Any good Pubs in London I should not miss?

[Hyfi]

Leaving for London Friday night. Staying in Coven Garden next to SOHO and Chinatown. I already have a list of pubs to hit but always up for Rave Recs.

[audiobill]

Leaving for London Friday night. Staying in Coven Garden next to SOHO and Chinatown. I already have a list of pubs to hit but always up for Rave Recs.

Hey Hyfi,

2 that i like are "the cheshire cheese" (found in the financial district downtown) and the "the tottenham pub" downtown. lmk what u think should you pay either one a visit. have a toast on me.

cheers,
bill

[bobsticks]

I have a friend that just got back and declared "The Verge" to be the best place he's ever been.

I seem to remember "The George" as small but very kewl and "Mothers" (no relation to the Chicago version) was also nice in an upstairs-from-the broker's-club kinda way. These recommendations are from several years and many brain cells in the past.

[Hyfi]

I have a friend that just got back and declared "The Verge" to be the best place he's ever been.

I seem to remember "The George" as small but very kewl and "Mothers" (no relation to the Chicago version) was also nice in an upstairs-from-the broker's-club kinda way. These recommendations are from several years and many brain cells in the past.




Hey Hyfi,

2 that i like are "the cheshire cheese" (found in the financial district downtown) and the "the tottenham pub" downtown. lmk what u think should you pay either one a visit. have a toast on me.

cheers,
bill

Thank you both. I will look them up to see if they are close enough to stagger back to my hotel from.

[ForeverAutumn]

Any good Pubs in London I should not miss?

Is there such a thing as a bad pub? :confused5:

Have a great trip! Is this business or pleasure?

[JohnMichael]

Is there such a thing as a bad pub? :confused5:





It is that kind of thinking that has endeared many of us to you.

[Mr MidFi]

Some of the pubs right there at Covent Garden may be a tad touristy. But go 2 blocks in any direction, throw a rock in the air, and you're bound to hit one you'll like just fine.

Want a cheap 5 minutes of entertainment? Approach a group of 3 or 4 Londoners and ask them which is the best place to get a pint around there. The resulting argument will be one of the highlights of your trip!

Cheers.

[Hyfi]

Is there such a thing as a bad pub? :confused5:

Have a great trip! Is this business or pleasure?

Well, they are all smoke free now so that would have been one issue.

I am going to train our UK team and knowledge transfer.

I will have a bit of time for pleasure and my wife is going along. We got tickets to see Spamalot at the Palace Theater and dinner at the Porter for $40 US per ticket. Also going to train out to Canterbury next Saturday, Twickenham on Monday night to see a 4th cousin of Carolyn that we have not seen for 20 years. Saturday morning after we arrive, we are heading straight to the Lamb & Flag which is supposed to be one of the oldest watering holes in London, then to the British Museum.

Pubs the rest of my time off. We plan to hit one for dinner and two more for desert every night. Like MidFi said, there is a pub every three store fronts where I will be staying. We are right at 7 Dials in Covent Garden.

Cheers

[ForeverAutumn]

I am going to train our UK team and knowledge transfer.

You've come a long way baby! Congratulations.

[Mr MidFi]

Hope you don't mind, Hyfi, but I posted your query at my online international travel community. I'll let you know what they have to say.

[Swish]

Well, they are all smoke free now so that would have been one issue.

I am going to train our UK team and knowledge transfer.

I will have a bit of time for pleasure and my wife is going along. We got tickets to see Spamalot at the Palace Theater and dinner at the Porter for $40 US per ticket. Also going to train out to Canterbury next Saturday, Twickenham on Monday night to see a 4th cousin of Carolyn that we have not seen for 20 years. Saturday morning after we arrive, we are heading straight to the Lamb & Flag which is supposed to be one of the oldest watering holes in London, then to the British Museum.

Pubs the rest of my time off. We plan to hit one for dinner and two more for desert every night. Like MidFi said, there is a pub every three store fronts where I will be staying. We are right at 7 Dials in Covent Garden.

