Coach & Horses, Mayfair, W1

I have not been here for years, alright decades, but it doesn't seem to have the atmosphere I once remembered. Another slice of Brewers' Tudor inserted into modern surroundings, which still has a wonderful woody interior and some lovely Youngers windows, but feels a bit unloved and touristy. For some reason many of the staff and customers seemed to be American, which didn't help. Another of the many Greene King pubs in the area, with Abbot, IPA and Speckled Hen on pump and TT Landlord as guest. The vast selection of pumpclips over the bar suggests it has been rather more adventurous, but whether this is a post-Covid cutback or a reflection of GK's alleged antipathy to guest beers I could not say.

Official site of Coach & Horses - www.greeneking-pubs.co.uk

Official site of Coach & Horses - www.greeneking-pubs.co.uk

Walking past all of the high end fashion outlets in this part of Mayfair, the last thing I expected to find was a gloriously olde-world looking traditional boozer, but in many ways, that is exactly what the Coach and Horses is. On approach, the place looks fantastic, thanks to its elaborate timbered façade and fine stained glass windows which bear the pub’s name and hint a previous ownership in the form of WM Younger. Once inside, you find a compact two-room ground floor layout, with the bar in the almost triangular shaped front room. This space is by far the nicest, thanks in part to the aforementioned stained glass, but also a nice dark wood porch adjoining a side entrance and an intricate design carved into the ceiling beams. The servery is to the left on entering and has a surprisingly simple panelled counter and plain bar back, enhanced by a hop lined canopy with a large pump clip collection displayed above. Seating is restricted in such a small space, with some odd mid-height tables, stools and banquettes making do. Stairs lead up to a first floor dining room, but they were roped off on a mid-week post-lunchtime visit, so the few diners in attendance had to settle for the rear ground floor room. This was a big let down in comparison to the charming front area – in fact, I’d go so far as to say it is a let down full stop. The room has bare floorboards which eventually give way to new carpet, whilst the walls have been painted in neutral shades with some extremely cheap laminate wood cladding printed to look like decorative tiling, but actually looking cheap and nasty. A low banquette runs along the rear wall and elsewhere there are standard chairs and more of those mid-height benches from the front room. England bunting and Euro 2016 flags further depreciated the room’s stock, but this was salvaged by some excellent black and white photos and old posters which were displayed around the walls. These were evocative images of London’s history which meant there was some worthy visual distraction in an otherwise dull, corporate area. There were only three ales on the bar when I arrived, with Taylor Walker 1730 shown as ‘Coming Soon’. All three were from the Greene King stable, so I passed over the IPA and Abbot Ale in order to try the seasonal Purple Reign. I was initially given a fairly woeful short measure, but this was topped up without fuss on request and seemed to be in pretty good nick, if not quite an ale fit for a Queen (or a Prince). This was the proverbial pub of two halves, with a very pleasant traditional front bar and a disappointing, identikit rear lounge. I enjoyed my visit, although a more exciting beer range would have helped, and would not rule this out when passing through the area in the future.

I haven't been in here since 1987 and I'd forgotten what an unbelievably tiny pub (5 small tables and little standing room) this is. Situated in the heart of Mayfair, this has a timbered interior and fine leaded Wm. Younger's windows. I forget what half I had and what it cost as I was in a terrible hurry to meet someone, but it was fine; service was friendly. Lavatories are down a steep and narrow flight of stairs. This pub is worth popping into but it's not a destination venue.