The Ship, Soho — Restaurant in London

DO NOT EVER GO TO THIS PUB- 2 old school friends and I went out last night to catch up and decided to go to Wardour Street. After dinner at the very nice Floridita we fancied a pint, and The Ship is just a few doors down. The 3 of us got to the door where a bouncer asked how many were in our group. There were 3 of us, nicely dressed, polite men in our mid 30's. The bouncer said "Sorry we don't allow groups of blokes in" to which I replied that we were barely a group. At this point the bouncer looked around at the female manager who was leaning over the corner of the bar giving us a steely stare, I suggested he let me speak to her as there was absolutely no reason not to allow us in...had I known what was about to happen I would have realised his look said it all! I approached the woman, still leaning over the bar, by this time I'd realised the place was 80% empty, which on a Saturday night in London is a bad sign. Before I could speak she said "I won't serve you so you might as well go......" interesting welcome but I like a challenge! I proceeded to explain that we were old friends, catching up and just wanted a couple of beers before we went home, her reply came back, "I won't serve you....." I was slightly stunned by her awful manner she then told me my eyes were wide and I was on drugs! Never in my 35 years have I taken any drugs, I have big eyes! She continued by saying that my other friend was "high enough to be space cowboy(!)"......We had been for dinner and a couple of drinks, we were no where near drunk! Still stunned I asked what she thought of my third friend, before she could answer he showed her his Metropolitan Police Warrant card and said "I can tell you now, in the 25 years I've known these people, they have never taken drugs and they certainly haven't started a habit tonight" she replied, "sometimes I get it wrong, but I'm still not serving you!" with this we gave up and walked past the bouncer who rolled his eyes and said "there are plenty of bars down here mate". I have never written a review for anything but felt so shocked by her stupidity, low level of customer service and the blatant rudeness that it is the first thing I wanted to do when I woke up this morning! DON"T GO TO THIS PUB, READ THE OTHER REVIEWS ON IT, THE...

🚇 Tottenham Court Road 🍺 £6.75 Amstel

The Ship is located on Wardour Street, in the heart of Soho in London’s West End. The nearest Tube station is Tottenham Court Road.

The pub dates from the late 18th century and was originally called The Ship in Distress. It was rebuilt in the late 19th century.

Over the years, The Ship became a favourite with people from the music and entertainment industry, thanks in part to its proximity to Soho’s clubs and the legendary Marquee music venue. One well-known story tells that Keith Moon, drummer of The Who, was barred from the pub after setting off a smoke bomb. And if you’re a David Bowie fan, you’ll find a blue plaque in nearby St Anne’s Court, just behind the pub, marking where Bowie recorded at Trident Studios.

This is a traditionally decorated, one-bar pub. The servery is located on the left and features a beautiful back bar with carved wood and etched mirrors. The bar area is long, with a mix of low and high seating. The decor includes a boarded floor, dark wood panelling, etched glass, a few chandeliers, historical photos, and prints that nod to the music scene of old.

The beer line-up was solid, offering a selection of familiar favourites alongside five cask ales. I opted for an Amstel; my pint was excellent. The price was above average, but about right for the West End. The food menu focuses on toasties, with five varieties to choose from.

I arrived around 5:30 p.m. on a sunny Wednesday afternoon in May. The pub was fairly busy, with a mix of after-work drinkers, a few locals, and some American tourists. The atmosphere was upbeat and welcoming, making it easy to settle in and enjoy my pint. Service was on point, with the team on duty friendly and courteous.

Soho has changed dramatically since I started drinking around here in the late eighties, and it’s no longer the place it used to be. There are, however, some quality pubs that have stood the test of time and are well worth visiting — The Ship being one of them. I thoroughly enjoyed my time here; it’s a great spot for a pint on any occasion.

Follow @shipsoho for updates.

📅 21st May 2025

If you want to see all my pub reviews in one place, head to @londonpubmap on Instagram or...

We decided to go to The Ship thanks to the good past reviews, and it was probably a good place indeed. Nonetheless, in July 2024 our experience was dramatic. The waiter was not proactive and did not pay attention to us. At some point, I asked for the menu as I was expecting what was published on here and he said that they are only a drinking spot and so they have only the few sandwiches on the menu. It was not what we expected, but we still choose among the five available sandwiches. When we ordered (no table service, you have to go to the counter) he informed us they had only two of the five sandwiches (why didn't he inform me of that before?!?!), one very basic ham and cheese and one with pastrami, Cheese and Jalapeños. We were running late and so had to accept this and thus we ordered one with pastrami, but would've left if we could have. I ask if jalapeños can be removed and he answers that the sandwiches are premade and simply heated, thus nothing he could do about it. The ingredients were alright, but it was very bad that he didn't inform us that the choice was so limited before. Also, quite expensive, both the sandwich and the beer we had. Later that day we paid special craft beers the same price a couple hundred of meters away from that pub. In other words, keep this in mind if you...