The Glassblower, Soho, W1

Situated just off the northern end of Piccadilly Circus, this triangular wedge shaped pub is ideally located to catch the best (or worst) of tourist London. Now labeled under the Taylor Walker banner, it bears most of the hallmarks of the averageness associated with the brand. The single room interior is quite basic and much smaller than it looks from the outside. Furnishings are predominantly space saving high tables but bagging one is a rarirty. A large pentagonal lantern hangs in the centre of the building but for the most part it is a barren place as far as décor is concerned. There is an upstairs bar / dining room but the “section closed” sign seems to be a permanent fixture on the stairs leading to it whenever I am there. I spotted no TV’s or any signs of the comedy nights that certainly used to be held here so it’s just some bland piped music on the entertainment front. There are 4 ales generally available, most recently Doom Bar, Youngs London Gold, Black Sheep Ale (as opposed to the more regular Best so a bit of a bonus there) and Spitfire (albeit with a “coming soon” clip). The quality is generally quite good and service has on occasions been surprisingly proficient and on one occasion I even had a full pint replaced because of some sediment in the bottom even though I had drunk about three quarters of it. Food is by way of the standard Taylor Walker pub grub menu although you will be hard pushed to find anywhere to sit and eat. There are now so many Talylor Walker branded pubs in the area that they all become much of a muchness and the Glassblower doesn’t really stick out much from the rest. It does a decent enough job if passing by but there’s not enough to go out of the way for.

Randomness Guide to London - Glassblower entry

Randomness Guide to London - Glassblower entry

Excellent triangular shaped bar, its darkish in side, with high tables and stools. Very plesant place to come for a drink, there is a choice of real ale that is well kept

This place feels more like a drinking den than a pub. The barmaid was friendly enough and the choice was fairly good (usual lagers, Bombardier, Landlord, Butcombe, Robins Ransom, Leffe, Hoegarden and Staropramen). The bogs downstairs chucked up a bit of a whiff and there is no outside seating, although there were plenty of people standing outside. It got a little loud with people chatting and the sound of their voices echoing around the room. Not the greatest pub, but OK for a quick pint.