please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Never been here before on umpteen wanders around Soho. No idea why as its not hard to find. Bog standard & overpriced, my pint of Truman's Runner was 4.65, 70 pence more than the same beer elsewhere in Soho that day. If you pay 15% extra you should expect more bang for your buck & this pub didn't deliver.
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Once you've got over the price of a pint, this isn't at all that bad. Not as busy or up it's own backside as some of the pubs round here. Decent music and the test match on the telly. Beer in good nick too.
Decor is fairly standard for the area I guess.
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Went in here on 2nd August at Lunchtime.
2 Pints of peroni was 11 quid!, I nearly fell over.
They want 14 quid for fish and chips!
So heres a plan. Walk straight past this pub and go to wetherspoons
around the corner if you dont want to take out a mortgage to get a pint.
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Small pub, but cosy. Had a quick couple Saturday lunchtime. Not too crowded, quite liked it really.
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It's a nice old boozer but can get extremely crowded at peak hours. Definitely one for an "on the way" pint and not for a night out. Good selection of beers and a heated outdoors covered area, albeit just a partitioned bit of pavement. Staff friendly enough.
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small pub that seems to have a lot of trade. Wednesday night. Watched the business men doing rounds of Guinness with Jamesons chasers. How the wheels of industry are oiled.
Quite like the pub - but there is a lot of choice in the area!
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Well, I went in on a quiet Saturday lunchtime and nearly a year after the last posting so perhaps the pub is better when there isn't a mad rush on or maybe there's been a turnover in management but I had a perfectly enjoyable visit. It seemed a tiny place but I saw, but unlike mikeyr1234 did not try to explore, that there is an upstairs bar too. They would need it if more than 50 people decided they wanted to use the place. A couple of pints of well-kept Abbott and although I did not myself eat a number of people were tucking into what looked and smelled like perfectly good bar food at not unreasonable prices. I would agree with TWG that it is nothing out of the ordinary but there are times when a quiet, well-run boozer that makes no demands on you is just what's wanted. That said, the sports TV was heavily advertised but mercifully not on. I would not like to be there with that blaring away and a lot of fans putting the worlds to rights.
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I went in here last night around 11.30pm to be met by one of the most crowded pubs I have been in for a long time in London.
You literally could not move but as it was getting late and we fancied a pint we stayed, bad idea.
Spotting the stairs we moved upstairs to try and get some space from the havoc downstairs to be met by the rudest arrogant bar manager I have ever encountered. He told us to go downstairs rather abruptly to which i said to him there was nowhere to stand so how can we go down there when there was no room at all? A snapped response of "Well if you move I can see how much room there is cant I". He went down two stairs, turning more people away from upstairs in the process. Analysed the completely overflowing pub, shut a gate leading upstairs that looks like a cattle gate and headed off back up there, not giving a damm that fights were nearly breaking out because of the lack of space!
Will not be going again.
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Alas, a single visit to the Golden Lion will betray that it is essentially nothing out of the ordinary, and albeit in one of the traditionally most vibrant and diverse districts of the capital, it manages to remain relatively unmemorable, and even more so in the vast panople of pubs whose doorsteps I have darkened down the decades.
As previous commentators have stated, it is fond of large TV screens, and clearly pitches towards the tourist passing trade and sports fanatics. The trade is mixed but too much so to impart any lasting impressions. The interior is standard wood panelling with a pseudo-Victorian feel, although in fairness I personally prefer this to some dreadfully miscued modern contemporary nonsense, which clinically moves in on the minimalist and targets the transitory, with no regard for the pub's history or the exterior architecture.
Perhaps surprisingly, the cask beer range was reasonable, and I polished off a perfectly acceptable pint here; on the strength of only 1 purchase it perhaps doesn't seem fair to comment, but if it was representative of the overall standard then one could do worse than the GL, provided a half-decent pint of ale is the utmost priority. Sadly, if it's good conversation and character you want - especially if you're new to London and want to sample the more interesting and charismatic venues - then turn again, Whittington.
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Very "footbally" for my taste but still quite relaxing and cosy - nice to gaze out the window to see the passers by - Leffe on tap - not bad!
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Chosen as an overflow/second choice after De Hems down the lane on the World Cup final evening (as the queue was 1 in 1 out at 3.30pm, perhaps to be expected). The Golden Lion was decked out in all the brewery paraphanelia you can imagine. Too many large screens for a rather small room added to the attractiveness for watching sport. Soon enough, it was a see of orange (including myself).
First pint sampled was the Brains SA Gold, which was off. However, I only realised this half way in (wasn't paying attention) so didn't take it back (thought that slightly unfair), so can't comment on what kind of a reception it would have elicited. Young's London Gold was in good form, however, which I stuck to for the rest of evening. I was told that the lager was nice and gassy, if you like that sort of thing.
