please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Been on the to visit for a while and found myself in the area. Had to be Guinness. When ordered, asked if I wanted to drink outside. For the best part of a fiver, I wanted the full glass experience. So sat inside alone. Investigated downstairs. Barman eating his lunch. Came back upstairs and was entertained by a street band, oblivious to the fact they were upsetting a punters dog. Not sure where it's reputation has come from.
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I pick up on the point made by greedyboy on the 11th July 2011 - I agree with your comment regarding the big bald bloke.
I went in with friends for the first time as I am a big Guinness fan.
We were not being loud, simply talking and having a joke (not messing around in any way!!). There were 2 other people in the pub also enjoying themselves to which this bloke decided to tell us all to ssssh as we were "too loud".
Seriously we were not even shouting at all! Rude, arrogant, stuck up idiots with over prices average Guinness.
There are so many more pubs to choose from in the area - visit them and avoid this place! I will be in future!
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£4.40 for a pint of rough, cold (despite not asking for cold) Guinness; £4.70 for a small sub-Gallo methanol-and-Ribena rosé.
I'll give them the benefit of the doubt on the Guinness as it's usually not so bad.
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The Guinness is good but it's all a bit smug for what it is.
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Seemed to get very packed early evening then almost empty a couple of hours later. Nothing special and beer selection very average.
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Sure the Guinness is good, but at �4.00 a pint it should be! It's a pity that the d�cor and service weren't as good� I was served by a miserable bald bloke recently, who should really learn some manners. There are plenty of other pubs in the area, so will go elsewhere next time.
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Crap pub as its dark, dingy and tiny - Guiness is probably the best in town from numerous taps as its their specialty (nothing else to note beer wise). Avoid unless its a scorching day/nice evening and you can hang outside then its ace.
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Well what can I say about this place? I was served by Shrek and had better toilet facilities while travelling the back of beyond in Vietnam!!
The only redeeming feature were the bar stalls downstairs which were shaped like "points" of Guinness!! A very small plus for this dark, dingy and dirty venue
So if your thinking of going for St Patricks day. . . . . DONT!!
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I re-conned this place in advance of Paddy's day and glad that I did, dark dingy and an overwhelming smell of chemicals. I agree with previous posts that the barman/owner or whoever he was, wasn't pleased to see us and thought he'd impress us by remembering our 3 drinks, well done. Credit where it's due though a fairly good pint of Guinness but at �4 a go I won't be rushing back.
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Small compact and an excellent range of whiskey.
Good bar downstairs or standing outside watching soho walk by. Good for a beginning of a long evening.
trees - 13 Dec 2010 10:14 |
I have visited the toucan a few times.
Im not a regular user, as I dont live in London. I was there a couple of days ago, [Tue 13th Jul]. Tried a few of their excellent range of Irish whiskies, the majority of which, are not produced any longer, and the only reason this pub has so many is down to the painstaking effort the owner puts in searching across Ireland for the odd few bottles that still exist, maybe in the ownership of collectors or from the two or three remaining distilleries. Now that is dedication to your business. Ok, the pub itself is not much to look at but its the punters that make a decent pub, not the decor. The Toucan promotes the black stuff very well, and if you want a range of rare whiskies that I think you will find nowhere else, then this is the place to come.
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Dirty,dirty,dirty..................
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My missus works above this little place for Debenhams. It doesn't seem to be used by their crowd, which is a bad sign, but I've been in there for a couple of drinks. All was fine, apart from being overpriced and the service not being particularly friendly.
Once, I didn't have time to be a patron, but expecting to be half recognised - or at least if not, treated respectfully - I simply asked "do you have a loo downstairs?", to which the reply was "what - are you a customer?".
I politely explained that I was a customer, and just because I didn't have a pint in my hand at the time didn't mean that I wasn't someone who'd be lining the inside of their till if they keep me sweet.
He gave me lip back so I told him to forget it. Haven't been back since.
Simply - for �3.70 a pint, you expect a smile and a chat. You'll not get either here. Waste of space.
