please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Last week we returned to our old haunt, since it was reopened, a few months ago.
It's now another Soho pub that has been subjected to gentrification and the introduction of craft beers. In the process, they have removed considerable trace of its previous wonderful scruffyness and beautifully kept real ales. I could not even see one remaining Maneki Neko waving at the customers.
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I regret to advise that The Blue Posts has heard its Last Post. It has closed for redevelopment and the current occupants have gone. The place is boarded up.
Fuller details here...
http://www.westendextra.com/shame-historic-pub
My wife and I look forward to news of a new establishment being opened by the excellent hosts.
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We have been to this pub (which was one of our favourites) many times over the years for beer & food. We were very disappointed today. The Landlord was not at its best and the Summer Lightning was very sub-standard. We questioned the quality of the latter and were told it was ok but may be near the end of the barrel. No substitute was offered. We left and shan't be returning. Sad because we had very fond memories of the pub
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One of the several billion Blue Posts pubs in the part of the world, and maybe the best. Friendly staff and reasonably priced beer, my pint of Truman's Runner was 3.95 compared to 4.65 at the nearby Golden Lion. Though an edgy, hipster looking place the customers on my visit were traditional tourist/shopper demographic & all appeared happy. Good pub.
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A small friendly traditional pub just away from the bustle of Shaftesbury Ave. Well kept cask ales at reasonable prices (for London!). Possibly the best pub in the area; worth a visit!
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A nice little pub with an entrance tucked away up a passage. Cosy and busy. The beers on offer were Landlord (which was excellent), London Pride and Truman Runner.
Well worth seeking out just don't expect a seat as there aren't many available!
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Returned back here with the other half last week. I make this a regular stop whenever I am in town now and I am never disappointed.
A lot busier on this occasion (even for a midweek!) but it is December and I think there were quite a few people there on Xmas nights out.
Guinness is always good, bar staff always friendly.
I always think a seat at the bar in the corner is a great place to sit as you can just watch the customers go by. Will always reccomend.
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Entrance is hidden away down a passage way, so explains why it isn't as rammed as other boozers in the area at peak times - seating area upstairs was relatively quiet.
Two ales on when we arrived - Summer Lightning and London Pride - and then switched to the Truman's beer when that came on.
Over £4 a pint, so London prices, but definitely a better choice than many of the other boozers in the immediate vicinity.
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Nothing special, It's ok to spend an hour in..Inoffensive little pub.
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A popular pub just a short stroll from Leicester Square, it’s a traditional street corner boozer that was full to capacity on a recent Thursday evening visit, with little standing room never mind anywhere to sit. The barman was unusual being of Oriental extraction and having a Mohican haircut and lots of body piercings (not that any of those are especially unusual in themselves, but it’s an unusual combination).
The main bar area has old wooden boards on the floor and a continuous run of windows that run along two sides right around the corner. There are a few tables and chairs around the perimeter and some high stools at the bar, but otherwise seating options are fairly limited. Plenty of wooden shelves and an old brick arch formed a backdrop to the bar and there was a large mirror at one end. I believe there may have been further seating upstairs, although we did not investigate this.
The menu looked to be a typical “pub grub” affair with various jackets, omelettes and salads to choose from as well as a good selection of sandwiches. Most of the mains were around the £5 - £6 mark which seems reasonable given the location, but we didn’t sample anything so can’t comment on the quality.
Beers on tap were a little disappointing with just Summer Lightning and London Pride. A further two pumps were unused. Ciders fared slightly better, although the choice was still fairly uninspiring - Strongbow, Magners Golden Draught and Symonds Founders Reserve.
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I intended to come to the pub for a pint with friends but ended up staying and having about 3 or 4.
I havent been in here for a few years but nothing seems to have changed - Staff are friendly, beer is good and dare I say it not too over priced for the area (£4.10 for a Guinness).
Will definitely be returning in a few weeks when I may sample the food!
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Average pub on the edge of Chinatown and seconds away from Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square. It was reasonably busy on my Wednesday evening visit. There are 2 rooms downstairs and a much quieter room upstairs. Drinkers were spilling out to the alleyway outside. Pride and Bombardier were the 2 ales on offer, with a third handpull unclipped. Didn't find anything particular to recommend this pub. Just an average West End boozer, with prices to match.
