Uk Barblog

Bar Soho (Soho - London)

Bar Soho

Bar Soho in the Gay capital of soho - old compton street seems to stand free from the populous of gay inhabitants that somehow surround the estbliahment but rarely venture inside. It is a seemingly large, dark popular bar with deep set booths and small tables. There are one of too ornate torches on the bar and the popularity of the nightclub-as-bar effect seems to draw the crowds until the place overcrowds later on at night. Cocktails are £6 upwards and there is only one brand of beer on tap. One can expect a crowd of middle-aged theatre goers early on and younger revellers later into the night who plough into the bar only to find that half of it is a clever network of mirrors designed to make this club atmosphere look quite grand.

In fact is stops abruptly, there is not enough seating and you find yourself hovering at the edge of a very low tables trying to balance your drink on it or jammed between pairs of elbows at all sides wondering if every gay person in compton street has actually worked out that this place is hugely over-rated and actually rather uncomfortable - 5/10

Akbar (Soho - London)

Akbar

Akbar is hard to find even in this metropolis of assorted bars and if you do find it, it can be a blessing for early drinks if your out of an evening. Its essentially a very chilled out morrocan bar with warm lighting from flickering candeles, aromas of vanilla with light bassy music and alcoves of underground-shelter style seating which makes for a very communal and strangely comfortable experience. The drinks seem to be overpriced but the quality if quite unmatched by anything nearby and the bar will often bring the drink out to you. Better still are the non-alcoholic cocktails which blew my mind with natural yogurts and fruit extracts. This place also attracts Djs later on and although it is on the small size it is a wonderful experience.

Overall a very beautiful place possibley to bring a date before a night of passion, so prep your wallet for a night that is not only high in quality but strong in value and hits each of the senses lightly but memorabley. 8/10

LVPO Bar (Soho - London)

LVPO Bar

An upmarket alpine lodge style venue consisting of a couple of bars with seating trasiling off in different directions in rooms which have apparently been queezed into this den in the cosiest cranny of Soho. The bar at the front of the venue is a sappy excuse for a shop window giving people who poke their heads in the window very little of an idea of what lies around the many corners. Within it is a barrage of suited, chredly spoken cambridge types paying £7 a piece for very watered down cocktails and from what I observed containing less than a shot a drink. the atmosphere however is not particularly pompous, it is a little loud however.

Overall, a lot nicer inside than it may look from the outside but why they have proceeded to squeeze, tiny uncomfortable seating in what ultimately becomes a larger bar, i'll never know, nice venue, terrible terrible management, which is such a shame - 4/10

The Captain's Cabin (Regent Street - London)

The Captain's Cabin

The captain's cabin, as the name suggests is a well of proud activity. A rather central outpost, busy with middle-aged weekend drinkers but popular enough to cause queuing at the bar but with service fast enough to prvent it being a problem. The light colouring to the interior adds a fresh and youthful appeal to the place and it does televise sporting events to improve popularity further still. Its not really the place to bring a crowd however, there are only a scattering of tables and you qucikly find yourself perched in an aisle to drink.

Overall an average pub, perhaps with more spirirt that the sort of quiet old-man pub you may expect to have it represent by its name, but it speaks a volume you may not be in the mood for for more than a pint or two - 5/10

The Duke of York (Bond Street - London)

The Duke of York

A loud cage of a bar popular with middle aged folk, hidden behind the great shoulders of Oxford Street. The completely windowed pub feels cage-like with all its cross pane designs and within a matal winding staircase sits in the middle of the room. For sport this place can get quite hectic with punters ramming in and it being wholly impossible to reach the small bar at the back. But service remains fast, spirirts remain high and its is one of liveliest of its type in the area, even if it is on the small side.

Overall loud and loutish in a way but it is hidden around the corner from all the action so you would expect it to be even busier. Drinks are expectantly expensive and noise is to be made - 4/10

Part of the Official MONOPOLY PUB CRAWL

The Blue Posts (Piccadilly - London)

The Blue Posts

From the surroundings and the enclosed apparence to this pub you would think you were in a small village at the end of a quiet afternoon rather than in the bustling bosom of London. The blue posts is a little busier than the streets around it though, with an older crowd so its a little more relaxed. Its bigger than it looks from the outside and within has a broken trace of "chain-pub" feel to it. The service is quite fast, almost impatient and the lighting effect means it always feels like late afternoon as you drink.

Overall a rather unimportant pub to these parts, a more popular attraction for people in their 50's for that ale although the central location is astonishing for how quiet the area feels - 5/10

Part of the Official MONOPOLY PUB CRAWL

The Red Lion (Pall Mall - London)

The Red Lion

This very well hidden pub is a commitment to a very old london pub tradition of squeezing the smallest tavern into the most tight street in the world and then putting it on the map. Th eplace is little more than a small cosy room with a scattering of tables, a bar and some stools. The selection of drinks is small and unappitising but the place is a unique charm. The barman even keeps himself a copy of the Fancyapint's guide in London Pubs and is used to seeing a variety of travellers in here. The gents toilets are down the narrowest set of stairs you ever saw in a miniture cellar and the locals populating the pub are hearty, cheerful and welcoming.