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best guinness in london and a great little hideaway, especially if you use the downstairs bar. i've fallen off the pints of guinness bar stools too many times.
coupled with bradley's spanish bar on hanway street it makes for the start of one of london's truly epic pub adventures, going south through soho and ending up in de hems on macclesfield st and a chinese afterwards.
a great way to idle away a saturday afternoon.
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I must admit I was pretty taken aback last time I went in to pay �3.70 for a Guinness, and it wasn't AS good as I remember it to be considering the place is basically a huge Guinness advert. However, I really like the toucan, and I'm wondering if some of the last reviewers, like Mr. Cock there (no really, look at the guy's name) wouldn't be better off going to the Village nearby instead- Maybe the barmen would be more to your taste there too?
I like the fact that it's small and dark and dingy, to me that's how a pub should be, I don't need to be blinded by a spectrum of UV lights to see where my pint is. How can you say it's charmless? Guinness have arguably the most famous and iconic advertisements in Europe, and this place is packed with vintage pictures, clocks and other bits and bobs i.e. Guinness stools, on which I could sit for hours staring at the walls.
And if you don't want a pint of black they have a nice little Whisky list, then there's the fact they play decent music, at a volume you can still have a conversation, a rarity now in central London. When you go on a quiet night, it's at least a nice place for a stop off for one, and then some.
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They sell overpriced Guinness in plastic! Charmless, dark excuse of a bar, not worth a first, let alone second glance;walk on by. Jollier and more friendly bars with interesting people nearby.
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Tiny single room bar just off of Soho square, not much space to sit or anything of note inside.
Really only a place to go if you want to loiter outside. Guinness on obviously, not the best I�ve tasted but not bad either. Also a couple of lagers, no beer.
Full of the usual Soho crowd. If that�s your thing and you like the black stuff its worth going to, if not then I wouldn�t bother.
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This place is terrible and an insult to good Irish bars and Guinness as a whole. Over priced, dirty,dark place with filty toilets. Run by a rude,bald,fat charmless care in the community type bar man. Soho drinkers deserve better than this. Knock it down and put the space to good use; a clap clinic, car park or mini Tesco's. For those seeking truely good Guinness,service with a smile, head for Mulligans on Cork Street in Mayfair.
anonymous - 28 Apr 2009 16:28 |
Sorry 'threeravensmoor', but I am one of those "pitiful losers" who thinks that Guinness does taste (more or less) the same anywhere. However, I don't dislike the black stuff and I don't dislike this pub. It's just a good thing the Soho has wide-enough pavements to accommodate the drinkers who flock to this place because there is precious little space inside. Friendly bar staff, and OK for a quick one but not a place to stay for a second...
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Amazes me that the kind of pitiful loser that thinks Guinness tastes the same everywhere would even patronise this gaff.
"Feel pity for them not for they knew not what they have lost"
A jolly fine drop o' the black stuff, that's why Guinness drinkers come here and any other comments on anything other than the Guinness is pants.
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Visited The Toucan last November. An excellent little pub dedicated to Guinness and little else. The lack of real ales was more than compensated by the best pint of Guinness I have ever had in London. I also liked the minimalistic design of the place (the only decoration seemed to be a pile of empty kegs) and the very friendly landlord. Warmly recommended,
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As has been said, this is a small bar/room. The barman seems nice enough, although the draught selection of 6 Guinness, 2 Grolsch, 2 Carlsberg and 1 Magners is hardly inspiring.
I preferred my pint of Guinness in Mulligans on Cork Street in Mayfair so I�ll have to disagree with the �best pint of Guinness in London/England� posters.
I didn�t find this place to be anything special and I wouldn't go out of my way to visit here again.
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this place is pants, small toilets, got chatted up by a bigh hariy man, and i liked it
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Somewhat mystified by the comment about a French �owner�, as it�s still Colin who has direct lineage back to Buzz. Been going for years from first days when the licence situation was chaotic, and it was effectively a secret shebeen hiding under the sandwich shop.
First time for a little while � and downstairs, as ever.
Yes: scruffy and could well do with refreshing.
Yes: the toilets are long overdue for refurbishment.
Yes: it can get a bit touristy.
Yes: it�s no fun when packed.
Yes: mid-afternoon is best.