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A real gem for central London .... a proper pub with real people as customers and staff. My first time there was the other night (went for the comedy upstairs) and arrived a little early so sat at a table and had some food. The food is unpretentious and good value, the beer (TT Landlord) well kept and the atmosphere was such that I would definitely go there again rather than one of the noisy tourist traps that surround the area. Gave this place 8 - might have gone to 9 but reserve that high a score for repeat visits
dGriz - 17 Aug 2012 10:16 |
Decent boozer which hasn't anything to recommend other than it was 'decent'. Sat upstairs and supped the only beer available which was London Pride - I noticed Hobgoblin was on as we left. Just improve the beer range a little bit....
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For those who have drunk in Soho for many years, this is the successor to the late and lamented Kings Head of Gerrard Street in Chinatown (now turned into yet another Chinese restaurant). If you drank in the KH about 30 years ago, you'll remember the notorious Dive Bar, and the crowded upstairs bar. 'M' worked in the KH for more years than he cares to remember, and now here he is at the Blue Posts - just as fast, just as funny, and with the same ability to recognise people from years before. Dive Bar regulars will remember barman 'P', who now sits in the Blue Posts reading his paper every day - as if still keeping an eye on proceedings. The Blue Posts is a quiet place to read a book or paper in the afternoon, but prepare to get squeezed against the bar in the weekday evenings. The food is basic but popular, and the pub has been spared the horrors of (usually unwanted and unnecessary) refurbishment. There is a real atmsophere in here - 'M' actually knows his customers. So many pubs in Soho and further afield in the West End are soulless and landlord-less (a landlord is not a bloke no-one's ever seen, who no-one knows, and spends his time upstairs watching the TV or counting his takings). Try and find a pool of light in which to see anything (never mind a newspaper) in Waxy O'Connors - and none of the half a dozen bars are free from deafening music. The Blue Posts has some exotic customers, and some equally exotic barstaff. The jazz on Sundays is good, and when I was in there once on my way to the Palladium to see Jack Jones I was almost late...
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I really liked this pub. Feels very laid back and relaxing, not unlike an Amsterdam coffee shop.
The home made chips were the best I've had for years.
Only London Pride and Summer Lightning available during my visit. The Summer Lightning was decent enough, but a tad strong at 5% (stop moaning Irene, I only had one pint.)
The rest of the menu is very very reasonably priced, considering it's 1 minute away from Leicester Square.
Well worth seeking out.
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Basic, unpretentious, local boozer. I wanted to like it but it seemed fairly unremarkable.
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A cracking little boozer and a welcome relief for anyone in search of a decent (proper) boozer in Soho/Chinatown. 3 or 4 real ales (TT Landlord, Pride, Summer Lightning).
The food's decent and very cheap, the staff friendly and the quiz on Tuesday nights upstairs is great fun.
No frills but definitely recommended
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Decent back street pub just off leicester square. Summer lightning was very tasty.
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Called in on a busy Summer Saturday. A great spot just off of busy Picadilly and well worth searching out. Enjoyed Leffe and Summer Lightning: both in good condition. Salt beef baguette equally good, my friend enjoyed sausage and onion sandwich. Good mix of clientele from regulars with a paper at the bar to birds of passage such as myself. Friendly, relaxed atmosphere. I lingered - and I shall return!
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A great back to basics boozer (it really is very basic, wooden floorboard, very little in the way of pub paraphernalia, which really does give it a bare charm) hidden away off Wardour Street.
Landlord was acceptable and the Hobgoblin was very good when we were in recently on a late Sunday afternoon. What really made the place was that they had a great Rhythm and Blues band on squashed into the corner of the tiny main bar area.
A really enjoyable pint and I shall be calling again
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Slightly odd place, nice enough and great that they sell Leffe by the pint but clienetele was weird - part drunkard/ and not sure who worked/got drunk there - for the odd looking ones often got up from a table and went behind the bar or collected glasses. chatted to a lonely man in the corner as a fancy dress jazz band set up in the corner - but didnt stay till they began. might be back - but odd!
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Encouraged by some good posts I have tried a couple of times to go here but been beaten by the crowds. But yesterday (Saturday) lunchtime it was doing a good trade, with a fair number of regulars, but space for me.
Well worth it. Quirky atmosphere with, not surprisingly for the area, a bit of a Chinese touch in some of the kick knacks behind the bar and two of the staff. The middle-aged chap with the Fu Manchu facial hair and the scarlet Mohican was a scream.
�3.20 for a pint of Hobgoblin sounded good thought he reality was a bit flat and boring. I know this as a bottled beer and I missed the liquorice kick that I am used to.
But a small point. Overall a very nice boozer that was doing a good line in food and I shall be back.