Overall a sweet small pub, where the barman makes cheese n pickle sandwiches for his punters but hand on the bar and the tequila shots are reasonably priced. For that spice of friendliness, hard to come by with such tradition - bring a couple of friends on down - 6/10

Part of the Official MONOPOLY PUB CRAWL

Lazy's at Soho Theatre Lazeez (Soho - London)

Lazy's at Soho Theatre (Lazeez)

A relaxed, two floor bar open into the evening hours with sheek soho types sporting fashion first's with pink leather, facial hair made from the whisps of Lepricahns and seven inch heels. Free to get in, which is always a plus in this area although the drinks are a little on the pricey side. The cocktails are very strong though and probably worth the price. It seems to be catering for the chilled out crowd, the music is soft and the bar staff are friendly. The downstairs is a restaurant only unfortunately, and we soon discover why it seems so quiet - yes is doesnt open past midnight.

Overall very nice for a drink just before heading to one of Soho's clubs but not really a hangout otherwise. The drinking area is too small and you want to fall asleep rather than party in here. 5/10

Club 49 (Greek Street - London)

Club 49

When wandering around Soho at 1am on a Saturday night it is never advisable to just wander into a place. Naturally ticket-tout style reps from various clubs fill the streets in an attempt to pull the punters at a cut price that tickets on the door. Advertised at £8 a ticket this club can be entered from about £3 each. (Which is what we paid) The Event manager herself was some kind of dragon figure and the establishment within was overcrowded, over expensive, under stocked (apparently no Vodka on our visit) and smaller than my thumb-nail. Quite literally the place is a shoebox of a room with mirrors and loud Rnb. Drinks cost from £7 upwards and there is a downstairs if you fancy being grabbed by 40+ randy men.(You must walk this guantlet to reach the toilets).

Overall it is a complete rip off, not a place to end up in. It felt like an old man pub had just emptied down the road and filled this seedy establishment. There is a world in Soho of better places so just avoid this one! 2/10

The Blue Posts (Soho - London)

The Blue Posts

A very cosy split level pub packed with a community of crazy characters at the bar with references all around the pub to da vinci fanatical religious symbolisms. At £3 a drink the place carries the average pub prices of Soho but with an authenticity of how dodgy soho can really be. The furniture amounts to pews and a few small tables. Upstairs you are guarenteed to get a quiet drink while overlooking some of the seedy london back streets and for when times do get busy there is a seperate bar upstairs so you don't have to navigate the very narrow stairs with a pint. The food is good value but the atmosphere is quite quiet and a little eery.

Overall its a small pub with whispers of the strange and probably one best left to the true locals who enjoy it in here. For the rest of us, the slightly more commercial ventures maybe more suiting especially if you fancy a bit of legroom and watching a TV screen that isn't so delapidated that it puts the whole feel of the pub to shame - still, at least their's a keyboard upstairs.. 5/10

St James's Tavern (Piccadilly Circus - London)

St James's Tavern

Veering away from the traditional feel, this pub is more new age than most in the area with tilings depicting ancient scenes. On entry you find yourself facing a square bar at the end of a the small, hall like room filled with a few tables. The bar is decorated with small blue lights and despite the ratio of staff to punters the service is relatively slow although the drink prices are quite average for the area. It is in a good location - near the clubs later on and also with good promixity to the station.

The place is open until about midnight or one but it really isn't for the casual drinker - more a good value eatery for tourist families in the day but good for one before a night out nearby - 4/10

The Montagu Pyke (Soho - London)

The Montagu Pyke

The Montague Pyke is a very large lloyds bar in the middle of the westend yet its entrance is almost too modest for its own good and hides a perfectly good bar behind its doors. The venue paves right through from Charing Cross Road to Soho. Inside is a short entrance with a set of seating to the left before a dropdown into a pit. The bar steers off to the left and the bar continues inside into a hall of the lloyds bar - smartened Wetherspoons style which we are accustomed to. It is very good value for money for the area and bar service is fast. The popularity of this place unfortunately leaves it often messy and glass-crowded but it is hard to deny that this is a good spot for a drink yet miles from the character of the area.

Overall the Montague Pyke is cinema among the wide screen TV's, its big and proud but doesnt shout loud enough to be found. Good for those new to the london scene looking for somewhere with familiarity and healthy prices but as usual it is a sit down affair with average music and uniform layout- 7/10 

The Brewmaster (Leicester Square - London)

The Brewmaster

Well it certainly sounds like a contender for the name of an Alcoholic Superhero but the Brewmaster is instead a well laid trap beside the popular tourist location of Leicester square. Once can entrer via the front of back of this establishment in what is essentially a slim pub with a semit circular bar split into two adjacent areas. Perhaps at one time these were for tourists and local folk or smokers and non-smokers but we can only speculate. The pub is rather busy, there are few or no seats available and the beer is watered down and expensive. The toilets are up a rather scary set of stairs and the punters seem to be brash stage-folk, loud lower-class locals or frightened tourists keen to experience this den.

Overall not comfortable, enjoyable or easy on the legs, ears, mouth or bladder, the best suggestion is to walk on by.. 2/10

The Champion (Fitzrovia - London)

The Champion

Fitzrovia's finest among its wild range of drinking outlets, this glamourous pub is bathed in the most unique display of stained glass as walls that you will ever see. It is a small local pub but the light pours in a way which produces a very surreal very cool effect. The pub is semi circular around the bar in the middle which is constantly ovbercrowded by having too many bar persons behind the bar rather than crowds being served. This produces a rather grumpy welcome and as such the interior can often be quiet while the outside is choc-a-bloc and you cannot move. There are crap small toilets available for customer use, expensive drinks, but importantly a good crowd seem to enjoy the buzz of the place. It appears to be called the champion because the glass walls appears to depict scenes of valour and battle.

