Savoy Tap, Strand, WC2

The Tup was once my local being 20 yards from my office but at the time I rarely used it due to indifferent staff and a dull choice of beers. The pub is little more than a small, simple, single room with plain décor and a shiny black floor polished almost to ice rink standards. The beers are almost as unadventurous as I remembered with Greene King IPA, London Pride (off for my latest visit) and a slightly redeemeing Greene King St Edmunds Ale but hardly a selection worthy of having a “Coming Soon” board behind the bar (which didn’t contain any entries anyway!). Prices appear more reasonable than I previously recall with the St Edmunds clocking up £3.10 and the quality was very good. There is a flat screen in one corner with Sky Sports and a more basic TV the other side of the bar. Upstairs is a free to hire function room that hosts a Comedy Club every Saturday night. I understand there is also a pool table and dart board but again, there is nothing to say as much and I didn’t wander that far. A sign outside does mention a friendly welcome, something that wasn’t always the case but I’m pleased to say the current staff were cheerful, welcoming and far more efficient than their predecessors. They used to operate a bring your own food scheme but there was nothing obvious to indicate that this is still the case. It will never be among my or probably anyone’s favourite pubs in the area but I do now have a slightly better opinion of it following my latest visit than when I worked here some 5 years ago.

This used to be called The Savoy Tavern before it became a “Tup” pub. There were two real ales on when I visited late afternoon during the week – London Pride and Bombardier (£3.00 a pint), plus a third handpump was unused. This is a pretty small one-room pub at ground floor level, although I understand that there is a pool table in an upstairs room. There was a mixed bag of furnishings, including metal framed tables, settles, normal chairs, a sofa, and what looked like re-cycled church pews. It’s bare-boarded, there’s no decor worth mentioning, there was some pop music being played, and the TV on the wall was showing Sky Sports (but muted, presumably so that we could “enjoy” the pop music). The walls are cream painted, including some wood panelling on the walls, which makes the interior seem brighter. This wood panelling looks quite ancient (as far as one can tell under the paint), and in days past retained its natural appearance of dark wood. There is no bar gantry, which (in my view) tends to lessen the appearance of separation between bar staff and customers for some reason. This is a surprisingly light pub, with the open space of the churchyard of the Savoy Chapel opposite allowing the sun to stream in unhindered by the many other tall buildings in the road. This is a decent enough little pub for anyone to visit who is anxious to escape from the bustle of The Strand a few feet away, although I accept that at busier times it would be less comfortable than during my visit. One thing is for certain though, and that is that there has been an improvement in the bar staff since Roger’s visit a few years ago, as they were friendly and attentive when I was in there the other day.

This pub must have the most unwelcoming bar staff in London. I work 20 yards away so we use it for leaving dos etc - I certainly don't go in there by choice. When quiet, the barmaid will sit at the end of the bar reading a paper and woe betide if you dare to ask for a pint during this period. If there are 2 behind the bar they will more than likely be busy chatting than serving. The pub itself is OK but nothing special, a single room with a separate upstairs bar. TV's for sport and a weekly quiz night. 3 overpriced and not particular good ales (£2.80 for Greene King IPA is a bit much) On the plus side, they don't do food (it would probably be overpriced and served with a grimace anyway) but they let you bring in your own. The sign outside says friendly welcome. Don't believe it.