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Admiral Duncan, Soho, W1
W1
W1D 4UB
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 3½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about Admiral Duncan
Named after the admiral who defeated the Dutch at the appropriately named Battle of Camperdown in 1797, this pub dates from the start of the 19th century, but has obviously been rebuilt, possibly in the 20th. It has associations with Dylan Thomas and in 1999, three people died when the pub was nail bombed by a fanatic.
I came here once before in early/mid-1985 and I’m not sure if it was a gay pub then, but today it’s at the heart of Soho’s gay village, boasting drag cabaret acts from the likes of Jade Justine, Tanya Hyde and Wilma Ballsdrop. Aside from the pub’s name in etched glass to the bar back, the place is very simple with no furniture, punters lined up along the bar and left wall, all angled towards the rear stage, with karaoke in full swing on my visit.
I knew in advance not to expect a handpump – at least not one fixed to the bar – but the drinks range is unexceptional with just Eurofizz, a Kronenbourg arriving at £2.65 a half, served by a friendly barman.
This place is ok for something different, but if it’s this busy on a Monday, I’d hate to think what it’s like come the weekend.
On 19th October 2022
- rating: 4
[User has posted 1985 recommendations about 1951 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about Admiral Duncan
Another pub with no real ale in this street, another gay pub, perhaps they don't like it.
On 31st December 2017
- rating: 3
[User has posted 1872 recommendations about 1845 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Peter Rydings left this review about Admiral Duncan
Always call in when down here this was a very bad visit lad behind the bar was very ignorant to us there was only one other customer in music was far too loud and the bar man was not very polite dropped my change on the bar some went on the floor. Think it was because i was with my wife we have noticed this in a lot of gay bars.
But back in the 90s when this pub belonged to Scottish and Newcastle we had a charity night in our pub in ACCRINGTON. For those poor victims when the bomb went off would he have given me the same treatment if he had known what we had done in our pub for the Admiral Duncan
On 6th August 2014
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 948 recommendations about 917 pubs]