The pub is cool. Lots of space. The bartender and waitress were very friendly and knowledgeable on the menu. The steak pie was delicious. Their sauce in the pie was amazing. The mashed potatoes are fantastic; superb in make and flavor. The roasted carrot was cooked well but too much for me. Definitely a spot to check out. read more

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Lovely pub and a quiet oasis away the crowds at Leicester Square. Great selection of cask conditioned ales. Also had their IPA, delicious. Don't sit near the door as the smoke from the smokers outside will drift in. I have not yet tried their food but it looked good. No table service, you order and pay at the bar and carry your own drinks to your table which is typical here. If you order food it does get delivered. Nice atmosphere and friendly staff. read more

The Bear and Staff - The pub is a 2 minute walk to the tube station at Leicester square station. - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

Julie and I went here on the recommendation of and with a fellow Yelper Doug S from San Diego. What a great find. A proper British pub with amazing fish and chips and proper British beer. The meal was great and the staff went out of their way to make us feel welcome. The restaurant/ bar was nicely decorated and added a nice ambiance to the experience. I certainly will come back here next time I'm in town. read more

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Luckily we got seats! It was pretty crowed given it's a Saturday night and it's the holidays. Ordered an Old Fashioned, hubby ordered a beer and people watched. read more

The Bear and Staff - Old Fashioned - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

Wonderful little place for a drink or dinner. Absolutely loved the Steak and Ale pie.

Good food and friendly staff. We enjoyed the seasonal fare worth the wait. The service was great and food was delicious.

Meat pies were amazing and a great end to a great day - my wife and I needed a comfort meal and some libations and the Bear and Staff delivered! read more

After wandering through London we were hungry and stumbled upon this place. So glad we did. Sat in the pub part. Ordered a Guiness, double Jameson and we both had the fish and chips. The fish and chips were on point and awesome! Awesome service and fish and chips were perfection!! Glad we stopped in. read more

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Pretty standard pub experience. Nice casual atmosphere. Acceptable pub grub. Standard tap list. Slow but not obnoxious service. Not a destination but gets job done in area. read more

No food after 8? Damn but fast friendly service and great Al fresco cafe across from Gordon Ramsey's Street Burger read more

The Bear and Staff - Exterior - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

Had lunch there with my wife. The place looks and feels like a traditional English pub. I had the steak pie which was great. The service was a little slow but overall I would return. read more

The Bear and Staff - Steak pie - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

The pub food was super good and the staff were very friendly. Cute aesthetic. I recommend any of the pot pies!!

Lovely place. Did not have fish and chips do chose something else. It was lovely. Good choice of beers and gins. Nice atmosphere in a traditional pub. Will be coming again read more

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If I could give negative stars I would give. It maybe minor but we ordered ice waters but the wait staff was smoking outside. I ordered a side of chips. We never got the chips after we asked many times. When the food was brought the server basically shuned me away. Never in my life have I experience such rudeness and incompetence in the restaurant industry. The place should be ashamed and we work their system of the Resturant. read more

Excellent pub to stop for a great bite to eat and great service! Very nice drink and food menu.

Famous for being the local watering hole for THE Charlie Chaplin (they even named the upstairs dinning room after him!) The Bear & Staff is #3 on the Theatreland ale trail half a block down from the Leicester Square tube station. It's got a nice section of outdoor seating year round, with some heat lamps, the inside is tight, decorated with dark wood everywhere. The building dates back to 1878 when it was rebuilt, so it's got some charm. They have a slight upper section off from the bar that has some movie star memorabilia and ok lighting during the daytime, in the evening it's pretty dim. As a Nicholson's it's got the same menu and ale/beer/wine/Pimms in summer as all the others. It's wheelchair accessible to the main bar only. When I was there the staff where not on top of their game, meaning I had to stand there for nearly 10 minutes before I even ordered my drink despite it being 1pm on a Friday. If you have a chance to sit by one of the windows it provides great people watching coming up for either Leicester or Traflager Square. The restrooms clearly have been remodeled, they made smart choices, the only downfall is that trying to find them is a little maze like. Due to it's close location to both squares and the West End it gets packed during the after work hours and on weekends. I'd recommend going for meal here midday or grabbing a pint before the rush. It's pleasant, close but lacks a lot of what I consider tradition and atmosphere. read more

The Bear and Staff - The Bear & Staff - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

My friends and I stopped into The Bear and Staff on a Sunday afternoon around 2:30 for lunch. The dining room is upstairs and somewhat small, so I would recommend a reservation no matter what time you plan to go. We only got a table because a reservation did not show up. They had about nine beers on tap, including some of their own. There is a full bar as well. I ordered the quinoa and bean salad with chicken and it was a good lunch item. My friends had the fish and chips, the chicken and leek pie, and the veggie burger. Everyone enjoyed their meals and we would definitely go back. The service was just okay, but then again I'm used to American service and not European service where there aren't tips, etc. Overall, everything was pretty good and enjoyable. read more