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Nice old-fashioned Victorian pub, but very small - up until about 7.30pm in the week it's standing room only. Then the theatre crowd leave and there's room for all to sit. Bar staff when we were there were a young Chinese couple - the male of whom had a bright red mohican haircut - totally out of keeping with the decor, but fun - what would Mr Dickens have thought though!
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One of the best pubs in London, the fact that it is not part of a company owned chain with its staff all dressed in boring black uniforms is a welcome bonus,
Food is great and very reasonably priced, especially the BP omelete and extra hot chilli
Lost a lot of Sundays in this place a while back ;-)
Keep up the good work M and A
B.J
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Fantastic little pub! Strange and varied bric-a-brac on the shelves including numerous Chinese statues etc which brighten the place up! Well kept Landlord on when we there. As mentioned before a mix of regulars and bewildered tourists not knowing what to make of it all!
Didn't have any food this time but their fish n chips looked quite nice and seemed to be a reasonable portion size. Will definitely be returning again!
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Proper pub hidden in the heart of the West End. Decent beer, friendly locals and bemused tourists.
Had Tim Taylor and Pride on the bar. TT was fine, even managing to break through the fug of a stinking cold. Didn't try the food but the chips on the next table looked a tad iffy.
Will be back.
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I take it "Diamondbloke" is not British? Either that, or a member of the ill-educated underclass.
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Bloody all kicked off proper last sataday, evry week i saw more ambulancis outside there tjan accedent and emergency.
i reckon the guvnor owter shut up that littl room upstares alwys somethin going off up there
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Best Pub in Town.Michael is the freindliest loveliest,baldest, 'Governor' since Norman left the Coach & Horses.(and before) Everything you need from a Local Pub and this one is a Local even though they come from far and wide.Good Beer,Good food,Good Jazz(on Sundays) Good atmosphere and above all Good Company.Be sure to ask for a glass of vintage Lucozade off the top shelf.
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Nice place. Good pub quiz on Tuesday nights.
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A very relaxing little place with a nice pint of TT Landlord. I love these little streets in London where you can find a good pub.
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Nice little haven to escape the mania of Pic Circus. Solid beer - Price and T Taylor both reliable - and the landlord is always cheery and friendly. Some of his staff couldn't speak much English when I last went a few months ago, which didn't really matter, except when he thought I'd ordered a *pint* of Bushmills and began to empty the bottle!
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Have had a dodgy pint here in the past, but the Timothy Taylor Landlord was in good condition today. The small upstairs room (with generally non-functioning bar) doesn't look exactly finished, but downstairs is usually pretty full so can be worth a try. Not great, but you can certainly do much worse in the Shaftesbury Avenue area.
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The closest thing to a "local" in a top tourist area ,great range of beers kept in fist class condition,always a friendly welcome,food also worthy.I always make a visit whenever i'm in town.
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i used to work in the dive bar - with Michael about 14-15 years ago - if michel's running this bar still then i guarantee a warm lively reception where the beer will be good and you;'ll be made very welcome ;)
cheers
Mike M
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Great pub. Not sure how I had managed to not go here before.
Went for a couple of pints on a friends birthday, Timothy Taylor Landlord available. Perfectly kept and at a very reasonable price. Also had a salad for my tea, delicious but a little pricey.
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So nice to find somewhere with connections back to the wonderful (and much missed) Dive Bar.
It's miles away in terms of background music (more chart based stuff than the wonderful soundtrack of Ella Fitzgerald and co that used to make the Dive so special), but the general atmosphere remains.
Amazingly friendly bar staff and a rough and ready (bordering on grotty according to my friend!) feel make it a stand out in central London.
Oh and the Sunday jazz is a nice touch too.
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I like this place, had a few ales on (the Tim Taylor was really good. It was too busy on a saturday afternoon to sit inside so we drank our beer in the alleyway and people watched.
The doorman, was quite surly but friendly enough once I produced my ID, watching him catch the kids trying to sneak in the side door was quite amusing as well...
Plus opposite the place is a showroom that had a Zonda, Spyker and a real nice old jag. Which was nice if that's your thing.
Better than most of the pubs in this area.
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Might be a little biased, but a lot has changed here over the last few years, and mostly for the better. Prices are reasonable and the band of egular customers are very friendly. The food is lovely and surprisingly underpriced.Cider's a bit warm though.
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Nice little pub hidden just off the manic Shaftesbury Avenue. Timmy Taylor's was nice but a tad pricey at �2.55.
The BelleVue cherry beer, just a small bottle, was �4. My girlfriend enjoyed it but how could you not for that price?
