The Nag’s Head

The most authentic English pub experience I’ve ever had the pleasure to enjoy! The zero tolerance on the no electronics rule is welcome, and it brings about the lost art of talking to people !
From the moment I walked in the Bartender Noreen was welcoming and had such a straightforward way about her that she had me laughing and part of the ongoing conversation almost immediately.
The regulars are some of the most interesting people you’ll ever meet with stories that will amaze! Was seranaded by a 90 year old war vet, singing songs over a hundred years old ! The walls are covered in relics and memorabilia and the atmosphere is exactly what a proper pub should be– dimly lit, cozy seating and a take no prisoners owner. if you want to forget your manners and are the type to complain while a guest in anyone’s home then this place is not for you!
Hang up your coat ! Turn off your phone order a drink and join the conversation !
I will go back every time I am in town. Wonderful experience that I couldn’t have paid for.

If you are American don’t go here. Just left and the owner was the rudest person ever. He Hit me on the shoulder and instructed me to hang my coat up after staring at me in a rude manor for 15 minutes. I would not suggest that anyone goes to this bar. They don’t deserve your $. This is my first post that I have ever made on Unilocal but this impression will not be forgotten.

Old classic english pub, good service and great beers. They keep the authentic feel with no cell phone usage. Wasn’t busy when we came here.

This place is an institution. Went for a couple pints of Guinness today and had a lovely time. The décor is definitely what you would expect from an authentic old pub, appropriately themed with saddles and horse stuff (nag = horse). They have old photographs, poetry, letters, and newspaper clippings covering for nearly every inch of the walls and ceilings.
The service was pub-​like, to-​the-​point but friendly. Had a great chat with both bar tenders. The prices were a bit steep, 5 pounds for a pint of Guinness, but it’s not out of the usual for what we’ve paid elsewhere.
**No cell phones are allowed inside!** Loved this. The owner said he wants people to simply BE when they’re here. Drink, connect, don’t worry. How great is that?! We got clarity that people can check their phones bee idly but shouldn’t make or recieve phone calls inside, and pictures are allowed if you ask first. Wish more places did this.
We sat for a couple of hours looking through the books have laying around as part of the ambiance and chatted with thee locals. They also have homemade food you can order. We only had drinks. Great place to hang for a bit!

Great traditional, historic, and authentic English pub!
The food was great (for the price range, about 10 quid or less), and the beer was perfect.
I love and applaud the owners for enforcing the no cell phone rule (they say that if pure caught talking on your phone then you will be asked to take it outside… Not sure how the rule applies to checking your phone for text messages, etc.).
The pub also has a rule that you must hang your coats, in order to make more room for others.
I went on a Sunday morning so it was virtually empty. But, I would love to visit this place on a Friday or Saturday evening and see/​meet any locals that frequent there.
Overall, for someone visiting or living here from another country like myself, I’d highly recommend making a stop for a pint and the daily roast special at this pub.

My father-​in-​law and I could not have had a better experience. Spent an afternoon hanging out with Doreen (?) and Kevin the owner. They couldn’t have been more hospitable and provided for many a good laugh. Can’t wait to go back next time in London.

A great pub (not a restaurant) where you can’t use mobiles (the proprietor will kick you out if you do). It’s tiny with low ceilings and lots of décor on the walls. You should definitely pop in if you want to grab a pint in an authentic non-​touristy pub!

Before you search out The Nag’s Head… before you read any further… Let this sink in… THIS IS A PUB.
This is not a restaurant passing it’s self off as a pub. This is a pub. This is not a club passing its self off as a pub. It is a pub. This is not a coffee shop passing its self off as a pub. It is a pub. This is not a tourist destination passing itself off as a pub. It is a pub.
This is a PRIVATELY owned English pub. Meaning it is not Fridays, or Applebees, or some other cookie cutter chain. The owner can do as he sees fit when he likes and he can change his mind if he is so inclined. (This pub is not affiliated with other «nags heads».)
I am a tourist when I visit The Nag’s Head. As such, I respect their local customs becuase it is not my home where I take off my shoes and put my feet on the furniture. If you expect an extensive menu, that’s not a pub requirement. The food is simple, nourishing, and English. People go to pubs primarily to have a beer and socialize with friends. If you are ethnocentric and are lacking social skills, I wouldn’t expect any staff to feel obliged to go out of their way to hold my hand.
I have never had a negative experience in the handful of times I have been to this pub. In fact, I seek out this destination because it has character and the people are real. I treat them with courtesy and I have always found that I have received more than I gave.
If this review seems rough around the edges and dissuades you from coming to The Nag’s Head, that just makes it easier for me to find a seat…

