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The Coach & Horses, Soho, W1
W1
W1D 5DH
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6½ of 10) see review guidelines
Pub SignMan left this review about The Coach & Horses
This is quite a smart Soho boozer that retains vestiges of its former three bar layout and has a growing reputation for good ale. You enter to a carpeted front bar with the servery down the left-hand wall as it passes through all three sections of the pub. A banquette runs along the front wall under frosted window panes, with lots of standard chairs in support. You pass through a wide, wood panelled archway through to the very small mid-section, where all the handpulls can be found, but seating is minimal to say the least. Moving on again, you reach a stone floored rear room with three-quarter height wall panels, high bench and stool seating and a dumb waiter on the back wall, in what might have been an old chimney breast. The bar has a nice curved counter and a lovely period bar back with old Ind Coope, Skol and Double Diamond signage still intact. Lots of old paintings, photos and especially cartoons, have been dotted around the walls, which help give the place some extra character. I arrived quite late in the evening to find the place still very busy with a lively post-work crowd, including some healthy pavement spillage, as is standard for Central London boozers.
The ale range is up there with anything you'll find in and around Soho these days, and on this visit it comprised Fullers London Pride, Gales Seafarers, Dark Star Hophead, Anarchy Blonde Star, Lost and Grounded Spring Protaganist and Three Acre Centenial Haze. The Spring Protaganist was in fine shape and the staff were pleasant and efficient, although the busy crowd made it impossible to get a seat, so I had to stand awkwardly in a corner near the rear entrance.
I rarely drink in this part of town but have had a couple of nights out here recently and this was easily the pick of the pubs I tried. This is clearly a popular place doing the right thing on the ale front and whilst it doesn't quite feel like a destination pub, it's definitely somewhere I'd earmark for future return visits.
Date of visit - 2nd May 2024
On 24th August 2024
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3350 recommendations about 3350 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about The Coach & Horses
There are three pubs called the Coach & Horses in Soho, and having visited this one in January and forgotten to write up my review, I had a struggle to remember which one it was. Luckily I didn't have to walk the streets looking for it: the fact that it is listed on Camra's national inventory of historic interiors is enough to identify this one. (A full description can be read by following the link below.) The astonishing piece of preservation is the trough at the foot of the substantial bar counter, into which customers could expectorate. Also well preserved is the 1960s bar back which features the names of Ind Coope's Double Diamond and Skol lager. Returning to the present day, there were six beers on hand pulls at the time of my visit; I went for Verdant's Lamanva, a 4% best bitter that was in very good condition (NBSS 3.5 or 4)
Date of visit: 25th January 2023
On 27th November 2023
- rating: 7
[User has posted 4273 recommendations about 3935 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about The Coach & Horses
Date of review: 8th October 2021.
I had thought I'd been here before over 30 years ago, as I'd seen Jeffrey Bernard in a Soho pub, but obviously not this one as I'd definitely not been in here before, or perhaps I can't remember it, my former Soho drinking days being more enthusiastic than now. The alternative name of Norman's, relates to Norman Balon - retired 2006 - who had the unenviable reputation of being London's rudest landlord; he must have been incredibly rude indeed.
The interior can be seen on CAMRA's website, for this has an interior of National Importance, though the paint job above the picture rail is now duck egg blue which looks less impressive than the former sage green. The retention of the Double Diamond, Ind Coope and Skol lettering to the backlit bar back are is a nice touch, as are the exterior Taylor Walker lanterns and Taylor Walker mirror to the right bar; the stone spittoon running below the bar seemed unused. The left side of the bar is carpeted, the right being chequered lino. There's an upright piano for Wednesday and Saturday knees-ups; no background music seemed to be playing. Otherwise, décor seemed to be confined to framed cartoons, which I suspect may relate to the pub's history, along with a flyer for the play Jeffrey Barnard is Unwell, with Peter O'Toole in the titular role.
Ales: Fuller's but just Pride and Oliver's Island. Then, Kirkstall's Dissolution IPA and Hophead at £5.20; not bad considering the area.
This is a classic unspoilt must-visit London boozer, making for a great crawl when seeking out other quality hostelries in the area.
On 30th March 2023
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2208 recommendations about 2165 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about The Coach & Horses
A very fine inter war interior with lots of original features and even the ale range extends beyond the Fullers tie.This pub was once in the charge of Norman Balon,a very rude landlord and counted among it's regulars Jeffrey Barnard and other famous soaks.Framed cartoons on the walls record those days.Once the setting for Private Eye editorial lunches,these days food is not available.
