Golden Lion, Soho, W1

A classic old no-frills Soho pub with some interesting ceiling and wall decoration. In typical fashion the ground floor bar is sparsely furnished, with 'additional seating' upstairs and some 'north face of the Eiger' stairs down to the toilets below. A Greene King pub with Abbot and IPA on handpump - the latter was decidedly past its best. Definitely a reminder of what many of the smaller local pubs used to be like, although as I recollect the beer was generally better back in the day.

This pub hasn't changed much since Tris's visit more than two years ago. And what a pokey little place it is, with just half a dozen tall tables and tall stools with drinking ledges around the windows. There were condiments on the tables but I couldn't be arsed to look at a menu, but I suppose it's the usual Greene King stuff. There's some atrractive ceiling decor though, with some gold painted cornicing and friezes. They had on Greene King IPA, Rockin' Rudolph and Morland Original (£2.30 a half). I've never seen the latter beer before, but it's obviously a bogstandard Greene King bitter. I haven't reviewed this pub before, and I don't remember it from when this area was my regular haunt in the 1960s, but there again I don't profess to remember everything from the 60s. I'm not a fan of GK beers so maybe I'm biased, but with what I would regard as a good real ale it would creep into the OK category.

Official site of Golden Lion - www.greeneking-pubs.co.uk

Another pub with a respectable history dating back to at least the early 18th century but rebuilt with a nod to brewers' Tudor in 1930; it certainly looks more unusual than most pubs in the W1 postcode. Inside, and there's a relatively small ground floor bar which appears a little stark and dreary with little to entertain other than two TVs showing random banality early evening, to few drinkers when all other pubs were doing a roaring trade. Down here there's little other than limited tall furniture with tables supporting ugly sauce bottles and drinking ledges below the windows. The floor is modern bare boarded and there are games' machines flashing away. Upstairs, and there's a slightly more comfortable lounge/dining/function room which is carpeted and displays some leaded lights with 'heraldic' stained glass motifs along with another TV. Ales: GK IPA, London Glory, St. Austell's Tribute and Truman's Zephyr which was a bit musty. Apparently serial killer Dennis Nilsen used to pick up his victims here - perhaps he was doing them a favour as I certainly can't think of a reason to return.