I’m giving this 3 stars for the décor. The fact is if you can find it, it’s worth it to nip in and have a pint. Staff was friendly. Food was limited and traditionally British. The lower floor was a bit septic smelling. Oh well you can’t have everything.

We went to this pub because of Unilocal’s recommendation. The place have history written on the walls (old pictures and decoration), a proper English pub but I totally disappoint the good critics. The staff was so rude with us, small selection of food and guess what… The beer prices were different just because we looked like tourist! (Same beer £5 for us, £4.5 for another customers behind us) On the top of that, the «No mobile phones» policy is only for clients as the waiter was checking her smartphone constantly. If you want to go to a nice pub in this area, avoid this crappy one.

Nice pub and staff.
The food isn’t the best but for a pint or two this pub is a hit

Nice English pub. Didn’t have hardly any food. It’s like going to someone’s house if you’re into that.

Cute little pub, staff and pubbies are friendly and make you feel welcome. I liked the Adnams Bitter best of the many ales I drank during my visit to the UK. A little more hoppy than some of the others I’ve tasted which suits my taste.
This pub has the best pub atmosphere of all that I visited and reminds me more of the type of pubs I enjoyed in the countryside.
Best for small parties like 2 – 4.

I have to admit, the final stop on my tour de pubs date was my favorite. The place was practically cleared out — potentially due to the fact that it was nearing a late hour for a Wednesday. Another historic pub, but this one had a great feel to the entire place. The main floor gave the feeling of sitting on an old pirate ship.
They didn’t carry my now standard order of Rekorderlig Strawberry Lime Cider, so I ordered the Aspall Suffolk Cyder on tap. Jolly good choice.
We made friends with a trio of very drunk and chatty Brits who wanted to know «our story». No question was apparently off limits, and though it was very intrusive, it was also a witty cherry on top of a great night.
This pub was amongst my favorite places in London. Maybe the company I was in didn’t hurt, but the venue was awesome on its own.

I found this place because of Unilocal,so I wanted to add my raves. It is as classic of an English pub as you are going to get and I just loved it. I had a couple of lagers and the Shepard’s pie after a swim in the Serpentine Lido in Hyde Park. Both were just what I needed to bounce back for more tourist-​ing, but what really makes this place special are the people. The bartender was just the right mix of surly and friendly, and I could sit and listen to the regulars banter back and forth all day. If you have a moment to look, there’s a book on the shelf that covers the history of the pub that a regular visitor wrote and published on his own. Seriously, if you are in London, just go here and try not to fall in love — I dare you.

The nag’s head! ah, my second vacation day in London after 3 years.
so we stopped there, my cousin and i, because i felt like having a real british pub experience. note that I am from Montréal and am very much used to the hundreds of irish pubs out there and a certain standard of service.
first things first, it’s a cool looking bar, seriously. nice chandeliers, warm atmosphere, and some quite good beers too. yes, quite good. brits aren’t that great at making beers.
now the downside: the service. i dunno if it’s the british thing to do but wow, the girls working there were not that friendly at all. mind you, i was there around 7pm, which usually means end of happy hour and it wasn’t that busy. 4 people standing around, chatting and completely oblivious to my presence. i mean, i am a pretty good looking dude and waiting at a bar to be served is acceptable only if the bartenders are doing something. other thing to note if you are not from here, pay at the bar then go get a seat, on and on it goes. therefore, don’t just go sit and expect to be served.
apart form that it was a cool place to have a pint. just try to get their nicest waitress, the one who likes her job. there is always at least one in every bar.
Cheers.

