please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
A tourist trap. The discerning beer drinker will know of of better places and will go to them.
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I had lunch and a swift half of speckled hen yesterday - ale in v. good condition. Pride on pump too plus another guest ale I think.
Pie of the day was piping hot (too hot? well i don't work for health and safety so..) and a large portion.
The place looks different from the dump it used to be, must have been renovated. Nice place to sit down for a bit and get off the buzz of the area.
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I been drinking at Shakespeare last weekend and I liked this pub. Got some nice barmaids. Service was fine. Food was fine as well.
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A veritable boil on the backside of London. Smells like a particularly bad gents convenience
I know pubs near stations are meant to be crap but this one really takes the biscuit - manages to make the Wetherspoons inside Victoria look relatively appealing and that my friends really is saying something
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this is what our tourists are greated with when they get off the express from Gatwick. the owners should be ashamed of themselves (fullers). what a shite hole.
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This place is a complete shit-hole. Dirty, smelly. Full of lowlife scum. Barstaff are crap.
AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE!!!
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Met a few friends here for a pre-arranged drink and it really wasn't that bad at all. I'd looked up the reviews beforehand and was fearing the worst.
It's nothing special but service was good and the place was clean.
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A very valid point callaigh.
All I would add to it is - Don't drink there, either...
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DO NOT EAT HERE!
I went to this pub for lunch while waiting for a train. Service was awful and slow but worst was the Chicken Kiev that was raw in the middle!!
Kitchen staff need training on Food Safety!
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Not quite sure why my comment of yesterday was removed?
So, to reiterate, I gave the barman a twenty, and he gave me change for a tenner. When I questioned this, he immediately handed me the other tenner (which he had in his hand) saying ' Oh, I wasn't sure, so I thought I'd wait until you asked'!
I expect he would have put the other tenner back in the till,obviously....
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A dive
anonymous - 8 Aug 2007 17:12 |
Oh dear, what a miserable dump this place is! The Shakespeare is not a place I’ve ever thought to frequent before and I very, very much doubt I’ll be seen in here again. Just what is the appeal? They sell an ale or two and the background was music was pleasant, but honestly, either people go here because they are numskulls or purely because of its proximity to the station. The toilets, by the way, are the worst I have ever entered. The stench was beyond vile. A weaker man would’ve vomited. Err, cleaning staff? Friday (3rd August) was my first and will forever be my sole visit to this travesty of a drinking establishment. Bulldozers, where are you?
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Wouldn't usually consider writing on these posts but this place wound me up a treat on visiting in our lunch hour today.
Unfortunately one of the dishes we ordered didn't seem cooked. Sending it back lead to farcial scenes with 4 different members of staff really struggling to understand that we didn't have much time and a simple request for a spare plate and cuttlery to share another meal went begging. Ended up having to leave. Alas probably some of the worst customer service I've ever seen.
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went here for the only reason anybody does - meeting somebody at Victoria - but made the mistake of deciding we might as well get some food. Went to order at the bar but was told that as we were sat in the "restaurant area" it was table service. After ten minutes of trying to get served we gave up on the idea and decided to just finish our pints and go somewhere else. Five minutes later this was confirmed by the waitress finally turning up - to inform us that we had to be eating to sit in the restaurant area.
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well i dont know if things have changed here but visited yesterday and it was busy , but the bar area was deserted got served quickly and was a nice drop of beer didnt really stay too long as was on way to a meeting seemed better than it did maybe i just hit it on a very good day
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Well, I asked the barman for a pint of Greene King IPA and was informed it wasn't available, so I chose something else. For the next round I asked the barmaid if the Greene King was back on and she said it had never been off, "but he [pointing to the barman] always tells people it is..."
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have wrote a review on this place because i thought it would be a waste of time as everyone else has said what i thought in previous comments , been here a couple of times mainly because i couldnt be arsed to walk to the weatherspoons and i was meeting someone , ive got to say ive been in some right shithole boozers all over the country but i have never encountered such a place in london , the staff have no customer service skills and no human skills by the looks of it , only stayed each time for a quick pint which was quaffed very very quickly maximum stay including waiting for a beer was 10mins , what a god forsaken place this really is
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Made the mistake of meeting a friend here.
How did they get this place looking and feeling so souless? The garish fruit machines, beer-sodden carpet and "vertical drinking" areas combine with a clientele of hobos, sales reps and burberry bruisers to make for a thoroughly depressing pint. Factor in the simply disgusting toilets, the cubicles of which look like someone has set loose a family of rabid turds, and the Shakespeare surely MUST claim the crown of worst pub in London.
On reflection it would have been preferable to share a can of White Lightning with the tramps outside.