But it does have an indefinable charm that makes it the obvious, and only, choice as somewhere to hide from the rigours when in north Soho.
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The Toucan is an institution not just a pub so allowances should be made. OBVIOUSLY the Guinness here is good, but good Guinness is no longer a rarity in London.
It's true it can get cosy at peak times, and don't go expecting a bargain either.
The Toucan is a great pleasure though, for a mid afternoon pint and a whisky chaser. Or two. Then move on and let the tourists enjoy their Guinness without you boring them about clean pipes.
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Lovely pub, an oasis in the middle of busy Soho. Good atmosphere and lovely pint of Guinness. Downstairs is a small, broken in amd comfy. Upstairs is as small but worth it for the best Guinness in London.
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Guinness is best in London. Only problem with the place is the French owener, very strange guy! always giving out to all the customers!
Lets hope it goes back into Irish hands at some stage
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Drinking Guinness downstairs in the Toucan on a quiet day is heaven. Who is Nick Jones?
anonymous - 10 Aug 2007 15:10 |
Nick Jones frequents this place. I shall not be returning.
anonymous - 9 Aug 2007 12:10 |
The downstairs part of the pub resembles a stable rather than a drinking establishment.
It is dark, a bit grubby and at the weekend or evening it is soimply not big enough to met demand. It is common sight to see drinkers outside sat on the road side.
For my money though they serve the best pint of Guinness in Soho.
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When the upstairs part used to be a cafe, this pub was the best kept secret in Soho. Now it does get very crowded, so that you're often forced out onto the street. Good for business, bad for grumpy old gits like me. However, I still love this place and always pop in for at least a pint whenever I'm in the area. Great atmosphere, very good Guinness (although pricey at over �3 a go).
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Very good...recommended !!!
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The Best Little Pub in London!! Love it!!
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Pub for Guiness drinkers in Soho. Small/cosy and friendly.
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Small, dirty and expensive. But we liked it. Not sure about the draught magners, especially in plastic glasses.nice to stand outside in the summer though. Too squashed inside to be comfortable.
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Worth paying the extra for a Guinness...best i've ever tasted.
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you come here to drink guinness, nothing else.........worth every step.....expensive? maybe, who cares! Have you ever drank bad guinness? Of course you have.....in nearly every other pub!! If you don't like the decor/staff/toilets then drink somewhere else...more room for us!
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there is only one way to settle the argument about guinness tasting different from place to place.
buy a pint from the toucan, walk with your pint down the road to 'nellie dean' or 'the couch' or some other shithole and buy a pint of guinness in there. sit them next to each other and take a big long draught of each. the difference is worth an extra 20p.
what does every racist joke start with?
a nervous look over your shoulder
aythangyew
also available for weddings, funerals and bar mitzvahs
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As referenced on my review of the Nellie Dean, �3.30 for a pint of Guinness at the Toucan just takes the piss.
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I miss the other Toucan in Marylebone - but this place is pretty good.
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Some of that is true, some of it isn't. The 3/4 days thing is tosh, for certain. You are getting keg and cask beer mixed up pal
anonymous - 22 Aug 2006 23:39 |
For those of you who are ignorant, good Guinness is dictated by the following.
A clean line.
A clean glass.
An efficient remote or flash cooler.
The keg being sold within 3 or 4 days from opening.
The keg being "in date".
Quick sales, i.e. not sitting in the line for long.
The right gas supply.
This place sells good Guinness. I know.
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no guinness can vary from place to place. usually down to exactly what boss hog said.
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Puts me in mind of a a Guinness hospitality tent at some sort of corporate 'do'. The only reason I can think of for coming here is that it stays open a bit longer than most of the other pubs in the area. And am I alone in thinking that Guinness tastes <i>exactly</i> the same everywhere? It's as homogenous as Coca Cola.
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This place does have more than a taste of the "it's a great craic" tourist rip-off about it, although bizarrely transferred from Dublin to London.
It reminds me of the Jeruselum Tavern in that it is tiny (I suppose they must think that is charming?)with a "ye olde worlde" kind of vibe to it, despite only being a decade or so old. It's actually quite fake, although a very good forgery. BTW, as JT has some excellent ales it gets my vote.
