Great place in SoHo to get cask ales! Delish! Great atmosphere and pub vibe! Great service!

Okay to be fair I was a little bummed to come here as we had reservations for a place I was super excited to eat at but moved here to accommodate extra people added to our party that the other people couldn't accommodate. So they score for having reservations for a large party at the last minute. Had my first London Sunday Roast here which was a nice turkey dinner, very much like Thanksgiving back home. Food and drinks are standard fare here. If you're a foodie the rating lives up to the taste. Service takes a bit. The waitresses were busy with several tables to handle. It was pretty loud and packed which was bad, a sports bar feeling back home. It was big enough to visit with friends which was our goal for the evening. It was fun to be in a place that was around when William Shakespeare roamed the earth. If you're looking for a lively sports bar type place to hang out on Carnaby Street with friends this will do the trick. read more

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Great location, great service and great UK pub feel! Football matches on the tv's and ample seating! Although the tables do fill up fast!! Pretty spot on for a PUB! We didn't try any of their food but their pints were great! read more

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It's good for drinks and pub food but don't expect much. Ordering and paying is super simple via QR codes. Ambiance is nice, lots of tables to sit and carpeted floors and such. Food comes out quickly and service is fast. Got the plant burger with chips and it was decent. I mean for the money I paid I'm not complaining. Chips weren't as crisp as I'd like and needed some salting. I tried my friends fish and chips and that was hands down much better. Overall it's good for a quick meal and drinks with friends. read more

Shakespeare's Head - Burger - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

Great patio for an early lunch when many pubs aren't open. We stopped in right when it opened at 11 am and ordered some food - a grilled cheese toastie, steak and chips and a steak & ale pie and grabbed a table outside. All good with friendly service and nice people watching. read more

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A bit of a tourist trap. This place is in a nice location on carnaby street entrance but the food is no more than 2 star and the service is, what service?? We had lunch and a beer which hit the spot but that's because we were hungry. Not recommended. They are much better options around. Nachos are laughable read more

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Service was great. You order from the bar and the gentlemen was pleasant and helpful. Food came quickly. Great location. Great pub. Horrible, horrible nachos. Mexico is much too far away from this place. I wonder if the Brits think it's terrible but if you are from NA, don't order the nachos. Cold chicken on seasoned chips with salsa. Nasty. read more

Shakespeare's Head - Horrible "nachos" - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

It was perfect evening -- the food was delicious (fish & chips and steak & ale pie); the pub's atmosphere was perfect (warm and welcoming and Premier League on the tv's); and the service was the best. As American visitors, we wanted a quintessential pub experience and Shakespeare's Head delivered. A++ The topper was our server, Liv, who was a joy to meet. Friendly, helpful and great at her job. read more

Was disappointed with the food, but good service and drinks. Ate upstairs which was comfortable and plenty of seating. Order at bar and servers brought your food and utensils. My friend had a gin and tonic, double for 10£, I had a decent local lager. Food was bad. We ordered a large to share finger food player which included karaage (should have realized Japanese fried chicken wouldn't be good in an English pub), German pretzel with beer cheese (hard as a rock and cheese was watered down cheezwiz), fish goujons (fried fish fingers), sausages (oddly deep fried and tough) and fried calamari. Portions were decent, but everything was frozen and badly reheated. Go for drinks, but not for food. read more

After a long day of shopping and going to the London eye, we stumbled upon this beauty of a bar. In London, there are no reservations or lists. You basically stock a table until they get up. It was around 6 PM. You have to go to the bar and they will serve you at the bar. You can place orders at the bar. The pubs here are pretty amazing as well as this place. Speaking with friends this is a classic place. We sat in front of a fireplace, it was quite cute. Very busy. It was a Friday night. Funny thing is, no one eats at all in London. They just drink into oblivion lol. We ordered a salad and some appetizers and we're the only Americans I think in the pub, eating food. Food was pretty delicious though. On a very popular street, very fun and I will be back when I am back in London! read more

