please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Currently doing a very good trade in takeaway beer - like many other pubs in the area.
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Woefully kept ale - and, we were not the only people in the pub commenting on it.
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Hmmm, looks like this idiot manager is p*ssing a whole lot of people off looking at reviews on other sites (TripAdvisor, Google etc). Surely the pub company that run this place need to take heed and get rid of this waste of DNA.
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What to say about this place...? Apart from the absolute bellend of a barman that works here - glasses, beard, favours the checked shirt that is... Well, the beers were ok, the prices high, the interior nice. I have never felt urge to really slag the bar staff in any of my reviews, but have never, EVER had to hold in the urge to either punch one of them or just plain walk out before now either. Thank you for a whole new experience.
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A defiantly unusual selection of beers for this part of central London , this is a good stop-off but that's probably the only selling point. We came mid afternoon on a weekday having been foiled in our attempts to cross the threshold a couple of weeks' previously because of how busy it is. The music was shocking - that may not be representative.
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Beer selection was lacking any dark beers, which was disappointing for a cold, Winter night. Even more surprising is that they pay for Sky TV (not cheap for a pub) so I had to endure a darts match being shown, with the sound very loud. Not sure why a pub in such a prime location needs to rely on this. The quality of the beer was fine and I would have stayed for more had it not been for the racket and the fact that I couldn't stand anywhere that might have blocked someone's view of the screen.
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Lots of interesting beers - I went for a Harbour Brewery Amber Ale - in fine nick.
With the exception of the beer quality, this is a typical London Pub.
Worth checking out.
Photos at my blog - http://bit.ly/2dAN8k3
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After a brisk walk through Mayfair and onto Soho we arrived at the Lyric just before 4.30pm.
Pretty busy inside with mainly shoppers and couples, that was until a large stag group arrived all dressed in golfing outfits!
The Lyric internally is a very attractive old fashioned pub with wooden flooring and tiled panels on the walls, there’s also a lovely art nouveau tiled entrance onto Great Windmill Street
A free house the choice of ales on both cask and keg being very good, on this visit there was 6 ales on cask and 10 on keg along with a real cider on cask, in addition the bottle and can selection is also very good, several smaller London breweries represented. We stayed for a couple of drinks, my pints of Big Smoke Solaris Session Pale @ 3.8% & Wild Beer Co’s Pogo @ 4.0% were both very good.
For some reason I have never been here before, I must of walked passed it over 50 times! Now I know what the ale range is and with its location I will certainly visit again.
Good attentive service from the chatty bar staff, decent priced ales and a great location….yet another pub that need’s another visit.
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Ordered drink - served quickly and pleasantly, sat down and began drinking. About 2/3 of the way down the pint I noticed that it still hadn't settled completely and wasn't tasting right. Not off, just not particularly good. Mentioned this to the barman, who sampled some from the tap and agreed that it didn't look or taste right. And carried on serving it. A pity, because it was a decent pub apart from that but with such a cavalier attitude to beer quality I'll not return.
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The Lyric was my favourite pub of Friday evening. It's a typically small Soho establishment just off the hustle and bustle of Shaftesbury Avenue. It can get a few deep at the bar. But there were plenty of staff on hand to serve. The ale range was Wild Weather Shepherds Warning & Storm In A Teacup, Dark Star American Pale Ale, Red Willow Feckless, Trumans Zephyr & Big Smoke Underworld Milk Stout. Lilleys Bee Sting Perry was also on and there is a good range of craft beers. Crowds spill out onto the pavement and receive plastic glasses if they choose to do so. The gents is through a narrow door and down some equally narrow stairs. Well worth a visit.
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please note if you look over the bar excess beer slops are collected in glass jugs and used to top up later orders, disgraceful, the owners should be ashamed of themselves...
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Mixed reviews on the beers we had on Monday lunchtime but one from Track Brewing Company in Manchester was devine. A group in the corner were swearing away the whole time we were there and the barman could have asked them to tone it down a bit but didn't. On that basis we shan't go back.
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This didn't do it for me on my first visit.