Overall utterly unique and worth a look in for the novelty but the main action occurs outside the pub- literally standing in the roads - 7/10

Ben Crouch's Tavern (Oxford Street - London)

Ben Crouch's Tavern

A rock-induced goth pub of the eerie pub chain and one of the smallest of the chain that I have ventured into yet it remains popular and busy. Drinks are about £2.85 a pint and as usual there are some creepy cocktails on sale. Matching the full theme of the place with its ghostly random noises in the toilets and wild vivid decor hanging from the walls and ceiling in the form of disused piping, copper cables and spider webs. The place is light and entertaining, the layout remains a little cramped however with a couple of raised platforms to the front and right side of the pub witha long bar running down along the left. Despite the spooky theme the owner is friendly and the bar staff are fast.

Overall a top quality themed bar which pulls many punters from the deceased Intrepid fox a few hundred yards away but it is too small to accomodate the crowd - 7/10

Mint Leaf Bar & Restaurant (Haymarket - London)

Mint Leaf Bar & Restaurant

Mint leaf is first and foremost a truely hearty, fashionable indian restaurant in the heart of the city. Its bar is more of an after thought but none-the-less enticing and intriguing. Let me just tell you that the food here is fantastic- if you are a fan of a good curry come and indulge. Although not for those with a lighter wallet this place can really deliver and the portion sizes are completely reasonable. The price hit the qulaity and the service-although slightly less than perfect still impresses the gentleman. The bar itself is a very long affair stretching across the back of the main hall-room. It is partially hidden by a veil of a wall to ensure that the drinking area does not spoil the restaurant. The bar is very very well stocked and is a complete city of bottles and strange shaped glasses. The wines are well chosen and cost from £25 a bottle upwards. The bar houses a few stools - not too closely tucked together but private to allow the drinkers to enjoy their beverages.

Overall this is really a birthday treat or something for a special occasion. I highly recommend drinking at the bar before dining. It is a good compliment to a fantstic meal although could perhaps do with a little more space and tables specifically for drinkers. there are some but not enough.. 7/10

The Old Explorer (Oxford Circus - London)

The Old Explorer

A large pub with immeadiate promixity to Oxford Circus station yet clevery hidden around the back of a few large buildings so that the crowds do not over populate it. In fact approaching you see large groups standing outside but evntering the masses dissolve slightly and there is a clear path to a few empty tables and the bar area. Inside pints are £3 each and the standard white wall with wooden decor prompts average impressions but taking the stairs down one finds another level bustling with the activity of a popular venue. there is upbeat dance-music throughout and despite the name the clientele are of the young professional mixed with middle aged participants. It feels rather wetherspoonsy but with a heartier pub feel and lively atmosphere.

Overall a perfect pub to find in just such a location- it needs a little more seating and a faster bar service but it serves rather well in these parts - 7/10

All Bar One (Regent Street - London)

All Bar One

just another european wine bar of this chain bar variety. The unique offerings here are large windows allowing plenty of light to pour in to create a buzzy bright atmosphere, and wine is sold by the Carrif served from barrels where the wine is aged on site in the cellars. And it would sound this place should be off impressive size but it stands on its own feet here- being small enough only to accomodate about 15 tables, leaving spaces to stand instead and a high ceiling. The music is light bassy dance which hits the walls and encourages banter and cheer. The problem here is the speed at which the barstaff serve up drinks. Taking ten minutes per customer is not a liberty available to the busiest street in the busiest city in the world and a queue quickly forms that makes this a fustrating adventure.

Overall the venue remains good value at about £2.80 a pint where location would normally dictate a higher cost so one point up but many down for the unacceptable service - 4/10

La Tasca Tapas & Bar(Regent Street - London)

La Tasca Tapas & Bar

La Tasca appears to be a clear restaurant snack bar with small tables outside where the smokers are placed among the dishes of of italian spiced sausages and sangria. Once inside however, the downstairs (not immeadiatly noticeable at street level) is a large cool dark spanish taven with full bar and quaint tables bathed in soft candlelight. The well stocked bar offers a very comfortable Sangria from a traditional goblet (which, as it turns out is a little pricey at £12). The staff parading around are a little less impressive, they add a foreign element to the atmosphere and it instantly becomes difficult to convey a correct order.

Overall the place is not overcrowded but a nice quick stop for food before and evening out in the surrounding area of Oxford Circus and the west end. 5/10

Rush Bar (Soho - London)

Rush Bar

Thrown into a walkway of hundreds of small pubs and bars in the glory that is Soho, this small bar pulls in peopel around the clock. inside it is a display of small tables with low stols and upstairs a galley of red decor and vibrant shimmerings of colour. The bar however is a great disappointment. I'm talking about something the length of my arm with one empty fridge and one dried up tap for beer. The wine is weak and tastes of old urine and a dead persons arm sweat. It is a well dressed rat in all honesty and gets very crowded very early. i can't really see any reason why you would pick this over some superb treats in the area but a stop off could be worth it just for something ncie to look at.

Overall i was unimpressed and I am sure you would be too, hardly worth the effort to look for in these cubby-hole streets - 3/10.

The Lyric Theatre Bar (Soho - London)

The Lyric Theatre Bar

A fairly standard theatre bar - this small bar situated in the foyer overcrowds at intervals but other than that stays quite quiet. Expect expensive and urine tasting wines, warm beers and although the bar woman is only eager to please the posh individuals tutting behind you at your outrage for a lack of cider makes you feel uncomfortable. Also no where to sit so its take you beverage, finish it in a corner and then head off back to your seat. The floors are carpeted and the atmosphere is murmured hushed tones without music nor atmosphere to accompany them and no real drinking in sight except the odd old lady slapping her husband across the back of the head for order a full pint instead of a half!

