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Chat about:
New pub visits 2022 with Tris39
on the Pub Forum

Image posted by Will Larter
Submitted on Friday, 28th January 2022
With picture contributions to 10495 other pubs
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Detail Pages
The Lyric, Soho, W1
W1
W1D 7LT
Served areas

Reviews of The Lyric (Average Rating: 6½ of 10) see review guidelines
Tris C left this review about The Lyric
The pub’s name dates from 1892, previously having been the Ham & Windmill, this rebuilt in 1906.
The Lyric has reinvented itself as a specialist real ale emporium and probably the only one for quite some distance. I arrived intending this to be the first of my mini-crawl, but it was so packed and with mainly fizzed-up squealers, that I though I’d tipped up at the wrong destination, but no, so I decided to return a couple of hours later at the end of my crawl.
There’s some rainbow bunting to the fascia, but nowadays it’s hard to work out whether this is to celebrate the NHS or gay Soho, but this doesn’t strike me as being a gay pub. Entry is through an attractive vestibule, with polychromatic Art Nouveau glazed tiling to a curved wood front. The interior is traditional and fairly small, dominated by a TV and large quantity of single-use plastic cobwebs, as Hallowe’en was just 12 days away! There’s a white Lincrusta ceiling, festooned with hundreds of ale clip faces.
Service was swift and professional, with 13 pumps dishing up around two ciders, with six unused and too many to list, even if I could have seen all of them. I went for the Red Willow Wreckless APA at £2.70 a half; passable for the area, but too much for this type of pub format. It seemed on good form, but wasn’t really the style of beer I’d go for again.
This is a good little place with nothing like it in W1, but I’d prefer no TV, polluting cobwebs or Prosecco-heads, none of which troubles the Harp over the way in Covent Garden.
On 30th October 2021
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1513 recommendations about 1493 pubs]
Ian Mapp left this review about The Lyric
A revisit - again, at closing time. Don't know why I always seem to end Soho Crawls here.
Noticed that they have 13 Casks and much more keg on. And I missed Harvey's Sussex Best Bitter. Not that there was anything wrong with my Jaipur. I just panic ordered when faced with so much choice - at a bar, and no table service in freedom week :-)
On 26th July 2021
- rating: 7
[User has posted 963 recommendations about 955 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Blue Scrumpy left this review about The Lyric
Today was my first visit to the Lyric in almost 5 years. It is a small pub that appears to be one of very few to have re-opened in the West End. Having been all around the country over the last 6 weeks, I was dismayed to find many of central London's pubs still closed. Most will be bigger than the Lyric. So, this is a great shame. But just wandering around the streets, it can be seen that London is much quieter than normal.
A few other customers were in and there were 3 bar staff. The ale and cider range was not as large as normal. But the selection was still ok. The regular ale is Harvey's Sussex Best Bitter. Guests were Tring Pale Four, Big Smoke Distant Lands & Southwark El Dorado. The real cider was Abrahall's Slack Alice. In addition, there were about a dozen craft beers.
Certainly one of the better pubs in the West End.
On 14th August 2020
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1308 recommendations about 1308 pubs]
View more reviews of The Lyric (18)
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- Official site of The Lyric - www.lyricsoho.co.uk
- Facebook - The Lyric - Soho
- Twitter - The Lyric
- CAMRA WhatPub :: The Lyric - whatpub.com
London Waterloo, 1.43 miles, 27 min walk (show)
London Euston, 1.64 miles, 31 min walk (show)
Pub Details
Pub details supplied by members of this site to the best of their knowledge. Please check with pub directly before making a special trip.
- Accommodation : No last updated 27 November 2018 by Quinno _
- Bar Billiards : No last updated 27 November 2018 by Quinno _
- Beer Festivals : No last updated 27 November 2018 by Quinno _
- Beer Garden : No last updated 27 November 2018 by Quinno _
- CAMRA Discount : Yes - 10%. - last updated 20 October 2021 by Tris C
- Car Park : No last updated 27 November 2018 by Quinno _
- Child Friendly : No last updated 27 November 2018 by Quinno _
- Darts : No last updated 27 November 2018 by Quinno _
- Dog Friendly : No last updated 27 November 2018 by Quinno _
- Function Room : No last updated 27 November 2018 by Quinno _
- Hot Food : Yes last updated 27 November 2018 by Quinno _
- Jukebox : No last updated 27 November 2018 by Quinno _
- Karaoke : No last updated 27 November 2018 by Quinno _
- Live Music : Yes last updated 27 November 2018 by Quinno _
- Live TV Sports : No last updated 27 November 2018 by Quinno _
- Micropub : No last updated 27 November 2018 by Quinno _
- Pinball : No last updated 27 November 2018 by Quinno _
- Pool Table : No last updated 27 November 2018 by Quinno _
- Quiz Night : No last updated 20 October 2021 by Tris C
- Real Ale : Yes last updated 27 November 2018 by Quinno _
- Real Cider : Yes last updated 14 August 2020 by Blue Scrumpy
- Wheelchair Access : No - WCs down steep stairs. - last updated 20 October 2021 by Tris C
- WiFi : Yes last updated 27 November 2018 by Quinno _