Best left to tourists or people wanting to spend a large amount of money on a slightly above average Guinness...or Guiness Extra Cold, which is definitely a nitro-keg.
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Stonch- I was referring to the period of time the stuff sits in the pipes, rather than its shelf-life untapped. Honestly, it makes a big, big difference.
anonymous - 13 Jun 2006 14:05 |
I suppose you are right that decent turnover helps keep the product fresh - but do remember that keg beer lasts a LONG time compared the proper stuff so the difference from pub to pub isn't going to be that great.
anonymous - 13 Jun 2006 13:59 |
Whilst I agree wholeheartedly with sentiments of topdog_andys review, there is one part I don't agree with 'The Guinness here is no better than any other pub in London that regularly cleans its lines.'
In my experience the quality of a pint of Guiness depends on two things 1) the cleanliness of the lines, the cooling equipment working properly etc 2)most importantly- the quantity of Guinness being sold.
The longer Guinness sits in the pipes the less fresh it tastes and the more likely it is to have a horrible brown crusty head.
Anyone who would like test this theory, please take a trip to the Bohola Bar in Bethnal Green. They usually sell two barrels of the stuff by 3pm every day and I can safely say that it serves the best pint I have ever tasted anywhere. (Be warned, the pub itself isn't very salubrious).
Marketing scam or not, this place has a certain charm.
anonymous - 13 Jun 2006 13:35 |
topdog_andy's review gets my vote for the best I have ever seen on the site. All very funny. I must say the amount of times I read on this site about "great pints of Guinness" makes me laugh considering it is after all just a keg beer.
Although it isn't an entirely charmless place to be fair, I have enjoyed a drink in here a couple of times.
anonymous - 13 Jun 2006 12:48 |
If anybody wanted evidence of how powerful advertising and branding is, they needn't look further than The Toucan.
Here is a pub that has a very limited selection of beer, charges above average prices, has no history whatsoever (opened in 1994), and has virtually no seating. As a result you're forced to drink on the pavement outside, in plastic glasses, where you will inevitably be harassed every 5 minutes by tramps. (Some would argue the tramps have more class than the clientelle - you'll never catch a tramp drinking Guinness from a plastic cup).
So - why do people flock to this pub? Because it's covered in Guinness branding, and is named after a bird used in Guinness promotional advertising. As a result, people seem to think their Guinness is the best in the UK, despite the fact that it's distributed in the same delivery as every other pub in Soho, and the pub is not even loosely tied to the brewery.
The Guinness here is no better than any other pub in London that regularly cleans its lines. The stuff comes in pressurised kegs, that require no special treatment. If you want to properly enjoy a Guinness - go to a pub where you can sit down and drink from a glass.
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Probably the best drink you can get in central London. That is if you like Guiness, Magners, Whiskey, Lager. If you like Ale then your not going to like this place.
The Bar staff are fantastic. They are fast friendly and know how to serve a great pint.
During the summer it gets a bit deceiving. There is so many people outside you would assume the same for the inside but usually it is pretty well spaced. Which is a good thing due to its small size.
I would recommend everyone to try the Toucan at least once. (especially the down stairs part)
anonymous - 30 Mar 2006 14:47 |
Definitely more Irish than Oirish and definitely worth a visit. It gets very busy on Friday evenings but this is fine as the punters just spill out into the street.
Good pint of Guinness
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Not a bad place, if you want to worship at the temple of the keg beer that killed porter and stout as a beer style. Seriously though its fun and definitely should be part of a soho pub crawl.
anonymous - 4 Mar 2006 09:00 |
I have been! Its great. Serves tremendous Guinness. Dark and dingy. Very old school boozer. Be prepared to pay over �3 a pint for the black stuff though.
anonymous - 3 Mar 2006 18:29 |
The geezer behind the bar showed us some photos of Richard Harris & Peter O'Toole getting wasted in there together - which surely has to be a point in favour of any hostelry?
Actually, come to think of it they probably weren't that fussy where they drank.
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``oh, look at us, we're a really tiny pub and we sell guinness.'' get over yourselves.
