Golden Lion, Soho, W1

Nice comfortable pub.Quite small pub with a limited range of beers Tribute,Doombar and Trumans -Swift which was good.Would revisit as this chain of pubs seem to be improving the beer range and I can usually find something new and drinkable.

This Taylor Walker pub, just off Shaftsbury Avenue, is typical of the sort of compact, single room pub you might expect to find in this part of town. The room has dark floorboards, wall panelling and servery, including the bar back which has an excellent etched mirror bearing the pub’s name. A similar mirror hangs on the back wall with the words ‘Public Bar’ picked out on it, although I struggled to identify evidence of a former two bar layout. The cramped space opposite the bar has been filled with high tables and stools which are supplemented by a drinking ledge running down the left hand side of the room. The ceiling seemed to have a few decorative touches, but they were partly hidden by various TV screens which were showing repeats of the week’s cricket and football fixtures, with music quietly playing over the sound system. An upstairs seating area was advertised, but most punters had spilled out onto the pavement, making the most of the decent weather. The three ales on the bar were certainly more adventurous than those described by previous reviewers. I had a choice of Sharp’s Doom Bar, Growler Lemon Head and Hackney Golden, with Thistly Cross Elderflower Cider taking up an additional hand pump, The Lemon Head was in good shape but it’s not a beer I’ll be trying again, as the lemon taste was far too overwhelming. Bar staff were efficient and cheerful enough, even at last knockings on a busy Friday night. There’s not a great deal of interest here, but I wouldn’t be too quick to write this place off. It’s pretty good by Taylor walker standards and if you’re looking for somewhere to dip into for a quick pint, you can certainly do a lot worse than this place.

The Golden Lion is a typical Soho pub now trading under Punch’s ubiquitous Taylor Walker banner. The main bar is small and quite inadequate for the location and number of people that it often attracts. Without the crowds it would be quite cosy and the place certainly isn’t without a certain charm with some ornate touches in the décor, in particular the attractive ceiling (albeit inexplicably partly covered by fake panels) and some gold painted trimmings. Seating is minimal and generally high tables so more people can be accommodated. There is a well positioned TV (signs advertise both Sky & ESPN for the footie fans). On the more macabre side of things, serial killer Dennis Neilson befriended some of his victims here although I don’t suggest that this reflects the usual customer base. The pub gets notoriously packed but there is an overflow bar upstairs that, whilst generally targeted at diners, is more relaxed with carpeted floors and some attractive latticed windows. I managed to happily park myself at a table without any uncertain looks from the staff. 4 ales available but nothing that you can’t find in any Taylor Walker pub (and there are dozens in the area) – Youngs Gold, Doom Bar, Old Golden Hen and London Pride. Prices were ridiculously high with the Golden Hen at £3.95, around 30/40p more than any of the other Taylor Walker pubs. My pint was topped up from a half full glass already placed under the hand pull and whilst I doubt it had been there long and tasted fine, this isn’t the sort of practice I expect anywhere, let alone at £3.95 a pint. Overall, despite it having some plus points, there were far too many negatives for me to warrant a visit in the foreseeable future.

Had to de-camp to here the other evening when we planned to watch the Holland world cup game in the De Hems Dutch bar but couldn’t get in. Fortunately a decent Dutch contingent who also couldn’t get in came here including a sizeable proportion of Japanese from their restaurants in China town to watch their game, which was also on. As mentioned below the ground floor area is a fairly small space, mainly set up for vertical drinking with three tele screens and for this occasion a large pull down projection screen from the ceiling, so that wherever you stood, you had a good view of the game. There is an upstairs room , but like the reviewer below, I never made it up here. Now an evening when the pub is full of screaming Dutch (of the football supporter type) , is obviously not a typical evening, but the pub seemed OK and the beers were good. Four hand pumps on which included Deuchars IPA and Young’s London Gold, both of which were good and kept going all evening. And as both teams for the incumbent supporters got a result, everyone was happy.

Quite a cramped little pub (at least at ground level - there is another room upstairs which I didn't visit). Three televisions visible from where I was sitting, each of which was showing a different sport and the high mounting meant that many of the customers were staring upwards at odd angles. Four handpumps, mostly the usual stuff but also a decent pint of Butcombe Bitter at £3.29. PS - Look for the sundial.