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Beer of the Week (w/e 27th April 2025) with Thuck Phat
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Detail Pages
John Snow, Soho, W1
W1
W1F 9QJ
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6 of 10) see review guidelines
Pub SignMan left this review about John Snow
This is a surprsingly small Sam Smith's pub with a three bar layout, located next to the famous water pump where the eponymous Mr Snow first made the link between cholera and contaminated water supplies. A corner entrance takes you into the main saloon bar which has bare boards, dark painted walls and a few wood panelled sections, a lincrusta ceiling and some button backed banquette seating around the perimeter. The bar is to the rear of this very small space and has a curved dark wood counter which looks quite good, but the bar back has been butchered a bit, with only part remaining, thereby losing some of the room's aesthetic appeal and allowing you to look clearly through to the rear lounge bar. This is accessed through an annoyingly low doorway with a modern etched glass pane above. Once you've squeezed through, you find yourself in a similarly small room with much the same set up as the saloon, plus a grand staircase to the rear right, although I'm not sure where this leads. On the other side of the pub there's a snug with limited seating and a short section of servery, which didn't look like it was the best spot to grab a seat. All doors have nice etched glass panes denoting the room you're about to enter and the windows are similarly inscribed. In true Central London fashion, lots of folk were stood out in a roped off area outside and whilst it was quite quiet inside when I arrived, there were no free seats and it very quickly filled up so that there was very little standing room either.
Like many Sam Smith's pubs in London, there is no cask ale to be found, so I gave the Dark Mild (£6.00 a pint) a try and thought it was very nice. The barman seemed friendly enough and I liked the vibe in here - it seemed like a welcoming place despite what I assume is a relatively transient customer base.
This isn't quite in the top tier of Sam's pubs in London, but its quirky interior and welcoming feel help push it towards the upper echelons. If I were more of a fan of their beer, I could imagine this as the sort of pub I'd be happy to have as my local and I'm sure I'll be dragging others here in the future.
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 John Snow
I'd had this one on my to do list for some time as I was a great fan of the England fast bowler when I was growing up, and it's good to see him getting some recognition. This is a Sam Smiths pub with a screen between the two bars that you can duck under - much like Garry Sobers wished he'd ducked under that bouncer from John Snow in the Oval test in 1966, instead of gloving it to Brian Close for a first ball dismissal.
There's no real ale, unfortunately, and the keg version of Old Brewery Bitter was very cold. At the time of my visit this pub was operating card only - no cash accepted. There are so many things this pub could do better - a mosaic of John Snow running in to bowl, for example - but cleaning the toilets would be a good way to start.
Date of visit: 15th September 2022
On 12th May 2023
- rating: 4
[User has posted 4274 recommendations about 3935 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about John Snow
Sam Smith pub dedicated to a man who cleared up a cholera epidemic but moving the local drinking water pump away from piles of chicken carcasses.Maybe that's why Humphrey doesn't offer real ale here ,just the pasteurised crap he brews.
The interior is all very traditional with a snug and saloon seperated from the public bar by a pot boy low door.There is a first floor restaurant but this was closed on a Sunday and the interior was very quiet but then who really wants to drink this kind of very average keg beer.My Extra Stout (half £2.65) was dull,the barman a bit taciturn and having looked around ,I have concluded there's no reason to return despite the trad feel and the ease of getting a seat.Other pubs nearby were packed.
On 1st August 2022
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2936 recommendations about 2936 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about John Snow
As usual with Soho pubs, this dates from the early 18th century, but was rebuilt in the late 18th for Watney’s. It was known as the Newcastle-upon-Tyne until the current name’s application in 1956.
Given Humphrey’s admirable – for once – penchant for restoration, I’m not sure how much of the interior is original, but it’s very attractive and with its bottle green paint job, cream Anaglypta ceiling, dark wood, cut and etched glass, with pot boy doors between rooms, much like the Angel in Bermondsey, but not as challenging as those in Maida Vale’s Prince Alfred. With normal seating, banquettes and a ban on music, it’s very evocative of the Victorian age.
Sadly, there’s no draught beer, the most appealing drink being Old Brewery on keg at a pricey – for Sam’s – £2.35 a half and drinkable once warmed up.
As for customers, they were generally fairly young, the pub being a well-known gay venue but not so in-your-face (so to speak) as other gay venues around the Old Compton Street pink triangle a short walk from here, most congregated outside, drinking from plastic mugs.
This is a very nice pub. With a good choice of real ales, this could be something of a destination.
On 16th October 2021
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2208 recommendations about 2165 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about John Snow
A quick one in here. Not much has changed downstairs and it's fairly small, so popped back upsatirs like I did 13(!) years prior. The room has been done over a little, either that or my memory is playing tricks. Still no OBB! I've become more enamoured with Sam's pubs over the years and whilst this isn't exactly first divsion, I still enjoyed my 30 minutes drinking one of the fruit beers.