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Went here before seeing Wicked at the Apollo on the recommendation from a Big Bus Tourguide-wanted the traditional fish & chips meal-was really disappointed........better in the USA! And mushy peas? Very strange.........french waitress not too helpful or friendly. Would never go back
njnkp - 15 Mar 2007 23:09 |
Interesting to see that the Shakespeare has maintained a consistent level of performance for at least the last 40 years. But it is handy for the station and for that reason will always get customers.
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Right in front of Victoria station this noisy, smoky pub is full of people waiting for other people, commuters having a quick drink, and bewildered tourists. A place to meet somebody in and then move on to somewhere else as quick as you can.
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Nice pub for a quick beer but not much else, music can get a bit annoying but the down stairs seating area has novel arched hideaway areas. Have one then head towards the Bag 'o' Nails is our recommned ation
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William Shakespeare will be turning in his grave to have a name associated with this boozer.
Alas, I shall visit thee no more!
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It doesn't need another review for people to get the idea about this pub but it is poor. I'd even rather wait for my train at the Wetherspoon's in the station, at least you don't expect a pub in a train station to be any good.
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No atmosphere, plays awful chart music, and is full of lost tourists, posers and bored commuters.
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I wanted to give a review on this place but everyone has beaten me to it..... The staff are rude, ignorant and ill-trained. The place is a pig-sty and I am sure it hasn't had a visit from the Health and Safety Inspectors in a long time - what a tip!
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I'm told it's good for pickpockets.
anonymous - 30 Oct 2006 23:31 |
Always very busy, I guess because of its location. On a recent visit, the barman was working wonders keeping up with people's orders, but he really should have had more staff to help him in the first place. Getting a table wasn't easy. There were just two cask ales: Greene King IPA and Pride. It's a place you wouldn't choose to go to if it weren't just over the road from the station.
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Overall an uninspiring pub but somewhat redeemed by the good nature and assiduity of the (albeit in some cases inexperienced) staff. Not as rough and tumble as it was a few years ago - the bouncers are well on top of their game. Always good for a pre-train scoop of the black stuff.
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There are a few things in life that can be easily predicted: for example, if you were to cross breed Quasimodo with Alan Sugar the result would obviously be an arse faced lisping hunchback with a limping cockney swagger and a pair of bollocks instead of a mouth. In short, were talking an abomination of Satanic proportions and something that isn’t too dissimilar from the stillborn nightmare that is born from the Shakespeare’s attempt to combine a classy restaurant, a bar, a weatherspoons and one of the busiest areas in Europe.
Picking which deformity to prod first is about the only vaguely interesting and slightly perverse thing about looking at this pub in detail. The most intriguing (because it’s deceptive) aspect is the greenish restaurant area located (roughly) at the station entrance of the pub. On first glance it looks, and to some extent is, rather comfortable and well turned out, but once your arse is firmly trapped in the chair it all goes very wrong. The menu is overpriced and completely bog standard – facts you have plenty of time to appreciate as the walkie walkie staff take hours phaffing around during every point of your far too long relationship with them. Still at least the delay saves you from having to look immediately at the complete crap that eventually turns up on your plate: small, usually undercooked and with a distinct whiff of Morrision’s bargain bin. The whole culinary experience would leave any diner with the feeling that while it is a good idea to keep our 12 year olds off the streets, sticking them in a kitchen with a blindfold nailed to their face is probably not the best solution.
Once out of gourmet zero, you step straight into the larger pub area, although since the over loud music and hum of yobs sweeps into the restaurant most of the time, you should be prepared for what greets you – a cut price weatherspoons with cluttered cheap light wooden furniture and a general skanky feeling which, to be fair, probably has more to do with the sheer number of stamping customers than the staff’s attempts to keep the place clean (it would take an army of multi limbed robots to keep everything rosy all the time). The clientele is made up mostly of the yob and chav fraternity thanks to the cheap lagered taps that are in reality a set of frothing agro guns powering a whole wave of annoyance, angst and the occasional punch up. Pleasant it is not.
And then, we have the toilets. I don’t usually dwell on this aspect in my reviews as, well, it is a room full or urinals and bogs – surely not that difficult to get right? Well, I was wrong. Everything – everything – is hanging off the walls or covered in piss, but the real lasting impression comes from the strange gut wrenching smell that makes you wonder just how many dead monkeys are stuffed behind the radiators. Seriously, this is the only pub toilets to date that I`ve walked into and thought I’d contracted typhoid just from touching the door handle.
The only mildly nice thing I can say about this whole dive is that as liggi comments, the separate downstairs bar area is cut above the rubbish above, with a cleaner and less cluttered feeling. But this is the thinnest of thin silver linings as its nothing special (being a cheap mimic of a standard bar) and naturally hovers up some arsewits from upstairs.
