London’s Best Beer, Pubs and Bars updates
Central London: Soho and Leicester Square
Nellie Dean of Soho, London W1
Traditional pub (Enterprise)
89 Dean Street W1D 3SU
T (020) 7734 2572
Open 1100 (1200 Sun) – 2300 (0030 Fri-Sat, 2230 Sun). Children welcome until 2100.
Cask beers 5 (Fuller’s, Timothy Taylor, 3 often local guests) Cask Marque, Other beers 3 keg, Also specialist coffee
Food Simple bargain pub grub, Wifi.
Pool, functions
This compact, old fashioned, friendly and homely Soho boozer boasts some history: there’s been a pub on this site since the area was originally developed in the 1680s, although the current Grade II listed building dates from 1900. The current landlords, in situ for over 25 years, have long supported real ale but struggled with cellar problems. These were solved with the installation of a new cooling system in 2010, since when they’ve gained Cask Marque accreditation and a listing in the Good Beer Guide. Five handpumps now stand on the single long bar downstairs, dispensing London Pride, Meantime London Pale Ale and Taylor Landlord alongside guests that might come from Caledonian, Nethergate or Sambrook’s. Staropramen and Hoegaarden brighten up the keg choices a little, while Leffe and Budvar are in bottle, and the coffee comes from venerable Compton Street landmark the Algerian Coffee Stores. Fish and chips, sausage and mash, halloumi burgers, sandwiches and Pieminster pies are sold at impressively low prices for the area. The upstairs bar with its pool table is popular for private parties.
Pub trivia. The silhouette depicted in the windows is a work of imagination: Nellie Dean was not a real person but a character in the sentimental ballad of the same name written by US songwriter and boxer Henry W Armstrong in 1905 (apparently with no reference to the similarly named character in Emily Brontë”s novel Wuthering Heights). In the UK the song was adopted by music hall star Gertie Gitana and became a popular choice for pub singsongs. The pub was originally known as the Dolphin and renamed in 1967.
Underground Tottenham Court Road Cycling LCN+ 39 6 6A Walking Link to Jubilee Walkway