The Crown, Soho, W1

This is a Nicholsons pub on a corner not far from Piccadilly Circus. It's fairly ordinary but well presented. Despite six hand pumps there was only one real ale on the bar at the time of my visit, but this was a very good Sharps Doom Bar, the best of this beer that I'd had for about five years (NBSS 4). The other hand pumps had what may or may not have been a real cider, according to Camra's definition, and three that were marked as being in the process of line cleaning. I'm not sure whether to deprecate the lack of beer choice or celebrate the evidence of one beer being plenty. My notes made at the time go on at some length about a remarkably large dog that was taking up a lot of the floor space while carefully examining my shoes, perhaps with a view to determining whether they, or I, were digestible. I appear to have survived unscathed. Date of visit: 15th September 2022

Dating from the early/mid-19th century and amazingly not owned by Greene King, for once. This is a Nicholson’s outlet, which reopened a few days ago after a refurbishment of some sort. The bar front is match boarded of some type and the floor is newly varnished. Smoky blue paint covers the walls, some of which are panelled. The ceiling is either Anaglypta or match board, but white either way. Furniture is conventional with some studded banquettes. Lighting is typical Victorian-style brass and glass with tea lights in orange holders to tables. There are framed prints for décor, banal music for the ears and lavs up steep stairs. Customers are typically transient and relatively young. Ales: an unused pump, Doom, Ghost Ship (off), Pride and Nicholson’s Pale Ale at a very (for the area) reasonable £2.45 and decent. This isn’t a bad pub by Soho standards and should probably be top of your list if needing a drink in the area.

A small Nicholson's street corner pub with a low ceiling and a side section stuffed full of dining style tables making quite a jumble although there is a large banquette at the rear.Limited seating around the servery,most punters were drinking vertically.Flatscreen were playing womens football,I assume terrestrial TV only available. There are 6 handpumps but with some reversed that left St Austell Lunar Landing,Nicholsons (St Austell) Pale,a real cider and Wild Beer Belgium Pale (more like a wheat,NBSS 2.5) There are better Nicholson's ,so not sure why this pub is in the 2020 GBG.Not memorable at all.

Small Nicholsons pubs - instant corporate feel - three or four real ales on - London Pride was added after I had been served. Brew York X Panda was in good condition. Nothing to really make it stand out from other London Pubs.

This is a small L-shaped Nicholson’s pub on the fringes of Soho, just a short walk from Piccadilly Circus tube station. The pub is typical of many central London boozers, with a compact interior causing a significant overspill of customers to find their way out across the pavement outside. The pub has a bare boarded room with the servery on the back wall. The bar has a pretty standard dark wood counter and bar back, the main feature of which is a few carved monkeys which sit atop the bar back shelving, whilst some industrial looking lamp shades hang over the counter. A button backed banquette runs along the front wall under some Nicholson’s branded windows, and it has been broken up along its length by a few wood and glass partitioning screens. A few old photos line the walls in this front part of the pub and there was a TV screen on one wall showing muted news coverage whilst bland pop tunes played in the background. The room extends back down the left hand side where more banquette and chair seating can be found. There is some fine panelling back here plus another TV screen and a nice cabinet full of glasses, tankards and the like. Stairs lead up to the Hickford Room – a typical Nicholson’s first floor dining room which I only caught a quick peek into. Nicholson’s pubs are usually a decent bet for a varied ale range, but this place had a rather uninspired selection comprising Fullers London Pride, Sharps Doom Bar, Nicholson’s Pale Ale, St Austell Tribute and Windsor and Eton Knight of the Garter. The latter was £4.50 for a pint and in modest condition, not really anything to write home about but sufficient to slake my thirst after a delayed journey into the city. I think the Nicholson’s format normally works well in central London but this place seemed to be a weaker version of the chain thanks to the cramped confines in which it operates, which may also explain the underwhelming ale range. Soho is full of slightly above average pubs, many of which are easily interchangeable – you can now add this one to that list.