OUR NEW SERIES! Our round-up of our favorite London pubs on or near the routes of our London Walks. We’ll be posting reviews, giving recommendations and directions and from time-to-time delving into the stories behind the pubs and pub names. As always, we want to hear your suggestions, too. Send your Best Pub In London suggestions to the usual address or leave a comment below.
The Coach and Horses, 29
Greek Street W1 (Tube: Leicester Sq)
Fashions may come and go,
but the Coach and Horses (also known as Norman’s) is eternal. Indeed the fashionable
media types of Soho may come, but even that doesn’t diminish the Coach and
Horses one iota. Soaks may go: Jeffrey Bernard, Francis Bacon, the painters Colquhoun
and MacBride, Dan Farson, Brendan Behan may all have fallen off the perch/bar
stool, but the Coach and Horses has yet to call time. Rivaled only by the
Haringey Arms in Crouch End for its basic, this-is-a-pub-not-a-tart’s-handbag
approach to interior decor, the Coach and Horses is a true Soho legend. Nothing
fancy and no MTV blaring in the foreground. Don’t confuse it with the drear
shop of the same name in Poland Street. Do contrast it with the chain pubs of
Charing Cross Road just a few steps away. Pub heaven and pub hell are but a
small stagger apart.
Catch up with Norman's on the Soho Pub Walk every Sunday night.
A London Walk costs £9 – £7 concession. To join a London Walk, simply meet your guide at the designated tube station at the appointed time. Details of all London Walks can be found at www.walks.com.
