please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Six real ales: Old Mill Summer Sunshine, Landlord, Pride, Thwaites Wainwright & Bomber and Batemans Thirsty Work. Also had Erdinger and bottles of Leffe. Beer quality of those I had didn't seem great but they weren't beers I knew. A large central bar with a raised area at the back. Had a steak pie which was fine.
Overall perfectly acceptable and one of the better Nicholsons.
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I Visited this pub yesterday as Part of the "SOHO & NOHO" Dick Whittington Pub Trail". Music, TV's, Nice Bar. Usual selection of Ales served in a Nicholson Chain pub. Foreign BAr Staff who did not undersand plain english. Again we had short measures but was the same in all Nicholsons run pubs visited that afternoon, however was topped up without fuss.
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short changed by staff. both barman and manager refused to admit mistake. now out of pocket. what ever happened to competent staff and customer service orientated management? check your change!
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Tick box for a bit of heritage let down by inferior service and poor ale, despite a fair selection. I had three of them, which ranged from adequate to 'take back'.
Unimpressed.
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Good enough for a mid afternoon break from the bustle of Regent St/Oxford St. Decent selection of beer let down by short measures. An overzealous desire from the bar staff to have everyone (except their mates, it seemed) finished off & out of the pub by ten past eleven on Saturday night. Whatever happened to 20 min's drinking up time?
SA162 - 23 Dec 2007 19:43 |
Sarah, the Guv, and her staff are the most cheerful and friendly folk who run any of the pubs in this part of Soho. Their Spitfire is the best quality I've drunk in London, and their Timothy Taylor Landlord is well worth quaffing a pintertwo!!.
mikem - 21 Sep 2007 09:43 |
I couldn't disagree more about the service - the new bar-staff are friendly and efficient. Food could be faster though...
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A good place to meet up after work; the beer is excellent and the atmosphere is great. Have to watch the measures though!
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yes, the service is often moody; yes, there's an enormous wait on the food; yes, it is usually horribly over-crowded; yes, the ceiling is like a scene out of The Shining.
But there's a general convivial atmosphere at the Clachan and, to keep you interested, an ever-changing selection of great guest ales.
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I'm a bit surprised by the reviews below. I've visited this pub only the once, a couple of months ago, and it was memorable for two things: having great Wadworth 6X on tap and having excellent staff. Well, one person anyway. There was a very sweet Australian girl serving that night, who I noticed was nice to every single customer she served. She was making people laugh. Whoever she was, they were dead lucky to employ her.
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This isn't the best pub in the world by a longshot, however, if like i was you're doing a pub crawl around soho, then it's well worth sticking this pub on your list.
Had 4 ales on, I had something called Tiger, can't remember the brewery but it was really good. Plus they have a few other european beers like erdinger. Bit of a trendy feel to it rather than a 'real pub' feel.
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Tried to get into this pub around 11:00 on a Thurs. with no luck. The bartender was reading the paper and had no intention of opening the door. The signs were outside which I interpreted as it being open. I wanted a pint of Bass as it seemed to have disappeared in other london pubs. I went back after walking around Soho and seeing every other pub open for business. At 11:30 it still wasn't open so I went to Pillars of Hercules instead and never got my Bass. I wanted to taste test it to my homebrew recipe and see how close I was. Oh well.
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This place is a regular of mine and it's one of the best in the West End.
I have known times when the service hasn't been brilliant but they've been few and far between.
The beer is well kept and they have a good selection of ales. The lager is... Well, lager. The menu is good pub food and it's usually served quickly. The pies and the toad in the hole are especially good.
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Good-sized pub which is part of the Nicholson's chain, this means a reasonable range of well-maintained ales, with a 'try before you buy' policy. My better half was pleased with the wine list too. I would have liked the bar staff to have been a bit more clued-up, but you can't have it all.
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Yep, to be honest, the last review is right. What the fck is the point of having a bar that runs the full circle of the gaff and then only serving on one side,,...with no sign to indicate that this is the modus operandi? I am not necessarily that sympathetic to tourists but i had to feel for the Spaniards who waited for nigh on half an hour to be served in the back half the other night, before they realised it was a fruitless endeavour and had to move round. The staff couldn't give a sh it, they are cnuts in here!
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This pub has the worst service I've ever had in London.
We went there because it was recommended in a Time Out guide and all I can say is, the staff must have known Time Out was in that night.
On the night we went, the staff were harrassing customers not to sit in one area of the pub and then another one( it is a pretty big pub) as they wanted to tidy up, while still serving other customers and confining everyone to a small area of the pub.
When I asked why this was I was told they wanted to get rid of people.
When I pointed out that was't exactly the way to treat customers I was told it didn't matter to them if we never used their pub again as they have plenty of customers.
Fair enough as I haven't used it since.
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Great pint of Landlord and really tasty burger as well. Highly recommended.
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i'm going to start my own campaign to get pubs to open late. OPEN LATE! Stop throwing me out at 11:20!
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Four or five real ales, interesting interior (floor mosaics and woodwork), half empty when I got there at 4pm on a Wednesday, but filled up rapidly.
