Coach & Horses, WC2

Located opposite Covent Garden Market and just a short walk from the Strand, the Coach and Horses is a small, welcoming single room pub. The carpeted room has very little space, so tables and chairs have been replaced by high stools and a few drinking ledges around the perimeter. There are several features worth keeping an eye out for, such as the lovely windows at the front of the pub and the impressive ceiling. Plenty of old photos of the market through the years line the walls and a huge pub mirror takes pride of place near the end of the bar. The far end of the bar has a short food counter, but this was empty on my recent late night visit, although signs suggest that hot and cold sandwiches are normally available. Music was playing quietly in the background, just audible beneath the chatter of the customers, although many had spilled out onto the pavement outside, which thankfully made it easier to get to the bar. Courage Best and Shepherd Neame Spitfire are still the two ale choices (as others have mentioned, Guinness is the big seller here) and my pint of Best was at least in good shape. The barman was a very friendly chap who was happy to have a chat with those at the bar whilst getting through the orders. Sitting in here, it’s sometimes hard to believe that the tourist masses are milling around just a short distance away outside, as there’s something of a local’s feel to this place that nearby pubs struggle to replicate. It’s not the most exciting place for beer choice but it is a welcoming spot that is well worth knowing about.

Quite a nostalgic visit for me. Great to see Jim still there. If your into your Guinness then this is the place for you. Good to see some real ales on and are well kept.

The Coach and Horses is a small, welcoming, traditional pub in the heart of Covent Garden's Theatreland. An attractive exterior, featuring hanging flower baskets and retaining Watney Combe Reid etched glass windows, leads into a small single room. Reflecting the landlord's Irish origins, the walls are decorated with Guinness memorabilia, together with golfing and hurling photographs. A fine moulded ceiling and a large Coach and Horses pub mirror add to the traditional feel of the cosy and carpeted interior. Notably, for its location, it's not a tourist orientated pub and it's got a genuineness that better known pubs such as The Coal Hole and The Wellington, with their transient tourist emphasis, can never hope to achieve. Indeed, on my recent Sunday lunchtime visit, a band of obvious regulars were engaged in friendly banter with the jovial Irish landlord, Jim Ryan. Perhaps inevitably, Guinness is popular here and a framed undated newspaper article tells us that it's one of the few pubs here to serve Guinness that comes from Dublin. This is certainly no tacky Irish theme pub. Beers on were Spitfire and Courage Best. The Spitfire - £ 3.20p - was reasonable, but I doubt there's much real ale trade here. A hot food counter serves a limited menu. The size of the pub means that seating is largely limited to bar stools around two sides of the room, which doesn't make for much in the way of comfort. Despite this, and the limited ale selection, I think this pub is worth seeking out