A nice theatre mind but I'd recommend cramming the beers in before you arrive and spending you interval in the toilets. Overall 2/10

The Comedy Store (Piccadilly Circus - London)

The Comedy Store

Seated on the corner of Leicester square this small theatre for live comedy acts is a very nice venue and perfectly suited for the heckler or comedy lover. Entering via downward steps you come across famous names that have had acts here over the years and signed memorabilia. Box office checking is fast as long as you booked tickets in advance and you enter to the back of a small amphitheatre in the darkness. The seating is an array of benches varying in height with small aisles located between them all channelling towards the small stage. The capacity appears to be between 200 and 500 people so its very small for a theatrical venue. The bar veers off the left with the toilets to the right. The bar serves 4 pint pitcher jugs of beer and cider at £12 each and the service is fast as well. The place is very well designed so its easy to slip off to the toilet during a performance without getting spotted by the comedian on at the time.

Overall I would say that although this has been my first visit to a comedy club the layout of the venue is very good and i has a spectacular view from the 5th row back the whole time. Definitely recommended - 8/10 for comedy purposes perhaps less for a serious drink.

The Comedy (Leicester Square - London)

The Comedy

Apparently also known as the Comedy Upstairs Downstairs, this well hidden bar is quite the gem in the centre of town and many wouldn't have a clue it was there. You get the crowds heading to Yates and Wetherspoons on the Square for a boozy few before clubbing in that chain-pub wine bar type feel but this place is different. It does not try to be just another chain pub but instead lends itself to just enjoying half the popularity of its more visible cousins. Sidestepping left from the comedy stroe you come across this bar with friendly burly bouncer on the door entering into a busy but not overcrowded room with a bar to the left. The prices are average for the area at about £3 a pint - £2.50 a shot and the service is friendly but a little slow. There is next to no room to dance but music is pumping and although it looks like an all bar one from outside - like its Yates and Wetherspoons cousins - it is a bit dank and neglected for character.

Overall it seemed like this would be the west-end gastro gem I was seeking but although not another absolute clone it didnt give me enough reason to consider hurrying back next weekend - 6/10

Tom Cribb (LEicester Square - London)

Tom Cribb

This small traditional pub almost seems out of place beside the bustle of Leicester Square. it is only visible in the gloomy distance away from the bright lights of the premier cinema's but it is there and busy with elderly locals and scary bar persons. In honesty you need ot be a tad on the slim side to enjoy this pub because even though it is not overly popular, 20 people inside is a squeeze. Within the atmosphere is polite and warm with a good selection on the bar incluidng the classic "Ooranjiboom" beer on tap (i apologise for the inside joke to a handful of readers with whom I enjoyed a case of "Ooranjiboom" at a festival some years back and have not spotted it since).

Overall the place seems very well pieced together with tiny tables fitting into corners like jigsaw pieces but to be fair there should be a "you must be this wide to ride" sign outside since even at 34" waist i have trouble exiting one door which appears to only be 7" wide :-S. 5/10

Nanobyte Bar (Soho - London)

Nanobyte Bar

With an alternative name like this and whispers of electronica, science fiction and digitalisation expectations can run away with you and indeed this author is guilty of the same. Nanobyte was more like a cowboy's saloon than a vision of Cyberdog style clubbing. The outside looks intreguing enoguh to invite inside and once past the bouncer on the door one finds a few low couches and tall tables nestled in front of a rather quiet bar with its own low ceiling and perky bar persons. The interior is a pale green and it feels somewhat enclosed dispite the lack of over-whelming crowds, almost like a straw-hut in the middle of a city. The drinks were over-priced, the selection was fairly standard but at least the interior of the toilets was mildy amusing.

Overall a standard Soho bar which pulls punters by name only and will undoubtedly fail the test of time compared to the more powerful local pubs in the area. In for one then off- theres not enough seating anyway. 3/10.

Crown and Sceptre (Fitzrovia - London)

Crown and Sceptre

This seemingly average boring pub from the outside is infact a gathering within of popular Hippies, trendies, and the coolest of 20 somethings. You enter the old style front into a charlie and the chocolate factory style vat of a porch which leads into a large rounded bar where the venue tails off the right. There is a paiting behind the bar of a lesbian scene so i am goingin that girl on girl action is the norm here and indeed I do witness some lesbian love going on at the bar, if it is the theme its not advertised as such very well. The decor is rich and polished but it gets busy quite quickly so obviously quite a well known as bar. Raspberry and Cherry beers are on tap and it seems the fitting place for a good friday nights beverage for a few hours before drifting into tyhe Soho down the road.

Overall there is lots of light big windows, young london culture and quite good prices at £11 a bottle of wine. Early on its thankfully quite quiet because its set back from the tube station but a totally respectable 7/10.

Two Floors Bar (Soho - London)

Two Floors Bar

A trendy random two tier bar with no indication on the door as to its name. It has entrances at the front and back and caters for mainly 30 somethings who are aware that the drinking in here is rather good. there is a good but small selection of cocktails on the bar at £6 each and only one type of beer available on tap.The light is very soft and glowing providing a very relaxed chilled environment with some music guitar hits floating in the background and the option of food. Very different from other overcrowded bars nearby, Two floors provides a fast bar service, they take cards for small drink orders and have a comforting service.