Cheers

...that I could go on for hours. Well, maybe minutes. One piece of info that is critical...DO NOT TIP THE BARTENDERS! Really. They don't expect it either, and for what you pay there, it's a good thing. I would also inquire about getting the Europass which you must buy here in the US before going abroad. They will get you on the tubes and buses as often as you like for the flat price, and believe me they were worth it. I think I paid $175 for so for 4 of them.

The city is a big place, but my favorite pub was the one near my hotel in the NW called 'Hand and Flower', if only because it was comparatively cheap (4.50 to 5.00 a pint US while most were around 7 US), as the exchange rate then was nearly 2 to 1, so you'll find things a little cheaper now, say about 10% less. We also liked it because we had the chance to talk to the locals. You may think that's odd, but we would ask people on the street for info at times and nearly everyone we talked to was from somewhere else! It was pretty darned funny.

There was a very good pub at the one end of Portobello Road, I guess near what is known as Notting Hill. It has a curved wall at the sidewalk and we had a blast in there. The flea market on Saturday is a real treat. It goes on for many blocks and there are a few great pubs in the midst of it. If you have the opportunity GO! That was one of the highlights of our trip actually. The bus dropped us off right nearby.

There was also one about a block off from Harrod's, but I'll never remember the name, but it was a nice sport's pub.

Also, if you're interested, I'll be glad to send you a couple of guides I have; Cheap Eats in London and London for Dummies, the latter is the reference I used to find out about those bus and tube passes, so for that alone I was thankful. We took those things everywhere.

Let me know and I'll ship them to you!

Regards,
Swishbaby

[Hyfi]

...that I could go on for hours. Well, maybe minutes. One piece of info that is critical...DO NOT TIP THE BARTENDERS! Really. They don't expect it either, and for what you pay there, it's a good thing. I would also inquire about getting the Europass which you must buy here in the US before going abroad. They will get you on the tubes and buses as often as you like for the flat price, and believe me they were worth it. I think I paid $175 for so for 4 of them.

The city is a big place, but my favorite pub was the one near my hotel in the NW called 'Hand and Flower', if only because it was comparatively cheap (4.50 to 5.00 a pint US while most were around 7 US), as the exchange rate then was nearly 2 to 1, so you'll find things a little cheaper now, say about 10% less. We also liked it because we had the chance to talk to the locals. You may think that's odd, but we would ask people on the street for info at times and nearly everyone we talked to was from somewhere else! It was pretty darned funny.

There was a very good pub at the one end of Portobello Road, I guess near what is known as Notting Hill. It has a curved wall at the sidewalk and we had a blast in there. The flea market on Saturday is a real treat. It goes on for many blocks and there are a few great pubs in the midst of it. If you have the opportunity GO! That was one of the highlights of our trip actually. The bus dropped us off right nearby.

There was also one about a block off from Harrod's, but I'll never remember the name, but it was a nice sport's pub.

Also, if you're interested, I'll be glad to send you a couple of guides I have; Cheap Eats in London and London for Dummies, the latter is the reference I used to find out about those bus and tube passes, so for that alone I was thankful. We took those things everywhere.

Let me know and I'll ship them to you!

Regards,
Swishbaby

Lots of good info, thanks. A little late to ship since I leave this Friday night. I do have several books and have been getting most of what I need from the locals I will be with for the week.

I was in UK 2 years ago but 2 hours west of London in Chippenham. Next town over is Bath. Both cool places as well as Laycock Abbey, the school in Harry Potter.

I'll have a Pint for everyone here:crazy:

[audiobill]

Saturday morning after we arrive, we are heading straight to the Lamb & Flag which is supposed to be one of the oldest
Cheers

Hey Hyfi.

The Cheshire Cheese is the oldest continuously serving pub in all of London. The entry is so low that you have to duck down to enter (people apparently were shorter hundreds of years ago). There are even some very cool "thank you" notes from the like of Tennyson et al.

You are going to have a ball in London. Your itinerary sounds awesome!

