It never ceases to amaze me that central London has decent pubs tucked away that I've not visited before. But it does, and the Edgar Wallace was one such place (which I've clearly now been to!).
It's located just off the Aldwych, five minutes' walk from Temple tube. The outside looks promising: huge panel windows in the 18th century style with small panes (although the building itself looks Victorian). It does, in fact, have some history: opened in 1777 as the Essex Head, it was here that Dr Samuel Johnson founded a club (known as the Essex Head Club, or, more affectionately, 'Sam's Club') which met from 1783 until 1792 (Johnson having died in 1784).
It was renamed in 1975 after the prolific author Edgar Wallace (1875-1932), famous, among other things, for the screenplay of 'King Kong', and credited for inventing the modern detective novel.
Inside, there's one main downstairs room, lit on two sides by the huge panel windows, with a rather startling red ceiling, but otherwise looking like your average traditional pub. There's an upstairs bar and function room, open normally at lunchtimes from noon until 15h.
It advertises the fact that it has 8 real ales on at any given time, and so it does: last night these included Crouch Vale Best, Hornbeam Bitter, Edgar Wallace Pale Ale, Adnam's Bitter, Pardoe's Hung, Drawn & Quartered, Nethergate's Lemon Head. The website lists its impressive rotating collection of real ales, and it has regular beer festivals as well.
It also does pub food, with a mixture of classics (salads, fish & chips and burgers) with kebabs and burritos; starters are £1.50-£5.50; sandwiches and burgers (all with chips and/or salad) £6-£8.50; and mains at £6.50-£9.
Unsurprisingly, given its location, it gets very, very busy at lunchtimes and with the suited and booted after-work crowd, but tends to get quieter after 20h.
Overall, then, a very good pub with an excellent beer selection and decent food. Worth a visit. read more