please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
£10.05 for an Estrella and a Heineken cooking lager. Victoria is pricey and isn't great for pubs but this is a getting a bit ridiculous. Had a pint of Ghost Ship next and it just wasn't very nice at all, bordering on vinegary. It's quite a nice looking pub and would be fine for sharing a bottle of wine. However, if they're not going to be sensible with their prices they won't get many people who fancy popping in for a couple of pints.
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A quaint little pub with a friendly atmosphere, a stone’s throw from Buckingham Palace (not very likely that the Queen would throw stones, but still ...), and an easy walk from Victoria Station. Some new potential ticks for me there, I only had time for one, which unfortunately was served too warm. Did not eat, but they have food. Might well visit again.
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How can a pub with so many bar staff have such slow service?
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"The beer is good too so what more can you ask for?"
Cheaper drink prices maybe?
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I was in here Saturday and Monday going to and from Victoria. All i can say is that staff were pleasant,clientelle friendly ,and the pub itself is clean and airy. The beer is good too so what more can you ask for?
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I see the place has had a recent refurb and all new staff. Had a meal which was quite good last weekend and a good pint too. Will be returning. Take back what I said in a previous post, looks like things are on the up
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Went to a function in the upstairs room yesterday evening. The stone staircase is impressive, and otherwise the decor is inoffensive if a bit soulless. A couple of Sharp's ales on, which were OK but the evening was somewhat marred by the all to common practice of clearing away chairs and tables before people have finished their drinks - clearly the staff were in a great hurry to get home but this kind of behaviour wouldn't make me want to go back again.
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I live near this pub, it is overpriced for beer and food, service is incredibly slow, staff are very rude and obnoxious despite there being many of them for the size of the bar. Clientel are vacuous suits especially during the week. Pub is full of tossers most of the time. AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE
anonymous - 18 Apr 2010 15:09 |
Staff are inefficiant and rude, but still quite like the place, dont know why, doesnt really have much going for it.... ale certainly isnt that well kept.
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20/11/09 - engagement party in pub's private room attended by highly educated, well mannered 30 somethings. Evening marred by the gratuitous rudeness, throughout the evening, of the sole barman. Understand from persons who had attended previous similar functions that this barman has on other occasions behaved equally unacceptably. Obviously we will not be recommending friends to choose this pub for their celebrations while this offensive person continues to be employed in his present role. Perhaps he could be removed to a role where there is no contact with customers or simply be trained in basic good manners.
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over priced but the manager bought us all a pint the other day. bout time as we spend quite alot in there but thats beside the point. dishes are too fancy. keep it simpler and do it well. DOOM BAR AND OTHER BITTERS MUST NOT GO IN A WARM GLASS!!!!!
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Looks nice and theoretically has nice beer (including Doom Bar) but full of insufferably rude customers and the most outrageously incompetent and lazy bar staff. Took ages to get served because the inept staff kept serving whoever could was braying his or her order the loudest rather than who was actually next. One of the other customers was sick on the floor; cleaning up vomit was a fitting punishment for the staff. Also shockingly overpriced.
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Largish pub with plenty of outside drinking space the Phoenix has had a pretty nasty refurb with lots of pastel colours, stripped pine and uncomfortable looking sofas. It also seemed to have more than its fair share of braying types so didn't do much at all to recommend itself to me. Can't remember what the beer selection was like but it's irrelevant as I won't be returning here.
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Very busy and super expensive. Award for hottest pub in London goes to this place - but the interior is nice - the male staff serve you quicker than they do the men which is nice touch. No riff-raff - which is very refreshing!
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One of the very very few pubs in Westminster/Victoria which rises above mediocrity. It gets extremely busy here after work but understandably so. The staff are good and it is easy to get served. The interior is really nice - all modern twists and wood - but is still comfortable and relaxing. I tried the bar snacks here (sort of a tapas-type system of three dishes for �12) and they were excellent, very well-presented and tasty. Well worth the visit. The only downside is the number of people!
