The Harp, WC2

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

Quinno _ left this review about The Harp

Worse for wear by the time of my group’s de-camping after a long and hot day crawling the East End. Nothing has changed that I could see which is mildly surprising (I assumed Fuller’s would give it three or four years before deliberately buggering it up). Rammed as usual downstairs, with an oasis of calm upstairs where I unwisely downed a rather superb pint of Saltaire’s Triple Choc (NBSS 4). If you are doing London, you really ought to make sure this is part of your plans.

September 2019
Things are ticking over fairly well since the acquisition by Fullers, who so far have stayed good to their word and made minimal alterations to the ale range and ethos of the pub. My pint of Dark Star Hophead was excellent (NBSS 4) but the taste proved to me that it’s being brewed in Chiswick – and is less good for it. As an aside it felt odd, and slightly dispiriting given the previous incumbent’s commitment to practical feminism, to see only males behind the bar. Still a Zone 1 winner. Rated 8.5

April 2016
Usual good beer and service last week, Twickenham Harp was in decent shape. The gents toilets have now moved and are bigger and much less of a health hazard as they are not halfway up the stairs now! Rated 9

Jan 2015 First visit post-Fullers takeover and surprisingly (and thankfully) just a lone Pride pump as the Fullers cuckoo in the Harp’s nest. Service standards and beer quality/choice maintained - good pints of Dark Star Critical Mass and Triple FFF Can't Remember as well as numerous other interesting choices. Packed as usual. Top pub. Rated 9

May 2014
These days the Harp is a CAMRA National Pub of the Year award winner and has travelled a long way from its days as the Welsh Harp, then owned by Punch. Today it is a genuine freehouse run by the semi-legendary ‘Binnie’ Walsh (who bought the lease) and her team of mainly female staff. It seems right to start with the drinking aspect – there are eight ales on the go nowadays (up from six when I first went in way back in 2005). Usually you’ll find Harveys Sussex Best, Sambrooks Wandle and a Dark Star brew on the go alongside thoughtful and unusual guest ales. These days the quality of almost every pint is top-notch. There’s now also a really good range of proper ciders and perries behind the bar too. The service behind the bar is excellent – engaging, friendly and knowledgeable, even when the place is packed (as it often is after 5pm). Service is swift but not sloppy.

The pub is located in a (slightly) quieter area of Covent Garden, less than five minutes from Charing Cross and a few yards walk to Trafalgar Square. The pretty exterior features lots of leaded stained glass. The long and narrow interior is based over two floors. The lower, with a bare wooden floor, large mirrors and numerous portraits of long-dead gentry is where the bar is located. It’s pretty small and can get crowded very quick, with drinkers often spilling outside onto the pavement. The large front window (replete with Harp motif) can be fully folded back to allow al fresco drinking from within the pub, which draws in light but also quite often smoke from the ciggie addicts standing a couple of feet away. The upstairs room used to be very drab, functional and lifeless but has been overhauled, making it a comfy place to settle and take in the interesting view down Adelaide Street. Food is offered in the form of sausages. The atmosphere is often bustling with a varied clientèle mix, not just stereotypical CAMRA types. A trip to the toilets after a few is an experience due to the narrow ‘no passing’ winding staircase and distinct lack of turning circle when you get to the door. This small but homely pub should be on every pub enthusiast’s list and I’d rank it as being one of the Top 5 within Zone 1. Rated 9

On 27^th October 2023 - rating: 9
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