs. If you are looking for somewhere to go at lunchtime for a few drinks, give the Argyll Arms a miss - staff make it plain that you are using up valuable seating for food-buying (£££) customers. If, on the other hand, you have a longing for bangers and mash and don't mind occasionally late/not as ordered/undercooked food, or the feeling that staff have a hundred other more important things to do than take your order, then it offers OK food in a convenient location and really gorgeous surroundings.
sla - 6 Apr 2004 15:58 |
Went there for a beer after the Cock on Friday. Amusing bar man - which one of our vast range of lagers would you like (only do Carling & Stella) & bitter (they only did John Smiths).
Anyhow very accessible & worth a visit.
PJB - 8 Mar 2004 10:58 |
They have turned the upper storey into a dining area only. All the nice fittings have been removed. This was a retrograde step and has caused me to drop my rating from 7 to 5.
Alistair - 24 Dec 2003 11:59 |
great pub, very beautifully carved mahogany in side with loads of brass and mirrors. Very clean and has a definite atmosphere.
pat - 22 Oct 2003 15:06 |
Gets very packed very quickly, but it's beautiful inside.
Was being done up recently - fingers crossed it hasn't been mucked about with.
Darryl - 11 Aug 2003 13:24 |
Brilliant Pub split inside by screens great atmosphere just watch your bags. Enjoy it while you can Six Continents are trying to get permission to tear inside original fittings down(Grade 1 listed!) and turn into 'trendy' Nicholsons bar.
arturo_morales - 21 Mar 2003 10:38 |
A good pub but gets very crowded very quickly in the evenings. Upstairs part of the pub is not open often enough even when the large number of customers makes it worthwhile
Alistair - 21 Nov 2002 11:06 |
Perfect place to meet and the sitting area upstairs is usually less busy.
Eva - 28 Oct 2002 16:25 |