Mobey - 19 Jun 2009 10:01 |
after waiting nearly 20 minutes for a table, was told we could share one with someone else as they didn't have any small ones, which turned out ok, table companions spent whole lunch on blackberries so hardly knew they were there.
pub is really nice, lots of wood and nice little touches everywhere, except in the toilets, which are a bit whiffy and claustraphobic.
food was a dissapoinment, took far too long for a lunchbreak, burger undercooked in the middle, burnt on the outside, limp lettuce, sweaty, half melted cheese and greasy chips they hadn't bothered peeling, partner trying to be healthy ordered seabass, with sides of spinach (drowned in cream) and seasonal vegetables (drowned in oil, should have said mediteranean vegetables- pepper, courgette, onion, didn't make sense), which came with fried fennel, sugary brown stuff, pesto swimming in olive oil, though fish was cooked well. should have left as soon as we heard the f'ing and blinding coming from the chef on the bar really.
waiter made up for a lot of the food shortfall, although didn't want to talk to us after we said we weren't going to tip
on the upside, cracking wine list and a small selection of tasty beers, sure they would have tasted much better without the oilslick on my tongue though
i'll just have a sandwich at my desk next time
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Very busy, noisy, and expensive. But they do have a range of ales on normally, which (once topped up) are normally good.
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My verdict would be: really nice pub, but...
It's good, especially because a lot of the pubs near Victoria Stn are touristy or skanky. The decor is nice, it's clean, the drinks taste good and the food can be delicious.
However, it does get rammed with the after work crowd so you need to be early or friendly!
Worse than that though - the service on the food side of things can leave something to be desired (or specifically items just not arriving) but if you stalk the waiter it is actually ok (not ideal, I know).
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Likely to be working along the street next year so checked it out the other day - prime concern was real ale...CHECK. No food sampled...AWAIT VERDICT....but seemed clean.popular and well appointed so worth another visit...beers on included Doom Bar and Hogs Back RIP
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Went in here ages ago - was �4.20 for a pint of Kronenbourg Blanc. Food always looked on the small side and attractive - only ate there once, and had to eat again after as still hungry.
Atmosphere was good, staff friendly - but expecting a tip ! pfffft, get out of here - for table service, yes, bar service, no chance.
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Looks can be deceiving and upon approach, indeed, the exterior of The Phoenix is seemingly inviting. However, once inside this SW1 establishment, it is more than evident that here is not your traditional pub. No doubt, once upon a time, it catered for those, such as I, who enjoy the tranquil old-fashioned local. But today, with its anonymous feel and blandness, it merely means to attract those who simply don�t care about the surroundings they choose to drink, eat, or socialise in. There is absolutely nothing to engage the eye whatsoever. No interesting ornaments or trinkets, just plain walls and floorboards, Evan the tables and chairs are boring. The staff were friendly enough, however, and they at least, pleasingly, had a coupe of real ales on offer. If only the condition was good. My pint of Adnams tasted as if it had been heated up! The other �proper beer� was Deuchars IPA. Food is on offer and this is seemingly the main concern here, though as I didn�t sample anything, can�t comment. There is a plasma screen and it was showing sport, minus the volume. Oh well, the toilets were clean at least.
HTM69 - 30 Aug 2008 16:41 |
OMG. just been here for lunch. woeful, amateurs. dreadful pasta. eveyone looked disappointed with their food. Asked for a main course caesar salad and they said they couldn't do it as it was only on the started menu. You could really serve turd in a roll in this area and still people will turn up and pay a tenner for it. The bloke behind the bar was so worried about the gel in his stupid haircut that he looked at me as if I was the 1st human that had ever lived.
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Decent, slightly anonymous gastro pub. Not much competition round there though.
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On the positive side they have got some interesting lager options here including Pilsner Urquell.�3.40 a pint compares favourably with �3.80 in the nearby Slug & Lettuce for Peroni.
On the negative side has a bit of a pretentious feel about it.
It was my first time in there so maybe I need to check it out again to confirm my view
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i first went to this pub in 1982 as i watched the world cup in it, but what a transformation, gone are the carpets, t.v. screens and slightly dodgy characters, to be replaced by mainly diners, as this is now more of a gastropub, with pine everywhere & floorboards to match, they did have a decent real ale on though Deuchers IPA
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Overpriced even for London
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I am a regular. Really nice place.
This used to be a dreadful pub so it is a fabulous transformation. The food is excellent, good real ales, nice wine list, polite staff.
It does get rammed with the after work crowd but it is the best food pub grown up pub in the locality.
anonymous - 19 Apr 2007 20:36 |
So-so. A no-mans land pub overrun with professionals having work drinks after a day in the office...menu looks decent but if the price of the food is anything like the drinks I'd rather go hungry. �3.35 for a pint of San Miguel!? Sorry but that is taking the mick. Staff are nice enough though (when they finally get to you - it gets busy) and if you've got a table it's alright for a couple of drinks, wouldn't go out of my way to get there by any means though.
