The Champion

Those of us who live here know that Oxford Street is a place to be avoided. It is crowded, vulgar, loud and unpleasant. .. all the things the Champion is not. The Champion is the quiet, cool attic above a loud, boring party. It’s the one interesting person at a dinner-​party full of bankers and estate-​agents. It’s the cool girl in the corner, shy, but all the more alluring because of that. Don’t take my word for it, just sidle up and order a pint. Go ahead, tell me I’m wrong. ..

Looking for a «cheap» pub near Oxford Street? You should probably go here.
A Sam Smith pub which usually means a cheap and hearty place to go for a drink, it is probably more expensive than the others in London as to its location but will still be as cheap as possible.
They have an upstairs with a bar, which has quite a lot of seating, this pub isn’t really a «secret» as most Sam Smith pubs tend to be, but it is quiet with no music (saves money) and their own version of every drink which is always funny to figure out what you want.

The Champion is selling gone off wine, but don’t mention it, because the grumpy manager will blame you.
Our company is just around the corner, we used to visit The Champion weekly, and would have rated it 5 stars until last night, but now we will never return.
We bought a 750ml bottle of wine to share between 4 people and we enjoyed it enough to order a second. There were no more 750ml bottles, so we ordered a 1L bottle of the exact same wine.
To be fair, there was one other smaller sized bottle visible, be we were told, «that one’s gone off.»
Then the wine we were given was also rancid and undrinkable. The bottle was replaced, fair enough, but the second bottle was just as bad, stinking of dirty feet. We were sent downstairs to speak to the manager who angrily approached us.
At first, she did not even believe us that they sold 1L bottles and had to phone upstairs to confirm this fact (strange).
At this point, she was able to confirm a few things:
1. They know their wine is bad (sometimes gone off and undrinkable) and ‘jokingly’ refer to it as ‘cooking wine.’
2. The new bartender upstairs would be getting in trouble for even replacing one bottle. In the manager’s words, «He’s new and won’t be around much longer.»
3. She would not even smell or taste the wine because she can’t afford to humour everyone (and there are many) who complain about the wine.
I have never found a wine I couldn’t drink and never complained before; there is a difference between ‘bad’ wine and gone off wine. We will never return, and thank the manager for making that decision easy for us. Serves us right for ordering wine in a Sam Smiths pub!

Trying to avoid the hideous crowds on Oxford Street and desperately thirsty, I simply bumped into this pub. The stunning wood panelled exterior callled me inside. What a charming respite from the maddening and slow walking hoards only a block or two away. It’s a Sam Smith’s pub with a very good range of beers and striking stained glass windows of past British champions. The interior is full of curvy dark wood and beckons you to stay, if only for a pint. I was impressed that barman could clock who was next to order despite a number of eager young Hoxtonites there clamoring for immediate attention.
They even have a proper dartboard.
Nice atmospheric to take out of towners to.

I can’t say a lot about this place as we mostly got our drinks and took them outside, but the service seemed fast enough and the pricing wasn’t horrid. There was a little space inside, but more outside (and it was hot out). So for a Friday evening, it wasn’t too shabby.

Samuel Smith — try’s hard but misses a trick.
I have been to a few of these guys pubs over the last couple of years, they are spread across London, and I understand why people like them. I, however, could live my life without them.
Décor doesn’t make a pub, but it does add to the experience, so if you are looking for a true British boozer, this place won’t do you wrong. See other reviews here for more info.
They have all their own stuff, including beers, spirits and soft drinks, which is a lot of effort, and certainly a unique aspect, but not what I’m looking for.
I’m all about good beer, and good beer in my humble opinion is not available here. I always end up drinking the taddy lager because when I ask what is their hoppiest beers, they point to that. This is not what I’m looking for when I say hoppy beer.
Their lagers are generic, but the stout isn’t too bad, bitter is a bit meh and I haven’t tried their spirits, so can’t comment.
Service is normally ok, friendly and genuine, which at times is a rarity in Foggy London Town …
My main issue with these guys is just that it’s clear what the big beer revolution is all about, so they need to jump on the band wagon and make the most of their own brewery and start making some exciting beer.

The Champion
The Champion’s an unique pub
At least it is to me
The windows are pure stained glass
For those inside to see
The fittings are made of dark wood
The seats are of dark leather
It give out an air of welcomness
Especially in bad weather
The drinks are not the common sort
Sold in any pub
But ones that Sam Smith brew themselves
It’s like a special Club
So if you’re looking for a place
That offers a different range
Come into the Champion
I’m sure you’ll love the change.

Marvellous pub, for a marvellous area
The stained glass windows are exceptional & show champion english sportsmen

First things first: get cash. If you pay by card they charge you 1.5% of the TOTAL bill as admin charge. Scoundrels!
I had quite a nice evening on a normal Friday night out. The pub was packed with office workers and posh suits and the girls to the posh suits. But when it came to me to pay a round I nearly dropped out of my favorite heels. Not because of the price of the round (one knows what to expect in central London) but because of the cheek of the pub owners. Charging 1.5% of the bill just means you want to make a bit of money out of your customers. Everyone else is offering free use of cards.
Because of that i was considering giving them only two stars, but the pub itself is OK and they have some nice beers on offer. I even spotted some exotic stuff, like beer with apricot flavour.

It’s a large pub with an upstairs which is good if you really just want to chat with a friend and be able to hear them. Usually not my cup of tea as I prefer more bars with lots of people to mingle with. But my co-​pilot this evening prefer it nice and chilled and knew the spot. Still rather croweded but found a spot.
Prices were cheap compare to other pubs in the area. Bonus!

What a find! This pub should be preserved for its stained glass homage to the heroes of yesteryear. Good bottled beer but no Sam Smiths on the hand pump? so you drop a star.