Although it is based on Two floors I didnt get to see the floor below the ground level since I was enjoying my current table with such applause and to not notice the time roll on. Overall 6/10, comfortable and friendly until it gets just as overcrowded as those nearby bars which can only be expected from any soho establishment.

Nordic Bar (Oxford Street - London)

Nordic Bar

I love themed bars, there is something about them that casts a magic in the air and puts everyone in a funny role-playing mood. Nordic bar does not do this. Nordic bar casts a shadow over a party: like trying to drink a nice cocktail in a room so crammed with people you would think you had been buried alive in wild arm movements, wet winter coats and sweaty north-european vikings. It is essentially the basement of a small house off of Oxford street, advertised only through an electric blue neon sign. Inside there is a good selection of cocktails and shooters but with fewer than tten tiny table sin the place at in excess of 100 people at 6pm in the evening, things do not look up for a long stay.

Overall it really isn't a pleasent place to spend the evning and with cliche's like paintings of an old nordic actor, christmas trees and fake snow this doesn't stretch far enough to be themed: expensive, overcrowded and uncomfortable. having siad that the drinks are excellent and there is a good selection of authentic Swedish beers available. 4/10

Sketch (Regent Street - London)

Sketch

A very arty Club Bar and Restaurant just off of regent street. One enters into a dark hallway with minor oddities and down some stairs to a claokroom with a giant plastic rotating hatch. We occupied the party room which is at the front of the building and was a little small for the party of 100 people but had a curious collection of chairs, sofas and light fixtures including a desklamp chandelear. The music can vary according to the DJ but the place is very expensive at £4.50 a beer. Not to be deterred the toilets are the most weird thing I have ever experienced. Literally walking through the restaurant the toilet entrance is stairwell approach up the sides of another bar entrance and the staircases land on a white stag-like set of impressive size and in either distance are glowing egg cubicles which are the actual toilets. in each cubicle are assorted sounds from car alarms to whispering and coughing.

Overall this was quite the dramatic experience and one of the most unique venues I am sure I will ever venture into but it was obviously exclusive and expensive but for an LSD trip without the drugs; head here with a very full wallet- 8/10

[last visit: jan 2007]

Gantons Wine Bar (Carnaby Street - London)

Gantons Wine Bar

Seeing what looks like a red version of a small Yates bar I head in this direction with my mate Alex and undeterred by the "wine bar" sign, I make my way into want can only be described and a "trendy, up-beat, party bar". It was a friendly venue with bright lights in a relatively dark room with different shades of red dashed around the place. The place had a higher platofmr to the right with tables and lots scatter around to the left with apath down to the bar in the middle. The staff at the bar seemed somewhat confused and the drinks proved to be a little expensive- although it is to be expected in this part of town. The food was not really up to scratch but it was definitely a larger bar that one might normally find in Soho.

Overall a quite nice 5/10, an exclusive feel even if it was pricey and finding a seat or a place to stand was quite difficult, a nice place to drink to come in from the cold.

[last visit: December 2006]

Digress (Soho - London)

Digress

Tucked around the corner just in the boundary of Soho on Beak Street sits Digress- a bar and club set on two levels with a splattering of comfortable chairs and tables upstairs and a long bar with opens dance space and couches downstairs in the dimly lit club. No doubt the best time to be here is during happy our 5-7pm during the week when a select load of cocktails fall to about £3.00 each as opposed to the £5.50 price tag enforced afterwards. The place has fast serving bar persons and relatively unfriendly staff with never enough seating to go around. Watch out for those tables that look empty in the window but are in fact "reserved" as well as cocktails that are not on the happy hour menu. The place has an upbeat atmosphere with the space not normally associated with a soho bar. the music is RnB, it can probably be best described as a kind of Yates hybrid and rather male orientated.

Overall I would say that dispite overcrowding in the beginning hours of the vening it is still possible to find a good table and get a good drink down you if you turn up early enough and is bound to be a good night later on providing there is no charge on the door... 6/10.

O Neils (Carnaby Street - London)

O Neils

As totally rammed as the world- olympics of record breaking attempt of Ram bukkake. This venue has folk queuing through the front door on your normal average shopping experience at the top of the Carnaby street of dreams. Shoppers literally queuing down the road for a sip of irish pint, cheap booze and bottles all equipped with purchased luggage, goods and thirsty bargin hunters. The pub is a loud over-crowded stampede of a place with a main bar facing the front door and the rest of the bar veering off to the right down into some seating at the back. What low tables are available to sit at down in front are constantly attacked by swinging handbags and suit-tails. Service at the bar, though fast is performed with the grumpiest of bar-men's faces.

Simply put, this place is not welcome to anyone looking to get served, be comfortable or take time out to enjoy the surroundings an upsetting 2/10 but a good example of how to pack a pub until even it's staff are ready to walk out.

Shakespeare's Head (Carnaby Street - London)

Shakespeare's Head

An olde Inn cast into the relative spotlight of Carnaby street - top end nearest the Palladium theatre. This pub has a ground floor of a few small sly tables with two small entrances and a bar to the right should you enter of the high street. The place has a welcome vigour but is perhaps too overcrowded to be close enough to friendly and with the punters jammed in at the bar its difficult to get served and the final result is expensive. Still there is a reasonable selection of ales and beers and is a nice change from the immediate display of bars neighbouring this venue. Upstairs is further seating but the bustling stairwell makes it difficult to navigate a pint very far.

