The Porcupine

I met a friend for lunch on Sunday (should have been friends the plural but my friends are rather magnificent at understating how long it will take them to arrive anywhere) and after wasting some time waiting for the late comers outside of Leicester Square station, we decided to head to the first pub in view as pub grub was very much the order of the day.
We were pleasantly surprised to find it wasn’t too busy for lunch time so close to Christmas and we grabbed a table by the main bar rather than upstairs in the dining area. It was quite nice for people watching with Charing Cross Road as busy as ever.
The menu is great for pub food and we agonised for a while over what to order. I wanted a Sunday roast but the bangers and mash was calling to me, as was the skinny share platter. And the steak and ale pie. I even briefly flirted with the idea of fish and chips because while I’m not a fish and chips fan (sorry, England) the table next to us all ordered it and it looked and smelled delicious.
After my friend decided on what she wanted (the share platter, all to herself because it’s Christmas), I was under pressure. I opted for the ham hock roast and was clear to the bar tender about my REAL, GENUINE, LIFE THREATENING allergy to those green vegetables that fall between O and Q in the alphabet.
My friend’s food arrived quite quickly, a huge place of Mac & Cheese, chicken wings and lots of tasty looking dips and snacks. Mine would be out soon so I told her to fire away. Almost 20 minutes later — when my friend had finished — my food arrived. Boo! Hiss! Rubbish.
The meal itself was nice. The serving of ham was very generous and cooked perfectly. I also had a good sized Yorkshire pudding, some crispy roasties and what can only be described as a mountain of green beans. Clearly there was no contingency plans for those of us who die immediately in the presence of those horrible little green things I mentioned earlier. I wasn’t impressed however to discover that when another friend arrived later and ordered a Sunday roast, hers not only arrived much quicker than mine but she was also served kale. KALE! Where was my kale? Do I not deserve kale?!
After sitting for what felt like hours playing ‘Heads Up’ and chatting rubbish, I decided to get a pudding — sticky toffee pudding and custard, no less. It came out quickly and was a perfectly scrummy but not quite scrummy enough to make up for the long wait for my lunch and of course, the greatest scandal of my generation: Hala getting kale and me getting NONE!

Typical British pub, but one actually visited by locals, so thumbs up there. It has your range of warm flat beers along with some familiar faces (ok ok, the «warm/​flat» is 10C vs. the Stella I got at 5C, but on a relative scale… TWICE as warm.) We snagged seats here to watch the rugby, one TV screen in the corner. There wasn’t really a «best place» to sit to see the TV. Lots of people standing outside, and in a well trafficked neighborhood, might be great for people watching.

Across from Hippodrome Casino. Almost time to watch The Saints play. Needed some lunch. GREAT fish & chips. Roast pork belly outstanding.

Ended up in here after a wander around Leicester Square area (this is right next to the Underground). Went upstairs to dining area and had a nice meal with a view. Seating is a little cramped but our waitress was friendly and attentive, and the food was good. I got the honey glazed chicken with bacon with a pint of cider and it was one of the best meals I had in London. Definitely recommend if you’re in the area and want a pub experience.

Es un bar en una esquina, típico ingles, viejo. Pedimos el típico English breakfast por 6 pounds. Muy rico y ración bastante grande. Sitio agradable y tranquilo en u. Barrio donde hay que pasar.

Amazing pub in central London that feels more ‘local’ vs a swamp of tourists. Great service from our waiter and the food was fantastic traditional English pub style.

I met here with a couple of friends before going to see Ghost Stories. They have an upstairs dining room that is quite comfortable with a noise level that makes it possible to talk to each other without yelling, so that’s a plus!
The food was decent to average pub fair, nothing surprising there as most pubs in London, whether chain pub or standalone, seem to offer the same decent, unremarkable food.
However, when it came to paying, it turned out to be a huge problem that out of the three of us two paid cash and one with card. Somehow the single card payment seemed an issue that took a while to resolve.
The staff was very good about it though, so no complaints there!

Sometimes it’s not the food that makes the experience, but the people you’re with. That was the case at Porcupine with our amazing server, Anthony.
I’m positive the food tasted better because of his service. But I can honestly say the food was good too! We ordered some traditional pies and it was everything we hoped for before we ventured to an evening play in the West End.
And in case you think I’m making up the words about our waiter from Breton, he even wrote an adorable card for us before we left. Go for the pies, stay for the service.