Under new management, now serving very short measures, reluctantly topped up but still not full. Sad. Won’t be going back again. Previous landlady is now at the Bricklayers in Gresse Street.

Mein Lieblingspub in Londons Mitte. Beim 1. Mal eher zufällig gefunden, seitdem gibt es keinen Londonurlaub ohne ein Pint im Champions. Sehr, SEHR leckeres Bier (Samuel Smith’s probiert das Sovereign!), extrem gemütliche Einrichtung mit tollen Bleiglasfenstern, bisher immer auch nette Leute, mit denen man schnell mal ins Gespräch kommt, und das Personal ist superfreundlich und empfiehlt auch gern ein Bier, wenn man ratlos vorm Angebot steht. Und ich muss das nochmal wiederholen: Das Bier ist sehr lecker und schön kalt, und auch ziemlich günstig. Also zum Abschluss eines Shoppingtages auf der Oxford Street (oder auch mittendrin): unbedingt ausprobieren!

Pretty good, standard pub. The usual array of ales and ciders on tap, and a careful, attentive bartender. It’s in a lively, slightly commercial idea, and this place is a nice respite from all the hype.
The stained glass was slightly weird. They depicted mostly male sports figures. Since I’m not a sports fan, I just found these slightly tacky. But it wouldn’t keep me out of here, or from enjoying a pint or two!

The Champion (in Fitzrovia, not to be confused with the one across from the north entrance to Kensington Gardens) is another Sam Smith’s pub, but still maintains it’s street cred and character. It delivers all that you ask for from a traditional pub and doesn’t smack of corporate take-​over.
Great wooden bar, backbar, and partition walls around the outside wall seating area, and amazing late 19^th century stained and etched glass with various male personalities in sports mainly, but also representing some other fields of endeavor as well.
Staff and patrons have been friendly both times I’ve been there and the selection on the taps was available, not tapped out on anything. Prices are very reasonable. This is a great getaway from Oxford Street shopping, just a 2 or 3 blocks north.

These Sam Smith pubs seem to be the ALDI of the pub world, but who can complain about cheap private label beer (I love the coffee flavoured stout) and snacks, food, and friendly service? Friendly atmosphere and bar staff, comfy seats, and love their stained glass windows of various English champions.

With dark wood, stained glass, cheap beer, and a delightful staff, The Champion is a nice little pub in a location that seems to be an equally perfect distance from each of the friends with whom I’ve visited it. It’s a good night out in a great part of town with nice, inexpensive drinks, where everyone has a similarly easy drunk-​bus journey home after. That’s a hard-​to-​beat combination.
Though it can get a little cramped at times, The Champion has always been filled with the typical friendly Sam Smith’s clientèle I have grown accustomed to. I’ve never seen anyone sassing the bar-​staff or sneakily stealing stools from neighbouring tables when someone nips off to the loo – people are generally quite pleasant and jovial! The bar guys are chatty and attentive, with three separate bartenders coming over to check that I’d been served while my first guy was off pulling pints of cider for me. The space is very attractive, filled with wrought iron table legs, dark wood panelling, and some of the most epic stained glass windows I’ve seen in the city.
Though it lacks that special «Wow This Is Such A Cool Pub!!» factor so abundant in places like The Princess Louise or Ye Old Cheshire Cheese, The Champion has all the ingredients for a great night out at the pub. I have always had an excellent night out here, and I highly recommend it for a pint after work or a pleasant respite on a shopping trip out to Oxford St.

Voilà un pub anglais très charmant et chaleureux, où on se sent tout de suite à l’aise. La décoration est toute mignonne, le patron bien aimable (il vous dira même «bonjour» et «au revoir» en français s’il devine d’où vous êtes). Les tarifs sont plutôt raisonnables, moins de £2 la pinte. Près des toilettes, ils arrivent que des clients jouent aux fléchettes. Attention la tête!

If you’re looking for a place to escape the madness of Oxford Street then try The Champion Pub. It is a Samuel Smith brewery so you won’t find any branded beers or ales, but you will find a cheap tipple in a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere. And for all you true pubians there is that most traditional game: darts.
What holds this pub back from getting five stars is just how busy it can get on a Friday night. But at other times you will have no problem in finding a seat.

I paid a visit to the Champion on a wet and windy winter night in the run up to Christmas. A Samuel Smith pub, I found the staff as warm and welcoming on a dark Saturday afternoon when I joined some friends here. With some of our group doing their Xmas shopping it made for a quite stop off, close to the much beaten track of Oxford Street, but tucked away enough to feel a little secret and it didn’t get busy until around 7pm when people came to meet friends in glad rags for their Saturday night out.
Has gorgeous décor and stained glass windows, a dartboard and quiz machine. Bar snacks include crisps and nuts, but it is the realistic prices and fantastic locations that make many Samuel Smith pubs a winner with Londoners. This is another winning example, but it wouldn’t be so great if you are sans friends or you and your group have to stand because it is already full as others have noted on reviews of The Champion.

So once again, I find myself reviewing a Samuel Smith pub. I do especially like this one and still find myself pleasantly shocked at the amount of change I get back when I buy a drink here. It’s great.
This particular Sam Smith pub stands out from the others because of its intriguing stained glass windows. From the outside, the windows just can’t manage to make their full impression so do walk inside for a feel of the full experience. There is a very old feel to this pub which I like, and the customers often prove that theory! If you make it down here on a weekend, however the crowd is a lot more youthful and all of them are enjoying their cheap drinks.

This bar is always packed and you do need to arrive early on a Friday to get a seat — around lunch!
The food, while standard, is good and the beer is ‘friendly’.
With a quiet upstairs space, this pub is an excellent place for an informal meeting, chat or casual lunch.