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Lamb & Flag, Covent Garden, WC2
WC2
WC2E 9EB
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about Lamb & Flag
Called in late afternoon today after most of the day spent in the Harp and a successful short visit to the cross keys in Endell Street.Hadn't been in since the Fullers takeover so wanted a look.Wallked in expecting to see lots of Fullers available and this proved to be true,I was hoping for a couple of guests to be available but as far as I could see the only alternative was Butcombe Bitter, not a bad pint but after Darkstar in the Harp and Brodies in the cross keys this didnt excite me,so I had a quick scan of the pub ,still looks ok, but not being a great fan of Fullers ,left without buying a drink and headed back to the Harp.Pubs still a good looker but I cant get to excited about the beer.
On 6th July 2012
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1871 recommendations about 1844 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about Lamb & Flag
Wonderfully situated roughly halfway between Covent Garden and Leicester Square, this is a pleasant traditional pub tucked away slightly from the main tourist procession thanks to it being positioned down a short side street. The pub has a long, narrow interior, with the bar running along the left hand side of what is essentially a single room, although there is a sense of partitioning towards the end of the bar, just before the room opens out slightly. There is plenty of dark wood throughout which, combined with the limited amount of natural light, helps to create a nice ambiance. It's not too cosy though, with very limited seating and large numbers of customers meaning that you're likely to end up drinking you pint stood up, unless you bag one of the few tables at the rear of the room or a stool along the drinking shelf opposite the bar. The walls are decorated with all sorts of seemingly unrelated pictures and adverts and the servery is lined with old pump clips. There is a second bar upstairs, but I overheard a barmaid saying how busy it was up there, so I decided to stay propped up at the main bar rather than go exploring.
This was a Young's house not all that long ago, but it is now run by Fullers, so it was their beers dominating the hand pumps, with London Pride, ESB, HSB, Bengal Lancer, Seafarers and Chiswick to pick from, plus guests in the shape of Wytchwood Hobgoblin and Butcombe Bitter. I found myself standing next to a number of brass plaques displayed in memory of former patrons of the pub and I very nearly earned a plaque of my own when I was told that my pint of Bengal Lancer would set me back £3.90. Thankfully I just about survived this shock and was able to savour every last drop of what was actually a decent pint. A simple sandwich and pub grub menu was on display and I noted that main meals came in around the £7.00 mark, which seems much more reasonable.
I thought this was a nice old building with a decent beer selection and well worthy of a stop off, although the lack of comfort meant that I didn't fancy staying for more than just the one. A decent option to have for this part of town, but brace yourselves for tourist prices.
On 18th November 2011
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Roger Button left this review about Lamb & Flag
One of the oldest pubs in the area, if not London, the Lamb & Flag was first licensed in 1623. The street outside was once known as Blood Alley and the pub had the equally enticing name of the Bucket of Blood thanks to it being a well known bare knuckle boxing venue. There seems to be much debate as to exactly how old the current building is. The blurb in the pub says it dates from 1772 when it was called the Coopers Arms but reports elsewhere suggest parts are from the 1600’s and much of the visible exterior is late 19th Century. It has been known as the Lamb & Flag since around 1883.
The main bar is a single room with remnants of a divide that would have separated the rear section. The floors are bare wood painted black and the furnishings basic and battered. Several memorial placques can be found baring the names of former regulars now at the great bar in the sky although some are now so worn that the names are unrecognizable. There is planty of clutter on display ranging from a 1714 copy of the Evening Post, the old pub sign, Save the Lamb & Flag bumber stickers (the pub was under threat when the area was being renovated after the market closed in the 1970’s), a 1746 Weights and Measures poster and numerous random pictures, caricatures and oddities.
Upstairs is a separate and surpisingly large bar known as the Dryden Room after the 17th Century peot John Dryden who nearly met his end outside the pub having been set on by a gang. It has its own bar with 3 handpulls and a food counter. Note the “Famous Fights” memorabilia at the top of the stairs reflecting the pasts past traditions and the Channel Five In/Out sign between the bar and rear section (an explanation is on the wall).
The pub has recently been taken over by Fullers (it was once a Youngs pub) but they do have pretty much the whole range of Fullers/Gales beers (Pride, Chiswick, HSB, ESB, Bengal Lancer, Seafarers and the new Black Cab Stout, as well as Butcombe Bitter as a guest. The quality was fine on my visit but the prices are perhaps expectedly high with the Stout at £3.75. Food was quite reasonably priced at around £6-£8 albeit the menu wasn’t particularly extensive.
The area may be a bit of a tourist destination but you can’t help feel that the Lamb has had a succession of regulars who have helped shape its character over the centuries and it does still feel like a local’s pub albeit not as unwelcoming as it would have been in days gone by. It is certainly a pub full of character and one to be experienced.
