The Crown

Nice bar/​restaurant, good service! I got the glazed chicken & who I was with for a burger– both came with chips & were delicious… good place to eat, relax, & enjoy a pint with friends!

We took our toddler here to the restaurant upstairs. Terrific fish and chips and mushy peas! Service was very good for a very affordable price.

Véritable pub typique planqué entre Soho et Piccadilly Circus, on peut aussi bien y prendre un verre ou simplement s’y installer pour une pause déjeuner. Le menu offre forcément tous les grands classiques britanniques,
Pour ma part, je m’y suis rendue pour quelques verres entre amis en milieu de soirée. Pas besoin de réfléchir, mon choix s’est directement porté sur un Gin Tonic. Parce que bon, on né peut vivre à Londres sans échapper à cette boisson!
Moi qui n’est pas très amatrice de cocktails sucrés, le Gin Tonic est parfait. Je pense qu’on peut dire que j’en suis ultra, méga fan… Bref !
On a réussi à se trouver une petite table au rez-​de-​chaussée, de quoi nous permettre de nous mettre à l’aise. Un étage est aussi accessibles avec plus de tables. Ce n’est donc pas la place qui manqué.
Bonne petite ambiance, même si c’est certain que ce n’est pas pour moi le bar de l’année. Quoi qu’il en soit, il est toujours agréable de revenir à des basics.
Donc, non vous n’y passerez probablement pas une soirée très originale, mais vous pourrez y passer un agréable moment entre amis !

The Crown is decent boozer — not going to be anything that you want to rave to your friends about but in the same breath, does what is needed of a pub. Decent beer selection both on tap and by the bottle. Same with the wines though the staff and not overly informative about the selection they hold. Prices are standard of the Soho area. If your in need of place to pop in and quench your thirst give it a go.

We dined here without a reservation. The food menu is like bar food but it was well done. Fish and chips were cooked perfectly. The fish was crispy on the outside and juicy inside. The fries were crispy outside and melts in your mouth inside. Service was fantastic.

Perfectly adequate stop for a pint and a snack in London. We came here and enjoyed a few rounds of beer as well as sampled the nachos. As others noted, the service behind the bar was excellent and the beer selection varied (although note that as an American, I am not familiar with many of the specific brews so I may simply be impressed by the number rather than the quality). I didn’t love the beers I tried, but again, I am not familiar with the beers being offered so I probably just chose badly. The nachos were an interesting variation on what I am used to at home, and featured barbecue pulled pork. I think this concept is worth exploring on further plates of nachos.
The pub was rather cramped, and the air conditioning unit above our table decided to leak water on us while we were drinking. The friendly staff quickly helped us mop up the mess, but we opted to stand to finish our pints rather than sit on the soggy upholstery.
In summary, this was a charming pub with some drawbacks due to its age.

omg I had the best burger of my life here! best food I had in London on our vacation. I will never forget this place!!! the fried calamari was out of this world too. that’s coming from two New Yorkers who have eaten at the best restaurants in NYC.

The stand out portion of this bar seems to be the food, as that’s what I’ve since heard people enjoy. Unfortunately, I did not know this and came in solely for a drink, where I was neither blown away or great disappointed. A three star experience all around.
As a pub, it’s got what you would like. A good selection of drinks, bar games, music but not music so loud it’s annoying, some nibbles behind the bar (I got some wasabi peas and they were indeed a nice touch). Prices reasonable, bar staff working hard but you will still queue for a bit to get your drink, lots of tables but some of them awkwardly placed creating a bottleneck around the bar (there’s nowhere better to place them, it just means that people might be squished up standing against your seat as they wait for a drink.)
Again, I had a nice drink at a reasonably nice bar. A-​OK indeed.
I would be happy to try the food again though and edit my review. Until then, if you’re looking for a drink, it’s not bad, it’s not great, it is a local pub.

It was about 1:30pm on a Saturday and we were wandering among the austerity protests in search of food. Pub after pub was crowded, even the ones that looked less palatable. Then I led us up a narrow staircase, around a twisty hallway, and into a quiet room from a previous century. There were only one or two parties dining. «Are you open?»
Indeed they were, and as we indulged in a tasty meal, the place began to fill up. I don’t remember the specifics of the meal. I remember feeling very much at ease, very good service, and sticking around for coffee and dessert. I recall the waiter picking me some good beer, as well as pudding, which was delicious, and also a treat because pudding means something different to the American mind.
I hope one day I may come again, and still have such a nice time.

A really decent pub and most importantly (for me anyway), is that the real ale is kept very well. I tried a couple of the ales and all were excellent and I have to say, I had the best pint of Sharpe’s Doom Bar that I’ve ever had (and I’ve had quite a few over the years!!!). As some of the other reviewers have said, it’s a no-​pretence pub… great in this day and age!
Also, worth noting that the bar staff were excellent.
Will I go there again — Yes!

Down the street from the amazing Vintage Magazine Company (a must visit!) is The Crown, #10 on the Soho and Noho Dick Whittington ale trail of Nicholsons pubs.
It’s in a great location, just off of the main street from the West End, a little hidden so tourists won’t run into it unless accidentally. The front entrance is wheelchair accessible, but only for the main bar area.
The dark lighting and décor are more cosy than some of the other Nicholson pubs. If you tread further back you can gain some very comfortable seating and slight space for passionate making out (as one couple proceeded to do across from me). Same beer/​food menu since it’s a chain, you can try before you buy and the food is decent with some nice specials.
The music is kept low, a favourite characteristic of mine, I can’t stand shouting for a conversation.
They boast that Mozart gave a recital at age 9 in 1765 at this location before it was a pub. It also used to be a popular haunt for American Airmen during the war. Gotta love the history.
There’s no outside seating, but it’s great for groups and I felt relaxed, really wanting to linger as much as possible after my pint when I was there. The main floor and dining room appear to be pretty clean, but the same cannot go for the restrooms. Due to the age of building it can’t be helped that the facilities are outdated and the hand dryer wasn’t working either. Be warned that the stairway up to the bathrooms is extremely tight, narrow and narrow.
However, after venturing up the stairs going single file the dining room appeared to be medium sized, very bright, and charming. I didn’t grab a bite but it looked better than some of the others owned by the chain I have been in previously and I am tempted to test it out.
If you’re in the area I’d give The Crown a shot for sure.

The Crown’s a pretty average Soho pub. It’s got some good points: a range of top ales like Doom Bar and Timothy Taylor, and proper non-​touristed pub décor. But it’s also got the dreaded fruit machine. Yeesh. Nothing annoys me more.
It’s a good enough place to meet someone for a couple of pints, though, as it’s down at the less-​touristy end of Brewer Street.
Like many zone 1 pubs, there’s a dining room upstairs.

I’m giving this pub 4 stars for one reason and one reason only = they have a toilet that you can just walk in and use and nobody sees you — the door that takes you right to it so you don’t have to do the walk of shame through the pub pretending you’re looking for someone! Seriously where else is there to use a toilet near Brewer street if you’re just shopping and not eating in a restaurant?! It’s the perfect spot for all you ladies who need to go every 15 minutes. Be warned the place smells of fag ash from the smoking days and it’s not exactly glamourous, but it’s always clean and when a girl needs to go, a girl needs to go! Thank you The Crown for allowing me to use your toilet and not buy a drink!