It's harder to find a decent bar in central London than it is for a rich man to enter the gates of heaven on his yatch, wearing loafers. Seriously, central points are best avoided in any city of the world I find, but there is something extra painful about the bars and clubs in central London, maybe because I live here, understand the rubbish that people say and know there are at least a thousand better places in any other direction on the compass. This is why the Phoenix is such a winner. The bar staff are attractive in a cool, beardy and understated way. Not to objectify them, but a pint is so much tastier when poured by someone with good arms. My favourite thing about this pub though is the music. The last time I went in on a Tuesday afternoon they were playing a tranquil collection of underground hip hop and electronica, not Celine Dion's greatest hits or Westlife: the usual selection of shit music courtesy of the clueless bar staff in central. They also do club nights with decent DJs on Fridays and Saturdays, have a £10 a bottle wine night on Tuesdays and open mic nights on Sundays. The food is of decent pub grub standard, they have the genius and cunning to sell a fish finger sandwich for £4.10 (over priced but essential eating). There is a cosy relaxed atmosphere here and a great selection of beers and wines, in this pub it is almost possible to sit back, relax and forget where you are. read more

The Phoenix - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

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Came here for Sunday roast. Was actually quite intimate since we got a room upstairs just for our family. Everything was great. Served warm and large portions. My cousin had the vegetarian roast, I think it was a nut roast- surprisingly good! The staff was really nice and accommodating. read more

Awww, I don't like writing bad reviews. But this time I really have to :( I have been coming to the Pheonix for over a year for regular meetups, and have never written a review because it was just average. Not amazing, not horrible, and never really chose to go there anyway. Well, it seems that the Pheonix has changed owners, and has gone from average to really meh. So! It's a pub in super Central London - split on 2 levels, it's always relatively busy. The food has gone from your average pub food to some sort of american diner. So... Burgers. And that's about it. When I asked if I could switch my chips for salad, the waitress looked scared. She was scared of the chef. She still went and asked him, and nearly came back in tears. Apparently the chef yelled at her "she takes it or leaves it. I'm not going to make the salad, who is?". Okay. And then there was an issue about placing the order without the table number. Well, there weren't any table numbers on our tables, and that caused another series of drama. The burger? Well... I went for chicken avocado burger. Avocado wasn't ripe, chicken was overcooked, chips were bland. Between the below average food, the disappointing menu and the appalling attitude of the chef - just couldn't give this place a good review. And will definitely never ever go there by personal choice. read more

The Phoenix is a great pub just behind John Lewis on Oxford Street I believe. I thought I'd give this place a go after a friend recommended the night they do there called 'Heavy Load' that is on the last Saturday of every month , it was 11:30pm and we had no place to go after the pubs were kicking out so as a last resort I decided to head here, I say last resort as with many bars and clubs so close to Oxford Street, they are full of awful people, awful music, awful everything appealing to the tourists but as we got closer we could see some pretty decent folk heading the same way. As we went into the Phoenix and then headed down the staircase for the 'heavy load' night I could hear Led Zeppelin playing, no way I thought this can't be true and so a night of great music proceeded, Santana's Soul Sacrifice, Fleetwood Mac, Creedence Clearwater and more. I had the best night and the crowd was great, genuine music lovers and people who looked like they'd been plucked from Woodstock (and they weren't in fancy dress). I danced all night and had no complaints. The decor was pretty good, they projected films at the back of the stage and had a good bar even though it was a bit small and the toilets were clean and quite luxurious for this kind of place. The Phoenix also do a Motown night and a night called 'Southbound' which plays all rock and country music from Allman brothers to Lynyrd Skynyrd. We also had to pay to get in but can't remember how much read more

I would actually give this place no stars if I could. I read other yelp reviews that said that food was good, so I was looking forward to giving it a try. I asked a staff member about seating, he said sit anywhere. I grabbed a high top to the left of the bar, and looked over the menu. After 30 minutes no one had come to take an order, or even looked at me. I finally just got up and left. The food may be great, I have no idea, but the service experience SUCKED! read more

The Phoenix - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

Went in especially for Castle Brand brunch, and they don't do it! Then the guy behind the bar was the most over familiar fella I've ever had the pleasure/displeasure of meeting, and then the fish finger sandwich was dry/going on stale/horrid. It may just have been a one off bad Saturday morning, but it was enough to put me off ever going back. read more