The Bear and Staff - Quinoa salad with chicken - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

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Stopped in on a random Thursday in November while we were visiting London on holiday. It looked very crowded from the outside which is always a good sign. We initially were only going to have a beer on the main level, however we ended up going upstairs for a sit-down. It is rather small, but oh so cozy and we were seated right away. Staff was super friendly and the people in the pub were super friendly; you could tell were regulars. At the server's recommendation, I ordered the Chicken Mushroom Pie and the boyfriend ordered Gloucester Old Spot Sausages. It came out very quickly and was absolutely lovely. I don't think I can put into words how amazing this pie was. I still DREAM of this pie 7 months later. Absolutely delicious! If we ever return to London, this will be our go-to place to grab a pint and grub. read more

The Bear and Staff - Chicken Mushroom Pie with creamy mashed potato and greens - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

This review is long overdue as I visited last year; however, their food was so memorable, I didn't want to omit it. I dined here on a Sunday night and sat upstairs. The restaurant is centrally located---you're just steps away from Leicester Square--and the decor was quite lovely. There is also another bar situated on the upper level. My waitress was very helpful and friendly--I recall she was originally from Canada. I ordered the fish and chips and a beer. The waitress was nice enough to give me a 2nd helping of their delicious mushy peas. The fish and chips were prepared perfectly---a generous portion of cod fillet and skin on chips. Not greasy, not heavy but so very delicious. Unfortunately, I was there just once and my review is based on my memorable fish and chips dinner. Give it a try. read more

Great spot on the edge of Leicester Square. Inside is fairly dark despite all the corner windows. There are tables and a smoking patio out front. Once in a great while they will provide service out there but usually not. The patio has some small heat lamps but they are ineffective if it's actually cold outdoors. Very good selection of cask ales and not the typical ones. As one might expect for the location, the inside is usually packed. I wouldn't say the staff is outright rude but they aren't particularly friendly either. read more

Had a traditional fish & chips here - very tasty and did not disappoint!!! I took off one star because the service was slow (very slow) and the bathrooms a bit grungy. But the staff was very cool & the place has a neat vibe: think "classic British pub". I would eat here again read more

The Bear and Staff - Traditional fish & chips with mushy peas - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

Good and friendly service with a touch of humour (she is so funny) Real English Food, even tasty! read more

The Bear and Staff - Dessert - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

In the happening middle streets of London, the smallish bar will serve up a selection of the usual. Nothing great about this place other than it's atmosphere of a weekend night. Got a nice mix of customers, but you can find better places around. read more

The Bear and Staff - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

When you are Ambling around this part of London there is a great pub and eatery every 50 feet. So it's tough to decide - so if you stumble across this amateur review - trust me if you are looking for any of or all of the following then know about it: 1. Rowdy after show/game/work stand up pub. 2. Tavern food with ambiance of of a Parisian sidewalk cafe. 3. Upscale comfort food with a slight relaxing fine dining groove- Tatiana was unbelievable - knew what she liked - upsold us on the right stuff and had us hold back on the unnecessary! Stop by and give one of your 3 longings some killer satiation plus!!!!! read more

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Had post theatre drink here having often used this venue before. Adequate pub, very friendly when not busy, less so when busier. The Malbec was ok, though in the past I have tasted better wines there. I will continue to use it when in the area as it is convenient and only if not too crowded. read more

Excellent pub to have a pre dinner or pre theater drink! This has been my go-to pub before dinner at J Sheeky and it's an great meeting location if your planning on spending the evening in Covent Garden. They have Aspal cider on tap, so for you cider lovers, don't miss it! read more

I go here because people I want to see seem to congregate here and the Bear pours Landlord. Otherwise, well... There's a decent beer selection, and the food is ok. The staff are hit and miss. Some are great and some barely know how to pour a pint. The toilets, though. Yeesh. I hear the men's has been remodeled, which is really great. The women's clearly hasn't been remodeled, er, ever, and is practically haunted. If you can lock the stall door, there's toilet paper AND you can wash and dry your hands, well...you're probably dreaming. read more

The upstairs was very nice. As we wandered around the vast number of restaurants this somehow called our name. We had the fondue appetizer and it was very good. Great ales and an extremely nice waitress. Dinner was very good too, kids had a chicken breast and chips and I had the fish, shrimp and calamari with chips. All were great. I highly recommend this place. read more

