please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Checking in for a sneaky lunch time pint & wings. Enjoyable wee pub.
aleme - 13 Feb 2014 14:01 |
terrible pub - don't go there! if you're a student, use the union bar nearby; if you're a lecturer go somewhere else
and leave it all to me as it's a great pub with nice beer, great wings, table service and good music
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Interesting looking pub down a small side street near the London School of Economics. Dropped in earlier evening and tried a pint of Taylor Landlord - shame to say that it was in very poor condition.
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Called in last nite for a cheeky pint - I missed you Ye Old(e) White Horse.
aleme - 20 Oct 2011 12:22 |
This is a great wee pub oozing with Irish charm. The owner is Irish and the two bar men are also Irish (Well, upon my last visit). The pub is has character and is clean. The drinks range is good. The Guinness is very very nice - for London?? The selection of ales included tribute, landlord, speckled hen and pride with the Timothy Taylor by far the most enjoyed pint. The music is fantastic. Great range of genres to suit all. Ok, on a friday this is a bottle neck to get into - so get in early! Food is very nice and well reasonable. The charming staff are the key to the success - the two Irish guys behind the bar are a class act. Kept us entertained just watching them. Service was exceptional. The bar man took my wet umbrella and coat to hang up and returned with a seat for me and my partner followed by TABLE SERVICE - result! But keep it quiet, this pub is a quiet gem Ssshhhhh.
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I guess this place has become a victim of it's own success. Once a quietish pub with a decent and occasionally interesting selection of real ales, it now tends to be packed on any night of the week, to the point where you'll struggle to get to the bar on a Friday between 5 and 8 (and woe betide you if you try to come here when it's raining and nobody wants sit on the kerb).
Presumably due to its popularity the prices have also gone through the roof (�7.50 for a double vodka, lime and soda, anyone?), while the choice of ales is now mundane (Pride, Tribute and Landlord last time I checked) and they are not always well kept. A final gripe: the staff don't seem so friendly no more neither.
On the plus side the food is basic yet affordable and surprisingly tasty, and their recent refurbishment seems to have consisted of replacing the worn out old carpet with a slightly less worn out old carpet, so the character (if you can see it through the sea of drinkers) has been maintained.
In summary, handy for a covert boozy lunch, not so pleasant for a few drinks of an evening. If I could convince my work chums to patronise another local pub, I would.
Pedantry corner: As evidenced by the photo, it's actually "Ye Old White Horse", not "Ye Olde White Horse".
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Best Guiness I've had in London. Great, small pub with a really lively atmosphere - hidden gem...
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Not bad - but nothing amazing. Quiet-ish - can imagine it being crammed with LSE students.......quite small.
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Congratulations to 'The Horse' which has just won an award for best pub in London! Says it all, well done lads!
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This time last year good music good customers and drinks brought to you even outside. Now just lost all its charm. Look back to Oct 2009 for last positive review here. Hell and a handcard anyone??
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Not what it used to be.
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Norealaleinorpington
Which pubs do you classify as brilliant? I too think the White Horse is an excellent pub (just a stone's throw from the office) and also like the Ship Tavern and the Old Bank of England in the area.
What others would you reccommend?
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FFair enough, not good then (particularly as I have a fondness for Wherry.
Bring it back I say!
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Current selection, Landlord, Pride, Abbot and Old Speckled Hen. Standard enough, used to be Wherry, but not in the last three weeks!
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standard selection of ales????
Not sure you see the glory that is Wherry as a regular in many other London pubs.
Problem is (ok not a proper problem,) there are too many brilliant pubs in the area!
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Standard selection of ales, TT Landlord was fine. Noisy one room pub, music and chat. An early evening crowd out the front made it a good atmosphere all round.
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Great little pub, a bit off the beaten track, with a friendly bunch of staff. Good range of well-kept ales - Sharp's Doom Bar, Woodforde Wherry, Taylor's Landlord and Harvey's Sussex Best are the staples, though guest ales make an appearance from time to time.
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Best pub in London.
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Great little pub tucked away in the backstreets around the LSE. When I visited today the four handpumps hosted Sharpe's Doom Bar, Harvey's Sussex Bitter, Tim Taylor's Landlord and Woodfords Wherry, a fine line up. My pint of Wherry was excellent and soon followed by another - I had intended only to have one but it was too nice to pass up the chance of a second. Recommended .