Overall, seems like the beer quality can vary (considering the reviews below).
Can't really say much for the pub itself, given it was packed and covered in "Bud" branding, large flags and TVs. Looked like it could be quite a nice pub underneath. Good for watching sport none-the-less.
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Quite a cramped little pub (at least at ground level - there is another room upstairs which I didn't visit). Three televisions visible from where I was sitting, each of which was showing a different sport and the high mounting meant that many of the customers were staring upwards at odd angles. Four handpumps, mostly the usual stuff but also a decent pint of Butcombe Bitter at �3.29. PS - Look for the sundial.
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I went to this pub on St Patrick�s day, it was decorated very well and even though they were really busy pouring all those free pint of Guinness their friendliness and standards did not dropped, I had a fantastic pint of Budvar, unusual for a pub to have this beer on draft. I would definitely recommend this pub.
halo2 - 25 Mar 2010 16:25 |
forgot to say - I returned one pint because the beer in the cask was on the turn - it was more Sarsons Malt Vinegar than beer - and it was replaced happily and without question by the bar maid which is lot better than you'd get in a lot of places.
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Watched the football here the other night. Beer was in reasonable nick (4 different real ales) and the football was viewable without being intrusive. Plenty of outside drinking/smoking space. Staff were alright, a few of the customers were a few sarnies short of the full picnic but this is Soho - i.e. about par for the course. An alright pub but one I'd probably not go to unless I was there for the match or meeting mates.
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Tried this pub for an early avening drink; first time I've ever paid �3.30 a pint. Barmaids were friendly enough and there was Sky Sports to watch. Basically it needs closing for a damned good refurb. The seating is in a dreadful state and the furniture look as if it's rejects from Mrs Miggins Pie Shop.
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Seemingly the only pub in Soho to show football. Returned to this pub after a few months to watch the football as the pub we planned to watch it in had the rugby on.
Beer is average and expensive but this is Soho but I will return here simply for the football.
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Walked in,then straight back out of this boozer more than any of the others in the West end.Bar staff couldn't care a toss whether they served you or not.If you catch it on a good night it's worth a pot or two in there.A pub I've used (infrequently) for some years now.
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Small spartan and loud music - what can there be to complaion about.
If you're in the area (and straight) the Three Greyhounds is much better
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*True* widescreen viewing for live sports is available at this pub. [[W]]
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Pretty unpleasant Soho pub. Loud and lairy with very poor beer selection. French House a few doors down is better, or De Hems across the road.
anonymous - 14 Sep 2006 16:10 |
nice pub to watch footy in, bit of eye candy coming in & out. does me fine on a sunday afternoon
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In here last week - it was a bank holiday Sunday evening so three-quarters of the people in there, including our good selves, were three sheets to the wind. Liked it though - good banter around the bar, small enough to have a decent atmosphere, large enough to steer clear of potential fruitloops.
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Went here for the first time tonight I actually didnt think price wise it was to shabby good range pleasant staff nothing special nothing to grumble about though average london boozer
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Pleasant if unremarkable old-school pub on the fringes of Soho. Prices typical of the area but environement and clientele a little more relaxed and friendly. Beer is up to standard and if you can find a little space to satnd inside it'll do you fine for a couple of drinks on the way to somewhere more intersting. Background music is always good at least.
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Is this some kind of rock bar? Went there once in desperation when it was strewn with fake cobwebs for halloween - absolutely foul in my opinion.
anonymous - 3 Feb 2006 11:51 |
Not a bad pub. The upstairs is a little cramped but reasonably priced (for the west end), polite bar staff and good location.
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One winters night - heavily incapacitated by the merciless Madmoiselle Artois and wearing a brand new pair of shoes with smooth leather soles that rendered the pavement like an ice rink - I literally slipped and slid through the doors of this pub, supported by a few of my bosom coves.
I remember it as being very dark, slightly fuggy and sticky underfoot, which was a bonus as it allowed me to stay upright long enough to clap eyes on the delightful young Finnish lady who was to become the apple of my eye, the object of my affections, the Mr Kipling cake of my confectionary dreams.
Here it was that I fell in love with this delightful lady, serenaded by a soundtrack of Madness, The Jam the Stone roses etc, emitting from the quite magnificently appointed jukebox.
Alas, now she is but a figment of past times, lost like overspill in the drip tray of love, consumed like ash on the pub carpet of life.
The Golden Lion is still there though, and worth a look for the menagerie of foreign totty, and the life affirming jukebox.
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Incredibly sexy barmaids. I don't know where the manager gets them from but keep up the good work!
Ste - 21 Jul 2004 22:41 |
Very nice traditional pub with a bit of character,and has a bloody good jukebox,only downside is the beer is costly.
Nick Hamer - 2 Jul 2004 18:32 |