Location, location, location. I've been here twice, just because of its proximity to Leicester Square. And the yummy mulled wine. The prices are excessive (but not surprising thanks to the location) and it's so packed that it's nearly impossible to sit down unless you stalk a table. The crowd is also so-so. When we went on a Sunday, it was mostly theatre goers and tourists. On a Friday, rude tourists and drunk businessmen (almost no women). I was there by myself waiting for the Irishman for about half an hour and it was very uncomfortable being stared at and commented at by the other patrons. I wouldn't go back alone, for sure. The dining room upstairs looks nice, although we haven't eaten there before. read more

Good food, drinks, service, and atmosphere; near train station. Take a bus or the Tube to Leicester Square and avail yourself to large portions of good food and a cold drink. The service was courteous and prompt and the food was tasty. Not a great selection of menu items--probably s why there were fewer customers than I would expect. The bar wasn't too noisy but in any case I didn't hear anything from upstairs. read more

A nice little traditional pub that you don't see often in London. In the evening can get very busy dew to its proximity to Leicester Sq and a few theatres. Does have a dining room upstairs, though I have not had the food there to comment on it. Has a good selection of drinks on offer. Good place to have a quick drink before going on to the theatre, but nothing to write home about. read more

Not a bad little pub, but it'd be better if it wasn't just off Leicester Square and thus often mobbed with tourists. It hasn't wholly succumbed to the quest for the Yankee dollar, though, and you can find some nice ales on for less than you're likely to pay at most pubs in the area. Nothing special, but not much of the soulless corporate blight of the big chains. Two rooms downstairs (which, as I said, can get terribly crowded) and a dining room upstairs. read more

Good ales. Nice little pub. Better than the Green King pub round the corner. Right by Leicester Square tube. Good place to meet. read more

The Bear and Staff - Nice pub. - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

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I was in the Leicester Square, and I noticed this pub was right around the corner. I walked in, and good thing to as this pub was great. I ordered food, then five minuets later it was cheerfully placed on my table. I ordered the Bree bacon wrapped chicken, which was a lovely meal especially after walking around London all day. Additionally, the staff here were friendly and didn't think twice at laughing with you. read more

Ever wanted to try a Sunday Roast, but the one at The Bear & Staff was definitely my last one! It was very thin and more than well done beef meat in a very bad quality. The vegetables also were overcooked, totally ruined and shortly before not eatable. Even worse were the potatoes, it's one thing to have them crispy, but more than half of them burnt so black no one want's to eat them not even for free. Plus the roast is with almost £13 not that cheap... So I can just advise against going to this pub, there are a lot more and maybe cheaper pubs you can try. So please, say no to The Bear & Staff and don't waste your money! Und jetzt auf Deutsch, das Essen ist für den Preis wirklich nicht gut. Schlechtes Fleisch, latschiges Gemüse und verbrannte Kartoffel! Also geht lieber woanders hin, wo es besser schmeckt und günstiger ist! read more

Great little pub with some neat historic tid bits. It was pouring rain so I just randomly picked this place to get some food and a pint and get warmed up! The bartender was very nice. I wanted to try a different beer and she explained the difference in the local beers compared to what I am used to in the states. She was very helpful and gave me a taste of one she thought I might like based on what I told her and she hit it right on! I had scallops and chips and it was very good. There are several signs about the pub on the walls, such as that part of it was once a tabacco shop and that Charlie Chaplin frequented the place. Always a plus to find some good stories about a place and it added to the charm. This was a great stop, good service, good pub food, and great beers with a few extra quirks in the atmosphere! Can't ask for more than that in a pub! read more

A chill, casual pub. Good for a pint and some friendly conversation. Didn't try the food, but it looked decent and no one ran away screaming after they ate, so that's good. read more

Small pub off Leicester Sq., decent drinks decent atmosphere, very crowded on Fridays. Nice collection of Charlie Chaplin photos. Dining room was also fairly good and the service was attentive and quick read more

Had a thoroughly enjoyable meal, great drinks, cheerful and friendly service. I frankly do not get why some reviews do not reflect the upsides of this great location. We had a simple meal with soup (excellent) and fish & chips (superior) plus Macallan12. Couldn't ask for more. read more

First restaurant/pub I have been in London and I was seduced by the food and the staff. I went to the UK with a bad idea about London's food but after this restaurant I changed my mind. The fish & chips were fresh and good, looking nice in the plate, the beer was very good too. Price are OK, we are in London so we know it is not going to be cheap but this restaurant was not that expensive too. Plus the waitress and waiter were very nice and attentive. They even give us some advice to discover the city and other restaurant in London. I recommend this restaurant for tourists like me ;-) read more