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came here on a Tuesday at noon with a friend to get lunch. saw the "lunch and a drink for £10", and they said table service was upstairs. we went upstairs and they tried saying it was closed. after explaining that we were told to come up for table service they reluctantly took our order at the bar. the lunch and a drink was NOT £10. read more

Shakespeare's Head - Cod sandwich - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

Things started with me telling the weightperson I liked London Pride ale, but I hadn't tried London Glory, their ale. I asked if it was similar. Her response was "I don't know, I've never tried it." I should have known better after that than to order one. It was bad. Flat, no flavor. Our party of eight waited a long, long time to be served. When she came to take our order I asked how many wings were in an order. Response: 10 to 15. Quite a range there. I ordered wings, I didn't count the number, but they were just okay. My wife ordered a pretzel which came with cheese sauce but not one grain of salt on it. Others in the party were also disappointed with the food. So, flat ale, disappointing food, and extremely slow service. There are too many pubs in London to go to bad ones. read more

This was decent, I would stop by again. You order at the bar and then they bring the food to you. The food was decent in quality but the service was just okay. read more

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I would make a couple of things understood. First, this pub is owned by Wetherspoon, a large chain with locations across the UK. It is not a locally owned drinking spot as they would like you to believe. Secondly, know how things are in the pubs. You first find a table and get it's number. You then go to the bar and order and pay for your food which is brought to the table. These very noisy places are not where you come for a relaxed dining experience. The menus in the pubs are strikingly similar and feature many standards including lamb shank, my meal here. This was served in a bowl with mash potatoes and root vegetables. The lamb was perfectly done. I also had a side of very good cole slaw. I have to wonder why more American restaurants don't serve lamb shank. This was a nice place. Just know what to expect. read more

Fun pub with great history. Loved sitting outside and have a beer. I recommend this place for a drink while you are shopping or waiting for a dinner table. read more

Great pit spot on Carnaby Street! I had "The Ultimate Fish and Chips" (14.99 pounds) and my wife had the "Smoked Salmon Open Faced Sandwich" (8.99 pounds). My wife said she's never had a better sandwich in her life. She was beyond happy with her lunch. I thought the fish and chips were good but I'm starting to think that all fish and chips are good in this city? I don't know but the one here was good. Staff was attentive. Place is casual and relaxing. Plus, they had Wimbledon on the teli so I was a happy camper. Great spot for its purpose. read more

Went here for a late dinner, the restaurant is situated upstairs which is a plus as it's quieter than the pub downstairs. I wasn't overly impressed. Food was OK at most, I ordered a roast beef dinner and was presented with 3 measly slices of beef! I want more! The mash potatoes were very nice though as were the Yorkshire pudding. But at £10+ it's not good value for money at all. Good location near/on Carnaby Street and service was quite friendly/informal which I liked. I would probably come back for drinks only. read more

Shakespeare's Head - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

Reading the reviews, I never understand why people complain that this place is touristy! It's in a tourist area, on a tourist street in a tourist city. If you want an authentic English Pub that's NOT touristy, then you need to head out of Soho and central London and find a Pub in a small village where only the locals go. In any case, I love this pub, it has a great feel, the barstaff are awesome and the beers are good! Fish and Chips are average, but I come here to drink and people watch. There are many pubs in the area, but I prefer this one- grab a seat on the street and watch the world go by... read more

This was one of the pubs I went to during my first trip to the UK. Despite the chaos of locals coming in and out, it was just what we where looking for. The decor was simple, lots of wood components which made it cozy in a weird way. The staff was very friendly, and on point. I had a falafel burger, and it was hands down the best one I tried during the whole trip. My sister had one of their pies, and that one was yummy also. Overall, nice place to have a couple drinks and people watch. read more

Shakespeare's Head - Falafel burger - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

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The food was completely bland! We got the steak and the hunter's chicken, and both were just so tasteless. We asked for the steak well done, but it was still pink so we had to ask them to re-do it. Thankfully they were nice enough to give us another plate. It was still so dry and had absolutely no taste. The chicken was supposed to have barbecue sauce, but it still lacked in taste and was very plain. The fries were okay, and so was the coleslaw. The peas that came with the steak were also very meh. read more

