The White Swan, Covent Garden, WC2

Nice enough but typical Nicholsons pub,the beer range on my visit was a little ordinary, and my Nicholsons (St Austell) Pale was very average,had a taster of the only beer I wasn't familiar with, Peerless Dark Matter, a zero hopped beer, unfortunately it was sharp and sour, totally off, told the barman but didnt see the clip removed. I would say the pubs worth a look but wasn't over impressed.

This is a relatively new Nicholson’s pub, having converted from an O’Neills a year or so back, with a prime location between Leicester Square and Covent Garden. The pub has a straightforward single room layout with the servery down the right hand side. There’s loads of dark wood, on the floor, walls and servery, which works well in the dimly lit interior to create a warm, cosy environment. There is a small, open area at the front with a few standard tables and chairs, before the pub narrows as it passes the servery, allowing just enough room for some small tables and drinking ledges. The nicest area is to the rear, past some semi partitioning where high tables and stools can be found with a padded banquette along the right hand wall serving a couple of tables. A couple of TV screens were on during our visit, both showing muted rolling news whilst music played quite loudly over the sound system, although it was late on a Friday night, so perhaps that is to be expected and it certainly wasn’t as loud as in the Roundhouse over the road. There is a dining room upstairs, strictly for those wanting food only, so I didn’t bother to explore. A long bank of hand pumps offered Daleside Old Leg Over, Adnams Lighthouse, Great Heck American Classic, Harviestoun Bitter and Twisted and Fullers London Pride. Three more pumps had clips that were turned 90 degrees and looked like they might still be available, but when I ordered one of them, I was told they were all off, although no attempt was made to turn them fully around. The barman helpfully offered us tasters of a couple of the available options without prompting, and as a result we came away with an outstanding pint of the American Classic, so credit to him for that. I imagine this place gets packed out at times, thanks to its location as much as anything else, but judging by this visit, it deserves to be popular in its own right. For my money, it is one of the better pubs in the Covent Garden area and I’m sure return visits will be forthcoming.

This pub was for many years an O’Neill’s bar, but with its recent rebranding as a Nicholson’s pub it has reverted to its original name of The White Swan. The interior is somewhat different to the pub that I knew in the 70s. It used to have a small separate bar in the front as you enter, with a larger room reached by going round to the back of the central server. Now it’s essentially one room. At the front you have a few normal tables and chairs plus the inevitable tall tables/stools. The bar counter is still on the right, and past it is what I reckon is a more comfortable area, with some bench seating and more standard tables and chairs, a large rug on the floor, and some interesting large framed prints on the walls. Now to the important bit. There are eight handpumps on the counter, all in use, and although there were a couple of the usual suspects (Pride, Doom Bar) there were some less regularly seen offerings. But it’s not particularly cheap – the half of Moorhouse Black Cat I had was £1.85. Sandwiches ranged from £6.45 to £6.95, and the usual pub grub was available. Again it’s not cheap – but we are a stone’s throw from the tourist trap that is Covent Garden – with, for example, the shepherd’s pie coming in at £9.95. It does have the West End cachet and feel (as well as the prices) about it, but as far as I’m concerned it represents a valuable addition to the real ale outlets in this part of the world, and is a considerable improvement on its previous incarnation. I would visit again.