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Small pub with good ales and friendly staff. Arrive early if you want a seat. Table service is a very nice touch as well.
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I dropped in last night and really liked this little pub. Relaxed atmosphere, Landlord, Harvey's and Wherry were all in excellent condition, the staff were smiley and I loved the music (Dylan, Stones, early Springsteen, etc). I wasn't quite so thrilled about their kitchen closing before 9pm, but oh well, you can't have it all. 9/10 for feel good vibes.
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Must be honest and did think that once the admirable Lyn and Andrew were forced out, that the Horse would lose a lot of it's charm.
I do have to say that myself and my pal Mad Dog still enjoy our quiet Friday evening tonsil dampeners...due in no small part to the new owners charm, plus the spiffing notion of bringing drinks to our tables too..great idea chaps!
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I have been drinking in this area for years, used to sneak into the LSE bar for a cheap one, but I have never noticed this pub before untill the other day. What a liitle gem! Being a discerning lager drinker I wasn't impressed by the range, but they seemed to cater for the CAMRA fraternity.
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Jolly nice wee pub tucked in behind LSE. Bonus marks for the 6X.
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Well worth seeking out, Tim Taylor, Harvey�s Sussex and Wherry on tap. Take the 7 Stars on Carey Street, subtract the pretention and the lawyers-wonderful. Very friendly Landord, will be back.
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I got lost a few weeks ago behind the Peacock Theatre, and I'm glad I did because I stumbled upon this gem. 4 ales on tap, Timothy Taylor, Wherry, 6X, & Brakspear. Timothy Taylor excellent. Apparently its recently changed hands and there were two great Irish chaps behind the bar, which at first struck me as strange in a proper old London pub, but they know what they're doing!! A great eclectic character pub with a very warm welcome and a lot of personality, the pub & the Irish guys!! Good mix of clientel also. Sick of souless chain pubs, this is the answer! I'll be back!!!
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This is a great little pub, quality beer, really friendly staff and a good atmosphere. But the highlight for me was the quality of the decorating, particularly the coving which was outstanding.
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Another change of regime took place on Monday - the new guvnor is a Jim McDonald sound-alike from Dungannon.
The beers are still the same as the last couple of postings, and my �2.90 pint of Wherry was well short of the line. I pointed it out to the landlord who invited me to take a sip then he'd top it up, which he did - and no mutterings or tuttings!
Good luck to the man - he'll need it with Enterprise Inns. 6/10
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Still a fine pub - Top Dog Andy will no doubt be disappointed to hear however that it was again only Wherry, Landlord and Brakspears on yesterday evening.
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What a find
This is how pubs should be, tucked away down a little street and not the size of a department store with no character
Ale good and lager pretty good too
Surprisingly very few students considering its next to LSE
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Surprisingly lovely pub, considering it's populated by the four horsemen of the apocalypse (theatre luvvies, lawyers, students, & left-wing professors). Seems like they had the same ale selection as ever: Wherry, Landlord, and Brakespear, but there's worse selections out there, especially in this area.
One question though: what's the deal with the bottles along the top of the backbar? Some of them I can understand displaying - aging bottles of Thomas Hardy Ale for example - but 2 bottles of Molson's? It's like going to a posh delicatessen, and finding tins of Spam on decorative display.
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Interesting as the pub has had a chequered history of late.
I have mixed feelings about this news. Yes the pub could do with a bit of an injection of life and the beer range does need freshening up. (As long as that is they keep Wherry as this is one of the only places where you can regularly get it in London.) Equally I quite like it as it is unchanging. You know what you are going to get and that predictability is sometimes comforting..........
My one gripe (now they have removed the friut machine!) is the prices. At nearly �3 for a pint of ale the prices are steep even for this part of town. (However the arrival of a few decent beers from micros may soften the blow of steep prices!)
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New landlords have taken up residence and seem to have good plans for the place , they have extensive experience of running a true real ale pub and have been recognised by Camra this year . This can only bode well for the White Horse and I look forward to sampling some beauties in the coming months
dawes - 18 Jul 2007 13:19 |
Not wishing to get all NIMBY on the place, I see a fruit machine now takes up a fair bit of what little space there is here.
