Crown & Two Chairmen, Soho, W1

I came to visit this pub by pure chance. Having been turned away from a packed De Hems on the night of the world cup final, I ventured down the road with a great many other Dutch fans and found this place showing the game on several screens throughout the building. The pub has a large open area with a few tables and high stools dotted around and more conventional pub seating to the rear of the room in an area perhaps best suited to those who choose to eat here. The conditions were clearly not representative of a normal night here, so it was a little difficult to judge the place, but staff coped admirably well with the huge volume of customers and the intense heat around the bar area. There were inevitable delays with the food, but we ordered a sharing platter, which was very good and more value for money than some of the other dishes on a seemingly expensive menu. There were five hand pumps, but just Sharp's Doom Bar and London Pride to choose from, plus Old Rosie Cider. The Doom Bar was very well kept and I sank several pints in a bid to keep myself refreshed in the heat. They also had a good range of international lagers available on draught including Peroni and Red Stripe. There was a cracking atmosphere during the game, including in the smaller upstairs room, which had a large screen to itself, and it was a shame that the result meant that there was a bit of an anti-climatic feeling at the end of the evening. A pleasant enough place and perhaps worth a second look when things are a bit calmer.

Randomness Guide to London - Crown And Two Chairmen entry

Randomness Guide to London - Crown And Two Chairmen entry