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Lamb & Flag, Covent Garden, WC2
WC2
WC2E 9EB
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7½ of 10) see review guidelines
Ian Mapp left this review about Lamb & Flag
Been coming for years - but never reviewed on here for some reason.
One of the best in the area - down a little alley that allows for some outside drinking. Always packed, but there is a room upstairs that can be quieter.
In the Good Beer Guide now for a couple of years - and the Fullers ESB was bang on.
On 19th June 2023
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1338 recommendations about 1324 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
john gray left this review about Lamb & Flag
A famous pub and so it should be with a lovely interior.Seemed to have wandered passed this pub numerous occasions as its tucked away.Darkstar-sunquake again but no hardship there.
On 19th November 2022
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1023 recommendations about 1009 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about Lamb & Flag
Much nearer to the White Swan and the Round House then expected, but quite difficult to find after a couple of pints. I walked straight past the entrance to Rose Street, turned right and found it from Floral Street, though even then I turned left instead of right. I'm glad I found it in the end, as this was one of the highlights of my stay in London, and easily the best pub of the day. The man running it was doing a great job, not just efficiently serving beers but sending those seeking food either upstairs (young and able bodied) or to the rear of the pub (old and decrepit). This narrow building has two apparent front doors, but the one on the left is blocked off, creating a seating opportunity the other side. For such an ostensibly small pub there were a large number of beers on offer: eight hand pumps, with just two doubled. My half of Dark Star Hophead 3.8% was in excellent condition, though so it should be at £2.85 the half. It was too busy to note the others, and too dark for a photograph, but this is a Fullers pub so it's not hard to guess. I'd like to come back here some time when it's not as busy - if there is such a thing.
On 2nd February 2022
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3746 recommendations about 3483 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about Lamb & Flag
An interesting history lies here, in that this was the Coopers Arms in 1772, the current name dating from 1833, but with a façade which was rebuilt as recently as 1958. It’s grade II-listed and features on CAMRA’s list of pubs with historic interiors, this being of Regional Importance.
A very traditional and atmospheric interior greets the visitor which is well described below; a 360° tour can be taken on the pub’s website. It was apparently visited by Karl Marx and Charles Dickens; where didn’t he visit?
There was the full Fuller’s range, but on the upside, there were three Dark Star guests: Skylab, Pale Ale and Hophead at £2.80 a half and nice.
This is a must-visit if in Covent Garden and indeed Westminster, making for a great inclusion for a crawl of the area. It also goes to show just how much a Fuller’s pub can be improved with the inclusion of a selection of good guest ales.
On 30th October 2021
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1985 recommendations about 1951 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Brainy Pool left this review about Lamb & Flag
lovely pub hidden away in an alley near Covent Garden and Leicester Square. as below, full range of Fullers ales and the ESB was very nice. Loads of history which is well documented around the pub. Two floors, the upper one being mostly for food, all creaking floors and all very olde worlde. Liked it but it’s basically a tourist relic. And does a pub with this much atmosphere really need the Fullers corporate Six Nations tat and the big TV?
On 16th February 2020
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1058 recommendations about 1023 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
custodian 42 left this review about Lamb & Flag
Tucked away Fuller's pub with the full range of their beers, including, thankfully, ESB. Not the largest of pubs but worth a revisit.
On 9th February 2017
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1693 recommendations about 1691 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
hondo . left this review about Lamb & Flag
Fuller's pub hidden away on a side street. Old style interior with dark wooden flooring and a snug area at the back. Fuller's beers plus guests served.
On 24th October 2016
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 2883 recommendations about 2820 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about Lamb & Flag
Overdue first re-visit since its acquisition by Fullers, but glad to see little in the way of change in the fine historic interior. Plenty of features of interest, although it is often so busy that it is difficult to take it all in. Mind you, it is also famous for having most of is customers standing outside in the street at office closing time. Very traditional furniture and decor. Now has two more handpumps than previously, with seven of eight in use this time and dispensing Seafarers, Pride, ESB, HSB and Bengal Lancer (£4.30) plus Wandle and Butcombe Rare Breed as guests. A nice place to escape the tourist madness that is Covent Garden (and try the Dryden Room upstairs if you are having trouble finding a seat).
On 4th December 2014
- rating: 8
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about Lamb & Flag
Another trip down memory lane this one. One of the most distinct features as Blackthorn mentions, is the narrow passageway, which I remember well. I especially enjoyed getting a seat in the rear snug on this visit, which still retains the dark oak panelling. I suppose the only notable difference is, it's now a Fullers house, so I went for the Bengal Lancer. A quirky pub this one and well worth a visit.
On 13th January 2014
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Blackthorn _ left this review about Lamb & Flag
A tucked away pub down a small side street, I initially wondered if I was going to find it. If you approach from the Floral Street end you seem to be wandering down a back alley full of large bins, but my perseverance paid off and it was well worth the effort. Alternatively of course, just approach from the other direction and it will be much more obvious.
Downstairs it’s mostly one single room with a long bar counter on the left, although there is a sort of snug area at the back. It’s quite an attractive place with leaded windows at the front and brown paintwork. The snug at the back has some wood panelling, and apart from in here the seating options are fairly limited with just a few stools in the window and a few more opposite the bar.
Upstairs is a further room that does have more seating, although this is probably used more by diners. Here there are dark wooden boards on the floor and the paintwork is a mixture of purple and cream. There was an old dresser and a marble fire-place, although I’m not sure if this is used. There is also a smaller bar counter with a more limited range of beers. An interesting mural of books is painted on the wall of the staircase to this upper bar.
A decent enough “pub grub” menu was offered, with dishes such as Burger, Fish & Chips, Ham Egg & Chips, Sea Bass, etc., and these were mostly priced around the £9 mark. My Sausage & Mash with a Red Wine Onion Gravy was tasty dish and a generous portion with three sausages and plenty of mash.
Beers on tap were nearly all from Fuller’s with their ESB, HSB, London Pride, Chiswick, Bengal Lancer and Seafarer’s Ale. The only guest appeared to be Butcombe, and the solitary cider was Aspall’s Suffolk.
On 18th February 2013
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1948 recommendations about 1861 pubs]