The problem with cool little pubs in London is that if they are really good, friendly, local pubs, then they get written up on American web sites like Unilocal and become filled with us Americans taking pictures of us being in local pubs drinking with local Londoners and thus are no longer really good, friendly and local.
Been here twice, the second time there was one other American there — but she knows the owner and acts like a local.
A young woman walked in talking on her cell phone and they made her go back outside. I like that rule. She argued in her thick cockney accent, but she lost the argument and hung up.
Next time I am coming for the Sunday Roast. The food smelled great, but I already had dinner so it was just a pint and some conversation for me this time.
The owner and the others there are grumpy, mean, and snarly. Don’t go here :).
and if you do go, leave quietly else you will disturb the neighbors.

For photos and more please visit my blog:

I really feel though that I should give The Nag’s Head in Belgravia, a short walk from Knightbsridge tube station, a mention, because I have spent some time in this area desperately searching for a drinking hole which is neither extremely posh and expensive nor a tourist trap.
Correct me if I am wrong, but The Nag’s Head must be the only place in this area that fits these criteria. So now that I have finally found such a pub, it would be very mean not to share it with you.
You find it after you have passed a couple of overpriced and equally underwhelming restaurants in the bend of a small mews, which is interestingly called Groom Place. There must have been a lot of grooming going on in the olden times. The pub is old fashioned, traditional and very cute. I think this is how pubs used to look like before the pub chains took over and it appears to not have changed in 50 years. The publican looks like he’s worked there since the beginning which gives the place some added charm.
I can’t comment on the beer as I have only ever drunk whiskey there (yes I am a lush) and they do have my favourite, Lagavulin. I don’t know anything about the food either (I did see some plates being carried past me which did not look very promising), what I know though is that the staff is very friendly, the patrons a very non-​Knightsbridge/​Belgravia appearing mixture (meaning not wearing Prada and Gucci and looking like coming straight from hairdresser/​sytlist) of young and old and the atmosphere is very pleasant and convivial.
So, should you need some break after you have stormed the sales at Harvey Nicks (or is any of my readers shopping there WITHOUT sale? good for you!), this is the calm and invigorating oasis you need to regain your strength. Cheers!

OK, I will only write this review if you promise not to tell ANYONE about this pub. Save it for yourself and your favourite people only. Deal? OK.
I paid my first visit to the Nag’s Head having just spent twenty quid on one (yummy) drink at the Intercontinental Hotel bar in Mayfair. I guess this contrast of venues could be described as going from the sublime to the ridiculous, but I’d prefer to say from the sublime to the fabulous.
Before we got to the Nag’s Head we were informed that this particular pub has two strict rules. 1: You HAVE to hang your coat up. 2: Mobile phones are BANNED. And, lo and behold, when we entered the most charming pub I’ve ever laid my eyes upon, there are coat hooks in every available nook, and little polite notices reminding patrons to switch off their mobile devices; a rule which I was delighted to comply with.
Service was the friendliest you’ll ever find in London. There are two small rooms, both cosy and welcoming with roaring fireplaces. But what made the night for me was the clientele, and the classic ‘London pub’ atmosphere. One table in the corner was occupied by some dapper-​looking chaps in their 70s. And, all of a sudden, one of the gentlemen whipped out a pair of drumsticks from his jacket pockets and started drumming rock ‘n’ roll rhythms on tables, glasses and — at one points — our heads (gently!) whilst singing the songs. Before long the entire pub was partaking in a singalong of ‘rock around the clock’. It was magical. And a moment I’ll always remember.
I can’t promise that the drumming fellow will be there if and when you decide to give this pub a whirl, but the charming staff, the cosy atmosphere and unbeatable secret-​mews location should be more than enough to encourage you to pay the Nag’s Head a visit. I cannot WAIT to take people there.

Charming pub hidden away in a back street near Knightsbridge station. The old fashioned décor and paraphernalia like an old till really add to the feel here.
Here they insist you hang up your coats and switch off your mobile phones (although I didn’t see this enforced at any point). I like this though, because the feel of this pub would be seriously disrupted by posh blokes chorusing ‘yah yah yah’ into their pocket microwaves.
The barmaid was excellent, twice the average speed I reckon and laughing most of the time too. There are a few tables up front, with a larger cosy area down the stairs to the left of the bar.
The only downsides were the lack of ale choice for a free house (just Adnams. bitter or broadside) and the price (think I paid £3.60!), but this is a lovely old fashioned pub (300+ year history) that I would recommend a visit to