The Coach & Horses, Soho — Restaurant in London

🚇 Leicester Square 🍺 £5.70 Amstel ❤️ A Soho institution. . The Coach & Horses is located where Greek Street meets Romilly Street in the heart of Soho. Getting here is easy, Leicester Square Tube is just a five minute walk away. . There has been a pub on the site since the 18th century, The current building dates from 1889 and is Grade II listed. . Although this pub is historic, This pub or more so its Guv’nor gained fame for being London’s Rudest Landlord. Norman Balon was officially awarded the title because of the treatment he dished out to his punters, especially the journalists that would regularly find themselves inside the popular watering hole. Rather than take offence, they would fire back, knowing full well that Norman appreciated the insults. Norman retired and sold up in 2006, he is still going strong aged 96. . The decor here is traditional and a bit rough around the edges, which I love. There are 1930’s fitments like the wall paneling and back bar, check out some of the brandnames which once graced the pumps in years gone by. Skol anyone? The bar is divided into three sections, check out the proper pub carpet and the art deco lino. The seating is a mix of poser and low level tables and chairs. One feature you don’t see very often is the spittoon troughs that run around the base of the servery. . This @fullers pub has a good selection of beers including five cask ales. My beer choice was a pint of Amstel, my pint was decent and cost under six quid. There is no food menu at present, bar snacks are available. . I last visited this pub in 2018 and thankfully not much has changed. On this visit the punters were a mix of locals, tourists and some smartly dressed professionals. The atmosphere was relaxed on this Tuesday afternoon and it seemed like a good time to visit to enjoy the pub before the hoards descended. . Although Soho is not the characterful place it once was @thecoachandhorsessoho reminds me of times gone by. This pub is everything you want a Soho pub to be, even if Norman is not behind the bar. Make sure to visit this place, this is one of Soho’s finest. . ℹ️ Info correct on...

Norman’s Coach & Horses in Soho isn’t just a pub; it’s a living, breathing time capsule. The kind of place where you can almost hear pasted local drinker Jeffrey Bernard slurring something sharp at the bar, or Peter O’Toole lighting up the room with that reckless charm only he could pull off. The pictures of Jeffery is unwell all over the walls. Soho’s changed, gotten shinier, more respectable but Norman’s coach and horses hasn’t caved. Thank God for that. I ordered a Guinness—what else? and it arrived flawless, creamy, black as midnight, settling into the glass with quiet authority. You take that first sip and suddenly you’re part of the story, sitting beneath Private Eye cartoons yellowed with age, each one a relic of London’s sharpest tongues and dirtiest laughs. The walls are alive with history, the regulars feel like they’ve been propping up the bar since rationing, and yes, if you look down, you’ll notice the old spit troughs running along the base of the bar forgotten relics of a time when men spat as much as they drank, and the floor was washed clean by sawdust. It’s grimy in the way only authenticity can be. There’s grit here, but also warmth: a lineage of characters who made Soho dangerous and fascinating, a city within a city. Norman’s doesn’t just serve great beer it serves defiance. No craft beer pretension, no soul sucking Instagram sheen, just a perfect pint and a reminder that London’s heart still beats somewhere beneath the glass towers and chain cafés. This isn’t nostalgia. This...

This used to be my favourite pub for years on end. However after a horrendous experience, solely on account of the staff, I have decided to never set foot in this establishment ever again. I tried contacting the owner of the pub, but my enquiry met deaf ears. Hence leaving a copy of my email below:

"I hope you’re well.

I am having the first sip of my first pint at my favourite pub in zone one - your establishment.

However, the experience leading to having said pint was quite frankly appalling; your bartender just got back from a short break, behaved rather aggressive towards us.

My friend was the first to order, and his response was “That’s it?” Said with an attitude like he’s picking a fight. I approached in a less verbal manner, trying to to avoid the attitude by putting my hand on the tap I wanted. He proceeds to walk away, bring a cider - and when I ask him why he’s serving me a cider when I asked for an amber ale, he aggressively responds “Have that one” and walks away.

I stand there, questioning what just happened, rather baffled. After the initial shock of the poor manners, service and behaviour I try reaching out to another barman - which motivates the first bartender to serve me the correct ale. Alas, again with his aggressive behaviour.

You have to forgive me for writing this email, as I generally dislike complaining and specially towards companies and establishments I feel related to. But this experience was too strong and too negative...