In end, just as the offspring of Notre Damn and Amstrad would need to be put down, so does this grotesque excuse for a pub. 0/10
pgazz - 18 Aug 2006 16:38 |
Ligi you clown, take note of my comments from a year ago + ensure that turd isn't oozing out of every Shakespeare orifice.
Also the black goooo still haunts me.
"A half decent Bloody Mary was spoiled by the general lack of hygiene in this pub.
The toilets were in an absolute state with faeces everywhere.
After collecting a small win from the Quiz machine I found the payout slot where my coins dropped to be filled with some kind of black goo.
Avoid."
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Take it you work there or are the Manger then Ligi ??
This places is a dump - end of story !!!
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Excellent nights to be had down stairs in the Saphire Lounge! It's a great after work pub, reasonably priced drinks seconds away from the station, what more do you need after work?
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You're not exactly spoilt for choice with decent pubs around here but you can still find better than this place. I was forced to go in there for the first time in a while the other day to meet someone and it hasn't improved. The only way to make this place seem good would be to have a pint in the Wetherspoon's in the station first.
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Truely awful place - no soul or feel to the place whatsoever. The staff and manager obviously haven't heard of the term CUSTOMER SERVICE or ever have a clue on how to clean a toilet.
Avoid unless you really want to see what hell is like.
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Mixed crowd in here...drinks not badly priced. Was very packed. Mind you was Friday... and pay day.
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It would take an absolute genius to think of a way to make this pub worse.
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Look up the words - 'Absolute Shite' in a dictionary - and you'll find this place.
Been done up a few times in the past 5 years - but they need to change their staff, clean their loo's (the worst I've ever seen in London)and actually focus on their customers.
Avoid this place like the plague would be my only advice.
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Unusual pub. The upstairs is as you would expect being so close to a national rail station - the clientele are a mixture of lost souls, Wookies, office-types and bums, has the feeling of a tramps refuge, but the little-known about downstairs has is actually quite good, with little candle-lit caves and quite a piano-bar feel. Strange but true! On balance though, if you're in Victoria you can do a lot better.
mikez - 13 Dec 2005 16:22 |
Worst pub in London - Bar none.
anonymous - 6 Nov 2005 18:35 |
A huge place to drink. Loud - odd mix of people (not surprising being so close to Victoria station). Staff completely uninterested in their jobs. Did not enjoy the experience at all. Surprisingly my Greene King IPA was well done.
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If you ever go into this bar then I seriously suggest that you get decontaminated after leaving. The only reason why this pub is always full is because of its proximity to Victoria station. It is a shite hole. The toilets stink, the food is revolting & the staff have got to be among the most unpleasent anywhere. Dont go in there. If your dying of thirst, hold on a little longer and meander in the direction of the coach station. Far more decent pubs thataway.
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if there were a national trust committee for london sh1tholes, not only would this place be grade I listed, it'd be a must see on any tour of the capital.
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A half decent Bloody Mary was spoiled by the general lack of hygiene in this pub.
The toilets were in an absolute state with faeces everywhere.
After collecting a small win from the Quiz machine I found the payout slot where my coins dropped to be filled with some kind of black goo.
Aviod.
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Really massive, really poor pub. Good as a meeting place for those unfamiliar with Victoria but nowt else. Met up with some mates in here near Christmas and it took the girl about 10 minutes to sort three pints of Guinness. She was scraping the foam off with a straw and all sorts! Woeful!
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Staff upstairs need a slap. Downstairs is recently re-vamped and nice though. There is however no natural light down there, which may or may not be a good thing if you're on the lash!
Still probably the best place near Victoria Station, although the other places make Tikrit look appealing.
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Popped into the Shakespeare after my tour of Buckingham Place, when they let you tour it. It wasnt that bad, the food was good and so was the service, but I havent been back. From what I remember, it was good, nicked the menu as a rememberance of our visit, plus i got a pint glass too..
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yea it's all of the below and more - grade 1 listed sh1thole.
go back 10 years and it was alright. they had 2 decent pool tables in there and a jukey with all the right moves. remember usng it as a staging post for the journey to and from stamford bridge and caning preedy at pool.
that was 10 years ago. today it's just w ank.
shakespeare - in terms of 'toria sh1tholes, you are best in breed
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This pub lacks atmosphere and character. Given the choice of pubs in the area, this is probably one to avoid.
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Is this officially the worst pub on this website? I think it may well be the worst pub ever..
TheGP - 17 Mar 2005 16:07 |
In "Traditional English Pubs" you don't usually have to wait for 15 minutes to get served with warm flat lager by couldn't-care-less staff who barely seem to speak a word of English between them.
