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Cambridge PuG Crawl, Friday 5th April 2024 with Bucking Fastard on the Pub Forum

Simmons, Soho, W1

7 Greek Street
W1
W1D 4DF

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Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6 of 10) Add Review see review guidelines


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Quinno _ left this review about Pillars of Hercules

Temporarily closed - due to re-open in April after a refurb.

September 2013
A rather tipsy revisit found six pumps with only three actually available on the long narrow bar. My Longman Blonde was OK, but weighed in at a whopping 3.90. Little of note, bar some semi-booth drinking sections and a nice ‘Pillars of Hercules’ bar back. As mentioned elsewhere, the layout isn't conducive to a nice pub atmosphere. Promises more than it delivers and has been left behind by other pubs in London upping their game. Rated5

April 2006
An attractive mock-Tudor building from the outside that belies a small, narrow and cramped interior within which suffers from being dark and smoky. My pint of Youngs was nice and there was a decent variety of ale (four, I recall). The toilets are nasty. Not a bad little place for beer, pop in for one and then press on.

On 3rd March 2018 - rating: 5
[User has posted 5043 recommendations about 5026 pubs]


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Tris C left this review about Pillars of Hercules

I haven't been in here for a good 27 years when this was an office local. It was a bit of a dowdy place though interesting in that it would today probably be called an air-rights development on account of the flying freehold above Manette Street.
I probably would have gone back if passing, but doubt the chance will ever arise. Oh well...

On 26th February 2018 - rating: 5
[User has posted 1955 recommendations about 1922 pubs]


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Blackthorn _ left this review about Pillars of Hercules

A traditional looking pub in a tall, stone built building on the edge of Soho, it consists of one room internally, although a slightly separate area has been created at the rear which is a couple of steps higher than the rest of the pub. Initial impressions weren’t good with a very strong, almost overpowering smell of bleach or disinfectant. To be fair they had only just opened and we were the first punters in, but even so it was rather off putting, so we only stopped for a swift half.

Internally it’s fairly small and quite traditional in terms of décor. Flooring was wood strip, whilst the lower part of the walls were clad in dark wood panelling with cream plasterwork elsewhere. The ceiling was a deep red colour, and the raised area at the rear had exposed brickwork that had also been painted a deep red. A few stools were lined up along the left hand side with a ledge to rest your point on, whilst elsewhere was tables and chairs.

Beers on tap were Original Porter and Roll Out The Barrels from Trumans, Family Stout and Audit Ale from Westerham along with Doom Bar. The solitary cider was Aspall’s Suffolk.

On 2nd February 2018 - rating: 7
[User has posted 1937 recommendations about 1850 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


hondo . left this review about Pillars of Hercules

Nice mock Tudor exterior with quite a small narrow interior. 6 real ale taps 4 on during my visit.

On 27th October 2016 - no rating submitted
[User has posted 2883 recommendations about 2820 pubs]


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Pub SignMan left this review about Pillars of Hercules

This traditional Soho boozer is a short walk from Tottenham Court Road tube station and well positioned just outside Soho Square. Entering through the front door, you find yourself in a bare boarded room with a compact front seating area filled with small round tables and standard chairs. The servery runs down the right hand side with a partitioned drinking ledge and high stools on the opposite wall. The servery is fairly basic, but pleasing enough on the eye thanks to plenty of dark wood, a ‘Pillars of Hercules’ name plate on top of the bar back and a nice integral clock above. Beyond the bar, there is a reasonably cosy raised section. This space has been carpeted and offers low stools around a number of small tables with half panelled walls and a red, painted brick upper half. Décor throughout consists of black and white photographs, enamel beer signs and the pub’s own promotional material. Perhaps the nicest feature is the red ceiling with a grapevine frieze running beneath it. Fairly loud music played throughout my late, mid-week visit, but it was at a level where conversation was still just about possible without having to shout.
I’d not really expected much in the way of decent beer but was pleasantly surprised to find six ales available, not all mainstream choices either. Options on this visit were Sharp’s Doom Bar and Cornish Coaster, Trumans Bold as Brass and Runner, Caledonian Deuchars IPA and Westerham Grasshopper. I decided to try a pint of the Grasshopper which set me back £4.00 and was in pretty good nick. Having read the previous reviews, it would seem that a Westerham beer is usually available here.
I found this place a bit run of the mill, but elevated somewhat by a much better ale range than I’d anticipated. It doesn’t strike me as the sort of place you’re likely to enjoy and extended session, but would be worth a quick look in passing or as part of a crawl.

On 7th November 2014 - rating: 6
[User has posted 3102 recommendations about 3102 pubs]


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R Marshall left this review about Pillars of Hercules

Was a great Soho meeting spot once upon a time but my most recent visit was terrible: the beer was undrinkable - the Doom Bar taken back and swapped for a glass of water, Deuchars left barely touched, broken furniture, surly staff. The layout has been mentioned - when you have bunch of selfie taking WKD drinkers clogging up the narrow bar area it's probably a sign you're in the wrong kind of pub. I won't rush back.

On 30th August 2014 - rating: 4
[User has posted 1 recommendations about 1 pubs]


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Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about Pillars Of Hercules

Not a bad pub, with its Brewers Tudor facade and traditional (if small) interior. I don't think I have ever managed to get a seat, either by the door or in the main area further back, but have generally found a stool and a space for my pint on the shelf opposite the bar counter. The beer choice has certainly improved over the years, with Deuchars IPA, Doom Bar, Wainwright, Sharps Black Rock and two from Long Man - Old Man and American Pale Ale (£4.00) - on recently.

On 16th June 2013 - rating: 6
[User has posted 8061 recommendations about 8061 pubs]


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BobOs . left this review about Pillars Of Hercules

Looks quaintly mock-medieval from outside so I called in briefly to take the weight off and pass a few minutes people watching from the front corner window. The pub is OK but nothing to write home about and the ale was distinctly mediocre but the one thing that will put me off returning is the £3.95 they charge for a pint.

On 17th May 2012 - rating: 4
[User has posted 370 recommendations about 355 pubs]


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E TA left this review about Pillars Of Hercules

A nice old pub which has had a modern refurb. There is a mixture of small booths and a large room which has less atmosphere despite the wooden floors and furniture. The large flat screen tv adds little. The beer selection was good though - 5 ales on, and I enjoyed a very well kept pint of Thwaites's Wainwright. Worth dropping in and a good inclusion in a crawl.

On 30th March 2011 - rating: 6
[User has posted 3272 recommendations about 3237 pubs]


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John Bonser left this review about Pillars Of Hercules

The Pillars of Hercules is a pub with an attractive looking mock - Tudor exterior. It's a former Wm Younger's house, although, sadly, none of the evidence of that ( eg - patterned leaded windows ) remain. It's now owned by Faucet Inns.

In contrast to the exterior, the interior is rather featureless and has a more modernised chainy feel than many Soho pubs. It's a long narrowish bar area, but opens out into a wider space at the back.

On the real ale front, 2 beers from each of Thwaites, Adnams and Westerham Breweries were on. The Thwaites Wainwright - at a rather pricey £ 3.50p - was a pleasant pint. The pub is listed in the 2010 CAMRA Good Beer Guide.

I found this a rather uninspiring place to be honest, lacking in any real atmosphere, and I'm not putting it down for a re-visit

On 15th October 2010 - rating: 4
[User has posted 560 recommendations about 560 pubs]

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