It's the last shopping weekend before Chrsitmas. Here are five safe havens to rest/hide from Christmas shopping in the West End…
The French House, 42 Dean Street, W1 (Tube: Leicester Sq/Piccadilly Circus)
Somewhere in the realm of dreadful folk songs there’s a “comedy” ditty – as funny as an orphanage on fire – about “The Pub With No Beer”. And while the French House certainly isn’t that – try Becks, Leffe or Budvar by the bottle – they won’t serve you a pint. Why? Is this the fabled and erroneous French rudeness? Nope, they just don’t serve ‘em is all. Take this perfect opportunity to adopt a when-in-France approach – go for a Pastis, or a Breton cider. For the lil’ ol’ wine drinkers, try a perfectly acceptable bottle of Merlot for around the £20 mark or, for around the same price, a half bottle of Chablis. This legendary, wooden panelled single room bar (a haunt of de Gaulle and his Free French comrades during WWII) is bedecked with pics and cartoons of the ghosts of barflies past and is simply a London legend. Vive le French House. View Larger Map
The Salisbury, 90 St Martin’s Lane (Tube Leicester Sq)
As a general rule, beware the hostelries on the West End’s main drags. Noisy, rude and ugly (the punters as well as the establishments) they are no places to relax after a hard day walking London. The Salisbury is the great exception.
It’s packed before showtime at the Coward Theatre next door, but when the theater crowd thins out, an atmospheric, perfectly preserved Victorian gin palace is left behind. The mahogany island bar is sectioned off at the far corner to create a snug little space – I’d recommend that you tipple in this area, or the big main bar as opposed to the poky, windowless back room. Big, ornate etched glass windows keep natural light at an acceptable minimum, with wall sconces and hanging lamps creating a perfect, slightly illicit atmosphere.
View Larger Map
The Green Man, 36 Riding House Street London W1W 7EP (Tube: Goodge Street/Warren Street)
Character takes time. And the Green Man has been sufficiently patient to end up being positively eccentric.
It was always one of central London’s oddest little pubs, not least because it is tucked away in a Fitzrovian backstreet, “hidden” in the heart of W1. At a certain time of night, when the local office drones have drained away down the Tube like so much dirty bathwater, it is a veritable pub paradise. Friendly, easy going staff, too, and pretty good food.
View Larger Map
The Dog and Duck, Bateman Street Soho
If you were asked which pub name was the most comedically English, the most quintessentially British and typical of the down home, spit and sawdust, salt of the earth, “usual-please-love”, local, traditional corner boozer, the chances are you’d say: The Dog and Duck.
Well, the squeamish among you should put down your pork scratchings before reading on.
The name comes from the brutal blood sport whereby a duck was floated in a pond and a dog put in to hunt and kill it. Apparently, the fun was to watch the duck dive and the dog go after it. Eeeh, they made there own entertainment in them days.
Try the Dog and Duck (sign pictured above), reputed to be Soho’s oldest pub, 18 Bateman Street W1.
View Larger Map
Bradley's Spanish Bar 42-44 Hanway Street, W1
Near the end/start of the Rock'n'Roll London Walk, Fridays 2pm meet at Tottenham Court Road Station
Bradley's offers continental beers aplenty in a snug little bar (actually two bars, there's a basement, too) and great atmosphere. These aspects alone should be enough to recommend this place.
But best of all is the vinyl jukebox…
Here's how to find Bradley's…
My Public Scheduled Tours for December 2019
21st December – London Horror Story – 7.30pm St Paul's Tube
23rd December – A Village In Piccadilly – 2.30pm Piccadilly Circus Tube (by Eros)
26th December – Jack The Ripper – 7.30pm Tower Hill Tube (by the tram)
27th December – Hidden London – 11am Monument Tube (Fish Street Hill Exit)
28th December – London Horror Story – 7.30pm St Paul's Tube
28th December – The Beatles & Bob Dylan In 1960s London – 10am Temple Tube
30th December – A Village In Piccadilly – 2.30pm Piccadilly Circus Tube (by Eros)
My Public Scheduled Tours for January 2020
2nd January 2020 – Inside Covent Garden – 10am Covent Garden Tube
2nd January 2020 – Old Kensington – 2pm High Street Kensington Tube
2nd January 2020 – Jack The Ripper – 7.30pm Tower Hill Tube (by the tram)
3rd January 2020 – Rock'n'Roll London – 2pm Tottenham Court Road Tube (exit 1)
4th January 2020 – The Beatles & Bob Dylan In 1960s London – 10.45am Temple Tube
4th January 2020 – Musical Covent Garden – 2:30pm Temple Tube
4th January 2020 – Rock'n'Roll London Pub Walk – 7:15pm Tottenham Court Road Tube (exit 1)
5th January 2020 – Pink Floyd In 1960s London – 10:30a.m Leicester Sq Tube (exit 1)
5th January 2020 – Women In Music 1722 - 2019 – 2pm Leicester Sq Tube (exit 1)
16th January 2020 – Inside Covent Garden – 10am Covent Garden Tube
16th January 2020 – Old Kensington – 2pm High Street Kensington Tube
16th January 2020 – Jack The Ripper – 7.30pm Tower Hill Tube (by the tram)
17th January 2020 – Beatlemania! The Beatles In London 1961-65 – 10am Embankment tube
17th January 2020 – Rock'n'Roll London – 2pm Tottenham Court Road Tube (exit 1)
18th January 2020 – London Horror Story – 7.30pm St Paul's Tube
30th January 2020 – Old Kensington – 2pm High Street Kensington Tube
30th January 2020 – Jack The Ripper – 7.30pm Tower Hill Tube (by the tram)
31st January 2020 – Beatlemania! The Beatles In London 1961-65 – 10am Embankment tube
31st January 2020 – Rock'n'Roll London – 2pm Tottenham Court Road Tube (exit 1)
Keep In Touch…
