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Detail Pages
The Crown, Soho, W1
St James
W1
W1F 9TP
Pub Type
Nicholsons (Mitchells & Butlers)Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6 of 10) see review guidelines
Will Larter left this review about The Crown
This is a Nicholsons pub on a corner not far from Piccadilly Circus. It's fairly ordinary but well presented. Despite six hand pumps there was only one real ale on the bar at the time of my visit, but this was a very good Sharps Doom Bar, the best of this beer that I'd had for about five years (NBSS 4). The other hand pumps had what may or may not have been a real cider, according to Camra's definition, and three that were marked as being in the process of line cleaning. I'm not sure whether to deprecate the lack of beer choice or celebrate the evidence of one beer being plenty.
My notes made at the time go on at some length about a remarkably large dog that was taking up a lot of the floor space while carefully examining my shoes, perhaps with a view to determining whether they, or I, were digestible. I appear to have survived unscathed.
Date of visit: 15th September 2022
On 25th April 2023
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3739 recommendations about 3476 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about The Crown
Dating from the early/mid-19th century and amazingly not owned by Greene King, for once.
This is a Nicholson’s outlet, which reopened a few days ago after a refurbishment of some sort. The bar front is match boarded of some type and the floor is newly varnished. Smoky blue paint covers the walls, some of which are panelled. The ceiling is either Anaglypta or match board, but white either way. Furniture is conventional with some studded banquettes. Lighting is typical Victorian-style brass and glass with tea lights in orange holders to tables. There are framed prints for décor, banal music for the ears and lavs up steep stairs. Customers are typically transient and relatively young.
Ales: an unused pump, Doom, Ghost Ship (off), Pride and Nicholson’s Pale Ale at a very (for the area) reasonable £2.45 and decent.
This isn’t a bad pub by Soho standards and should probably be top of your list if needing a drink in the area.
On 19th October 2021
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1985 recommendations about 1951 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about The Crown
A small Nicholson's street corner pub with a low ceiling and a side section stuffed full of dining style tables making quite a jumble although there is a large banquette at the rear.Limited seating around the servery,most punters were drinking vertically.Flatscreen were playing womens football,I assume terrestrial TV only available.
There are 6 handpumps but with some reversed that left St Austell Lunar Landing,Nicholsons (St Austell) Pale,a real cider and Wild Beer Belgium Pale (more like a wheat,NBSS 2.5)
There are better Nicholson's ,so not sure why this pub is in the 2020 GBG.Not memorable at all.
On 6th October 2019
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2727 recommendations about 2727 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Ian Mapp left this review about The Crown
Small Nicholsons pubs - instant corporate feel - three or four real ales on - London Pride was added after I had been served. Brew York X Panda was in good condition.
Nothing to really make it stand out from other London Pubs.
On 17th February 2019
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1338 recommendations about 1324 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Crown
This is a small L-shaped Nicholson’s pub on the fringes of Soho, just a short walk from Piccadilly Circus tube station. The pub is typical of many central London boozers, with a compact interior causing a significant overspill of customers to find their way out across the pavement outside. The pub has a bare boarded room with the servery on the back wall. The bar has a pretty standard dark wood counter and bar back, the main feature of which is a few carved monkeys which sit atop the bar back shelving, whilst some industrial looking lamp shades hang over the counter. A button backed banquette runs along the front wall under some Nicholson’s branded windows, and it has been broken up along its length by a few wood and glass partitioning screens. A few old photos line the walls in this front part of the pub and there was a TV screen on one wall showing muted news coverage whilst bland pop tunes played in the background. The room extends back down the left hand side where more banquette and chair seating can be found. There is some fine panelling back here plus another TV screen and a nice cabinet full of glasses, tankards and the like. Stairs lead up to the Hickford Room – a typical Nicholson’s first floor dining room which I only caught a quick peek into.
Nicholson’s pubs are usually a decent bet for a varied ale range, but this place had a rather uninspired selection comprising Fullers London Pride, Sharps Doom Bar, Nicholson’s Pale Ale, St Austell Tribute and Windsor and Eton Knight of the Garter. The latter was £4.50 for a pint and in modest condition, not really anything to write home about but sufficient to slake my thirst after a delayed journey into the city.
I think the Nicholson’s format normally works well in central London but this place seemed to be a weaker version of the chain thanks to the cramped confines in which it operates, which may also explain the underwhelming ale range. Soho is full of slightly above average pubs, many of which are easily interchangeable – you can now add this one to that list.
On 24th July 2018
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about The Crown
A small Nicholsons corner pub sticking to a tried and tested and frankly boring formula,beers were a rather bland Hop Stuff Session IPA, Stewarts 80 Shilling,Doom Bore and London Pride, It serves a purpose but not for me.
On 25th October 2016
- rating: 5
[User has posted 1872 recommendations about 1845 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
hondo . left this review about The Crown
By Nicholson's standards quite a small plain interior. 6 real ale taps.
On 25th October 2016
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 2883 recommendations about 2820 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Crown
Appearance-wise, a fairly typical central London pub. Smaller than most Nicholson's, but with sort of the traditional furniture and decor that you would expect. Hickford dining room upstairs (never visited). You always seem to get a decent pint here from the six handpumps, with NPA, Doom Bar, Truman's Runner, Purity Mad Goose, Ilkley Mary Jane and Andwell 5 Little Fishes (£4.25) available on this visit.
On 11th April 2015
- rating: 7
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
john gray left this review about The Crown
This small but busy Nicolson,s pub seemed to be popular with the tourists.Six beers on handpump and I went for an old favourite.Copper Dragon-golden pippen.Good but not as flavoursome as I remember it.Good pub.
On 7th March 2015
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1023 recommendations about 1009 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Roger Button left this review about The Crown
This smallish Nicholsons pub is located just off the northern side of Piccadilly Circus in the heart of Soho. It has all the traditional Nicholsons trademarks and is cosy and attractive enough without being anything too noteworthy.
The Nicholsons “Famous for…” blurb claims that the pub stands on the site of the Hickford Room, an 18th Century concert Hall where a 9 year old Mozart is supposed to have performed (one report I read said the event was actually cancelled and he was indisposed on the rearranged date) however the venue, which was controversially demolished in 1934, actually stood on the other side of the road and was replaced by the staff annex for the Regent Street Hotel. The name does however linger on in the pub’s upstairs overflow bar which is now known as the Hickford Bar.
The L-shaped main bar has bare floors in the bar area with a carpeted rear section. The décor and furnishings are all neat and tidy with leather banquette seating, striking wallpaper and theatre style curtain drapes creating a slightly underwhelming sense of elegance. The rear section has half paneled walls and a large display cabinet in one corner.
The decent enough selection of 6 ales included Sharps Doom Bar, St Austell Tribute, Fullers London Pride, White Horse Wayland Smithy, Harviestoun Bitter & Twisted and Thornbridge Jaipur IPA. Food is the general West End chain pub stuff with main courses ranging from around £8-£15 with a few slightly cheaper lunchtime specials also listed.
As Nicholsons go, this is about average and the more interesting ale selection does give the place a nod over much of the local competition but you can’t help feel that pubs like this are all too commonplace throughout the West End.
On 20th October 2011
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1239 recommendations about 1233 pubs]