So, why is it that the English seem to be able to come up with these magnificent names for their pubs, whereas we Australians simply stick to names like ‘The Royal Hotel’ or ‘The Fitzroy Arms’ or even simply naming them after the suburb, or the street, in which they are located. So, here I was, wondering down Charing Cross Road, visiting the numerous second-​hand bookshops located there, and significantly increasing the weight of my luggage in the process, when I came across this pub.
Fortunately it was still quite early which meant that I could actually walk inside, order a beer, and have a seat. This would not be the case as the day wore on (and it was Easter Saturday as well, so it appeared that people had come from all over Europe to spend the weekend here). It wasn’t necessarily a bad pub (and the fact that I go a seat really did add to my appreciation of the place) but it wasn’t necessarily a stand out star either. Mind you, I can’t really complain about the beers on tap simply because I really can’t expect them to have Coopers Pale available, though they do, without fail, always have the Stella on tap. Mind you, I seem to always get dirty looks when I order pints of Stella in England, which suggests that maybe it doesn’t have the important moniker that it has here in Australia.

Chicken & Mushroom PIE!!!

It was ok– I ordered the seafood basket, didn’t realize it was probably frozen fried… And no ketchup is a huge turn off for Americans! But there were Germans in there that also wanted ketchup! They also didn’t have any milk for the kids.

Another decent Nicholson’s pub. Nic’s always has a solid range on cask with beers from throughout the UK. They charge more than most places for a pint (c. four quid for a basic bitter or golden ale) but they also offer some beers you won’t find elsewhere. And as with all Nic’s pubs, the interior is a nice take on Pub Classic; the staff is relatively friendly; the beers are relatively well kept. A place to only visit out of convenience.

Surprisingly, a good place to duck out and away from the Charing Cross crowds. Reasonable pint prices, nice selection of lagers & ales (Peroni, London Pride, IPA, for a start…). I particularly liked the dark wood, ‘olde’ pub interior décor.
Excellent place to meet people from out of town as it is very easy to find.

The best part of the Porcupine is its location, right in the middle of Charing Cross Road. Friends and I sat outside in their cordoned-​off area, watching the nightlife, enjoying a few drinks, and generally getting silly on a wonderfully nice London night a few weeks back.
Inside is all the makings of what was once a probably beautifully charming traditional pub, but is now plagued by tourists due to the great location. Small tables, warm furnishings, and a quick bar staff make it the kind of place to tuck in, if so inclined, for the whole night. We had three drinks and then sought further adventures elsewhere.
All in all, quite a good stop on a long evening out. Definitely a great tourist spot if you want to see how the locals used to look, even if the feel is a bit gone now.

Quick stop between rain showers. Good ale selection, bathrooms clean, staff attentive. All in all, a good choice.

A nice little pub in the crazy bit of touristville. There was a place to sit. The drinks were cold. The bathrooms were clean. WIN!

Randomly stopped in at this pub to have a drink and relax for a few minutes. It didn’t take long for me to realize it resembled The Coal Hole… they have my favorite cider (Wild Berry), their menu looks familiar, the dark wood is strikingly similar… OH it’s run by the same owners!
The Porcupine has a much smaller bar area but I did notice there was an upstairs where they had a dining area. The bartender was super nice and the place in right next to Chinatown. It’s a winner in my book!

This is a good spot for meeting people before a show instead of Leicester Square tube stop, since it’s always a shit-​show there. Bartenders are mildly friendly at best.
The mulled wine is decent, although it tends to run out quick. They also have little bar bites on the menu like a snack portion of fish and chips which is a nice option if you’re in a hurry. Not necessarily a great destination, but a nice place to stall before you get to yours.

My brother and I were in London from the U.S. and stopped by this place as a part of the complete tourist trap of the «Ale Trail».
From what I remember, this place smelled like an armpit. We got our beers, got our stamp, and bounced.

This is a great, friendly little pub in the middle of «Bookstore Row,» which is how I discovered it. I popped in here for a couple of pints and a rest in the middle of my bookstore crawl. During that magic hour, I discovered Spitfire Ale and a wee lovely Eastern European bartendress. I never got her name, but I remembered «Spitfire,» which probably shows you where my priorities are.
Good service (they’ll let you try the beers) and solid happy hour specials.

Aa Nicholsons outlet serving a good (rotating)selection of real ales from around the UK. Upstairs there is a restaurant that always seems to be busy with a mix of Tourists and Locals.
The staff seem to enjoy working there, which is a bit of a rarity in London.
All in all, well worth popping in if you’re in Leicester Square!