please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Pleasingly this pub has one of its early BITE reviews printed out on the wall! This is a small and usually rather peaceful alehouse on the Aldwych side of Covent Garden. Despite the location it retains something of a local feel to it, which is nice. The interior is nothing to shout about but I do like the bay window at the front, original feature or not. Two real ales when I visited, one of them Badger. I'd heard stories about the landlord's tendency towards grumpiness but he's been very civil on my occasional visits.
|
Nice pub, Well worth a visit, but nothing out of the ordinary.
|
The way a real pub should be run, simply the best.
And a very cold beer fridge.
|
Went to this a few nights ago with my co worker, she's French but likes ale.As I said in Opera Tavern review these pubs were great and the managers a real laugh, like laurel and hardy with beer bellys. A really nice night out. We'll be back!!!
|
A cracking pub, very friendly staff and plenty of seating upstairs. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your inclination) it gets very busy from about 10pm onwards with theatre-types from the shows in the surrounding theatres, but still recommended.
anonymous - 8 Jul 2007 00:26 |
Great little "battle-cruiser".well worth a visit whilst on a Covent Garden crawl.
|
I met a couple of friends here early yesterday evening for a quick drink - and ended up staying until closing time! Downstairs is a small bar with limited seating, packed with friendly people having a good time and plenty of banter with the efficient, cheerful bar staff. The atmosphere was great and I got into random conversations with various other drinkers; always the mark of a good pub, in my opinion.
I like pubs where I have a good chance of getting a comfortable seat and was not disappointed by the upstairs bar. The atmosphere was calmer and quieter, allowing myself and my friends to catch up over a few decent bottles of wine. One of our party was starving, but we still couldn't tear ourselves away to find somewhere that served food - happily, drinkers are welcome to bring food in from elsewhere and eat.
A great pub - I am glad to have found it - and I'll certainly be returning.
|
Best pub in London. Nuff said
|
Fantastic pub, you are made really welcome, the service is swift although it does get busy just before the show goes up across the road but then it gets much better. The quizz machine becomes a whole pub affair in a way that you meet new people and friends.
Great little pub pub, good staff, drink and atmosphere
anonymous - 7 Feb 2007 17:33 |
A theatre pub. Well kept beer.
|
I visited here recently with three friends. We found a cosy corner, ordered 4 beers (good pint of Spitfire) and started chatting. As soon as our glasses were empty the barman shouted over "same again ?", poured our pints and brought them over. Needless to say, we stayed for the whole evening.
This level of service marks the Nell out as a special pub for me.
manxy - 29 Sep 2006 11:06 |
Came here a couple of weeks back before going to see the theatre opposite. Looked to be a really nice place though did seem to get very busy before the show. Came back in during interval and it was a lot easier to get a seat. Definitely will visit again when next in the area.
|
Recently had a great night out here with some mates. Bit crowded before the show starts, but good atmosphere, good beer, enjoyable experience.
They let us get a pizza delivered which was considerate, particularly considering if we hadn't eaten we would have fallen over.
|
This pub has got it right.
The bottled beer is cold,
Take note other pub managers, this is the way to run your beer fridge.
|
The Nell of Old Drury is similar in size, age and layout to its near neighbour the Opera Tavern, a couple of doors down. Situated opposite the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, the pub is obviously geared towards the theatre-going crowd. The interior is rather scruffy with walls plastered with photos, posters for plays and theatre productions plus a few theatrical masks and instructions regarding interval drinks. Whilst the general layout of the pub has probably remained unchanged, the interior appears to have undergone many refurbishments and does not appear to have retained many original features. Both the bar and the wooden flooring appear to be relatively modern. Even the bay fronted façade appears to be in too good a condition to be original. It can probably be rather cramped pre-theatre but there is a corridor partitioned from the main bar that leads to an upstairs bar. Regarding the previous comments regarding the landlord, I found him friendly enough, welcoming me when I first came in and thanking me when I left although I get the impression he stands for no nonsense (he threw one chap out while I was there who was wandering around without a drink or attempting to buy one – I have no problem with that). They serve two Real Ales, Adnams and Spitfire alongside the usual selection of lagers and cider but the prices were slightly higher than similar pubs in the area. They have a TV but it is not particularly well placed and certainly not worthy of a night out watching any sporting event. My overall opinion is that "Nell" is not a bad pub, but not as good as some of its close neighbours
|
Found the staff very friendly on a recent Wed night.
The downstairs was full so went upstairs and enjoyed my Spitfire.
Nothing wrong with Nell but nothing that sets it apart either.
|
I agree with Shandyandy - the landlord is a miserable old git and certainly put me off ever coming back to the pub again.
|
Great pub but the landlord is a miserable old sod. If he won the lottery he'd complain that it wasn't a roll-over week.
|
yeah friendly gaff this,...went solo style here,....they charged my phone for me,...i then turned it off.
|
one of the best and friendliest pubs in London which is why I've been a regular for the past six years. Bar staff are great, good beers, wine and a very nice crowd of regulars and visitors. It gets top marks from me.
Phil Shaw - 17 Nov 2004 14:30 |
i visited this pub on friday night and felt i just had to say something. i've never had such a great experience in a london pub. it has the look and the feel of a traditional family run pub. the bar staff (a young guy and a young lady, both English!) had incredible presence behind the bar and seemed to genuinly enjoy their jobs. the service was polite, prompt and extremely friendly. but the real joy was the real ale. you can tell this landlord really knows how to keep it. overall, this is a fantastic "no nonsense" theatre pub. one of London's little gems
Richard Evans - 11 Nov 2003 13:05 |
Great little pub,very friendly,and popular with actors musicians and backstage theatre people.Free facilities to hold parties upstairs.
Greg Fairy - 8 Nov 2003 15:53 |
Nice sized pub, inhabited by locals, luvvies and the odd passer-by. Cracking barmaid and decent pints. Thumbs aloft.
jeremy - 1 Oct 2003 15:34 |
Small pub but nice window seating. Pleasant atmosphere.
george - 18 Sep 2003 20:30 |
Nice and cosy pub. Gets a bit busy before the theatre is finished but still very enjoyable as there was an upstairs area to escape to.
James - 16 Sep 2003 13:45 |
the pub was used in hitchcocks film frenzy
mark - 4 May 2003 08:44 |
Good little pub always seem crammed however many people in. Odd curiosity not how they make'em these days.
arturo_morales - 20 Mar 2003 09:07 |
Ideal for pre theatre drinks. Good atmosphere and cosy pub.
Ferg - 13 Nov 2002 14:35 |
