Shakespeare's Head, Soho, W1

Situated in a tourist hotspot, this is a corner pub first recorded in the early 18th century, but rebuilt in 1927 with a smattering of brewers’ Tudor to the interior and unsurprisingly, operated by Greene King. There’s a chequered bar apron and worn wood floor, a burgundy Anaglypta ceiling, fake mediæval chandeliers with filament bulbs, an ugly electric advertising board which looks like a smaller version of something you see at a bus stop and American football played on multiple TVs, which no one was watching, with sound turned down so as not to interfere with the banal music. Customers were a bit weird, some overly sauced. Ales: GK IPA, London Glory, some own-brand beer I dared not try and the ubiquitous Landlord, neither price nor tasting notes recorded. The first reviewer sums this place up perfectly: ‘If this pub was down a back street they would have to get their act together, but they can do whatever they like and still make a profit due to the fantastic location.’ Yup. This is one of the worst pubs in Soho.

Located next to the iconic Carnaby Street sign this is not a bad pub although some of the prices are clearly designed to punish the tourists. A traditional bar with leaded windows and some spurious woodwork and half-timbering. Greene King beers with guests.

Official site of Shakespeare's Head - www.greeneking-pubs.co.uk

Official site of Shakespeare's Head - www.greeneking-pubs.co.uk

A square roomed pub on the end of Carnaby Street,several beers ranging from the ordinary to the slightly more interesting but being such a tourist magnet it can be a bit of a mission getting served, personally I would bypass this and carry on down into Soho.