The Yorkshire Grey

I went for an after work drink on Friday, we thought the downstairs pub looked too busy so we went to the upstairs bar for a quick one– it really smelt plus there was no where to sit, and standing in the narrow bar whilst people tried to get past at regular interviews was an experience I wish never to repeat. Also I think I was short changed. Upstairs bar — Don’t do it guys.
After an hour we cracked, and went to check out downstairs — and found to our surprise it wasn’t nearly as busy as we thought and we grabbed a table by the fire. It’s far more pleasant down there. Pub Redeemed.
The Yorkshire Grey sits in the shadows of BBC Broadcasting House, this is the traditional staff boozer for Auntie since years of yore. You can drink and look at the BBC history memorabilia on the walls. Pub wise it’s traditional Sam Smith fayre.

I owe my big brother for lot’s of things over the years, taking me to clubs when I was younger, get me into good music as a kid, taking me travelling, but showing me The Yorkshire Grey a good few years back is up there as one of the best.
Stones throw from Oxford Street, it’s a safe haven from the hustle and bustle, a charming little place with seating outside, a great place to escape and have a couple of pints.
Under 3 pound for an ale and beer really reasonably priced, and no time machine needed, thanks again bruv.

Relax indeed. I love Sam Smiths pubs. Good traditional décor. Friendly staff. Quality beer. Top prices. As long as you happy with a quiet relaxed time. No music in here!

This is a lovely little pub to hang out at the weekend. Great beers, and friendly staff.

Aaaaaand relax.
This pub is just lovely. It is normally quite relaxed on weekday evenings (especially if you come a little later, after the local office workers have finished their post-​work drinks.)
I have actually lost this pub a few times. I know it is close to the BBC broadcasting house… but I have wandered down the wrong road on multiple occasions, searching for it in vain!
Anyway, as the other reviews have mentioned:
— cheap sammy smiths drinks — yay!
— cosy interior with interesting old pictures on the walls
— fireplace to keep you warm in winter
— benches for you to relax on in summer
It’s a nice place to drink so I hope I don’t lose it again!

I hate Oxford Circus.
That being said, I’d battle the throngs of tourists touting children, women with armfuls of shopping bags, guys handing out fliers for who knows what discount/​club night, homeless people selling Big Issue, and all the crowded crowds of crowds…
… for this little safe haven of a pub. It CAN get crowded as well. But somehow, even in its busiest, it still remains cozy. It reminds me of drinking in someone’s house in a strange way. Perhaps it is because of the framed pictures of Churchill and other early twentieth-​century figures on the wall. Or the homey wallpaper.
No… Must be the fireplace.

A very basic Sam Smith’s pub. The staff didn’t seem very friendly when we went, but it’s cheap and the cider is lovely. I prefer other Sam Smith’s.

I really like this pub. I could drone on about how much I like Samuel Smith pubs (BTW there is an App for that!), but I will focus on this one. The atmosphere is good and the outside seats are on a sunny side alley. Enjoy!

The Yorkshire Grey is one of many Samuel Smith pubs dotted around the capital’s centre, and those who frequent pubs regularly will no doubt be aware that once you’ve been in one Samuel Smith’s pub, you’ve been in them all.
The Yorkshire Grey is a nice enough — there’s a cosy upstairs area that seems relatively free from west-​end w*****s that populate every other central drinking hole on a Friday night. Can’t really add more really, except to say that if you want something cosy and quiet (for central), this is worth checking out — but only if you’re near.

Great boozer, smack bang in the middle of town, yet with prices so reasonable, you’ll think they’ve missed a drink or two off of your order.
Its a Sam Smiths pub, so you won’t find any of your ‘recognized’ drinks brands here, but don’t fret, they’ve there own version of most mainstream varieties.
A nice atmosphere in the cosy downstairs bar, with tables outside which are great in the summer. Food is served in the upstairs bar, and is standard pub grub, but again is very good value for money.
When the fire is on in the winter months, its a hard place to leave.

This is one of those great ‘hidden’ pubs that are only very slightly beyond 5-​minutes-​from-​tube territory. Upstairs is a great place to meet friends, especially large groups, as the top bar doesn’t become crowded, even on busier nights.
Bar staff were very friendly on the night we visited, and extremely attentive with the onion rings and chips! Cheap and cheerful in a nice location.