Overall it is a busy but much needed pub is a focal location for traditional ale enthusiasts but with it being so hard to find a seat its not the place to relax for weary Carnaby street shoppers, in all 5/10.

Gallery Rendezvous (Soho - London)

Gallery Rendezvous

The height of any office party takes its thirsty workers to a karaoke bar for sensible episodes of overt drunkeness, cheesey spice girls music and spring rolls. This restaurant is outfitted with a Karaoke bar on the first floor, a large room with soho red lighting, a circular of chairs pointed at a small bar and giant TV with microphones equipped. You casually ask for your most ridiculous sounds at the bar and they are played before you with a large crowd grabing mic's like they were life preservers. The place is completely seedy and the food is not of the highest quality but if you hire the place out it is a laugh even if it is too expensive to afford more than a single round.

Overall the setting of a brotherl-like karaoke bar above a chinese restaurant is nothing new but i was suyrprised by the available space and the good selection of songs- overall 6/10.

The Sun and 13 Cantons (Soho - London)

The Sun and 13 Cantons

A large crowd gathers outside this small but classic bar in Soho. The place is never that crowded inside however though the population swarms at the doors- this is due only to the fact that the walkways and seating is narrowed inside that it is better accomodating outside evn in the freezing winter winds. The place is essentially a passageway  with a bar halfway down snaking into tables chairs and youthful punters before dropping to  basement of toliets and an even smaller lower bar. The toilets are rather grim and the place is full of big spenders with littel sense. The drinks are expensive with a slow service and the overall experience is caustraphobic and confusing.

Overall I was totally unimpressed and similar to all the other tiny squalid establishments in Soho it was too expensive and too unappealing for more than a single pint. 2/10.

The Spice of Life (Leicester Square - London)

The Spice of Life

A glad surprise 'hit' is the spice of life- a really really nice pub on the corner of soho which lends itself to the crowd which might be too afraid to enter the seedy square mile itself, this is a well established, protected, carpetted bar and although constantly busy always has a free seats free for tired bottoms. It is also bigger than it appears from the outside but remains expensive at about £3.20 a pint, the variety isn't great behind the bar either and the service is a little slow. The toilets are down a set of rather unsteady light wooden stairs and the tables all seem too big to fit the rest of the decor- lavish large windows, warm painted walls and twinkling lights.

Overall the place would be far nicer if it was a little less busy but it is a good location and although it is let down on high price it caters for its richer market- overall 6/10.

The Big Chill House (Kings Cross - London)

The Big Chill House

A hall-like bar in Kings Cross with red curtain, chandelears and a bar wrapped around a corner of the room that juts into the middle of it. The air is more up makret in the evening than it would appear in the pictures above.  The crowd is quite young and the hall flows under a gallery above towards a dancelfoor at the back with dj booth. The music is very chilled as appears to be the theme of the place playing reggae and modern jazz. Drinks are about five pounds a cocktail and they have a lounge downstairs for events which consists of a few nice leather red chairs and tables and a very small bar with a large fake fire to accompany the overheating that can occur down here.

Back upstairs it makes you wish there was more seating but the spaces are used for the few that are dancing even early on in the evening. Overall i was impressed with the prices and decor but the events room is not the best, definittly nice for a few if you just got off the train- 7/10

The Marquis of Granby (Leicester Square - London)

The Marquis of Granby

On the corner of shaftesbury avenue sits a reletively small pub left just outside the bracket of covent garden or soho. It has red painted walls for an interior with stranger patterned wallpaper as well suited up with a crazy crazy mirror and various quiz and fruit machines. The large windows provide a good view of the high street but it does get pretty busy after work hours and thus difficult to see in or out of the windows. The drinks cost about £3 a pint and despite the crowd it is a well lit up pub even if you find yourself standing pint in hand a moment away from ending up on the street.

Overall an unimpressive pub which draws in tourists and businessmen alike ensuring there is never anywhere to sit- and they are supposed to have just redcorated... but i can't see where or how. Overall 4/10

Waxy's Little Sister (Soho - London)

Waxy's Little Sister

If this pub is trying to cash on the success of waxy o conners it will disappoint the masses for this is one rather nasty little sister! She is basically a small pub on the corner of wardour street in soho and spends much of her existence inviting punters into what seems like a large pub but is an old newsagents with enough room for about 4 tables, an overcrowded expensive cocktail bar and a hell of a lot of mirrors making thios place seem large inside. It is very decpetive and truely not worth the effort- if waxy o conners is packed inside then wait patiently in the queue outside do not be tempted by waxys slut sister.

Overall a totally unimpressive 2/10. Expensive, small , overcrowded and uninspiring to all limits, would be better off to use the land to widen the road outisde.

The Play Room (Piccadilly - London)

The Play Room

One of the more exclusive clubs in london and set behind picadilly circus station near the burger king on air street, the Play room is as confusing in effect as a multi-coloured dog. The entrance is on a corner and follows on some stairs upward onto a bar to the right and a square track around a dancefloor in the centre, the dancefloor itself also contains a DJ booth, stage and 4 collectives of couches and armchairs upholstered in zebra skin and furs. The dancefloor leads across to a long bar at the end of the room with cloakroom and toilets off the the left. The whole room is bathed in strong neon pink lights which plunge down with dramatic effect on the zebra skinned chairs. I am not sure what sort of expense this place demands since I was lucky enough to partake of a free bar and cocktail party but the staff were very accomodating and fast at serving. The place also appears to back onto some hotel but I warn you to watch the toilet staff as one managed to rob a colleague of over £60.