Bill

[Mr MidFi]

The denizens of Fodors 'Travel Talk' community offer their suggestions below. Note: I know the third guy is a local Londoner...

Author: azzure
Date: 09/18/2008, 06:30 pm

The Lamb and Flag -- hard to find (just ask somebody), but very old and quaint.

Author: sandra3120 (sandra3120@aol.com)
Date: 09/18/2008, 06:37 pm

Mr. Go - for your friend, lots of historical pubs:

Coach and Horses, Freemasons Arms, Lamb and Flag, White Hart, The Salisbury, Marquess of Anglesey, Nell of Old Drury and not too far afield The Prospect of Whitby.

Author: Cholmondley_Warner
Date: 09/19/2008, 05:40 am

Anywhere but the Godawful Punch and Judy.

Here's a comprehensive list:

http://www.fancyapint.com/area/00396.html

[Hyfi]

The denizens of Fodors 'Travel Talk' community offer their suggestions below. Note: I know the third guy is a local Londoner...

Author: azzure
Date: 09/18/2008, 06:30 pm

The Lamb and Flag -- hard to find (just ask somebody), but very old and quaint.

Author: sandra3120 (sandra3120@aol.com)
Date: 09/18/2008, 06:37 pm

Mr. Go - for your friend, lots of historical pubs:

Coach and Horses, Freemasons Arms, Lamb and Flag, White Hart, The Salisbury, Marquess of Anglesey, Nell of Old Drury and not too far afield The Prospect of Whitby.

Author: Cholmondley_Warner
Date: 09/19/2008, 05:40 am

Anywhere but the Godawful Punch and Judy.

Here's a comprehensive list:

http://www.fancyapint.com/area/00396.html

Thanks! A few on the list already, a few added for backup.

[Swish]

Lots of good info, thanks. A little late to ship since I leave this Friday night. I do have several books and have been getting most of what I need from the locals I will be with for the week.

I was in UK 2 years ago but 2 hours west of London in Chippenham. Next town over is Bath. Both cool places as well as Laycock Abbey, the school in Harry Potter.

I'll have a Pint for everyone here:crazy:

I just now noticed you mentioned departing today in your original post. Oblivious to my surroundings as usual.

Be sure to get some Marstons Best Bitter over there. Dang fine stuff.

Swish - better late than never

[ForeverAutumn]

Swish - better late than never

A matter of opinion. ;)

(you make it too easy sometimes).

[Swish]

(you make it too easy sometimes).


Swish - out to lunch

[Hyfi]

Swish - better late than never

I was just wondering if she stayed and waited, or did she leave before it happened?

[Hyfi]

Too damn many to choose from! Every corner and every 3rd storefront. Finally learned that if you go in and sit at a table for dinner, nobody ever comes. You have to order and pay at the bar and they will deliver it. On the first day we were here, we looked at menus outside of about 8 pubs and they were all identical. We found out from an owner that he owns them all.

The first place we went after arriving was the Lamb & Flag which had a great menu online and rave reviews about being one of the oldest pubs in London. There was an old hag working who may have been older. She totally ignored us and would not even respond to questions. There was about 5 items on the menu, nothing like the website. We got up and walked out. We went to the Sussex where they did have servers so we sat down. The server looked over at us and did everything but come to the table. Fiddled with napkins, served people outside...Someone else sitting there got him to respond and serve us. The food ended up being microwaved. I had Hoegaarden on tap as the English variety was poor.

We went out that same night to find Lowlander which is the best pub here serving 13 Belgians on tap and another 30-50 in bottles depending on the day or week. Desert has been sharing a 2 pint pitcher of St Louis Kriek Lambic. Going ther for dinner tonight for Venison Burger.

We saw Spamalot last night at the Palace Theater and ended up in the 8th row for 20$ US. What a blast.

More to come. we are now in our 3rd room at the hotel.

[basite]

I would also inquire about getting the Europass which you must buy here in the US before going abroad. They will get you on the tubes and buses as often as you like for the flat price, and believe me they were worth it. I think I paid $175 for so for 4 of them.