October 2006
Sam Smiths outlet just off Carnaby Street, named after the chap who demonstrated that Cholera was a water-borne disease; the pump he used was located just outside the entrance. The downstairs bar is partitioned into three small areas by very low part-glazed screens. The upstairs bar is one main room, with the classic SS etched glass and wood panelling décor. Usual Sam Smiths range – except no OBB so no real ale. Clientele tend to be quite young. The inside also tends to get bloody cold outside of summer. I find it hard to have much of an opinion about this place really…meh. Visit once to have a quick look round. Rated 5
On 6th January 2020
- rating: 6
[User has posted 5552 recommendations about 5533 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about John Snow
Interesting Sam Smiths pub, with two of the three ground floor rooms divided by a part-glazed screen with a VERY low door. The other space is a snug, but there is a somewhat grander room upstairs (now mostly used for those dining). However, there is still no OBB on handpump which meant that it was the India Ale (£2.55, half) instead on this flying revisit. Certainly worth a visit, but could be so much better if they just had their real ale on.
On 2nd January 2020
- rating: 6
[User has posted 8679 recommendations about 8678 pubs]
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hondo . left this review about John Snow
Sam Smuth's pub that is split into a public bar,saloon and snug. Practice limbo dancing.
On 24th October 2016
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 2933 recommendations about 2866 pubs]
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Roger Button left this review about John Snow
This Sam Smiths pub is named after the physician (ironically a staunch teetotaler) who discovered that cholera was water borne (and not airborne as was originally believed) by disabling a nearby contaminated water pump and finding that the cholera deaths suddenly ceased. A replica of the pump can still be seen a few yards down the road albeit not in the original position.
There are some who would argue that turning off the Sam Smiths pumps in the pub could have similar results to the drinking populace but for all Sam Smith’s marmite appeal, they do generally have quite interesting pubs and the John Snow is no different.
The building dates from the 1870’s and the pub was originally called the Newcastle-Upon Tyne, changing its name to the John Snow in 1955. The pub is very in heritage territory with an old fashioned ground floor layout divided into 3 sections, the etched windows spelling out whether you are in the Saloon Bar, Public Bar or the Snug. The snug is a separate room wheras the Public and Saloon bars are divided by a wooden screen with a small and very low door between the two. Furnishings are simple with a single padded bench in the snug, some leatgher banquette seating in the saloon which to all intents and puroses is the bar. An open staircase in the public bar leads to the John Snow Room, an additional and comparatively spacious L-shaped bar on the first floor with high ceilings and quite a contrast to the ground floor.
There is a good range of Sam Smiths products – Old Brewery Bitter, Sovereign Bitter, Cider Reserve, Taddy Lager, Pure Brewed Lager and Organic Wheat Beer, all at bargain bin prices (OBB was currently £2.21) but unfortunatley they are all keg - there are no handpumps. Also, plastic glasses were used and I wasn’t given an option despite the fact I was not drinking outside.
The pub was recently propelled into the headlines following the great male snogging scandal that divided opinions and attracted mixed publicity but things appear to have moved on and the pub’s popularity was clear from the hordes of pavement drinkers although the inside was relatively calm.
Personally I like Sam Smiths pubs and their traditional character. I even don’t mind their beers although the cask ale version of the Old Brewery Bitter wouldn’t go amiss here. Other than that this is as cosy as any of its other West End outlets.
On 5th October 2011
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1239 recommendations about 1233 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about John Snow
Another heritage pub part of the Sam Smith chain, which in my opinion, is a good thing as the pub keeps it's original identity. Well worth a look in, found the manager very helpful and gave me a list of more interesting pubs to visit in the area.
On 6th August 2011
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3645 recommendations about 3645 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
John Bonser left this review about John Snow
The John Snow is a street corner Sam's pub in the heart of Soho.
It's done out in their usual traditional style with a U shaped bar divided up by partitions to create a number of different rooms. There's the usual etched glass and wood panelling in abundance.
I didn't see anything in the pub to indicate why the pub is so named, but I gather it's named after a Dr John Snow who was around during the cholera epidemic of 1854 and realised that it was water that was causing the problem. Sorry to disappoint those sports fans who thought it was named after the former England fast bowler !
On my recent early Saturday evening visit, the pub was quite busy with a youngish crowd of people who looked like media types.
The Sam Smiths OBB - £ 1.99p - is not real ale and tasted rather chilled and tasteless to me.
If they could only start serving decent beer in here, I'd happily come here again as I quite liked this place as a pub.
On 15th October 2010
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 560 recommendations about 560 pubs]