Where to drink in Wardour Street, pub by bar
From a Fuller's pub with rock history to a three-floor Irish barn, here is what each Wardour Street door is good for.
By Only Soho Editorial
Wardour Street runs one way, north from Leicester Square through Chinatown, across Shaftesbury Avenue and on to Oxford Street. It was once a centre for the British film trade and the popular music scene, and the drinking still carries a little of both. Numbers rise as you walk north, so start at the Chinatown end and work uphill.
Chinatown end: O'Neill's, 33 to 37 Wardour Street
A classic Irish pub with late-night live music, according to its own site. DesignMyNight says it stands on the former site of the Flamingo Jazz Club and the WAG Club, with live music daily and room for 900 over three floors. It is listed at the two-pound-sign price band, takes bookings and shows Sky Sports. That makes it the one for sport, groups and a loud night. Go when the band is up and you are in a crowd of six or more.
Middle of the street: the Brewer Street corner
Soho Residence, 83 to 85 Wardour Street. On the corner of Wardour and Brewer Street, in a building DesignMyNight dates to 1892. It specialises in botanical drinks and late-night parties across several floors. DesignMyNight tips the Berry Chambord Spritz in one list and Pear & Smoke in another, so either is a safe opening order. It is best after nine, when the upper floors start to fill.
Village Soho, 81 Wardour Street. DesignMyNight says it opened in 1991 and was the first of its kind in London. There is an upstairs dance floor and a Cocktail Lounge with views up Old Compton Street. Drinks can be taken out onto Brewer Street. Order a cocktail and take the lounge window seat early, before the dance floor wakes up.
Duke of Wellington, 77 Wardour Street. An LGBTQ+ pub that its own website says has served the community for over 20 years. Most of the building runs along Winnett Street, but the address is Wardour Street. A London Inheritance quotes a 1966 Tatler description of it as a famous after-theatre pub opposite the Queen's Theatre stage door. DesignMyNight mentions beer, cider, live DJs and drag bingo. Order a pint and go for the bingo night.
Northern stretch: Freedom and The Ship
Freedom, 60 to 66 Wardour Street. A gay bar and club with a theatrical streak. DesignMyNight describes velvet booths, sparkly lights and gold mirrors, and recommends the Streetcar Named Desire cocktail for late-night parties and performances. Go late, and sit in a velvet booth.
The Ship, 116 Wardour Street. Time Out names it best for rock history in its guide to Soho pubs. CAMRA lists it as a Fuller's pub with two regular and three changing cask beers. It sits on the corner of Wardour Street and Flaxman Court. A London Inheritance traces it to the late 18th century, rebuilt in the late 19th, and says it began life as The Ship in Distress. Order a Fuller's cask ale and stand near the door as the evening crowd arrives.
Which door for which night
- Old-school pint: The Ship, 116 Wardour Street.
- Live music and big groups: O'Neill's, 33 to 37 Wardour Street.
- Cocktails: Soho Residence, 83 to 85 Wardour Street.
- LGBTQ+ nights: Duke of Wellington, Village Soho and Freedom.
Opening hours change, so check a venue's own page or Instagram before you set out.
Read more on the street at Wikipedia, the pubs at CAMRA, and the history at A London Inheritance.