True, True :)

the tubes in london are excellent, and definitely worth the money, get the europass and get on the damn things as much as possible, they will get you from the one side of london to the other in no time, and they're extremely fast and easy to use...

Can't comment on the pub things, last time I've been there, I wasn't allowed to enter (since I wasn't 18 yet...)
most of the time we were able to drink something outside (on the terras (dunno how you say it in English...), and I can't say that I've ever been to a bad pub...

Especially in the evenings, it seems that London people like to have a drink after the work has finished, great opportunity to talk to Londoners...



Keep them spinning,
Bert.

[ForeverAutumn]

most of the time we were able to drink something outside (on the terras (dunno how you say it in English...), Bert.

In English (at least in Canada) we would say Patio or Terrace. When we're referring to a bar or restaurant we usually say Patio. In the summer when the weather gets warm enough to eat outside, we call it "patio weather". :)


More to come. we are now in our 3rd room at the hotel.

Is the hotel that bad? Or is there another reason for the frequent moves?

[Hyfi]

True, True :)

the tubes in london are excellent, and definitely worth the money, get the europass and get on the damn things as much as possible, they will get you from the one side of london to the other in no time, and they're extremely fast and easy to use...

Bert.

You don't have to get anything in the US if you plan to just travel around London. There are about 6 different tube lines color coded. There are 6 zones. If you get a weekly pass for zones 1 and 2, you can get anywhere in the heart of London from the Covent Garden end where I am now to Tower Hill (Tower Bridge area) and beyond. My pass cost about $40 US for the week. If you need to take a train or travel to a different zone, you just pay for an extension for that line. You can buy any passes at any tube stop and plenty of stores. The weekly is called an Oyster card and you just tap it on the turn style as you enter and exit. If you buy a single ride ticket, it's 4 pounds 50 but if you do it any other way it's about 1.50.

Keep in mind all the maps make it look as if everything is far to walk when it's not. Sometimes, by the time you walk to a stop, go down the escalator about 50 stories, get the train and repeat upwards, you could have just walked it and finished a pint in the same time. I bought the weekly pass but have actually walked the 1.1 miles each way to where I am working and saving 10 minutes rather than the tube.

Sunday we walked from the Enbankment tube stop all along the Thames to the Tower Hill station about 7 or 8 miles.Then tubed back to our hotel. If your not a woos, almost everything is walkable.

[Hyfi]

In English (at least in Canada) we would say Patio or Terrace. When we're referring to a bar or restaurant we usually say Patio. In the summer when the weather gets warm enough to eat outside, we call it "patio weather". :)



Is the hotel that bad? Or is there another reason for the frequent moves?

The hotel is actually pretty good. We booked our stay about 4 monthes ago and requested a room on a top floor in the rear. When we got there, they put us in a room on the 3rd floor in the front over the street. Since they are digging up all of London to replace the Roman sewers, Monday at 7am they started jack hammering outside our window. While at work, Carolyn had them change our room. They put her in one where the AC blew hot air and the phone did not work. She had them move us again. The room we are in now is quieter except for the elevator being right behind our closet.

Overall they have been real good about it all.

[Hyfi]

Here is what I have sampled so far at The Lowlander.

Brugge Trippel
Hoegaarden Grand Cru
St Louis Kriek
Brugge Zot Blond
Saison Dupont
Het Kapittel Pater
Caracole Troublette
Grolsch Wiezen

If this place was near me I would go broke!

[Swish]

[QUOTE=Hyfi]You don't have to get anything in the US if you plan to just travel around London. /QUOTE]

...the tubes and buses, and the buses came in very hand on more than one occasion. Glad you worked it out to your satisfaction.

Swish

[Hyfi]

[QUOTE=Hyfi]You don't have to get anything in the US if you plan to just travel around London. /QUOTE]

...the tubes and buses, and the buses came in very hand on more than one occasion. Glad you worked it out to your satisfaction.

