The best pubs in Soho
Halves only on Dean Street, the rudest landlord's old bar on Greek Street, Orwell's upstairs room and the Guinness everyone queues for. Soho's pubs, with the right glass in each.
By Only Soho Editorial
The best pub in Soho is The French House at 49 Dean Street, and the drink is a half. Everything else follows from there. Soho's pubs were the offices of painters, poets and hacks for most of the last century, and the good ones have kept their rooms, their rules and their regulars. Here is where we drink, with the glass to order in each.
The French House, 49 Dean Street
The French House began as the York Minster. Locals renamed it after the war, on the rumour that de Gaulle wrote a famous speech there, and the name became official after a fire in 1984. The house rule since the 1920s: halves only, to keep the talk going. Pints are served once a year, on 1 April, often by a famous face. There is no music, no machines, no television and no mobile phones. There are around 30 champagnes and wines by the glass, so order a half of something and a glass of fizz, and stand at the bar. Upstairs is a small dining room with a menu that changes daily, two sittings at lunch and dinner from Monday to Saturday, and bookings that open 60 days ahead. A half downstairs, then lunch upstairs, is the most Soho afternoon there is.
The Coach & Horses, 29 Greek Street
The Coach & Horses was the weekly meeting place of the Private Eye office, and the pub Norman Balon ran for 60 years with a reputation as London's rudest landlord. The 1930s interior is on CAMRA's National Inventory. There is no food, so this is your pre-dinner pint or your nightcap. Order a London Pride, or ask what is on among the three rotating ales.
The Dog & Duck, 18 Bateman Street
A corner pub built in 1897 on a site that has held a licence since 1734, with Victorian tiling and two huge old advertising mirrors. Upstairs is the Orwell Bar, named after its most famous regular. CAMRA notes a refurbishment this summer and a small room that fills fast, so expect to stand on the pavement. Order the Nicholson's Pale Ale or one of the three changing casks, and come at four on a weekday for a seat.
The Blue Posts, 8 Rupert Street
The Blue Posts is a Georgian pub from 1739 on the Chinatown edge of Soho, taken over in 2017 by the team behind The Palomar. It is three venues stacked up: the pub on the ground floor, The Mulwray bar on the first, and Evelyn's Table, with its Michelin star, in the basement. Order a cask ale and a cheese and spring onion toastie, or the saffron negroni if it is that kind of evening.
Do not confuse it with the other Blue Posts, on Berwick Street, with its gingerbread-house front and nights of live music, karaoke and open mic. Both are worth a drink.
The Devonshire, 17 Denman Street
A pub since 1793 and now the most talked-about one in London, thanks to Oisín Rogers' Guinness: around 20,000 pints a week, from £4.95. Upstairs, Ashley Palmer-Watts cooks dry-aged Scottish beef in a candlelit dining room that books up months ahead. Order a Guinness and watch it settle.
The Toucan, 19 Carlisle Street
The Toucan hosted Jimi Hendrix in the 1960s, when it was a Greek restaurant by day and a music venue by night, and became Soho's first Guinness bar in the 1990s. It is the place for St Patrick's Day and impromptu music. Order a Guinness, obviously.
Three more for the crawl
- The Shaston Arms, 4-6 Ganton Street. Opened in 1999 and refurbished under Patty & Bun founder Joe Grossmann, with Guinness, low-intervention wine and a tiny dining room. Order the onion rings on liver mousse.
- The Three Greyhounds, Greek Street. A pub since 1847, named after hare-coursing dogs. Order a cask ale.
- The Lyric, Great Windmill Street. A Victorian free house, the oldest independent one in the area, with wood panelling and etched glass. Order a beer from an independent brewery and stay for the Sunday roast.
How to drink in a Soho pub
Go early: most of these rooms are small, and by seven the crowd is on the pavement. Order at the bar, not at the table. At The French House, put the phone away. And if you want the full history, Luxury London has the long version. Start on Dean Street with a half, finish on Denman Street with a Guinness, and you have done Soho properly.