Overall the place is impressive if perhaps a little small with a capacity of about 200, at least on the 1st floor, I understand it has more. In all it is epic in effect as a club and so long as it doesn't get too crowded or over rpiced I would say it is a 7/10, size would be a big factor to making this a better venue.

The Alphabet Bar (Soho - London)

The Alphabet Bar

A very airy square room with natural light coming in from somewhere above. to the left there is a downward staircase accompanied by some basic furniture and a short bar. The place mainly serves cocktails at about £6 or £7 each and wine at about £12 a bottle. Definitely feels like i am drinking in a dark greenhouse- but somehow bigger. The downstairs has more of a club feel to it, it is bathed in a half-glow with couches dotted about and art on the walls. It has a nice atmosphere and gets very busy quite quickly at the weekends but it is very small for a bar. Whats more is that there is no cider on tap, only beer.

Overall I was heartily unimpressed although some I was with enjoyed themselves. And with nothing what-so-ever to do with the alphabet I slide it a generous 4/10.

All Bar One (Leicester Sq - London)

All Bar One

This is a rather daunting place from the outside or from across the square- a rather prime location but its super packed with hundreds of chrome tables and chairs outside and once in the door the bar is sperated onto 3 very crowded levels, seperated by a staggered set of stairs. Bars serve the first two floors, they are very long with high wine racks behind them making for an impressive display at the bar which is done in a white marble decorated with fresh flowers. Its certainly the sort of place that feels alive for the summer and the alcohol is pretty cheap for the area at £2.50 a pint. The onyl downside is no-where to sit with your drink and you find yourself ina  rather awkward corner of an already over-crowded pub. It feels spacious however by the high ceilings and in this way it seems more warehouse-y that other all bar ones.

Nothing special about it of course, similar to everyone of its type but worth a look in for a drink after work if you can steal a chair or two- overall 6/10

The Bath house (Soho - London)

The Bath house

There's nothing worse than being hidiously drunk, wandering into a strange bar and attempting to order a pint, get to the toilet and write an entry for your blog while friends are beckoning to you frantically from the entrance to get a move on to catch the tube to our next designated location. Okay so I wandered off course and reflecting on my notes I was apparently attacked by a large dog once inside, the tables were very close together and the pint i did buy cost £3.20. The toilets I noted were lovely. From what my memory retains it was a very local-feeling pub with a sense of community but rather chaotic and odd at the same time. In one of the strangest places to be in london at midnight on a Friday I would have to say that this small establishment was a far cry from anything remotely exciting, cheap or cheerful for someone of my calibre, drank my drink and moved on as instructed.

Overall 4/10.

Tiger Tiger (Haymarket - London)

Tiger Tiger

Tiger Tiger is very well known in town as being a very large club full of sleazy blokes and very expensive drinks so I joined the crowd and went along for a laugh or two. The queue length is not as the rumour say, it is in fact short and non-existant if you should happen to put yourself on the free guestlist although it is £10 on the door after 10pm. Inside the crowd appears to all be waiting for a drink at a talol but ornate bar with tables and chairs in a restaurant type effect around to the right and a large staircase leading upwards to the left- i hardly noticed an opening to a dancefloor oto the left of the bar and as such went to find a table byt the restaurant area. Tables are quite easy to get even at 11pm, people are drapped all over the place and do not seem to mind where you sit. The corridor then extends and lands you by another bar and dancelfoor and some back stairs. These go up and downward. Downstairs is a dark club with bar with pumping tunes and dance music and the first level has a kind of lounge-bar, again very overcrowded and thumping with music. The top floor has a very long bar bathed in blue light and a very very crowded dancefloor where it gets very hot and sticky. The music is general popular stuff from the last 5 years or so and with enough to drink is a great little place to dance. Somewhere between one of the floors i got lost by the sheer maze effect of the place. I wouldnt say it was as enormous as Oceana but it has character- even if it is just built for the young rich kids of this world. I had a cider which at a fiver was the cheapest thjing on the menu and danced soem more.

Overall the place gets way too crowded and is too expensive for what it is but it does have varoety of music and a very lively atmosphere. Overall it gets 6/10. It is not as large as it sounds, it is just an overcrowded maze and needs to get some air con in to be a much better venue for a night out!

Pitcher and Piano (Soho - London)

Pitcher and Piano

Once you step inside you feel like you are in quite a big bar- the tables seem rather cramped as you squeeze in to the main are past fat oafs which chairs in your hair. There is peach leather seating and the clientle appear to be middle aged worker bees. The music is commercial stuff but varied, unfortunately the beer is £3 a pint though the serving time at the bar is fast. Even on a friday night at 8pm it doenst get too busy and  the place just seems more common than your avergae pitcher and piano, like an upmarket Oneills. Having said this it has a friendly atmosphere and pops out rather strong cocktails. It seems like the sort of bar James bond would go too if he was trying to be an uncover tourist in the soho area and with sex toys in the toilets who wouldnt feel uneasy.

Overall 5/10. Can't decide how i feel about the place but its not easy to hear yourself over the music and I hate that!

Sherlock Holmes (Charing Cross - London)

Sherlock Holmes

Slightly set back from the strand this humble little pub drags tourists in like a magnet from the hit series 'Lost' and then tears the cash from their wallets like post-it-notes. This place, as humble looking as it is, is in fact overrun with elderly tourists en-route to goodness knows where. Outside there are a couple of benches which serve punters in the summer months but sit on a rather grotty street. The bar meets you first of all as you go in as the only thing in the place (aside from the shortage of tables) surrounding it;in a circular fashion. The bar staff are a bit loud, not particularly friendly and a shot of vodka with OJ will set you back £4. A half cider is only £1.55 mind which isn't bad. They serve a little food during the day also but the place was just too small and the clientele, lets say no more.