During a walk on Soho we had to stop at this lovely pub, they have a great menu and the environmet was nice too. My wife ordered a fish and chips that was super crispy and very good with the tartare sauce. I gave a try to a mash pie with succulent lamb shank. I was a little bit worry about this lamb shank but they nailed it! It was delicious and soft, perfect! I loved, defiantly recommend. read more

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Worst "pub" or restaurant my family and I have been to. We waited over an hour for fish and chips before realizing there were two families ahead of us who have yet to be served. There are far better places to go. My family and I highly recommend not coming here. EDIT: Forgot to mention, this might be the only place where they serve Mexican food under their "British Classics". This place is quite literally a joke. read more

London for the first time on a Sunday! Was really dying to try a Sunday roast. It was totally okay at Shakespeare's Head. Food okay service okay! read more

Tried having the Sunday roast here ON Sunday and they were completely out! My friends ordered some pints on a late Sunday morning but I was starving. I decided on the chicken Sunday roast because it was the cheapest out of the three roast choices. I went up to the bar to order their employee rudely told me they were out of the chicken and only had the steak (most expensive option.) She tried to sell me on the steak but ultimately I didn't have the money for this option. It really bugged me that they didn't have what I wanted and that she wanted to make me spend more money. I left without ordering anything. Their employees are rude and not very attentive. I waited on a two person line for ten minutes to be told to spend more money, are you kidding me?? read more

I worked here in 2002-03 so I am biased. Please consider this before moving on. It's owned by a large conglomerate of pubs that specializes in looking like they are original. This is nothing new and you would probably be hard pressed to find a real old world pub in London. The primary manager is a dick. And unless he has retired or moved on, I sincerely doubt anything has changed. His wife is alright and his kids are adorable. It isn't as touristy as it could be considering it is in the center of stupid tourist ville. Other than that, there are some locals who are great, it gets crazy on Friday and Saturday nights. Tip your bartender. They make shit for money. read more

I'd suggest you skip it. The food was cold and way over priced for what you get-- I'm talking 3 pounds for two old onion rings. Service was rude and unhelpful, forgot to give us silverware. Also the bathrooms were filthy There are so many amazing places here, go somewhere else! read more

It is a run of the mill pub with debatable history and slightly overpriced beers. However, it is in possibly the best corner for people watching and outside drinking in all of London. You'll see it all here, settled behind the reassuring comfort of an icy pint. Cheers to location, cant be beaten. read more

This was my review as posted on TripAdvisor in March 2009: This pub is located along Carnaby Street. It was 3:15pm on Wednesday March 4th and the place is pretty full. During my 20 minute wait, 2 staff members walked by and ignored me. This has happened to me already in London, so customer service is not this country's forte. Oh regarding the food? Well I'll just never know now! read more

Good atmosphere, poor service, and average food. This was a place that is expected to have a good vibe and it didn't let down in this case. However, the service was poor, (although not server's fault necessarily). There was one server and a single bartender on the second floor. The server tried his best, but management really should have extra wait staff on peak nights such as Saturday night. This is just basic Management 101. Nevertheless, server tried his best, but fell short. The food was also average. My wife's "hot" sandwich was cool to the touch and average in flavor. My chicken pie was hot and tasted great. However, the rest (mashed potatoes, peas, and carrots), was under cooked and really not edible. What also surprised me, was the beer selection. It was a Free House , (meaning it is not tied to a particular brewery or beer). They did in fact have a variety, but few actual English beers. Their selection was mostly imports. This would be acceptable for an average pub, but not one of history and prestige as the Shakespeare's Head. Nevertheless, if you want a pint of beer or even wine and cocktails while you people watch, this is a decent place. Otherwise, skip this and move on to the next. read more

Loved the name, and the location on Carnaby Street, so we stopped in for a pint before dinner. Good selection of ales and ciders. TVs everywhere showing games. A small patio for people watching. Upstairs room for dinner was a lot quieter and maybe better for families like ours, but we preferred the energy of the downstairs room. Service was efficient but a little rough around the edges. read more