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Popped in for a spot of lunch as heard it was under new management .... quiet (but was a Saturday afternoon in the city) but with a good atmosphere and a cosy feel. Bar staff were friendly and the manager was very cheerful and enthusiastic. Customers were made to feel very welcome and at home. Watch this space ... have a feeling good things will happen here!
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Came here after work on a Friday night (20 Oct) to meet up with other colleagues between sessions in the nearby Ha Ha! Bar and Canteen. Rubbish. Dark and dingy compounded by a long wait to be served at the bar. Seemed to be full of cliquey groups from the local civil servant/corporate worker population. There was probably more atmosphere at Billy Smart�s circus than in this place. A group of us swiftly returned to Ha Ha! Bar and Canteen.
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Seems to be a favoured haunt of people from work but I'm not entirely sure why. Takes forever to get served between 5.30 and 7.30 on a Friday - you'd think it might have occurred to them to get more staff in on this shift, there's certainly enough room behind the bar. Beer's OK but nothing special. If I wasn't so damned sociable I wouldn't bother with this place - try the much smaller but infinitely nicer Cask & Glass round the corner instead.
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We were going to watch the Croatia, En ger land game (11 Oct) in here, but was told they would not have any commentary on during the game. The reason. A member of staff said they did not want to style themselves as a "sports bar", though the very reason they were (getting) packed was because of the football. Clueless. We left for Greenwich. I won't come here again to watch football. The anonymous post below about the air conditioning is spot on as well.
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i forgot to say that the place was also insufferably hot so they didn't sepnd any money on air-conditioning clearly.
anonymous - 9 Oct 2006 16:01 |
Yeah, yeah, yeah, but steveo500, back in the day the place had a dartboard, good cheap olde english fare (kinda) and worn out sticky carpets. Where is the charm and warm? Not in this place, THAT is for sure.
It is a travesty of monumental proportions.
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calm down anon - i like your style but you shoulda seen the state of this place before the refurb! just popped in for an early lunch, perfectly nice ceasar salad, plenty of other tempting options on the menu.
I'll give it to you davidb, the barstaff are a bit special needs, but enthusiatic in a rain man sorta way rather than sullen. do your bit for care in the community and get down there!
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Glad to see that the power of the BITE website can see off shoddy management and lead to such improvements in a pub. Former landlord now pulling pints in Holyhead ferryport and regularly getting his teeth kicked in. Lazy licensees be warned! (I like to think the investment in this pub was all down to my last comment on this site, rather than the opening of the massive new shopping centre and offices next door.) Phoenix is now a good place to visit. Expensive, yes. They've put �1 on a pint and �2 on a large glass of wine. Ambience much better, though. Bar staff are variable but I've generally found them friendly - one or two are real characters and a bit ditzy, but not rude, and I quite like that. Food generally well cooked but portions are mean. Friends and I paid �16 for a sharing platter with dips last night and had to ask for more bread because they gave two rounds between three of us. Scale up the portions, and things will be vastly improved.
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and the cabbage is spelt Hispi, not Hispy.
anonymous - 25 Aug 2006 15:27 |
I'm giving it one for the chips and that's it. Astonishingly bad pub. How they conspired to get so many bar staff to fail to serve customers is beyond belief. There were more staff than customers yet it still took 20 minutes to get served. The price of the food was unbelievable. And some one needs to tell them how to spell cornichons. If they're going to pretend to run a french restaurant the least they could do is get the spelling right.
anonymous - 25 Aug 2006 14:24 |
Without a doubt the worst pub I've ever entered itno in my life.
The most **** witted bar staff I have ever encountered. They have convicingly failed the arse/elbow test.
Drinks and food staggeringly over priced. The food did look a lot more reasonable when the first digit had been removed on each of the menu items on the blackboard
What the **** is hispy cabbage? According to the waitress it's cabbage that's hispy.
The chips are good but that cannot make up for the disaster that is the Phoenix. What a contemptible little **** hole
anonymous - 25 Aug 2006 14:05 |
Whilst the atmosphere is self-consciously trendy and bistro-y, the food is very good (the chips in particular are worthy of mention), the lunchtime service is quick, friendly and efficient, and there is a good selection of wine and beer (though with an emphasis seemingly on the wine).
The food isn't amazingly cheap, but nor is it hugely expensive - my chicken and bacon club wrap with chips and salad was around �6.00.
A few of the tables are REALLY small, but by and large, the tables are well spaced out, so you don't feel too cramped. On the down side, this can mean that seats are hard to come by at busy periods. There is outdoor seating both to the front and to the rear, though it is a bit uninspiring.
