The Blue Posts on Berwick Street: what to order and when to go
A tiled corner pub at the top of Berwick Street Market, with red velvet banquettes, cask ales and a crowd that runs from market traders to streetwear fans.
By Only Soho Editorial
Soho has more than one Blue Posts. Londonist counts three in Soho alone, plus one in St James and one in Fitzrovia. The one you want here is 22 Berwick Street, on a corner at the top of Berwick Street Market. It is not the Rupert Street pub, which is a separate business. The Infatuation says this is the one to choose over the cleaner-cut Blue Posts on the edge of Chinatown.
What it is
A proper drinking pub first. The tiled exterior and Queen Anne-style frontage date from a 1914 rebuild, and inside there is carpet, banquette seating and a jukebox. The pub started life as the Three Blue Posts, later the Two, according to CAMRA's London region pages. It is not a listed building, but CAMRA's Local Inventory records the interior as of historic interest, and you can still spot the old Watneys signage. There is also a green plaque for Jessie Matthews.
The crowd is gloriously mixed. Time Out describes market traders, old-school Soho characters and media folk, now joined by a young fashion crowd. The Infatuation notes that streetwear fans come in because the Palace and Supreme stores are close, and that Palace once launched a Stella Artois collaboration here. Expect, in its words, geezers, three-piece suits and pints of lager. CAMRA's London Drinker reported in 2022 that new management arrived in 2021 and left the pub's character alone.
What to order
Go for cask ale. CAMRA's listing names London Pride and Sambrook's Pumphouse, though the range rotates, so treat those as cask ales such as, not a promise. The pub's own site also lists craft beer, lager, wine and soft drinks. A pint of something on hand pump, taken in a red velvet banquette, is the right order. We have no verified pint prices or food menu, so ask at the bar.
When to go
Time Out's advice is simple: go in the afternoon and claim the red velvet banquettes, because the place is rammed most nights. A Friday evening will be busy, so arrive early or expect to stand. It is a walk-in pub, with no booking needed to drink.
The pub also runs events, and these are the reason to come later. Listings have shown Soho Comedy Factory nights, an open mic night for blues and jazz, and cabaret has been staged upstairs in the past. The programme changes, so check the pub's own event list before you plan an evening around it. Comedy is 18+ and you will need ID. Tickets for comedy and other events are the only thing worth booking ahead.
Hours differ between listings, but roughly half eleven in the morning until eleven at night most days is the pattern, shorter on Sunday. Check before you go. The pub's phone number is 020 7437 5008.
Why it matters
Berwick Street Market dates from the 1840s, and the Blue Posts has sat at the top of it through every change of the street. Time Out ranks it at number 21 in its 50 best pubs in London, and calls its recent years a renaissance. That is the thing to know: it is both a pub with a long past and one of the busiest corners in Soho right now.
Sources: The Infatuation, Time Out, CAMRA and the pub's own site at theblueposts.net.