Great spot on Carnaby street! after a long shopping day, thanks God we could get a place to seat and some drinks to drink. Staffs were nice even the place was so busy with full of tourists like us! read more

Pretty bad food, service, and beer. The 3 pies our group ordered were soggy and the potatoes were yuck. The side of veg was limp and tasteless. Sure they were busy over the holiday but not an excuse for it's general lack of goodness in nearly every manner. The decor is mildly classic and not that redeeming. Skip this joint! read more

Crowded, pricey, and in an area that's rather touristy. We ended up here with the husband's work crowd for Friday night drinks. It's not surprising for a pub to be crowded a) on Friday night or b) in Soho, so that's not really terrible. But when I have to literally shout to the person next to me, it's just not a nice time. Not much to say about this place, otherwise. It's not horrid, but there are a lot of other pubs in the area that are better. read more

Monopoly Pub Crawl - Stop #24 - Marlborough Street (Orange) The original plan was to go to the O'Neills. Now I know, O'Neills isn't a great pub by any standards as it's been replicated far too many times to maintain any sense of individuality. But it's big, good for groups, and fairly cheap. Unfortunately, none of these things were enough to keep it in business and the Great Marlborough location has now closed. So we called an audible and went to the pub right across from it - the Shakespeare Head. This pub has always been busy with shoppers and the like (being as it's virtually part of Liberty) and the relatively small size means that it tend to be crowded. With O'Neills out of the picture, it's pretty rammed and getting served can be a challenge. I recall fighting my way to the bar with the board in hand and arguing for a signature. A quick shot and a messy scrawl, and I managed to escape the heaving crowds. If you've got a choice, I wouldn't bother with this as there is nothing really alluring about this pub and the crowd quite puts you off. Add to that the staff which can be hit or miss (some are very friendly, some are sullen and act as if they are doing you a favour by deigning to pour you a pint), it's probably better to find another watering hoe. read more

There is more than one Shakespeares Head in London. Keep this in mind when you're telling your friend to meet you there. Don't send them to Holborn when you're in Soho... yep. This place is one of the unofficial gateways to Soho in that it's one of the first pubs you see, so it gets a lot of foot traffic and a lot of tourists. The beer selection is average, and if there isn't a table available, there's really not a good place to stand without having to shift around constantly. Not a whole lot to say - it does its job and not much more. read more

I wouldn't seek this pub out, nor would I eat here or spend an entire evening here. However, I'm giving The Shakespeare's Head 3 stars for managing to sit firmly on Carnaby Street (it's not really on Great Marlborough Street) and still maintain its dignity as a pub - oddly, it does not reek of tourists (too much) and is a perfectly nice spot to have a beer and watch the pedestrianized traffic. Also be sure to look up as the upper body of Shakepeare stares out from a window on the exterior. read more

Shakespeare's Head - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

The name itself captures attention and lures one inside. In the heart of Carnaby street, the place was packed downstairs - as it should be for a Thursday evening. They have seating upstairs - quiet and infused with old world English charm. One of the pubs I would keep in mind for quality sit down time with the perks of pubbing. Staff, for some reason, does not smile. But otherwise, this is a great place to go to. read more

Shakespeare's Head - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

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This was one of the many pubs I visited during my trip to London last year. They're really a fine pub, although nothing really stood out here amongst some other places I visited. I guess they are a pretty famous establishment as they were advertised heavily on Japanese tour books. read more

Shakespeare's Head - Shakespeare's Head Exterior - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

I am quite a connoisseur of mediocre and bland pubs, so believe me when I say this is one of London's blandest. Bland, bland, bland. Blander than a box of Tesco value chocolate digestives. So bland, infact, it makes Paris Hilton look interesting. It's bland. read more

Large, very tourist-filled pub at the head of Carnaby Street. Not awful, not great, just typical: ales and lagers and £8 fish 'n' chips and fruit machines and an upstairs dining room. The good: nice old building, lots of outdoor tables, great for people-watching The bad: large crowds, it's always jam-packed, tried a little too hard to be Ye Olde Englishe, menu is very touristy read more