Coach & Horses, WC2

The Coach and Horses is a small, welcoming, traditional pub in the heart of Covent Garden's Theatreland. An attractive exterior, featuring hanging flower baskets and retaining Watney Combe Reid etched glass windows, leads into a small single room. Reflecting the landlord's Irish origins, the walls are decorated with Guinness memorabilia, together with golfing and hurling photographs. A fine moulded ceiling and a large Coach and Horses pub mirror add to the traditional feel of the cosy and carpeted interior. Notably, for its location, it's not a tourist orientated pub and it's got a genuineness that better known pubs such as The Coal Hole and The Wellington, with their transient tourist emphasis, can never hope to achieve. Indeed, on my recent Sunday lunchtime visit, a band of obvious regulars were engaged in friendly banter with the jovial Irish landlord, Jim Ryan. Perhaps inevitably, Guinness is popular here and a framed undated newspaper article tells us that it's one of the few pubs here to serve Guinness that comes from Dublin. This is certainly no tacky Irish theme pub. Beers on were Spitfire and Courage Best. The Spitfire - £ 3.20p - was reasonable, but I doubt there's much real ale trade here. A hot food counter serves a limited menu. The size of the pub means that seating is largely limited to bar stools around two sides of the room, which doesn't make for much in the way of comfort. Despite this, and the limited ale selection, I think this pub is worth seeking out

Randomness Guide to London - Coach And Horses entry

Randomness Guide to London - Coach And Horses entry