There is no bar seating, which fits with the trendy wine bar/bistro feel. There are however high tables, stools, plus low sofas and comfy chairs.
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One hell of an improvement since the refurb but that wouldn't have been difficult.
It is now pleasant, well kept, friendly and serving a good selection of largers and not a bad range of ales.
Didn't eat but others plates looked good.
Worth a pint if you are in the area.
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Changed beyond all recognition. It now proclaims itself as a "Pub and Eating House" with major emphasis on the food. It's now more like a trendy bistro that also happens to sell beer than a conventional pub. That said the ale was tasty and well kept, and the food looked good, if a bit self-consciously "stylish"
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The refurb has made this a much more pleasant environment. We went in on a Tuesday lunchtime - fairly busy but good service and they offer an "express" menu for those in a rush. Beers (Adnams and a couple of others) were well kept.
Food was disappointing - a limited menu and focus too much on style rather than substance.
Still it is light years better than its previous incarnation.
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This pub has just been reopened and is hugely improved. The decor is pleasant and there's a great selection of beers and ales, as well as wine. My wife and I had a very nice dinner too. Overall, very promising.
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This pub needs to some TLC. A group of us went for lunch on a Friday - (which is generally a busy day for pubs and therefore should be stocked up) at 12:45 and even made a reservation, only to find the pub was out of lagers, out of soda water and out of FOOD altogether!!! The atmosphere isn't all that great, there's no background music. We were shocked to say the least. First and last time we'll be going there. I've given it a rating of 2 only because with the under the right management and with a little refurbishment it could be a really nice pub and it's in a prime spot with offices all around it. Pity.
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I hear a whisper that the Manager has departed the Phoenix !! Watch this space
anonymous - 9 Feb 2006 22:00 |
The main attraction appears to be sport on big screens. The food is pretty poor at best. The fish and chips I was dished up had clearly been reheated from the previous day. If you like real beer don't bother, unless you like your beer to taste something like vinegar. A poor effort all round I'm afraid.
anonymous - 23 Sep 2005 11:37 |
Dreadful place, managed by a complete idiot. The landlord stands at the right-hand side of the bar with his mates and makes snide comments about customers who dare to enter. They refused to turn the music down last time I was there on a friday night, even though most punters had been driven out by 8pm and the place was empty and echoing to the sound of satellite TV music channels. They didn't even turn the volume down when the TV ads came on. I haven't checked whether this is a free or managed house, but I hope for the licensee's sake that he owns the place and can afford to drive away thousands of quid in revenue every week.
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Only 2 real ales on tap, but the staff was friendly enough and might warrant another stop when busier. Walked in at 19:00 and you would have thought it was last orders. Not much better in the area I guess, but the barmaid was super friendly to recommend some local eateries which was helpful.
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Good little (but big) rattler for a quiet lunchtime pint. Some decent standard ales available, the Bombardier being particularly well served. Never seen any guest ales here. Excellent bar-staff with little turnover. Dartboard doesn't see much use as it's stuck in the corner behind the big screen, but one of the lasses will happily wind the screen up if there's nowt on. Hasn't been too busy, even when the cricket's been on.
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Old fashioned pub which serves well to have a pint and watch a bit of sport on the big screen, or sit outside weather permitting.
By far and away the best thing is the food, for the relatively cheap price generous tasty portions so a superb choice for a lunctime pint and feed.
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Went almost completely non-smoking, with good ale and big screen sports. Seemed like a winner and worth going across the centre for, even though the food is cheap and correspondingly dreadful.
Unfortunately the non-smoking policy was a bit of a joke, as the landlord and his mates spent most of their time standing in the no-smoking section chugging away. They've now done away with the pretence and ended their 'trial period', so it's totally smoking again.
Shame, but one of those places where the landlord makes you feel like you're intruding, as he'd rather be smoking and playing on the fruit-machine with his mates.
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The Queen's local - nuff said
Mr D. Robinson - 21 Oct 2004 10:29 |
Not a bad place at all, there's a large covered beer garden at the back for when it stops raining! The food's good and the prices are excellent. All in all, a nice place; although it will be even better once they've finished the building work next door!
Jo - 28 Aug 2004 18:56 |
Well I have tried to see how the new management took it on and yeah they have tried. Its just a shame that they dont manage their staff and cant keep hold of the good ones.Food is good.
Jim - 9 Jan 2004 12:43 |