On 16th November 2011
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1239 recommendations about 1233 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
E TA left this review about Lamb & Flag
The pub's popularity seems to increase as time goes on. This time it was very crowded, especially upstairs where we could hardly move. This endorses the views of previous reviewers - with which I concur - that the L&F is one of the better pubs in the area. This time there were 5 ales on - I had a pint of Young's Bitter which was in very good condition. I wil certainly carry on coming here and recommend it for inclusion in a crawl.
On 8th April 2011
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3281 recommendations about 3246 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
John Bonser left this review about Lamb & Flag
Reputedly the oldest pub in Covent Garden, and still one of the capital's best known pubs, The Lamb and Flag is situated in a quiet side street almost equidistant between Leicester Square and Covent Garden underground stations.
Despite being opened out at the front and the two bars merged into one many years ago, the pub retains something of an "olde" pub feel to it, characterised by much wood panelling and old floorboards. Note the brass plaques by the bar in memory of previous customers and the numerous photos and prints of the pub in days long gone. It's very much a stand up to drink pub at the front with seating limited to stools at the bar and around the walls. An adjoining room at the back has several old tables and seems to be favoured by tourists.
An upstairs room - The Dryden Room ( named after a famous poet beaten up in the alleyway outside in 1679) - serves meals.
On my recent visit, beers on were Courage Best, Bombardier, 2 Young's Beers, Adnams Bitter plus Dark Star Hophead. The Adnams - £ 3.20p - was in good form.
Despite being a popular tourist destination, this is still one of my favourite pubs in the area. Consider combining it with visits to The Harp and The Salisbury for a high quality three pub crawl of the area's finest
On 6th October 2010
- rating: 7
[User has posted 560 recommendations about 560 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about Lamb & Flag
The Lamb and Flag is a piece of London history and dates back over 350 years. As previous reviewers have mentioned, it used to go by the name of The Coopers Arms, but better known as the Bucket of Blood due to the bare knuckle fights held here.
The ground floor rooms have olde-worlde charm with dark wood panelling, bare pine floorboards and low wooden beams. The ground floor area is quite small and struggles to cope with the crowds, especially for the post work session. But also as previously mentioned, this had improved since the smoking ban as a majority of vertical drinkers utilise the outside courtyard, making the inside slightly more bearable.
The upstairs room, known as the Dryden Room, after the 17th Century poet John Dryden who was a local here, has more seating and is a more relaxing area for a pint if you can get a seat.
Usually five hand pumps on the go, and although they do tend to be the run of the mill ales that can be found in London it does have Harvey’s Best as a regular and this has always been an excellent pint in my experience.
A small negative is that the toilets are small, awkward to navigate and much maligned as they do struggle to cope with the volume of usage. But this is largely due to the fact that when the pub was originally built it was built without sanitary facilities (you had the outside pavement for that in those days !), and they had to be shoehorned into the premises at a later date.
On 27th May 2010
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2110 recommendations about 1992 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Nick Davies left this review about Lamb & Flag
A classic central London pub just hidden away enough from tourist central to avoid the passing trade; even so it does of course get very busy with those who live and work here. If you come here it's to do proper stand up drinking in surroundings unchanged for years, not for a leisurely sit down meal. Service is remarkably cheerful and efficient considering the stress they're under, and as has been said Harvey's Best and the other day Adnam's Oyster in good condition.
The best spot this end of Covent Garden.
On 4th March 2010
- rating: 8
[User has posted 567 recommendations about 559 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about Lamb & Flag
A small Dickensian ale house with a wonderful authentic interior.There is seating to the rear of the bar ,and a large upstairs area with it's own small bar which is often not that busy.The Lamb and Flag really comes alive when the weather is good,as you can drink outside in court yard .This is one of the best outdoor vertical drinking spots in London,and the bar service is excellent when there is a large crowd,so no long wait to get served.Courage Best,Youngs Special and Adnams Bitter nothing special ,but the beers selection is saved by Harvey's Best which was spot on ,great quaff.Dont forget to take a look inside ,original features abound.
On 19th February 2010
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2727 recommendations about 2727 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Chris 87 left this review about Lamb & Flag
A good boozer and a heartening find in the middle of tourist rip-off central. Adnams Broadside in good condition alongside Harveys Best, Courage Directors and Youngs Special. Lots of interesting historical bits and pieces hung up on the walls, and I'll definitely come back to sample the Ploughmans lunch as I bet they serve a good one. I liked this pub and would return in a flash.
On 3rd January 2010
- rating: 8
[User has posted 179 recommendations about 179 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about Lamb & Flag
I've always liked this pub, but hadn't been for quite some time until recently.
Greene King IPA, Old Speckled Hen, Youngs Special/Ordinary, Courage Best and Harvey's Best were all available along with the usual lagers. I found the staff to be very efficient and although there were hoards of people outside the inside was quite comfortable. There is also plenty of seating in the upstairs bar if the bottom is rammed.
The toilet is tiny and you have to watch your step as you exit it as a fall down the stairs and into the cellar is not impossible.
Don't be put off by the big crowds outside as this place is worth a visit.
On 24th November 2008
- rating: 7
[User has posted 5233 recommendations about 5201 pubs]