Absolutely rammed and I could not hear myself think.
I reserve judgement until next time hopefully when it is less busy which given the beer selection of cask and craft may be difficult.
Do visit if you like your ales.
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Tiny corner pub slap-bang opposite the famed Windmill strip club just off Shaftesbury Avenue, now devoted to real ale with 18 on both tap and handpump during my tarriance. The Lyric is a wonderful display of Victoriana with its mahogany interior, ornate frosted glass and tiled entrance with the only sour note being the descent to the Gents which was giving off an ‘end-of-day fruit and veg stall’ aroma.
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£5.40 for a Jaipur! Boring pub too. I will not return.
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I popped in on Friday the 10th May and was quite excited to see that the pub has now been transfromed into a 'Craft Beer Bar' style pub. Apparently the change was made about two weeks ago. A new oasis of ggod beer in Soho. I'd normally use one of the many Nicholsons.
It was the first time I have ever been in, so it was obviously some stroke of luck for me, being a regular at the Euston Tap etc. Beers on tap that day were from Harbour, Blue Monkey, Dark Star and a few others. The fridges contained Kernel and a few others like it. Camden Hells for the lager boys. the bargirl was quite keen for me to try several beers before I bought - I wasn't complaining!
I intended to have one, but stayed for 2 hours and had 4 or 5 pints. Mainly as I ended up chatting to half the pub and football and life in general. That's the point of a good pub right? Give it a try would be my advise.
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I have always found this pub good,friendly and clean.
A place to unwind.
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Bare interior means it�s not really a tempting place to linger, but a good stop on the way to the Glasshouse Stores. And at least it�s a proper pub.
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Great good, very good price. Cute waiter. Just the service was a bit slow.
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Amazing Lunch for �5. Really good quality. There is a small dining room upstairs or you can eat in the bar, next to the blazing log fire.
Old Tart is still avalailable for �2 a pint :-)
Two of us had a great lunch for less than the price of two drinks in the bar three or four doors down the same street.
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Was drawn inside by the board outside. "Try an Olde Tart for only �2". Thought I'd give it a go. Turns out the Old Tart, which is an ale by the way and not an actual old tart, (although there are quite a few in the area), wasn't a bad drink. Especially at two quid a pint. Service was satisfactory. The pub itself was relatively empty. Lots of places to sit. I suspect it gets busy when the theatres kick out. The gents toilets was a tad dog eared, but I don't tend to rate pubs specifically on their toilets. Thats unless they're really poor. This set of bogs was passable. Good for a pitstop and a quick Old Tart, but nothing special.
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Thankfully this place is still open and as welcoming as ever. On my last visit the other day, the Timmy Taylor was in fine shape & the service was prompt. If I'm meeting mates in town I always suggest this place as a starter.
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Shockingly bad service by stuck up muppets serving the bar. Beer was not in great shape. Mates of the Bar staff served imediately. Very dodgy clientele
Avoid, so many better pubs near by
HENDO - 15 Sep 2009 15:56 |
Is it shut again - I was in a couple of months ago and celebrating the reappearance of a Soho classic. Admittedly it wasn't as splendidly shabby as it used to be but the prime people watching location opposite the Windmill was still full value.
Gutted if this place has shut again.
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Closed. Innit. Death of another fine pub.
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They had Pride and Landlord on; the Pride was distinctly average. I did not find anything really worth mentioning about this pub � it seemed pretty run-of-the-mill to me, but is undoubtedly better than many other pubs in this area. The only seating is high stools (no normal tables and chairs) that I do not like. Not worth going out of your way to visit, but you could do worse.
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Popped in for a drink a few months ago and was impressed! So went back for Sunday lumch and was very impressed. Roast beef was good quality and perfectly cooked. Exceptional! And ggreat value... and the service was friendly and welcoming.
Highly recommended.
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Walked past just before Christmas and it's definitely open again now - although as far as I could tell there weren't any actual customers inside. Didn't unfortunately have time to pop in. Looking in from the outside though it looks really clean and shiny and new - not the cosy, dingy place it used to be. Mind you I did actually like it when it was dingy and cosy...
