The Blue Posts, W1

The ground floor bar is wooden floored and has the bar along a side wall. The bar back contains some shelving which has a number of cat figures as well as miniature spirit bottles and various other bits and pieces and there is a collection of whisky boxes on top. A small and intimate room with a row of seating opposite the bar at cushion seated benches at small square tables. There are also a row of bar stools which were occupied by a mixed selection of what seemed to be regulars as they knew the staff. I didn't visit the upstairs bar, but I imagine it provides welcome additional seating as the ground floor is easily filled. I did however visit the gents and for reasons I can't fathom there is a full size figure of a bear outside which is made up of conifer tree clippings. I didn't enquire. Four handpumps, three on the choice being Pride, Tim Taylors Landlord and Hop Back Summer Lightning (£3.50). Not a bad selection. Food advertised looked to be simple fare and well priced, eg salt beef sarnie £4.95, beef and tomato soup £3.45, bacon and brie sandwich £3.90. Live jazz takes place on Sunday afternoons but as for other entertainment I didn't see a TV although there was a radio playing with the irritation of the advert breaks. Entrance was via a side door with the front door open but blocked off which although allowing for some air also let in second hand smoke from the people sitting at the couple of outdoor tables. All in all not a bad Soho pub with a local feel and seemingly free of tourists on my Saturday afternoon visit.

I have to disagree with the Rattus on this one, they have an outstanding swing band on a Sunday afternoon, worth visiting for that alone although i have never had a bad pint in there. Ok, nothing unusual or outstanding either but in central London consistancy is pretty rare. So pop in on a Sunday, get there early, it gets packed and enjoy !!!

This is one of five pubs with this name in Central London – and there used to be at least one more – apparently named after the boundary markers of the ancient Soho hunting ground. They had three ales on when I was in; Timothy Taylor Landlord, Hobgoblin, and London Pride (£3.20 a pint). The food looked to be basic and fairly cheap – e.g. Cottage Pie at £3.95, but I didn’t sample it. This is a small, one-room bar downstairs, but there was a sign for an upstairs bar, but I didn’t investigate it. The windows are an attractive feature, being comprised of many small panes of glass, giving something of a Dickensian look to it. It’s bare-boarded with green upholstered benches on the right hand side, with a few stools, a couple of chairs, and a few normal tables. There was a radio being played. I suppose this is not too bad when music is on (although I would gladly do without it), but the seemingly incessant advertisements are annoying. There was a distinctly unpleasant, perhaps musty, smell when I was in there. There’s nothing really to recommend this pub that makes it stand out from its peers – it’s distinctly average, and not really worth the effort of seeking out.