Would definitely go back here, especially on Sunday afternoon for the live jazz.
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Nice and handy little pub. Has become the traditional meeting point for my mate and I before we head-off to watch Wales vs. France in the Six Nations elsewhere...perhaps we should watch it in here once! Nice pint of Tim Taylor. Friendly staff. A great location which appears to somehow remain a little bit out-of-the way for your average punter.
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I do like this pub - it's quirky, the beer is usually good and the customers always seem friendly. Does get a bit crowded sometimes as it is only small.
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Fantastic. We come here to shelter from the crappy overpriced chain bar scene, and now I've revealed them I am regretting it.
Did anonymous really "leave" or did that huge saffa guy behind the bar remove him????
<silence>
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great pub.
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I once stopped in here with a mate when hiding from the rain. Thought I was succeeding in chatting up an Italian bar maid until an extravagant hand gesture from me sent my pint all over her and all over the open till. Left never to return.
Remember it being OK.
anonymous - 20 Apr 2006 17:35 |
without doubt one the best pubs in london! staff always friendly no pretence whatsoever and good selection of products im totally about this place
juzza - 29 Mar 2006 12:23 |
Ask the Chinese (I presume) barman when he's working for a special 'green lager'. Top!
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The bar staff here, led by the endlessly cheerful Michael, are great; the beer - Tim Taylor's Landlord, Leffe, Hoegarden - is excellent; the food is good; and it's incredibly central (surrounded by lots of substandard boozers). What else do you want?
Tom_G - 17 Mar 2006 20:02 |
The Prince of London Pubs, always worth a trip when visiting London's-busy-West-End.
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Marvellous pub. Don't really like the decor, but the staff are charming and highly efficient (is that the old barman from the much-missed Kings head?). Punters cheerful and on the characterful side � arty and academic by the looks of them ... we shared a table with a bunch of heart middle-aged theatre types. Beer was in good condition, too. We'll definately be back.
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Anyone out there who used to use the late lamented Diver Bar and/or Kings Head on Gerrard Street during the week, get your acts together and visit Michael and R at the Posts. They have a great little pub and, no surprises here, it is completely devoid of the usual Soho attitude.
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Very nice to hear that the Dive Bar lot have found a new place to play. Haven't been in yet, but if it's anything like Dive Bar it'll have bags of charm, eccentricity and Nina Simone on the speakers on week nights. Will visit very soon.
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Discovered this pub last night - a rainy Monday in August. Loved it! Timmy Taylors Landlord a huge bonus, as was busty barmaid & cheerfully eccentric looking manager. Being Monday it was quiet but for a few oldies singing along to Moon River. I can see it could get a little crowded at the weekend, but there's more space upstairs. If I wasn't on a mini crawl (and the lure of another visit to The Ship on Wardour St - where busty barmaid made a surprise return appearance as a punter!. I'd have stayed for more than the 2 excellent pints. But I'll be back.
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Excellent Pub - 'good old fashioned boozer' Simple yet tasty food. The Beatles had their picture taken outside, when recording near by... the picture is behinf the bar, well it will be when they get round to putting it up.
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Liked the 'local' feel - brilliant antidote to the crush that is Waxy's a few doors down. Somewhere you could take your folks to for a quiet sit-down.
Extra point to the landlord for serving lager in the correctly-branded glasses.
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Nice little pub.
anonymous - 9 May 2005 20:38 |
It's all changed - for the better! New, v. friendly tenants and staff, all ex- the erstwhile King's Head in Gerrard Street. That telly's gone, quiter music, nice food. Whole place is going through that needed scrub-down and re-vamp (in the best possible taste, I'm assured); bits change every week I visit. In fact, it's your new local West End pub, complete with locals already in place. Good London Pride and Timothy Taylor on hand pump and Dutch lagers on draught. Try it.
Graham - 25 Jul 2004 18:34 |
Cosy and quiet. Music too loud for such a small place. Didn't like distraction of silent telly aloft ..is it to keep bar staff happy? Female loo stunk thoroughly of bleach, which is reassuring yet worrying at same time. Daren't put my bag down for fear of bleached stain. Drinks very reasonably priced.
Upstairs is grimily unwelcoming with tired old prints in frames, at least one with its glass smashed. Could do with a scrub down. Like the flickering orange flamed candelabras.
Joan - 4 Feb 2004 10:08 |
Great old-fashioned boozer, handy for Leicster square and cinemas.
Vindaloo - 13 Aug 2003 13:09 |
