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Yet another list with Tris39
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Detail Pages
The Edgar Wallace, Temple, WC2
WC2
WC2R 3JF
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7½ of 10) see review guidelines
Peter Forster left this review about The Edgar Wallace
A rare real ale orientated pub in central London, the Edgar Wallace has been a key pub crawl stop for many years. Quite large and roomy the ceilings are covered with old beer clips and the walls a variety of ephemera. The place is busy with a mix of members of the legal profession and visitors many of whom spill out onto the pavement in good weather. It doesn’t feel too crowded and is usually possible to find a seat. The Harvey’s Sussex Bitter (£6.60 a pint) was a reasonable NBSS 3 but I have had it better. All in all worth a visit if in this part of town.
On 18th May 2026
- rating: 7
[User has posted 72 recommendations about 72 pubs]
Ian Mapp left this review about The Edgar Wallace
My pub of the day - not least as it had excellent Harveys Best on. Felt instantly at home in this very pubbly single roomer, with more seating upstairs. Every surface, including the ceiling, covered in paraphernalia. A high proportion of it tobacco related. Have you ever been in a pub with cigarette packs and matches glued to the wall.
GBG regular, including 2026. I've tried before, but its only open weekdays. Today was Monday.
On 3rd December 2025
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1857 recommendations about 1823 pubs]
Soup Dragon left this review about The Edgar Wallace
Popped in here for a swift half while waiting for an Uber. Steve's review is still good - with the one roomer decked out in old beer mats (ceiling) with beer and tobacco adverts on the walls... the best of which were the two Double Diamond (works wonders) signs. Good service with a few mature blokes in, there was no music or TVs. Four mixed ales on, with TT Landlord, SA Tribute, Southwark's Bankside Blonde and a really pleasant Harvey's Sussex Best Bitter. I wish I had been able to stay longer, great visit.
On 8th October 2025
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3141 recommendations about 3136 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about The Edgar Wallace
First visit back to this one post pandemic and found it still to be a good pub but now with a much-reduced ale range from a few years back and also for my visit only four of the eight chrome ale pumps were badged. These were dispensing Purity UBU, Crouch Vale Brewers Gold, St Austell Proper Job and Southwark’s Bankside Blond. Between us we tried all four and all were in very good condition.
The inside of this pub is however completely unchanged and every inch of the ceiling is still covered in one of the most impressive beer mat collections you are likely to see and equally impressive is the collection of period alcohol and smoking product adverts that festoon the walls. And it was good to find the shelf with the collection of Edgar Wallace crime novels still in situ.
So perhaps not the real ale Mecca this was pre pandemic, but it is still a cracking pub.
On 29th March 2023
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2351 recommendations about 2197 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about The Edgar Wallace
Dating back to at least 1777 and rebuilt in 1891, this renamed from the Essex Head to the Edgar Wallace in 1975, to commemorate the century since the author’s birth; his crime novels adorn shelves by way of décor.
Of great note here, is the vast collection of fags ‘n’ beer themed memorabilia; at last, a pub where the publican has got its priorities right. There are also old soap powder boxes, with thousands of beer maps to the ceiling; it’s like drinking in the Museum of Brands. There are also a great many pump clip faces too, hinting at the pubs main strength. Furniture is higgledy-piggledy, the floor is part grey lino or carpeted; customers are somewhat eccentric, certainly not barristers’ clerks, given the pub’s location and giving the place a good vibe, both floors packed out.
Sadly, this is no longer the ale mecca of yore, with four unused clips, the increasingly repetitive Landlord, but then Bath Gem, Southwark’s Bankside Blonde and Mayflower Session IPA, which was absolutely excellent and reasonable value – for the area – at £4.95 a pint, served by a fine old-school landlady.
This is an excellent pub, but needs to get more ales on to avoid its ‘destination ale house’ status slipping; four – including Landlord – just doesn’t really cut it, especially given the Harp’s full line-up, down the road. Nevertheless, it’s certainly worth a visit, even if it should really carry a government health warning.
On 26th November 2021
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2337 recommendations about 2279 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
hondo . left this review about The Edgar Wallace
Nice exterior with leaded square windows. The interior is quite small with the walls covered in adverts and the ceiling covered in beer mats. 7 real ales on during my visit.
On 25th November 2016
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3061 recommendations about 2988 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about The Edgar Wallace
An interesting traditional pub, with an array of memorabilia around all the walls and ceilings covered in pump clips and beer mats. Eight ales on chrome handpumps on our visit. We tried a couple of halves, which were Crouch Vale Brewers Gold and their Edgar Wallace. Both beers were in fine fettle, the downside was they cost £4.60. The pub is only open Mon - Fri.
On 29th July 2015
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3747 recommendations about 3747 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rex Rattus left this review about Edgar Wallace
I paid one of my regular visits to this pub on a Friday lunchtime recently. It remains a Mecca for real ale enthusiasts. It does have one downside though - they allow tables to be reserved at lunchtimes, and when I was in all but the two tables in the middle of the downstairs room were reserved, as well as about half in the small upstairs room. But we were in early enough to bag one of the unreserved tables upstairs, and as we planned to eat were not deterred by the fact that all the upstairs tables were laid for diners. I reckon it would have been standing room only by 12.30, which can be galling when you can see several unoccupied, but reserved tables. On the plus side however, there are signs on tables saying that they don't allow job interviews to be conducted here and that it is a pub and not to be used as an office.
The upstairs room had a similar sort of (tobacco-themed) decor as downstairs, but I did spot a first for me here - a coin operated Tampax dispenser behind the bar counter, which I can only assume to be a bizarre piece of decor. Even Antic pubs don't have them as decorative features! This remains a great pub but, at least on weekday lunchtimes, it seems to be more of a restaurant than a pub. Worth a visit nonetheless.
On 4th December 2013
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2621 recommendations about 2536 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Edgar Wallace
Smallish main bar, and surprisingly dark despite the high ceiling and large windows on two sides. There is also a smaller bar up the chunky wooden staircase that takes up one corner. If looking for real ale, you might initially think that you've entered the wrong pub as the handpumps are strangely hidden away round the back of a large pillar. However, once found, you will see an excellent array of eight real ales from around the U.K. On my latest visit, I had an excellent pint of Titanic Plum Porter (£4.05) but noted the 'house' Edgars Pale Ale, TT Landlord, Woodforde's Wherry, Milestone American Pale Ale and Three B's Stoker's Slake on the other clips. Deservedly popular with local workers, this is slightly off the beaten track for most visitors to London but well worth a diversion.
On 13th September 2013
- rating: 8
[User has posted 9165 recommendations about 9165 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
john gray left this review about Edgar Wallace
I always pop in when in the area as they have a good selection of beers but for the last year or so they charge £4.00 for 2 halves rather than the price of 1 pint.Love the old advertising signs on the walls.Remindes me of better times.Beer is always in good condition but the staff seem helpful rather than friendly.Then again its the beer i come to this pub for so its a winner.
On 27th March 2013
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1023 recommendations about 1009 pubs]