Swish

You can add all that to tha weekly pass when you buy them. What is cool, is the Oyster card I got can be saved and used later by adding money to it like a pay as you go and reduces the cost per ride as I mentioned it earlier.

[Hyfi]

So, the answer to my question is yes, there is one pub not to miss. Located on Drury Lane at Long Acre and close to the Muffin Man, is the Lowlander Grand Cafe. Out of the norm for a British pub, the Lowlander is mostly Belgians and no British Ales at all. This place had the best service of any establishment I went to. The food was good and I ate there twice having the Venison Burger both times. Their chips were also much better than most. We ended up at this pub 5 times during the stay in London whether for dinner or desert. We sampled the list below but having many a pint of Kriek:

http://www.lowlander.com
St Bernardus Tripel
St Feuillien Blond
Rochefort 8
Westmalle Double
Dupont Saison
Palm Export
Brugge Tripel
Hoegaarden Grand Cru
St Louis Kriek
Brugge Zot Blond
Het Kapittel Pater
Caracole Troublette
Grolsch Wiezen

Another interesting place we found near the end of the week was the West Cornwall Pasty Company at the Piazza next to Punch and Judy. By the way, P&J was actually a really cool building resembling an old Wine Cellar but they had crap on tap. West Cornwall served up some of the tastiest pasties around. The building was rustic Post & Beam construction with an upstairs bar and balcony overlooking the Piazza where there is daily entertainment. They also served a wide variety of Cornish Ales including these two I had several of.

http://www.westcornwallpasty.co.uk/
http://www.skinnersbrewery.com/shop/beers

Betty Stogs Award Winning Bitter
Cornish Knocker Ale

On Thursday night, the crew I was training took my wife and I out for the night. We started off at The Harp which is a little gem near the Piazza at 47 Chandos Place. They had a wide veriety of English Ales and Bitters but I opted for the Guest Ale called Roaring Meg. http://www.springhead.co.uk/
Roaring Meg ABV 5.5% - available all year round...
The "Big Blonde". Smooth sweet with a dry finish and citrus honey aroma.

I had several pints before we were off to dinner at Maxwell's on the edge of the Piazza.
http://www.maxwells.co.uk/
There was no beer list to speak of but the food was fabulous. I had Ribs & Chicken with peri-peri sauce, a Becks, and fried Ice Cream. The rest of the food and Nachos were better than average.

Weatherspoon's is a chain but is a Free House with many different ales on tap as well as Weston's Extra Strong Cider at 7.3% on tap. Also a wide variety of Wine on tap.

What I found most interesting about my trip is that almost everyone goes to the pub after work and they are all full each night spilling into the streets. There are little ledges around the outsides of most pubs where people stand and drink. By evening, this area extends well into the streets and where there are multiple pubs within spitting distance, you will never figure out whose pint glasses are who's. We stayed at Seven Dials which is a big Sun Dial in the middle of an intersection of 7 streets. A theater on one corner, my hotel on another and a pub on the next. By 7pm, the steps around the dial are completely full of folks drinking pints and goblets of wine. Walk down any street and each pub you come to will have a crowd into the street.

Wilder still is SOHO on a Saturday night where cars can barely make it up any street due to the endless Mardi Gras like party going on. A whole lot of Alternative Lifestyle going on down here. I never saw anyone hassled or fighting or any bad behavior. Just people having fun.

Next to SOHO is Chinatown which we almost missed until our last night when we decided to walk as far as we could before having to fly home. I guess it would be similar to any authentic Chinatown with restaurant after restaurant with crispy ducks hanging from the window or a nice Dim Sum menu.

All in all if you ever decide to go to London for a visit, look into the Covent Garden area as this is central to walking or tubing anywhere. We spent many hours in the British Museum, The National Gallery, and The National Portrait Gallery. All museums are free in London. Outside of the National Gallery is Trafalgar Square where lots of entertainment and sidewalk art goes on.

The party is over but it was a blast. I could almost sell all I have here, buy a small flat there and just work and go to the pub every day and chuck the car and all the material things. Seems so much simpler.

Cheers!