Overall a terribly shoddy 2/10.

The Intrepid Fox (Wardour St - London)

The Intrepid Fox

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[UPDATE] :September 2006: The Intrepid fox in Soho has now closed permanently.

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What looks like a rather large pub from outside turns out to be a rather small bar with a stairwell heading up stairs for gigs and such. The Bar is more of a metal den which is a nice surprise for Soho, the music is really good and the bar staff are all kinds of gothicy. The staff are all friendly and the dresscode is super casual. It has a great atmosphere with well themed lighting which you can enjoy for half hour it takes you to get served. Its busy all the time by the way and the old school classic hits and decor make the place almost frighteningly good. There are noteably more men than women think I, looking around and then I get served- its two quid for a vodka and mixer and to eb fair is cheap for soho. The toilets are proper rank but its expected.

Overall a welcome change at 6/10, only because i hate waiting that long for a brew!

Waxy O Conners (Soho - London)

Waxy O Conner's

Accessible from two separate roads in Soho makes this one of the largest bars in the area. On entry it has a very gothicy Irish medieval feel about the place, a lot of wood and fake candles with light rock music in the air. These are at least four floors to this place but it reveals itself only as you begin to explore which is what makes the place so fun. The DJ booth appears to be in the air in a main hall, meanwhile there a big screens for sports, private rooms for hire, a large dining area and countless bars off on different tangents. getting lost is just way too easy especially after a couple. And the bars are well stocked with quick service even on a Friday night. The drinks are a little pricey though at £3.10 a pint/ £12 a bottle of wine. The crowd is in their mid twenties, definitely the place to bring a small group for a couple of drinks but despite the place its not easy to find a table or a place to sit!

Overall I found the size of the place entertaining and rewarding, it probably gets rather old quite quickly but it certainly gets a thumbs up in my book even if it is expensive- 8/10

All Bar One (Soho - London)

All Bar One (Shaftsbury Avenue)

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OCTOBER UPDATE: All Bar one on Shaftesbury Ave is now closed

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On this busy but small junction just outside of Soho sits a small all bar one, not down the road from several siblings. When you enter you are met with a rounded corner bar which stays cool in the summer but remains less impressive looking in terms of bar size than other all bar ones. The bar staff are friendly though and although it is £3 a pint it has welcoming jazzy music to enjoy with your ale. The clientele are not touristy in the early evening  but are fully of summery middle aged women. The view through the large windows is onto some of the busiest streets of London and it slowly gets rammed every evening. Only seems worthwhile early on. Tapas is also served.

Overall a medium 5/10

The International Restaurant & Bar (Charing Cross - London)

The International Restaurant & Bar (Katana)

Okay could this place has a longer and more complicated name, no probably not. It is essentially a Bar/Lounge with a restaurant upstairs. My evening consisted of eating upstairs and sharing drinks downstairs to follow. The food is modern asian cuisine and if you get the opportunity to try it i recommend it. With regards to the bar below the feel is very much jazz lounge with mirrored disco effect on the walls but with classy leather furnishings spread with old black jazz musicians and scantily dressed ex-prom queens. The bar persosn are very friendly and prices start from around £14 for a bottle of house white upwards. Its rather pricey but has a jnice relaxing atmosphere during the early atmosphere. I am not sure how crowded it gets later on but there is great access from trafalgar square if you keep you eyes peeled.

Overall a relaxing 5/10. Struck down from a higher perch but the size of the place, and the price of the drinks.

The Porcupine (Leicester Sq - London)

The Porcupine

Looking for any special except a local pub we stumbled upon this one next to leicester square station. Its not strictly Soho or covent garden but squeezed in the middle. You enter into a fairly small pub with abar at the end and tables and bar stools scattered about to find a staircase to the left of the bar leading up to the "Theatre Bar" whatever that is? Still we headed up the stairs to find a table and came accross a smaller bar still but not overcrowded and therefore with available seats at 10pm on a Friday night. The bar was not expenasive however, served by some foreign woman that couldn't speak a world of english we received two pints and a glass of OJ for a cool fiver, and although the steps back downstairs were impossibley tight and the clientele were all over the age of 35 it wasn't a half bad break from the bustling bars down the road.

Overall a 5/10, the oasis of an empty bench at a rock festival.

The O Bar (Soho - London)

The O Bar

My first impressions of this place as we approached the happy hour sign outside on the overcrowded streets of Soho was that it would be an expensive trendy hole. In fact it was not and I was surprised indeed- okay so when we got to the bar and happy hour which runs from 5-8pm on a friday had finished our jug of cocktail cost us £15 instead of £9 which was annoying to say the least, the bar woman was loud and unfirednly and there appeared to be no-where to sit. There was a mysterious staircase at the far end under the glow of chandellears and we only dared venture up them after a mouthful or tow from the jug. Its a good selection of cocktails and they are great even if the price is high. We weaved through the crowd of erratically dressed graduates and off-duty police officers up the stairs and into a lounge- it was empty with its own bar- quiet and in candlelight with a great view of soho. The furnature was a little flea bitten but it was a gem of a few hours we caught there. Totally unexpected and awesome you could happily bring a crowd of ten or twenty up here for drinks.

That magical find boosted this pub to a 7/10. I would definitely come back!