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One of my favourite pubs, it's tiny and smokey but has charm and a more genuine Irish pub than the chains that pop up all over the place.
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dont walk in too fast or you'll smash straight into the back wall,....miniscule
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Best pint of guinness I've found in London, if anyone has found any better please let me know. Get a pint and earn it's dark goodness by standing outside on a dark night.
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A great pub for Guinness drinkers! Although on the small side, that's what gives it its charm. Nice touches like the Guinness cocktails and the guiness bar stools.
Toilets aren't great but i don't go to pubs for their toliets!!
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absolutely tiny to an uncomfortable degree. decent guinness and one of the few places you can get magners on draft. however if you are in central london you aint gonna wanna spend all night here. nice to start off with a few pints of magners and then head off to somewhere you can breathe (it really is small).
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Don't think I've ever been drinking inside this place, but have often done so outside in the summer where the crowd gets so big it overlaps with the big crowd outside the Nellie Dean 30 yards away. A handy occurance as this place doesn't have ales and so you just sneak one out of the Nellie instead.
It's also another one of those places which claims (or has people claiming anyway) that it's the smallest bar in London/England/UK/Europe/etc. Why pubs want to brag about that I don't know.
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Orange in the inside, black on the inside, the Toucan is tiny jaffa cake of a pub. Here you can buy many many types of whiskey, Irish crisps, cigarettes and Guinness. You can also watch sport downstairs, and enjoy a pie and pint at lunchtime.
Scruffy as hell and you need to be a limbo dancer to get into the toilets as the entrances are tiny, but once inside you can read the fascinating grafitti.
In the summer, people defy the polite notices and stand on the pavement drinking.
Katherine - 8 Nov 2004 17:30 |
Terrific boozer!! Best Irish pub in London. Guinness is fab as are the guys behind the bar. Not good if you are in a big crowd though.
Loz - 6 Oct 2004 13:34 |
tiny pub good guinness
kevin - 17 Sep 2004 14:41 |
Definitely worth a look. The Guiness is pretty good though still nowhere near a pint that you would get in Ireland.
Jack Knight - 24 Aug 2004 17:22 |
Tiny tiny bar - Not bad though, although if raining could cause a problem.
TheGP - 16 Aug 2004 10:07 |
I went to The Toucan for a few drinks on my birthday - it was so much fun I stayed all night - the basement bar is tiny, like upstairs, but much more fun.
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Great fun on St. Patrick's day. They claim they sell Harp here, although if you enquire about it, (and you're not Irish), they'll just blink a couple of times at you. Great little pub though, just off Soho Square, so you might bump into BBFC, Fox and Warner reps occasionally.
Guy - 25 May 2004 13:20 |
I love this place, small though it is. Try the Guiness pies downstairs hmmmm....... Gets busy in summer and standing room in the street only.
Aaron - 14 May 2004 04:12 |
Lovely little place - and a great pint of Guinness!
One mystery - the guy behind the bar looked very familiar, and yet I'd never been there before?!
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Best Guinness in London. Cracking Chelsea supporting barman in the evening. Magners on draught. What more could you want. Apart from United winning the league again.
John - 20 Feb 2004 18:59 |
Lovely little pub. Ignore upstairs, head straight for downstairs. Really good Guiness, friendly staff and somehow manages to stop short of being patronisingly 'Oirish' (see O'Neills)
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overrated! dirty
Jim - 4 Jan 2004 18:08 |
Yes good Guinness and atmosphere,
Tim - 5 Dec 2003 13:06 |
Best Guiness outside of Dublin! Great craic.
Crank - 19 Jul 2003 00:15 |
Nice little pub. However, if you're not in to the "seat? you'll be lucky!" thing then it's sister pub is just as nice but bigger on Wimpole Street.
TheG - 16 Jun 2003 18:19 |
Hmmm...does this pub have a theme by any chance?! Wicked boozer!
Dominic - 13 May 2003 20:51 |
London's smallest pub or certainly feels like it. A good place for Guinness drinkers. Like all West End pubs, busy after work hours especially on a Friday.Got the feel of a 'proper'Irish pub in a central London setting.
Michelle - 1 Apr 2003 22:10 |