Why(oh why)? One of the pleasures of this place was that it did not have such things.
Taking a point off for shabby behaviour!
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4 real ales on last Wednesday - I had the Woodforde's Norfolk Wherry, which was just fine. Also had Taylor's Landlord on plus Young's Special as guest beer (forgotten the fourth, but it was not one of the usual suspects). Friendly service, and I enjoyed a chat with the landlord about East End pubs that we had known. Place could do with a little bit of a smarten up, but I still appreciate the atmosphere of a simple little boozer that serves as an oasis away from the soulless drinking establishments that abound round the corner in Kingsway. They have got rid of the "no students" sign, but I gather that all but mature students are still barred. Definitely worth seeking out you you like "no-frills" pubs.
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Marvellous pint of Timmy Taylors last Wednesday evening, otherwise nothing to add to my December posting below. Worth visiting if in the area
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Huge improvement on the old regime, which presided over the most unwelcoming pub in London IMHO.
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First visit since it reopened from yours truly yesterday - as a previous poster has commented, not much seems to have changed, but the welcome is now warmer and students are no longer unwelcome (although they seem to prefer The George IV round the corner, for reasons which escape me ). Timmy Taylors Landlord was on good form and all in all it was a very enjoyable visit. Will definitely pop in again when next in the area
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Beer seems a bit flat and out of sorts in the WH these days.................
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After my postings of a few seconds ago about the Seven Stars, mortified to read what people are saying here. Was a wonderful pub, and great beer, but clearly landlady upset people (never me). Will need to check it out. Loved the no students sign, in fact called it the 'no students' pub. Well at least it has generated debate.
And agreed with other posting. Will avoid all pubs that Martini frequents.
Oh and there are also some very sensitive people out there, would love to be told to 'FO, you are a student', being 20 years too old.
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Has re opened (in spie of my doom laden previous posts!)
Very little seems to have changed. One can only assume that the owners wanted the prevoious tenants out. (but not being a student or ever on the receiving end of one of the sharpest tougues in the area, I can not see why myself!)
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Echoing these recent comments......I feel like a little part of me has died.
An utter disgrace that Lyn and Andrew could be treated so diabolically..
May I suggest that if you get a chance to keep in touch and offer your support for this terrific couple..then make sure you do.
A dark day....that pub is a zero for me now!
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Thanks - I'll pop along.
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No one knows. It's all very mysterious.
All I know is that the lease has been terminated and the tenants are as of tomorrow on the street.
It's a scandal.
Open all day tomorrow for the last time.
Come out and support a lovely couple who ran a lovely pub.
If it does go (and I reckon it wil be absorbed into the LSE,) it will be a tragic loss.
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Whats happening - is it being converted into residential housing , do you know, or is it being demolished ?
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Sad ,sad news.As of tomorrow the White Horse is no more. The end of an era for one of Londons great unspoilt locals.
Get down there and say a fond farewell to a great pub swallowed up like so many by corporate greed.
A very sad day.
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I'm a PA. My fiance is a legal secretary. My friend is also a PA. Her fiance is an accountant. We went out after work to this pub, and when we walked in the landlady told us to f**k off. We are well aware of the "no students" sign and tried to inform her that despite the fact some of us were wearing jeans (having been able to go home and change first) none of us were students, but she told us again to f**k off. I never got the chance to try any of the beers or decide whether I liked the atmosphere. This is quite simply the worst customer service I have ever had in a pub. There were many other people in the pub similarly attired, and I look a little too old to be confused for standard student stock. I work in the area, and this was a local pub for me and my fiance, but neither of us will attempt to enter the pub again. The landlady was very rude to us, and it ruined what had otherwise been an enjoyable evening.
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An acceptable place for a drink if you're in the area--I didn't find it a terribly welcoming place to settle in to (lots of stools, no chairs), but the decor is dark and nicely un-tampered-with.
The beer was just okay--I had a Wherry, and while I didn't exactly regret it, I've had it better in other pubs.
As for the ban on students--I'm a believer in a pub being able to decide what it wants for its clientele within reason, but this place may end up having a hard time staying afloat if it actually enforces the "No Students" sign--for a fair part of the day, there's virtually no one else around there. I was in for nearly an hour and the only other punters were three people who'd got there ahead of me and didn't order a round the whole time I was in.
