The Crown, Soho, W1

This is a small L-shaped Nicholson’s pub on the fringes of Soho, just a short walk from Piccadilly Circus tube station. The pub is typical of many central London boozers, with a compact interior causing a significant overspill of customers to find their way out across the pavement outside. The pub has a bare boarded room with the servery on the back wall. The bar has a pretty standard dark wood counter and bar back, the main feature of which is a few carved monkeys which sit atop the bar back shelving, whilst some industrial looking lamp shades hang over the counter. A button backed banquette runs along the front wall under some Nicholson’s branded windows, and it has been broken up along its length by a few wood and glass partitioning screens. A few old photos line the walls in this front part of the pub and there was a TV screen on one wall showing muted news coverage whilst bland pop tunes played in the background. The room extends back down the left hand side where more banquette and chair seating can be found. There is some fine panelling back here plus another TV screen and a nice cabinet full of glasses, tankards and the like. Stairs lead up to the Hickford Room – a typical Nicholson’s first floor dining room which I only caught a quick peek into. Nicholson’s pubs are usually a decent bet for a varied ale range, but this place had a rather uninspired selection comprising Fullers London Pride, Sharps Doom Bar, Nicholson’s Pale Ale, St Austell Tribute and Windsor and Eton Knight of the Garter. The latter was £4.50 for a pint and in modest condition, not really anything to write home about but sufficient to slake my thirst after a delayed journey into the city. I think the Nicholson’s format normally works well in central London but this place seemed to be a weaker version of the chain thanks to the cramped confines in which it operates, which may also explain the underwhelming ale range. Soho is full of slightly above average pubs, many of which are easily interchangeable – you can now add this one to that list.

A small Nicholsons corner pub sticking to a tried and tested and frankly boring formula,beers were a rather bland Hop Stuff Session IPA, Stewarts 80 Shilling,Doom Bore and London Pride, It serves a purpose but not for me.

By Nicholson's standards quite a small plain interior. 6 real ale taps.

This small but busy Nicolson,s pub seemed to be popular with the tourists.Six beers on handpump and I went for an old favourite.Copper Dragon-golden pippen.Good but not as flavoursome as I remember it.Good pub.

This smallish Nicholsons pub is located just off the northern side of Piccadilly Circus in the heart of Soho. It has all the traditional Nicholsons trademarks and is cosy and attractive enough without being anything too noteworthy. The Nicholsons “Famous for…” blurb claims that the pub stands on the site of the Hickford Room, an 18th Century concert Hall where a 9 year old Mozart is supposed to have performed (one report I read said the event was actually cancelled and he was indisposed on the rearranged date) however the venue, which was controversially demolished in 1934, actually stood on the other side of the road and was replaced by the staff annex for the Regent Street Hotel. The name does however linger on in the pub’s upstairs overflow bar which is now known as the Hickford Bar. The L-shaped main bar has bare floors in the bar area with a carpeted rear section. The décor and furnishings are all neat and tidy with leather banquette seating, striking wallpaper and theatre style curtain drapes creating a slightly underwhelming sense of elegance. The rear section has half paneled walls and a large display cabinet in one corner. The decent enough selection of 6 ales included Sharps Doom Bar, St Austell Tribute, Fullers London Pride, White Horse Wayland Smithy, Harviestoun Bitter & Twisted and Thornbridge Jaipur IPA. Food is the general West End chain pub stuff with main courses ranging from around £8-£15 with a few slightly cheaper lunchtime specials also listed. As Nicholsons go, this is about average and the more interesting ale selection does give the place a nod over much of the local competition but you can’t help feel that pubs like this are all too commonplace throughout the West End.