De Hems, Soho

Who doesn't love all things Dutch?

De Hems is situation on Macclesfield Street which runs between Shaftesbury Avenue and Gerrard "Chinatown" Street. It's an odd place for such a good bar, nestled as it is between Chinese restaurants and Soho bars on the other side of the main road opposite.

The decor is as a good bar / pub should be - comfy seats, dim lighting and clean, solid wooden furniture. The bar staff are all friendly and quick behind the bar. The door staff are good too, not imposing but quick to sort out any potential problems.

There's an upstairs which is great if you get near the bay windows as they open in the summer and it's perfect for chilaxing and whiling away the hours. Downstairs can get rammed but it's a good kind of rammed.

Generally friendly clientel make this a superb place to drink, and the beer is good - ranging from Fruli, to Oranjeboom.

Well recommeded.

12 Jul 2007 11:24

The Old Thameside Inn, London Bridge

The glory of the Thames Side Inn is location. It has a nice little spot nestled between Southwark Cathedral and it�s more gaudy cousin up river The Anchor. Yes it is a bit shabby, yes it can take a while to get served and yes the food is decidedly hit and miss � however, it�s a nice little boozer and if you�re down that way it beats a lot of the other pubs nearby on Borough high street and London Bridge.

Perhaps it�s finest selling point is the patio running the length of the pub in which sweaty office types crowd on sunny days. There is a nice area around the side to the entrance too overshadowed by a full scale replica of the Golden Hinde, which is a very pleasant view when drinking there. They do also have a non smoking section at the back and a pool table tucked away in the oft-forgotten basement (accessible via a spiral staircase).

I like the old place � it is a standard pub which has done well for itself despite its numerous criticisms levelled at it, and being that close to the river can�t have hindered it. I pleased it hasn�t succumbed to the gastro phenomenon because then it really would take a long time at the bar. Good Old Thameside Inn. We salute you.

29 Aug 2006 12:08

O'Neills, Soho

O'Neils. It's a chain pub. A fairly cheap n cheerful Irish chain pub with okay food and good barstaff. This particular one is ideally located on the Leicester Square end of Wardour Street - overlooking China Town's Gerard Street. The view from the first floor is really quite spectacular.

A lot of the comments on here have been focusing on the covercharge for the odd club on the top floor, and as nights go you could do worse, but in the West End of London, you could do a lot lot better. Agree with the comment about not wasting Saturday nights up there. Quick tip - if you are already in the pub, and get up there early enough - it's free!

In the day, this pub fills a gap, beats getting fast food in town (and you can have a beer with your meal!) If you are in town and stuck for somewhere to eat relatively cheaply - this might be the place for you - but being so close to Chinatowns restuarants, it might equally not be!

One criticism of the place for me, but this is a personal bug bear and probably won't annoy you too much - the people in the loo who give you towels and soap and guilt you about giving them a tip for services rendered. How very strange. How very wrong.

6 Jun 2006 11:08

The Catcher in the Rye, Finchley

Well, well, well... what can I say about the Catcher? A few years ago I spent New Year's Eve here and it was all very jolly. Used to spend a lot of time in there and it was a nice proper little boozer.

The ubiquitous "trendy" makeover has occured now and the standard pub atmosphere has been replaced with something cleaner and that comes a more sterile atmosphere. It would be perfect if I was new to London, and thought that slowly drinking a bottle of chardonnay / coffee / water was preferably to drinking pints as God intended. Lot of people in there who think they�re beautiful people but sadly aren�t. This is not Hoxton, it�s Finchley, so that trendy atmostphere doesn�t really work, although the publicans clearly think it does.

When I ate in there last (and believe me it will be the last time!) � I had undercooked lamb cutlets with salad which was okay (but undercooked). The landlady did her best to make light of it, but it was too little too late.

�Smoking is not permitted at the bar� I was informed last time I went there one night not so long ago (and believe me this will be the last time while the current custodians are there), which seemed reasonable as a lot of places do this. What wasn�t reasonable was the anger as the landlady said it over and over to me as my girlfriend lit up � I don�t smoke. Moreover, the reason she had lit up was there was an ashtray on the bar. She didn�t give me the benefit of the doubt and I don�t feel inclined to give her it back. A poor show overall.

If you live in Finchley you could do worse I suppose but with really good pubs in surrounding areas it's hardly worth a special visit. Maybe it�s a great place to drink � and maybe you�ll enjoy it. I didn�t.

5 Apr 2006 11:35

The Camel, Bethnal Green

The thing about Pie is � you never know how good it�s going to be. . . When a mate suggested going to a pie place I was initially dubious � partly because it meant a massive shlep for me and he lives less near (ish) by in Mile End. Met in Bethnal Green and went down to the pub and first impressions very good. Quite busy but not overly so; clean stylish furniture and an attentive barman. They do food till 9 we were told so plenty of time to peruse the ample Menu. I had Pork and Cider Pie and my mate had Lamb and Mint. (Steak and Kidney had run out � boo!) � all pies just under �9. Had some freshly squeezed (well, that morning) OJ which was great and the beer was nice too my friend informed me).

When the food came I was pleasantly surprised. Portions just right with Pie, Mash and Mushy Peas. The Pie crusts themselves were a little hard but I think they were supposed to be like that � I�m just used to softer Pies I guess. Gravy came over with a full compliment of condiments � the little things really go a long way you know. Delicious overall.

Non-smoking as mentioned elsewhere which might be a pain if you smoke but nice to eat in a pub without having a fuggy cloud over you.

Jimmytwoshoes rating � 8/10

24 Mar 2006 10:00