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There is now a cheerful sign on the door, which reads "NO STUDENTS". So that should clear things up for you.
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Tucked away is not the word - I have wandered around this area many a time and never noticed this place un til I accidentally stumbled upon it today. The first thing that hits you is that the interior is very dark; dark wall coverings, dark ceiling and dark carpet. Several mirrors on the walls probably help to reflect some of the natural light but the overall the lighting is very dim. The pub consists of a single room with just one table in the front bay and a raised seated area towards the back. It would appear that sitting at a ledge by the wall is the order of the day. A very good selection of ales (4 on tap � Deuchars IPA, Timothy Taylor Landlord, Woodforde Wherry and Breakspears Bitter) and reasonable prices (the Wherry was �2.60 � pretty good for the area). Aside from the rather plain mirrors, the walls are adorned with legal cartoons that suggest the pub is popular with the guys (and gals) from the nearby Royal Courts of Justice. The service was friendly and efficient albeit there were barely 4 or 5 people in there, and this was Friday lunchtime. Facilities were few � I didn�t notice any games machines or the like (no bad thing), piped mainstream radio, small TV, basic food counter and that's about it. As far as customer base goes, having read the previous comments, I saw no notices saying that students were banned and nothing about any dress code. It did however seem strange that 50 yards away were hundreds of students on their Friday lunch break and not one of them were in this pub. I must conclude that the word among the students is to boycott the pub as they are presumably not welcome, as the previous reports suggest. As far as I am concerned the pub is little more than a down to earth, common or garden boozer with nothing special apart from a decent selection of beers but I doubt whether this would be enough to entice me there on a regular basis.
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In my opinion this pub is a cracker! OK the decor looks a bit dated but it is a boozer. I can recommend the Deuchars IPA - a well conditioned and well looked after session drink.
BenEd - 28 Jul 2005 11:22 |
Truly great, quirkly little pub. I used to work around the corner and this was a perfect little refuge.
Re: The no students thing. It's probably more accurately "No people who look and act like students"
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Well, after readin these posts I went to the pub last week and was served three pints without any "issues" whatsoever. I am a full time student at UNL, and just thought I would test out this ban.
I obviously didn't mention what my occupation was, and I was afforded a warm welcome!
So, hear it from me - students are NOT BANNED from this pub! Great news. Simply conceal the fact, come in, buy a pint, have a good drink and leave just like any other guy would.
Just don't make it obvious in any way that you are studying - then you will not be seen as a leper.
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the reason there is a no student policy is because it is so close to LSE plus it isn't very big. i'm thankful to the landlord for having this policy because it means i can go for an after work drink in a charming pub and get a seat. I'm not allowed in the LSE union bar so i don't see the hardship in them not going in here. Lyn and Macka are salt of the earth types who value their repeat customers. A wonderful pub that is a real treasure.
Vic - 12 Mar 2004 14:54 |
Having been a regular customer for some few years now I think I can offer a definitive description of this fine fine watering hole.
It is bijou for sure...but yes as already mentioned on this site the staff are a delight. Lyn and her husband are very welcoming and pleasant..(I am invariably in Levis and t-shirts and have never even detected a hint of a problem..so you can shoot that argument down in flames right now)
The dude behind the bar who looks like Jack Black is a top man too..always serves you up your desired tincture politely and with a spring in his step to boot!
The food is simple but excellently prepared and courteously served.. and they deliver a goodly selection of fine meads and refeshing lagers.
What more could one want from a local back-street quafferie?
Ashley Culpin - 3 Mar 2004 16:25 |
Pat is bang on the money. I don't like this place at all, you can't swing a cat in it, and as for no students, even the concept of barring a section of society goes against what a pub should ideally be - a mixing pot where men (amdn women) from all walks of life stand shoulder to shoulder at the end of a day.
Paul - 28 Oct 2003 15:18 |
Having been dragged away from my normal local one evening to the White Horse I can honestly say I wish someone had shown me the way sooner!
The venue is great, reminds me of an old east end back street pub. As for the staff being unfriendly, I really cannot understand this as in my experience I have found them to be the friendliest bar staff ever.
