The Nags Head, Belgravia, SW1

A great little pub well described below,the kind of pub well worth searching out and a must inclusion on a crawl of the area.The only downside for me is the Adnams beer, not my favorite but even with that major consideration this pub gets an 8/10 from me for its honest authentisity

This is a wonderful little split-level pub full of all sorts of oddities collected by the landlord over the years. The entrance takes you into the main bar, with some limited low stool seating, a lit stove in a small fireplace and a very low, curved bar counter. There are stairs on the left hand side of the room that lead down to a similarly sized room, also with a lit fire, although this one also boasted some fireside seating as well. There is slightly more seating on the lower level, but it all gets a bit cramped when all the tables are occupied. The joy of this pub is that every inch of wall and ceiling space has been covered with various pictures and artefacts. This was perfectly illustrated when, wondering why my back was so cold, I turned round to discover that I was leaning against an old coin collection that was stuck to the wall behind me. The ceiling in the back room is covered in an impressive collage, whilst the small landing area near the toilets has a saddle and a couple of extremely old slot machines among other things. Even the cash register is of the antique variety. A strange jazz style soundtrack played throughout my stay and seemed an appropriate choice given the setting. The pub is a freehouse, but Adnams beers seem to be the norm here, with Southwold Bitter, Broadside and Old Ale (£3.90) available on my recent visit. The Old Ale was a very nice pint and I was served by a friendly barmaid who helpfully pointed out that I might still be able to find a seat downstairs. It's interesting to read the reviews below and see how the pub has polarised opinions. I found it to be a really interesting place to spend some time and thought it had a lot of character in an area where you don't expect to find something so far out of the ordinary.

This pub has remained unchanged since I first visited it getting for twenty years ago. Now I regard stability of this kind as a very good thing in a pub. There are knic-knacks and curios in just about every available bit of space on the walls and ceilings, which have the appearance of having been collected over a long period of time rather than bought in as a job lot. Whenever I’ve been in here they have had Adnam’s ales on – during my visit on Thursday they had Adnam’s Bitter, Broadside and Gunhill on offer. Bitburger German lager was also available. I’ve had a snack in here in the past, and I have to say that the sandwich was ordinary by any standards, but you don’t come here for the food. This is a pub of real character, and definitely worth a visit to experience a pub that is unique in this very well-heeled part of the world.

Researching this one before my visit, its obviously one of extremes, a Marmite kind of place? I couldn't fault the interior and seemed very different to a lot of other London boozers, its on split levels and very old fashioned, in the very best way, lots of curios, lots of pictures. There is a fire place on one side. There were three Adnams beers for choice, not my personal favourite, but on this occasion nice. Very quiet, except for the locals around the bar who were anything but and it was a bit cliquey between the oldsters around the bar but I got friendly service and enjoyed the visit. Mind you, the infamous Landlord was missing on my trip. Its a fine old pub.

Initially, this seems like a wonderful place to sink a couple of pints. There’s an interior timewarp factor of about 1936 and the place has a great ambience about it - you'd be hard-pressed to remember that you're in central London after 15 minutes on a Saturday afternoon. Even the till is ancient, and there are a couple of old (but working) one arm bandits on the way to the bogs. The interior is split-level and snug due to its narrowness. The drawback begins with the beer. Its limited ale range (Adnams Broadside and Bitter) is ok but it’s expensive and sometimes quite badly kept. I'd like to give them the benefit of the doubt and assume the rent for the place is sky-high given where it's sited but if that’s so, they should be keeping the beer top-notch in order to get the punters in, surely? I'd love to get my hands on this pub, rip out the Stella and Guinness and stick a few extra ale lines in. The problems extend to the staff, where the service is often grumpy, verging on the downright rude. An enigma - a place that really should be indispensable but tries its damnedest not to be.

The Guv’ner and long established owner of this delightfully quirky hostelry is one of the most legendary landlords, in old London Town, Kevin Moran, a publican very much of the old school. Indeed, whilst some call it the Nags Head; others know it as Kevin Moran’s. What can one say about Kevin? He’s one of a kind. What awaits visitors to this unique tavern is a wonderful collection of unusual theatrical memorabilia, bric-a-brac and object trouvé from a bygone era. It is like stepping into a surreal time capsule. The Nags Head’s bijou dimensions only add to its charm and one can sit cheek by jowl with theatrical and media celebrities who frequent this watering hole. You may be lucky and catch a glimpse of the famed actor who played Pingu Patterson, idol of the TV series Grange Hill. There are some truly magnificent eccentric characters that use this pub and it is a great place in which to people watch and be entertained. I wouldn’t be in the least bit surprised to find Mike Leigh busily scribbling notes to get material for a new play, a pub version of “Nuts in May” or “Abigail’s Party”. The TV comedy character Victor Meldrew was surely conceived in a place just like the Nags Head. It’s that kind of inspiring pub. In naval parlance, Kevin runs a tight ship; it is run in a way that his kindred spirit, Sid Perks the famous landlord of the Archer’s pub, the Bull in Ambridge, would approve. Yes, there are rules, for example: no mobile phones and no unseemly behaviour; the landlord likes coats to be hung up and bags out of the way. These rules are in place for a reason, just ask Kevin why. The real ale is kept well, “pubby” home cooked food is to hand and the piped music reflects the landlord’s unconventional tastes. I just love that folksy Irish music. Why not seek out this little gem, the Nags Head theatre of life? Entry is free and performances are continuous. You won’t be disappointed.