Where to drink in Old Compton Street, and what each pub is good for
Three doors, three very different nights: a historic local, a wood-panelled grande dame and a loud, late party bar.
By Only Soho Editorial
Old Compton Street has been a focal point for London's gay community since the 1970s, and its drinking rooms still show it. The street is short, the Prince Edward Theatre sits on it, and Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus and Tottenham Court Road are all a four to six minute walk away. Here are three doors worth choosing between, and what each is for.
Admiral Duncan, 54 Old Compton Street: for history and a sing-song
A one-room pub with karaoke, cabaret and drag nights, and, in CAMRA's words, well known as a centre of the Soho gay scene. The pub's own site describes a friendly local atmosphere, and that is the right register: this is a room for talking to the person next to you.
CAMRA says it has traded since at least 1832 and takes its name from the admiral who won the Battle of Camperdown in 1797. It is also a place of memory. The pub was bombed in 1999, killing three people and injuring 83, and it has since reopened as a communal anchor for the street. Come in the evening when the karaoke or cabaret is on, and stay for the company. Check hours before you set out; Sunday it is open from noon to half ten.
Order: a pint at the bar and a song request when the karaoke starts.
Comptons of Soho, 51 to 53 Old Compton Street: for a proper pub pint
Open since 1986, Comptons is the big traditional gay pub of the street. The building dates from 1890, when it was the Swiss Hotel, and it became the Swiss Tavern in the 1950s. QX Magazine once called it “The Grand Dame of Queer Street”. Dylan Thomas and Derek Jarman are named among its past regulars.
VisitLondon describes a wood-panelled traditional pub with DJ nights, cabaret and live sport, and suggests sitting upstairs by the large windows to watch the street below. Evenings lean towards rock 'n' roll and 80s ballads. CAMRA London's description adds chandeliers, a mirror ball, candelabra and a piano.
Hours, per VisitLondon: Monday to Thursday noon to half eleven, Friday noon to midnight, Saturday 11am to midnight, Sunday noon to half ten.
Order: a pint, carried upstairs to the window seat, ideally at early evening when the street fills.
Bar Soho, 23 to 25 Old Compton Street: for the late one
VisitLondon calls it an “unashamedly hedonistic” party pub, with baths and fairground rides turned into seating, mirrored walls and painted ceilings. The music is loud and the upstairs bars are themed. Yelp lists it at the ££ band. Daytime brings pizza; night brings cocktails.
It keeps the longest hours of the three. Yelp gives Monday to Thursday noon to 1am, Friday and Saturday noon to 3am, and Sunday noon to half twelve. If you want the room at full volume, go late on a Friday or Saturday. Private hire is available if you are planning a birthday.
Order: a cocktail after eleven, or a pizza if you arrive at lunch.
Which door when
- Pre-theatre pint with a view: Comptons, upstairs by the windows.
- Karaoke, cabaret or a quiet conversation: Admiral Duncan.
- Loud, late and a bit ridiculous: Bar Soho, after eleven.
Coming next door
The former G-A-Y Bar at 30 Old Compton Street closed in early October 2025, after 25 years. Owner Jeremy Joseph said it was “time to say goodbye”. Its replacement, the five-storey queer club Coven: Headquarters, opens to the public on 19 June, according to Attitude. It is one to watch for the street's next chapter.
Read more on the street's history at Wikipedia, the pub's own page at Admiral Duncan, and Comptons at VisitLondon.