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went there for the first time in 13 years still just as impressed nice one
juzza - 29 Mar 2006 13:38 |
Well, this is that rare beast - a decent ale pub in the badlands of Regent Street / Piccadilly. There were five ales on last night: Pride (as you'd expect) along with Timothy Taylor Landlord and a Hook Norton beer all of which were in good condition. It's a busy pub full of workers rather than tourists; that's the benefit of being hidden down a side street. A useful bolt hole if you're in the area.
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Been coming here years on and off - good pint of Guiness and you can normally find a seat if you hang around long enougth...
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Great pub - decent service. Kingly Street is well worth a pub crawl in its own right. Very busy on Saturdays, which is exactly what you would expect given the location.
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Had a splendid pint of Timmy Taylors last Saturday lunchtime. There was a large group of a dozen or so Frenchies in the pub - each one buying their one drink individually rather than having "rounds". Typical French - a law unto themselves.
Seems more food orientated than some of the other Nicholsons - esp The Argyll near Oxford Street Tube
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does the clachan still close at normal closing time?
I could really handle somewhere like this that stays open a while.
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Visited 27 Oct 05. 5 real ales on offer, I had the Adnams Flagshipwhich was in good condition. Most staff made sure that a pint was exactly that, though those that served a "frothy one", would top it up without any hassle.
Speaking as a suit, what else can the previous writers expect from this pub. It exists almost entirely on the "after work" trade, and reflects that. It most definately is not a local pub, but it does the job in a quiet efficient manner. The prices are reasonable for the area. Where's the problem?
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Really gone down in the last few years. Beer terrible. Worst pint of Timothy Taylors and Abbott in a long time. Un-interested staff.
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Excellent pub. They really know their beer. Food not bad.
The upstairs is great place to get away from the suits which can occasionally pack it out.
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Nice pub for the area, although it seems to fill to the point of unpleasantness with suits come around 6:30 in the evening. However slightly overshadowed in my opinion the excellent Sam Smith's pub "The Red Loin" just up the road.
anonymous - 11 Aug 2005 10:25 |
Tim Taylor's Landlord was the best pint of the many good ones that I had during a recent session. Pleasant atmosphere and friendly staff.
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Popped inwith my daughter and partner on a Staurday afternoon. I ordered the drinks while they went to the toilet. When they returned barman asked my daughters age. 17 she replied. Over 18's only he said. I pointed out she was only drinking Coke. No matter he said. Out. To save my daughter any further embarressment we left even though I had paid for my drinks. Disgusting attitude in this day and age for a pub in central London. Have written to brewery for explanation. Bunch of fucking ass-wipes. As you can see, I dont hold a grudge.
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Yep,..its a nice refuge in here, if you cant find a spot in the upstairs at the argyle,....(they're like gold dust!)
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Pretty good boozer that seems to take the Very Serious Business of Keeping Real Ale appropriately seriously. The Timothy Taylor's Landlord was great, in addition to which they had London Pride and A.N.Other on tap. Good selection of malt whiskies, though they kept the empty boxes of finished bottles up behind the bar which made choosing a little tricky. Food portions looked enormous and the prices were very reasonable for this part of London. The staff could benefit from a little English Language training and the manager could perhaps invest in a clock that shows the correct time, but these are niggles. What was perhaps slightly more worrying was that one of the barmen was called to check out some hobo that had passed out in the loos - I guess that kind of goes with the territory of being situated in W1. My normal reaction to finding myself near Oxford Circus is to run away screaming asap - this place is worth seeking refuge in. Good stuff!
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A regular meeting place of mine because of the location, range of beers and friendly, but not sedate, atmosphere. A well above average after work pub. 8/10
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Enjoyed it thoroughly. Best fish 'n chips yet. Music not too loud, good selection of beers. 8 out of 10 ranking.
primatebonz - 31 Oct 2004 14:01 |
clientelle was a touch tourista, but the decor and beer range were good. Sunday roast had lotsa gravy and a huge yorkshire, but shy on the veg. Their famous fish and chips was huge and the mushy peas very tasty.
That's just two of the reasons I liked it.
Richard - 31 Oct 2004 14:00 |
Local after-work pub. Usually a good selection of hand pulled beers. Food is average. Well worth a visit. a little quieter upstairs. Great Decor. Hidden away from tourist throng.
Andrew (barnsley) Wood - 14 Sep 2004 21:18 |
Fine Interior, excellent friendly service, though the range of beers was a bit disappointing - but that's a matter of personal choice. Generally, worth visiting
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this is one of sohos gems- go! you will love it!! best tried after 2 hours of walking around in liberty's. (you'll need it)
BAD BOY - 5 Sep 2003 15:30 |
Had a nasty shock when buying two pints of Adnams, handing a fiver over the counter & being asked for more money! Why pay £2.80 for Adnams there when it's £2.20 or less in the Wenlock Arms, N1 near Angel, Both these pubs are in Zone 1, but consider the price difference!
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I meant £2.80 of course (see below)
Kevin S - 12 Feb 2003 17:28 |
Nice pub in a good location. A bit pricey though. £280 for a pint of adnams
Kevin S - 12 Feb 2003 17:27 |
A nice pub with a good range of beers. More spacious since it was redecorated. The upstairs is now open for general use instead of being reserved for special functions. However I feel it has lost some of its old atmosphere since the redecoration. Still in my top ten favourite pubs.
Alistair - 28 Nov 2002 10:20 |
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