Coach & Horses

Thomasinho

Not impressed 29th March 2008

1 found this helpful

I went in here a few times for a drink, because its the one place, you can have a quiet chat about work, or something, where nobody expects to find you.

The reason no one would look for you, is that this place is simply awful, the bar staff were very unattentive, it took me a good few minutes to get served, because fetching crisps is more important, than a waiting customer. dispite the bar not being at all busy.
Secondly the place is filthy, the tables were sticky, just a really bad place to go for a beer.

weaverluke

Warmly recommended 15th March 2008

2 found this helpful

What a great place—friendly landlord and staff, very good pub grub, a nice dining area upstairs, and now live music is promised (disclaimer: I am playing piano for a sing-song there this Sunday evening!). Free wi-fi also makes this a good mobile worker hangout.

The Social Media Cafe, a networking event, is held in the upstairs dining room on Friday mornings. Right now, it is *the* most interesting opportunity to meet informed and interesting people in the Social Media space.

Recommended!

sizemore

Real London History 13th February 2008

3 found this helpful

Even though I live in SE1 and The Coach and Horses is in Soho, I'm fast coming to see the place as my 'local'.

It's known as Norman's Coach & Horses (there are at least two other pubs within walking distance with the same name) after Norman Balon, the previous owner who became famous in his own right for barring customers regularly. He came into the public eye via the many journalists who drink here. Norman stepped down in 2006, but his legacy is on every wall. This Greek Street boozer is much more than a Soho institution, it's a London legend.

While it still gets its fair share of old school journos, recently the pub has become a haven for writers more at home with laptops and is now something of a geek hangout thanks to the new landlord's acceptance of new media. The Coach & Horses now has free and fast wi-fi throughout and it's upstairs dining room has been used for some very high profile online gatherings.

Somehow this influx of new blood hasn't changed the essential charm of the place. While a lot of London pubs have the occasional 'character' the Coach & Horses has collected an entire cast. So any night you pop in will probably be memorable.

As an example of an old school institution that has managed to adapt to survive without 'breaking' anything, well I can't think of a better example. Plus there's a new website on the way :)

If you're simply looking for a friendly boozer then the staff will warn you that pints of Hoegaarden are a tad expensive and they're quite happy to chat away with you (or ridicule you in a nice way to prove the spirit of Norman is alive and kicking - "real men don't have lime in their drinks" was the upshot of one bar wide debate the last time I was in). Plus it's a good place to spot the occasional celeb - just don't go trying to shake anyone's hand.

And to top it off, the food, while being a simple selection of traditional pub grub with pies a plenty, is really good.