This pub is definitely a local but that is all part of the charm - the sort of place you can go in on your own and come out having made friends with the whole place. The customers are a good mix of people (not middle aged/old men in suits!)
NOT TO BE MISSED!!!!!!!!
KA - 27 Oct 2003 16:11 |
A real drinkers pub, not one for the faint of heart and liver. Tucked away in the back streets of Holborn, this little gem is a must for those wishing to indulge in a good long drink, not those who walk in, sip their pint over a few hours, and then go whine about it on the internet. If you're there for a proper drinking session, then this is the place for you. I've always found the bar staff more than cheerful, and always with a smile and a friendly chat (plus I only look 16), the lunchtime roast sandwiches are the best the area has to offer, and the beer of top quality and excellent price. As for "No Students", if you want to drink with students, go back to uni. Leave the "proper" drinkers to ply their trade at one of London's "proper" pubs. One of the best.
Sean Markham - 17 Oct 2003 15:51 |
The reason for the "barmaid's" pickiness in respect of who can drink in her wonderful establishment is to eliminate punters a) with no sense of humour b) a propensity for nursing one pint of beer for an entire evening and c) anybody who thinks that we are still in an era where innkeepers should put up with boorish customers with forelock-tugging and subservience. She is, incidentally, the owner of the place but there's nothing like a bit of patronising stereotyping is there - blonde woman=barmaid?And only the very mean-spirited would wish to see another's livelihood lost because they were mistaken, in early middle-age, for a student. For me this would be a reason to celebrate with a v.large drink. This establishment is the only pub worth visiting in the area. Service (and food)is fantastic (unless, perhaps, you are a student), the owners are delightful (if a touch eccentric) and the customer base is eclectic, loyal and always hugely entertaining. Visitors looking for great value for money (drinks and food prices must be the lowest in the West End by far)good company and the chance of an impromptu dancing-on-the-tables party should beat a path to the door of the White Horse now. Be careful of those rucksacks on your way in, though.
tina - 16 Oct 2003 20:49 |
I had the most appalling experience coming to this pub with two friends of mine. We were finishing our first round of drinks when the landlady came over and told us rudely that we had to leave. First she said that we couldn't stay on if we were jsut ordering food (my friend was at the bar buying some snacks). Then she asked if we were students and even after I said no (I am 30 but look quite young) she said, "Go! Leave now!" I demanded to know why but she said that she was the landlady and could do whatever she wanted. On my way out, I said that I was never coming back and she sarcastically said, "Oh no, you're never coming back, I'm going to go bankrupt."
That just about sums this place up. Don't ever go there.
Pat Wheatley - 4 Oct 2003 17:10 |
The landlady refused to serve me because she refused to believe I wasn't a student - I'm 35!
Emma - 14 Jul 2003 13:47 |
I'm 37 and work at King's College. I went to Ye Olde White Horse on a Friday evening with a 32 year-old friend (an accountant) who had just returned from holiday, who had a medium-sized rucksack. I was in office clothes, my friend was in jeans and a T shirt. After I ordered my drinks, the barmaid asked me if I was a student (sort of flattering, I suppose) then said my friend couldn't bring her rucksack inside - she'd have to sit outside with it. She then went on to say that because they were expecting lawyers and what she called "proper people" to come in, she thought my friend's bag set a poor image, and she didn't want us in her pub. The bar was full of middle aged working class blokes in jeans and T shirts who made snide comments the whole time I was at the bar. The promised "proper people" didn't turn up in the hour we were there.
In short, I found the barmaid miserable, pretentious and lacking in the social graces, the pub unremarkable, without even any decent beer on tap, and the whole experience pretty unpleasant. There are plenty of excellent pubs in the area that cater to lawyers, office workers and students without prejudice, so I won't be visiting this one again.
Ed Staveley - 14 Jul 2003 13:38 |
The 'No Student's' sign on the door says it all. This is a local's local tucked away off Lincoln's Inn square. And, like all good local's, if you're ok with them - and like your Frank (Sinatra) - you're in for a wail of a time. House doubles are huge and managers are well worth the money.
Ian Locks - 4 Feb 2003 17:54 |
A deceptive little pub tucked away behind Lincolns Inn Fields, the lamb sandwiches on a Thursday lunchtime are a must !!
TC - 17 Oct 2002 13:56 |
