Made it here a couple of weeks ago for the first time. Packed. Quick service, no nonsense, great beer. it really is a fantastic pub! The Harp sells beer and sells it very very well. In all the years of going there it has only got better. Not a better pint in London! What a surprise, a troll masquerading as a chav! Go and work on your vocabulary mate, you might be funny one day.

Went here last night. VERY busy and you could hardly move and the slight stencde of 'toilets' hits you as you walk in which isnt great.

The Guinness was good and reasonably priced at £3.50. the staff were friendly and I would go back, just not at peak time on a Saturday night...Lovely little pub just off The Strand.

Not sure if the red lighting is for Christmas only, but it creates a really warm and cosy atmosphere.

The lunchtime regulars seem to prefer standing around the bar, so, although the pub is quite small, I still had a choice of 2 tables.

Was a bit warey of the bar staff due to previous reviews, but they couldn't have been friendlier.
One of the barmaids was doing a funny and very acuarate impersonation of Stacey Solomon. The only downside being that she seemed so proud of it, that she didn't want to stop.

Being a Free House, I was kinda hoping for some Cider other than Wrongbow ... sadly, it wasn't to be. Still, even that wouldn't put me off a return visit.

For bearded types, there was Deuchars, Rosey Nosey and 2 others that I can't recall.

I was there on Saturday 11th December and it was well and truly open ! great little pub to be in ,if you can find it that is !!

This is one of my favourite pubs in the old parish of St Giles . . . . . Dickens, it is said, was a regular at this old ale house. A little too tricky to find for the tourists but well worth the visit for those who make the effort. Peroni on draft along with a fine selection of dark ales.

It's a must visit old school London boozer - if you are ever in the area check it out.

Keep up the good work chaps ! ! ! Not bad, but I really dont think anything special? It came across as being in need of a good clean and the smell of the sewers downstairs near the bar nearly made me throw up! They really really need to get that sorted, its disgusting!

The beer wasnt bad. It was very busy and although I didnt mind my time there I dont know if I would return.....Lovely little pub, gets very busy but the bar staff are good and you never have to wait long for service.

Good selection of Youngs beers on offer which are well kept, a good selection of lagers and ciders too.

Upstairs bar has live jazz band on a Sunday evening.

Well worth a visit if you are in the area.

visited here yesterday afternoon on a crawl, nice pint of Carling, nice staff and good atmosphere well worth a visit.... I'll be backVisited here for the first time last night and left suitably impressed. The interior is not as dull as I expected, from the reviews on here. The red lighting does make it quite subdued. But the overall effect is quite atmospheric. Amongst the ephemera on the walls and ceiling are fying pans, street signs, clocks, musical instruments, statues, brasses, paintings, a deer's head and a fish in a glass box. A wide mixture of people seem to frequent this place. Most had seats. 4 Brodie's beers were on - IPA, English Best, Citra and Cloudy Green Bullet. The cider was Broadoak Moonshine.Nice pub, with a good selection of london brewed ales. However as noted by others they serve the slops. They claim to be members of the Inkeepers Institute, surely they don't teach such habits.

have been in here a couple of times. Last visit in 2010, summer-time. beer choice better than across the road, expensive but then what does one expect. Decent range of ales. didn't go upstairs but imagine much the same as ground floor. bit more of an atmosphere of an evening than pub opposite.Visited here yesterday as part of the Nicholsons Dick Whitting Pub Trail. Decent enough pint of London Pride but the pint of Peroni was served 1" from the top of the Glass (rest Froth) I asked politely if she could top it up. I was told it was above the line. When I pointed out the line was in fact at the top she begrudingly atempted to put more in, saying she only had to provide 95% of a pint, getting short measures at £4.30 a Pint it is not Funny. Some English friendly Bar Staff would be nice not some foreingner who has never heard of Customer Satisfaction and the phrase that the customer is always right. Will NEVER be going back here.Popped in again yesterday. Initially had to wait a while to be served as one of the bar staff was changing the barrel (sadly it was Timmy Taylor's Landlord). Good selection of alternatives -- Sharp's Doom Bar, Pride and one from a smaller brewery which I've sadly forgotten. Doom Bar was in good condition.

Amazing to get a good real ale pub in such a touristy area.

Sorry, but I won't miss this place. Yes, it was a good outlet for Cornish beers such as St Austell and Skinners, but the praise stops there. It was ultimately a cramped tourist trap, selling expensive booze in the middle of Covent Garden. The West Cornall Pasty shop is no great loss either. The franchise is ubiquitous in London now.Sad to relate that the Cove has GONE! Wandered past yesterday and the pasty shop that was below was completely stripped of everything. A woman who was inside the ex-pasty shop told me that the lease has expired and the pub had closed. Apparently this had happened fairly recently.

Despite the extortionate prices I will miss the Cove. The Skinners beers were always well-kept and the Proper Job on my last visit was good too.Always manage to get a seat or at least a step to sit on, so a favourite in the area for this alone. Good beers, friendly staff, but recently £4.20 a pint. Bit steep.