Stevo
anonymous - 3 Mar 2005 15:29 |
I agreed to meet some friends here for a few beers before going to a party in Pacha.
I met some friends here for one drink and went to Pacha totally demoralised about drinking in the West London.
Awful service, awful beer and full of tourists being led to believe it's a traditional English pub.
Shakespeare would turn in his grave.
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How anyone could rate this pub as more than 1/10 I have no idea - what a complete and utter dump.
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Ghastly
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Standard soulless city pub. Its location means I can understand why you might meet someone here but with so many other pubs around there is no reason to have more than the single pint.
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I have been visiting The Shakespeare for the past three months for the salsa class. Everythinme I enter the female toilets I am appalled at the state, sight, smetll of the place! There is always scraps of toilet roll on the floor, however there is no paper to be found in the holders. The toilets look llike they are never inspected - and to top it off - there is a HOLE in the middle of the floor. I can not believe that a central London pub allows itself to be presented in this way. have they no shame. Is it because they have such a prime position and are guaranteed the tourist trade that they do not make any effort?
Do the owners, brewery, council not care?
SB - 25 Oct 2004 13:07 |
A truly truly horrendous pub on every level.
As it is next to Victoria station, it was full of a weird mix of normal looking people nervously guarding their luggage, Football fans passing through eyeballing people, and total down and out's quietly drinking.
The decor and the SMELL - The toilets and whole downstairs reek of piss.
The service was slow and poor. The pint I had (but did not finish) was possibly the worst pint of Lager I have ever had - Clearly their hygiene does not stretch to cleaning the pipes out either.
Almost the worst pub I have ever had the misfortune to go in. Saw signs advertising to have your Xmas party here - Either they are wildly optimistic or incredibly cheap, because I would rather have my function out with the dossers in the gutter than this flea-ridden piss-smelling sewer of a pub.
TheGP - 25 Oct 2004 12:19 |
Totally Chav pub, but then it is next to Victoria Station. Packed full of tourists, undesirables and JOCK SHOUTING
TheGP - 14 Sep 2004 14:18 |
WENT THERE LAST NIGHT WITH ABOUT 70 MATES ...GIRLS STAFF WERE FABBY AND THE BIG OZZYSCOTT WAS TOP NOTCH ...WOULD RECOMEND TO MOST FOR A GOOD DRINK ......A+
JOCK - 6 Aug 2004 12:03 |
Handy for Victoria station [obviously]BUT loud, very smokey and the mens toilets are probably the worst I have ever seen in a central London Pub. Leave this one well alone, plenty of better pubs within a few hundred metres
Michael - 8 Apr 2004 09:10 |
Upstairs is Tourist Central. Tend to avoid.
Downstairs is cool, with loads of cosy alcoves - watch your head.
df - 18 Mar 2004 17:29 |
Best pub in the area far away.
George - 1 Mar 2004 22:42 |
it was okay for a few drinks before seeing some friends off home.. it was a little loud, but better than most of the pubs in the area
andy-ru - 21 Oct 2003 20:29 |
Shithole. 10 yrs ago they had 2 pool tables in here and I'd go out of my way to pop in for a few frames. For some reason they took em out so they could pack in a few more euro-backpackers looking miserable and killing time before getting a coach from the station.
Steve - 18 Aug 2003 14:15 |
It's one of the only London pubs this California boy remembers by name after nine years.
paul andersen - 24 May 2003 01:21 |
busy, far too loud and generally lacking in atmosphere. service was pretty poor, but surprisingly the food was ok. Would do if you are killing an hour before the train, but not good for a night out.
kate - 23 May 2003 13:41 |
I really liked this pub. Extremely busy on fridays, the service was friendly and eficient considering how busy it was.
Joel - 9 Apr 2003 22:44 |
Completely agree with The Drs comments about the service. There are enough of them behind the bar but they seem to be having a competition to see who can serve the fewest customers.
Stevo - 4 Apr 2003 15:07 |
Shit service (three people washing glasses, one person serving on a Friday night) and expensive. Random collection of punters for people watching.
The Dr - 4 Apr 2003 13:53 |
Not bad considering that it's usually full of tourists. Service can be slow, but the beer's okay and the food good if pricey.
Steve - 7 Mar 2003 13:10 |
I found this place far too clinical. It doesn't have any atmosphere. It's full of people who are just waiting for a train. All in all too transitory for my liking.
Alistair - 28 Nov 2002 15:04 |
Goood pub considering how close it is to Victoria! Downstairs booths are best.
Steve - 22 Nov 2002 17:16 |
needs a new photo, it got closed for refurbishment and is a different colour now it's re-opened.
Darren - 6 Aug 2002 12:27 |
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