The Crown

We arrive for a leisurely lunch before taking a walking tour of Bloomsbury. It’s a reasonably pretty, old-​world pub serving Samuel Smith’s beer. A bit distressed; a bit empty.
Directed upstairs for food, we look at the menu. The menu is a sort of Greatest Hits album of crap pub food from the 1980s and 1990s. You can entirely imagine the kitchen it’s coming out of, which in my head was one hungover cook with a microwave and a deep-​freeze. So my girlfriend orders Now That’s What I Call Microwaved Chilli Con Carne With Some Sad Doritos and I eventually go for a cheese and pickle sandwich, with some trepidation. The barman, who is charming but perhaps a bit under-​prepared for the rigours of cheese sandwich ordering, takes some time to get this order in, and I start to suspect people don’t come here for the food. He calls downstairs. «Who’s in the kitchen? … Oh, is he still in bed?», this conversation begins. I place a mental check mark next to the ‘hangover’ portion of my kitchen fantasy.
As I cross the room to the bar there’s a sharp pain as the heavy wooden door of a sideboard, which had been leaning rakishly against the unit because the hinges had broken, chooses this moment to topple over, catching me in the Achilles tendon. The barman is profusely apologetic — «I keep telling the company to fix that, but they never send anyone», he chuckled at one point — but this goodwill does not extend to, say, waiving the 1.5% levy on card payments that I am charged while paying.
I limp back to my seat and await the Dolorous Sandwich. And lo, it arrives 20 minutes later, the most desultory cheese and pickle sandwich you can imagine. Of course it comes with soggy, half-​cold oven chips! Of course! The chilli is about what you’d expect, too, a sort of dull brown paste and a sand-​castle shaped cone of rice.
It is probably unfair to judge this place on the food, so let me at least mention the two different Samuel Smith’s beers I tried, both of which were quite nasty. The wheat beer on tap tastes like a bland alcohol-​free Hoegaarden, and the Pale Ale (bottled) was like a pale ale, except cut with nail-​polish remover. I would like to enjoy Smith’s beers — the design on the labels is very charming, and it’s not some global mega-​brand like Budweiser — but having drunk the lager, the wheat bear and the ale so far, I don’t like any of them.
One star because the barman was nice, basically, and the drinks reasonably cheap.

Cool old school pub with outdoor seating.
The Unilocal map location is wrong.

Oh wow! I stumbled into this place (like another reviewer mentioned would happen, i was kind of lost when I found it, lol!)…I was in need of a drinky drink to calm the nerves. I ordered a vodka-​soda and almost choked when I was only charged£2.60!!! I asked if it was a Sunday special or happy hour but nope, spirits are quite affordable! Yay! Granted, it wasn’t super strong and didn’t put hair on my chest, but shit, it was fine! I’m not always in the area, but if I am, I’ll make sure and try to stop by. Nice outdoor and indoor seats.

Just outside of the Covent Garden hubbub, and therefore slightly off the beaten path for tourists… you’ll find this very reliable pub. Excellent prices, less than a fiver for a pint and a half! Very good beer and ale selection, with a number of choices available from Samuel Smith brewery.
The décor is very traditional pub, featuring dark wood panelling, small tables, benches and short round stools. As it is centrally located and not usually filled with tourists, I find it a convenient «London pub» stop for non-​Brits.

What an affordable pint in the sunshine in central London? The Crown is for you. A Samuel Smiths boozer, it has all it’s original character and charm but with cheap as chips pints, wine and spirits.
They have a small outside area, it’s nothing to look at but it gets the sunshine in the afternoon and after a hard day shopping its great to sit and soak up the good weather we have at the moment. Inside you’ll find a selection of large tables great for an after work pint or even spreading out the aper on the weekend. I really like this pub, it’s a gem in central, there for all your needs.

This is a nice old pub, though, being so central, they do play off the whole «olde worlde» thing a bit too much.
But it’s a Sam Smith’s pub. Everything’s decent and, in London, everything’s super cheap due to the Yorkshire prices. It’s hard to beat them.
not a whole lot else to say, really. Like all the Sam Smith’s, they’re cheap, good, and all over central London, proving that a pint needn’t cost much more than a couple of quid.

It’s a sam smiths pub so don’t go for the food. Do however go for the cheap pints, comfortable seating and (almost unique to this area of london) ample outside space (with tables).
Due to it’s location it doesn’t attract the shopping crowd or many office workers but instead is regularly swamped by theatre goers and lost tourists. The lost tourists often wander off after one if they stop at all (the pub doesn’t allow children in and gives off that «local pub» vibe that puts off the uninitiated) and the theatre crowd can be relied upon to give up their seats once doors open. I’m generalising here but I’ve never had a problem finding a table even when the place was packed.
The staff keep to themselves but really know their stuff so you’ll get served in turn and get the right drinks. It’s also gamer friendly (which is handy considering how close it is to the best games stores in London) and I’ve spent many an afternoon playing cards (flux, gloom, munchkin, rummy etc.) on their tables.
Cheap, reliable, comfortable, has outside seating and friendly regulars. If you like «local» pubs this is a good substitute, possibly the best in Soho.

The Crowns ist ein typischer britischer Pub im Herzen von London. Mit nur 2 – 3 Pfund für ein Bier liegt die Preisklasse hier sehr niedrig. Das Crowns hat zwei Stockwerke und eine nette, eher traditionelle, Einrichtung. Das Personal ist sehr freundlich. Alles im allem lohnt sich das Crowns sehr für den Anfang einer lustigen Kneipentour!

Nice pub on New Oxford Street, about 5 minutes walk from Tottenham Court Road tube station. Very convenient for stopping in after you have been shopping around Oxford Street. The pub is quite spacious and has plenty of seats, very comfortable and warm. They do serve basic pub food (sausages, pies) at decent prices but I haven’t tried it so can’t vouch for the quality. Good quick service and fairly reasonable prices for central London.

Selon moi, un des meilleurs Pub de Londres (et j’en ai testé beaucoup). Pour seulement 1£72 (prix en 2007) vous pouvez coutez une excellente bière, la Samuel Smith Sovereign Best Bitter. Pour les personnes qui né boivent pas d’alcool, vous pouvez aussi profitez de ce pub exceptionnel grâce à un magnifique jus d’orange fair trade qui se boit tout seul :)
Un petit conseil: terrasse + chips au jalapeneos + sovereign best bitter + un ou deux amis (voir plus) = vous verrez, vous reviendrez ;)

Un vrai pub anglais. Une bière incroyable: la Samuel Smith Sovereign Best Bitter. Vraiment pas cher, on se pose sur la petite place derrière et on apprécie la majesté de cette pinte.

I love love love love this pub in summer when everybody, from the after work crowd to clubbers heading out to the End round the corner congregates in the big pavement space out the back of the pub. Lights are strung up and the crowd bubbles over with excited chatter and cheap drinks as the sun gradually fades. It is a bit annoyingly difficult to nab a seat if it rains or is winter but people are often pretty hardy, especially since the smoking ban, and it’s not unusual for people to stand outside regardless of the weather. Being a Sam Smith’s it’s also brilliantly cheap without seeming budget or disgusting. Just get there early to be sure of getting a seat.

Homely, warm, comforting.
Traditional British pub. Just not enough of these around these days.
They do a wonderful selection of organic cider and beers, which makes it stand out from the norm, while still retaining the traditional British pub feel.
The interior is warm and comforting, perfect for a rainy day.
Not much more you can say, except this is a Gem.