Perhaps I'll pop in when next in the area.
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Real shame this place is closing. Landlord was a thick Cork hoor, but that was part of the charm. Lost countless pounds trying to play Olivers Army & Eaton Rifles on the Jukebox. Will be missed !!
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Worst pub news I've heard all year - the pool room upstairs was one of the best kept secrets in London. I drank and played pool upstairs countless times, and only found the room in use on one occassion. Lord knows where I'll play in Soho now.
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Shandyandy is right, it wont be reopening but Richard is movng to the Marquis of Granby on Cambridge circus which will hopefully be opening on St Patricks Day so we'll be there to wish him well and have a drink of course !!
The Lyric will be greatly missed.
anonymous - 9 Mar 2006 18:39 |
A little late in geeting there...discovered this pub a couple of weeks ago (on 26/02/06) when looking for a pub to watch the footy in. Looks like this was the last last day it was open which was a shame as it was a nice, cosy little boozer with excellent Well's Bombardier in pump. Hopefully it'll reopen again and won't be turned into a Starbucks or something equally vile.
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This is truly miserable news. On a brighter note, I know they were trying to sell the place over the past few months so perhaps its passing is not yet confirmed?
anonymous - 6 Mar 2006 12:58 |
Things like this should not be allowed to happen. How can O'Neill's, ABO, and all those other hideous chains prosper when true gems like the Lyric close? This city is suffering the death of a thousand cuts... everything with soul and character is going. The independent bookshops of Charing Cross Road, The Routemasters, the Soho cafes... all being washed away in a shitstorm of blandness, greedy landords and apathy.
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bhi an lyric ar fheabhs, bhi.
ta mo chroi briste. bfheidir go chuir me labh i mo bhais fein. slan go dti an fear reabhar athais
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Yes, truely devasting news...
will things ever be the same again
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Ta me in ghra leis an lyric
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Absolutly devestated. The best pub in London cut short in its prime. I'm urging people to rally and reopen the Lyric. This is the worst thing that has ever happened to me. Come back Richie please. I love the Lyric.
anonymous - 3 Mar 2006 09:03 |
Sad day for drinking.....
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Unlikely that the pub will reopen. Landlord Richard is moving to the Marquis of Granby on Cambridge Circus. The Marquis is being refurbed at the moment and should open mid-March. the Marquis will be showing the Celtic, Munster rugby and Gaelic Games. Lets hope the Corkonians don't have too much to cheer, the langers.
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Pub closed down Saturday 25 February. Unsure if it will be re-opened.
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Very solid West End pub. Exceptional Guiness. The mens toilets are an abomination however.......... landlord is not to be trifled with. Rougher than a badger ar*e!
anonymous - 24 Jan 2006 11:09 |
One of Soho' s last real pubs in a magnificently seedy street. Walk down here at night and you can imagine yourself as a dubious anti-hero in a late 50s fim noir. Some nice remaining victorian features and a very cosy interior. Well worth a visit.
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nice little boozer this - good fixtures and fittings. got some old american boy half-p1ssed in here once and listened to how much he rates britain, tremendous stuff. yea the landlord does have some...um...idiosyncracies... but the bar staff are nice and make up for it.
ideal place for a few pints while working up the gumption to dissapear into the Windmill "cabaret" club opposite.... or so i imagine
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Pool table upstairs (blokes note: don't use the single female toilet on the top floor, trudge down to the basement unless you want to get kicked out by the sour landlord), decent Guinness. That's about it really.
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Cracking little pub (I do mean *little*), with Rugby perpetually on TV and the BEST pint of Guinness I've found in London so far. Excellent atmosphere, although the trip down to the gents feels like entering a crypt.
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People who post on internet forums are the subject to ridicule in this pub.
anonymous - 16 Aug 2005 16:22 |
Good small pub for watching Celtic in and having the landlord try and rob your girlfriend.
Avoid on nights where there football team is partying unless you want a very sore head and an evening of Rod Stewart.
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