Pubs/Clubs in Central London

silvervixen84

I thought it might be helpful to have a little directory of everyone's favourite pubs/clubs in central London.

I'll kick it off - my buddy and I went to Waxy O'Connors for Halloween and had an absolute ball http://www.waxyoconnors.co.uk/london/ I know it's a chain, but I loved the interior and thought that the atmosphere there was brilliant. I want to check out Waxy's little sister sometime too (across the street from Waxy O'Connors)

Vokes

Two pubs i like a lot....

The John Snow on Broadwick St, Soho.

De Hems, which is a dutch pub just off Shaftsbury Ave.

Both are small pubs - good for meeting up in with mates and having a few quiet pints before heading off elsewhere, etc..

Fysh

In no particular order:

The Round Table, near Leicester Square - pretty central but not usually too ridiculously busy, a decent and (for the area) reasonably-priced selection of beers, and they do decent grub as well.

The Ship & Shovell down from Charing Cross - again fairly central, never too busy, and a nice selection of beers skewing a bit towards ales. Good prices and a nice place to head on a Friday or Saturday night if you want somewhere that's not jam-packed.

I tend not to head into the city centre to head out unless I'm meeting people - it's busy enough of a weekend that finding somewhere with space for a group can be a real pain, especially if you're looking to get grub before heading out for the night.

For something a bit different, I quite liked Shunt - I went a couple of times when they were in the tunnels under London Bridge, and it was a really cool & unusual setup - exhibitions and performance art side-by-side with a basement/cellar bar with things like foosball. I've not been to the new setup in Bermondsey, but if it's anything like the London Bridge setup it'll be worth checking out.

Country lane

Fysh wrote: »

In no particular order:

The Round Table, near Leicester Square - pretty central but not usually too ridiculously busy, a decent and (for the area) reasonably-priced selection of beers, and they do decent grub as well.

The Ship & Shovell down from Charing Cross - again fairly central, never too busy, and a nice selection of beers skewing a bit towards ales. Good prices and a nice place to head on a Friday or Saturday night if you want somewhere that's not jam-packed.

I tend not to head into the city centre to head out unless I'm meeting people - it's busy enough of a weekend that finding somewhere with space for a group can be a real pain, especially if you're looking to get grub before heading out for the night.

For something a bit different, I quite liked Shunt - I went a couple of times when they were in the tunnels under London Bridge, and it was a really cool & unusual setup - exhibitions and performance art side-by-side with a basement/cellar bar with things like foosball. I've not been to the new setup in Bermondsey, but if it's anything like the London Bridge setup it'll be worth checking out.

Shunt was amazing, bizarre and fantastic all rolled into one...but I believe its shut down now.

Country lane

...sorry, was referring to the london bridge one

Fysh

Country lane wrote: »

Shunt was amazing, bizarre and fantastic all rolled into one...but I believe its shut down now.

They closed down the London Bridge venue (I think it was due to some sort of safety concerns over the building's structural integrity) but as far as I can tell they've moved to a warehouse nearby in Bermondsey.

growler

I can't really stand busy bars or pubs where I have to wait for a drink these days but I have a few favourites scattered around .......

Sketch: very fancy pseudo-members-bar, expensive but nice for a cocktail or if you fancy impressing someone http://www.sketch.uk.com/

The Clachan: gets busy after work, fridays at 5.30 are packed , but otherwise nice, good beer, good selection of whiskies and dead central :
http://www.beerintheevening.com/pubs/s/64/642/Clachan/Soho


The Guinea: has a great restaurant attached, tiny bar , best visited during the summer and not cheap as frequented by hedge fund millionaire types :
http://www.beerintheevening.com/pubs/s/48/4891/Guinea/Mayfair


The Punch Bowl: was a great little pub , then Guy Ritchie bought it and Madonna kept showing up, it seems to have recovered from the celebrity spotlight a bit, not bad for food, very busy during the summer evenings, lots more hedge fund types on occassion, good for an mid week afternoon pint off the beaten track : http://www.fancyapint.com/pubs/pub288.php

The Grenadier: another one well off the beaten track, tiny, posh, no mobile phones allowed, good food, far too much money around (ferraris outside not uncommon) very busy in the summer, but not another wetherspoons,

http://www.fancyapint.com/pubs/pub384.php


Nags Head: another Belgravia Pub, run by an Irishman in his 80's, great Guinness, quirky and a really mixed crowd : no kids allowed

http://www.fancyapint.com/pubs/pub385.php



Seven Stars: I think the area around chancery Lane has some of the best pubs in london, mainly because the combination of barristers, lawyers and fleet st journo make it a publicans dream ! many of them are really old and haven't changed for if not centuries then decades at least, sadly many close their doors on a friday and don't opena gain til monday afternoon : Seven Stars is a good example (does open on saturdays though) , narrow, eclectic , have to stoop over to get through doors etc.
Busy in the summer, great for a late afternoon drink : http://www.fancyapint.com/pubs/pub192.php



Cittie of Yorke, this is a Sam Smiths pub, so like the John Snow in Soho you won't recognise most drinks and the Alpine lager is as cheap as a london pint can get, this place is like stepping back in time 200 years.

http://www.fancyapint.com/pubs/pub134.php

The Auld Shilleleagh: if chance ever takes you to sunny Stoke Newington you could do worse than pop in here for a great Guinness, this used to be very very Irish and the size of your average living room (dart board used to be on the door to the toilets) its a bit more yuppified now but still a good pub (Stoke Newington is a bit spoilt in that respect) http://www.theauldshillelagh.com/

The Old Queens Head: trendy crowd, very busy on the weekend, pre-clubbing venue
http://www.fancyapint.com/pubs/pub102.php

lastly :

The Swimmer: gastro pub, great food, good selection of beer, only opens from 5 or 6 ish in the evenings , friendly and definately one of my favourite (non-mental) pubs in the vicinity of Holloway Road :
http://www.beerintheevening.com/pubs/s/13/1325/Swimmer_at_The_Grafton_Arms/Holloway

Most of these aren't on main streets or particularly easy to find, but the best pubs in london are well tucked away I think. I think i need to visit west and south London a bit more too. Anyway all this typing has made me thirsty! !

Seanohea

The Fitzroy Tavern

This bar is located on Charlotte St near Oxford St, it's great early in the evening after work, especially in the summer, and won't break the bank either with £2.20 pints of lager. It's a Samuel smiths pub.
There's a great atmosphere when having a few pints outside in the good weather.

O'neills in Leicester sq is good for live bands upstairs at the weekends.

If your looking to venture away from the city centre, 'Revolution' in clapham Junction is great craic on a Saturday night.