As well as being a nice pub with a friendly atmosphere and decent food, the Yorkshire Grey hosts a weekly poker league at 7.30 on Thursday nights. Free to play, and all welcome — just turn up and join the table.

I never quite know where Fitzrovia starts and stops and I guess I should. However, here we are in pleasant Fitzrovia and a really decent small pub which feels slightly tucked away on one of the less busy cross streets. And a Samuel Smiths pub at that. So good beer at very good prices. Traditional décor (lots of wood) and a good friendly crowd. Perfect post work hang out.

This pub has a good space to sit outside, and lots of space inside and upstairs. It’s recently been renovated downstairs, not that you’d know (it was completely closed for a short while).
Sam Smiths pubs are cheap, no jukebox, no telly, and the food’s good if basic. This one’s normally star-​studded (I saw Danny Wallace, Barry Cryer, and Radio 2’s Pete Mitchell in there in just one week) and is in a quiet area.
And I recommend the stout; you’re welcome to buy me one.

Checklist:
# Sam Smith’s Pub — YES
# Free tables at 6 pm on a Friday — YES
# Roaring fire on cold winter days — YES
# Chips — YES
Don’t go to the Yorkshire Grey. Let’s keep it just for the local workers in Fitzrovia who want somewhere quiet and cosy to end their weeks with a cheap drink and a gossip. If you want to stand for 4 hours with a Budvar shouting your conversation to the person next to you then head a few streets south instead.

A robust little pub it’s decorated in ‘traditional’ style which means wood. And yes compared to the usual pub fare around there it is a pleasant change though being a proper Yorkshire girl myself I’d like to see some more Yorkshire in it than just the name. Absolutely nothing in there made me think of home pubs!
That said it is comfortable and relaxing but soon gets busy. I was served by the world’s most miserable Australian last time I was there. But it is a welcome retreat from the trendy places that try so hard!

A good solid pub in an area of London that is badly in need of them! I love the mix of locals and media types from the BBC just down the road. Perfect place to meet friends if you are looking to catch up and have a beer somewhere you can actually be heard! The food is good and the beer is excellent. Open fires make the place feel cozy and welcoming. Can be crowded at times but if you hang around you’ll usually find somewhere to settle in no time. The staff are really friendly too. A rare find in central London.

The Yorkshire Grey is a great pub! It seems to be quite small, with the main pub downstairs, and a dining room that you are allowed to drink in upstairs. Both floors have a real coal-​burning fire in the Autumn and Winter months.
As with any Samuel Smith’s pub, the style is traditional, and you won’t find any brand-​name drinks being served, but none the less, are still good, at very cheap prices (one beer is under £2 a pint!).
The pub is usually filled with a few locals, but also has many young students and media-​types who go there often too.
The food served upstairs is also some of the best traditional pub food that I have tasted in a long while.

Being a Sam Smith’s pub it’s cheap, but there’s a reason for that. Their own brand spirits and beers are not the best. It takes an age to get served on a Friday night and they have a curious policy of not letting people stand in front of the pub, but shunting them all down an adjacent alleyway.

Lunchtimes in my office are spent like this:
I’m hungry
Me too.
What d’you fancy?
Don’t know.
Me neither.
This conversation happens at about 12 every day. All the time. And today we ended up in the back end of Fitzrovia — it’s a strange area that’s got lots of stuff, but seems to be not as posh as the Charlotte street bit.
The Yorkshire Grey is a tiny little tucked away thing of a pub itself. But there was a sign outside that said ‘hot and cold food’ and ‘lounge bar’ so in we went.
Well, they only did pie (the menu is due to change apparently) and it was fine. Fine, but not brilliant. There was lots of pie choices but no gravy. Everything can be improved with a bit of gravy and I think I’d have been much happier with that. It’s about six quid for pie and chips.
The only thing is, the whole pub was empty. And silent (apart from us talking rubbish.) I never trust an empty pub — I figure if it can’t even pull in a local crowd then there’s something wrong with it.
Everything was ok — the barmaid was friendly (worth the trip according to the guys) and it’s an alright pub. but I don’t think I’ll be going back.