The Clachan — Restaurant in London

If you’re looking for a pub that embraces inclusivity and common sense, this isn’t it. If you’re looking for a stage for a manager to showcase their terrible attitude and make up laws on the fly, well, congratulations, you’ve found your spot. I wouldn't trust this place to serve a cold pint of water, let alone uphold any sort of legal or moral standard.

I’ve been living in London for over five years, and I’ve never encountered such a blatantly racist and laughable "policy" in my life. Apparently, at this pub, only certain IDs are "acceptable," but not those from other countries. Why, you ask? Well, according to the charming and very professional manager (who looks like the hunchback of notre dame), it’s “the law.”

Let’s be clear: as a lawyer, this is not the law. It was just a racist policy of a pub that clearly doesn’t know how to handle diversity. To further fuel the absurdity, the manager whipped out a DIY, laminated sheet of paper (which looked like it was crafted by a 5-year-old) claiming what IDs were acceptable. MADE. UP. RULES. At no point did this magically appear as a legal mandate, and yet here she was convinced that somehow everyone else in Soho, let alone London, was doing it wrong. She also claimed it was only American IDs that they can’t accept, but then starting stuttering and making new laws up when she saw we had Hong Kong IDs.

Let’s be clear: this isn’t a policy; it’s racism with a side of delusion. It’s deeply laughable to think that a pub can just randomly decide what’s legal based on some homemade signs. What's next? Bouncers with a Tarot card deck deciding who can enter?

For reference, we were served just a week ago with the same IDs in this very establishment, without issue. But when confronted with that little bit of inconvenient truth, she proceeded to argue and say “she wasn’t there last week”. So, what? You’re the creator of law? She also refused to give us her name when asked.

I’m writing from the pub next door that, shocker! had no trouble accepting our valid, legal identification documents. Guess they must be “breaking the law” according to you? Maybe you can loan them your laminated sheet to make...

🚇 Oxford Circus 🍺 £7.15 Pilsner Urquell

A Busy Buzzy Boozer.

The Clachan is located on Kingly Street which is sandwiched between Regent Street and Carnaby Street on the southern edge of Soho. The nearest Tube is Oxford Circus, it’s a three minute walk to get here.

The pub was first licensed in 1750 and started life as The Bricklayers Arms. The pub was rebuilt in 1898 and renamed The Clachan prior to rebuilding, ‘Clachan’ is the Gaelic word for ‘meeting place’.

This Grade II listed pub was once owned by neighbouring Liberty department store, Liberty had plans to use it as a storehouse but then sold it off in 1993.

This is a good size two room pub that has retained many original Victorian features. This once Gin Palace has had all the partitions removed to make the main bar area one large space. The decor is traditional and features wood carvings and structural ironwork. Around the walls are a number brass frames pictures and photos, etched mirrors and anecdotal info about the West End. At the core of the pub is a central servery with a mahogany counter and etched glass on the gantry. Upstairs is the Liberty Bar which is set aside for dining.

The beer selection was solid and included a good selection of Keg and Cask options. I decided on a pint of Pilsner Urquell, my pint was on point, cost was Central London prices. My Son and I were starving, so we had a look at the classic pub grub menu. We both ordered Fish & Chips which was thoroughly enjoyable, the portion size was huge, cost was £21.50 each.

We arrived just after 5pm after a crawl around Soho. The pub was packed full of weary shoppers, tourists and post work punters. The atmosphere was upbeat and buzzy, the service was all smiles with not much waiting time to be served.

I have visited this @nicholsonspubs boozer many times over the years and have always enjoyed visiting. This pub always seems to be busy but do take time out to look at the decor when you next visit. The @theclachansoho is an excellent spot for a pint, a real comfort after traipsing around the West End.

ℹ️ Info correct on...

Very nice atmosphere and a great looking building both from the outside and inside.

But the service was very bad, and the food not much better. Wanted to order a burger and was asked if I had any food allergies - that part was very considerate. I told them that I am allergic to peanuts but that I didn’t think it was relevant for the burger. The attitude of the staff changed from that moment. They made me sign a waiver that they weren’t responsible for any allergen contaminations and told me that the salsa that came with the burger had peanuts in it. Which of course surprised me a bit, who in their right mind puts peanuts in a salsa in a restaurant, and doesn’t state it on the menu?

Anyway I asked if I could just get ketchup instead of salsa with the burger, if it was only a side, but the staff simply refused to serve me, and I had to approach another staff member. Then I had to tell the same story again and was also met with an annoyed attitude. She did however allow me to order the burger and with ketchup instead, but when it arrived, no ketchup was there. The burger was mediocre at best, I had expected a lot better.

Furthermore the tables were not clean when we got here, all greasy, and they didn’t offer any napkins. I was also not able to get a receipt from my payment. Never before have I experienced that restaurant staff were rude and almost scared to serve me because of my allergies. Never before have I signed a waiver. Not...