There are three sections with light wood dividers and good woodworking elsewhere.The first section is carpeted,the others retain chequed lino ,with an upright piano on the far side.The entrance to the gents nearby is very narrow,obese folk take note.The windows include a lower run of obscured glass ,while the exterior doors are 30's classics.
On my trip besides Fullers Hophead,Seafarers and London Pride the guests were Good Chemistry High Plains (NBSS 2.5),Turning Point Chip Hazard and Chapter Teeter Rye.With real ale choice limited in Soho,this pub offers much interest ,and with a listed interior I will most certainly be back.Folk spill out onto the pavement in good weather but at times this pub can get rammed.
On 7th August 2022
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2936 recommendations about 2936 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Brainy Pool left this review about The Coach & Horses
timewarp interior with friendly customers and staff, cannot believe I have missed this one on previous visits to Soho. Can’t remember what I was drinking but it was grim cloudy murk, maybe just not to my taste, it set me back £5.85. Love the pub and glad it has a bit of variety with the beer, may stick to Pride next time though.
On 15th July 2022
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1174 recommendations about 1136 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Ian Mapp left this review about The Coach & Horses
I was there at the "closing" parties, where they hosted a live theatre event of Jeffry Bernard is unwell, performed by Robert Bathurst.
I was convinced that would be the last time I saw it in the way I had come to love it.
7 months later and I find myself in London and checking it out. Furniture, bar back and general decor - all exactly as I remember. This is a great thing.
Beers - far more choice - and London Pride in fine form.
Fullers have not actually ruined this pub - which was the big fear when they ousted the last tenants.
I am delighted.
On 12th December 2019
- rating: 9
[User has posted 1563 recommendations about 1543 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
john gray left this review about The Coach & Horses
Very basic and now called Normans Coach and Horses.Three cask beers Redemption -hopspur,Fullers -seafarers and a more than decent Fullers -esb.Quaint.
On 10th November 2018
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1023 recommendations about 1009 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about The Coach & Horses
I was surprised I hadn't reviewed this pub before as I've been in it loads of times in the past.It is of course as Blackthorn describes earlier this year, it has a basic but pubby charm about it, the only slight detraction was the two wall mounted Tv screens, but it is the World Cup. My Redemption Hopspur was in excellent condition and was my favourite beer of the day. Nice pub.
On 3rd July 2018
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2151 recommendations about 2118 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Blackthorn _ left this review about The Coach & Horses
An attractive looking street corner pub in the heart of Soho, it is quite dated internally and whilst certainly not unpleasant, it is much more basic than many London boozers and could perhaps do with a little TLC. That said, it is at least authentic I suppose, I can image that it hasn’t changed at all for many years.
There was an old, and slightly tatty patterned carpet on the floors, whilst much of the walls were clad in light wood panelling. Elsewhere was pale yellow paintwork on both the walls and ceiling and large windows on two sides made it light and airy. A couple of unusual features were the old brewery names cut in to the woodwork behind the bar, such as Skol, Ind Coope and Double Diamond and there was also a small stone trough running along the base of the bar. A quick bit of internet research suggested that this may have had water running through it and was used as a spittoon by punters chewing tobacco. We didn’t study the menu, but did note that it was apparently all vegetarian.
Beers on tap were Fuller’s ESB, Seafarer’s Ale and Redemption Hopspur. Ciders were well represented with Stowford Press, Old Rosie and Aspall’s Suffolk.
On 2nd February 2018
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2060 recommendations about 1962 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Ian Mapp left this review about Coach & Horses
This place is a dump.
A beautifully shabby dump and I love it. Its like drinking in the 50s. Especially if you go in on a Wednesday night and they are belting out Knees up Mother Brown on the piano. I avoid Wednesday nights.
Been coming in for years, since I read about the author Derek Raymond who used to frequent it. If he was alive now, the only thing he would have noticed changed would be its now rumoured a Fullers house (although only appeared to have Chiswick Bitter on my last visit). The Lowenbrau has long gone.
I go at least 4 times a year for the last 15 years and have not been served by the same person twice.
Worth checking out if you like to drink in a different era. Skol, Inde Coope and Double Diamond will all make sense when you go in.
On 23rd January 2015
- rating: 10
[User has posted 1563 recommendations about 1543 pubs]