They trusted us with glassware; there was broken glass EVERYWHERE. Picking glass off the bottom of my shoes all night was rather annoying to say the least... The place was filled with boys who looked 15 and will stick their tongues down your throat if you are not careful; geeks and scary butch women who looked like they might punch you. But there was a pearl at the bottom of the toilet and the Phoenix upstairs is perfectly acceptable. I also played air guitar on jj's leg. Saturday downstairs? for £6 whole pounds? I rather spend the money on a taxi home. Luckily the company was charming and sophisticated as usual. PS. the DJ didn't have "Turning Japanese" even though he was playing very similar music? Did you not hear about the tooooooooootal revival of the song by Kirsten Dunst? (which ps is arguably better than the original, if only Murakami will release it and make lots of money, which is what part of commercialist modern art is supposed to be about.) read more

We came here for their comedy event "the Pun Run". The event was about £3.50 a person and held in their ginormous basement full of cushy seats and benches. The event itself was kinda expensive for what it is, especially given that it was run around dinner time to draw in drinks and food sale, but their food was actually really good. We got some beer and cider, and then their southern fried chicken for £13 - Expensive? Yes. Worth it? Yes. To be fair, I haven't had much fried chicken (well any) in London so it's not comparative, but the half chicken chopped into four was extremely juicy and well breaded. I'm normally not one for the white meat as they usually come out really dry, but this place had it spot on. I enjoyed every bite of it. The fries/chips and coleslaw was pretty good too. A side dressing for the chips were not very good, but nothing to it. If I ever wanted to get some good fried chicken, i'd definitely come back. read more

As someone else mentioned, this place is great for the location. It gets crammed with people and the pints are priced pretty average. They have some interesting things on tap from time to time, which is a nice change of pace. I don't find it that comfortable to spend a ton of time in. Don't get me wrong, I DO spend hours there whenever I end up there, but that's mostly because there's nowhere else to go and I'm not ready to head home, yet. I feel like no matter where I stand or sit, I'm always in the way. This is a fine feeling after 10pm on a Friday, but happy hour shouldn't feel so cramped. I do like the bar staff and the clientele isn't horrid. I haven't tried the food but they have a 3 small plates for £11 special and the menu looks delicious. read more

Very rude and unprofessional service. There are SO MANY options in London and Soho and I've come here three separate times because it's close to me and I was really hoping it would be a good local bar -- it's not. Doorman are rude. Service people are rude. Unnecessary DJ cover. They act like they are doing you a service for your patronage. Dropped £40 and left in 10 mins. Not with it. It's a nice location, but I imagine improved management Might help this place, but again - there are so many options that it's not waiting up for. read more

Been coming here for years. It's my go to spot after work. Great management, great staff, lots of fun events and great whiskey selection. Food is good if want to grab a bite as well. Great back patio. Good stuff. read more

Finding a good pub near Oxford Street is harder than it seems. Luckily, there's the Phoenix. Tucked behind the back of John Lewis, it's always got happy folk having an after work drink and a good atmosphere. As you can expect, it's pricey for what it is. Sure, it's a nice place, but the girls loos are shoddy and the drinks aren't the most diverse. But it's a reliable place to take friends or dates and it's never done me wrong. It's also home to a number of fun nights including one called the Liar's League where amateur writers and actors try their stuff out in front of an audience. read more

This is a decent pub for Central London. It doesn't have that chain feeling to it at all. It doesn't look like an old style english pub, it's a bit more retro. Quite big, serves decent food, staff are friendly and the music is pretty varied. Nice comfy seats too. Seems to get an after work crowd during the week and then a mixed crowd at the weekends. Recommend if you are in the area. read more

I had a few beers here last weekend with a family member. It had a nice atmosphere with a good selection of beers and also a great location. The staff were good and keen to serve quickly when the Q at the bar got high. I've visited here before but it was great to go back. A good pub I had forgotten about but will pop back into when in the area. One to check out if in the area read more

The Phoenix is an awesome pub in the centre of all the Oxford Street hustle and bustle. Like many others in the area, the pub is split into the ground floor and basement. When the basement is open its lovely. Really comfy sofas, a very easy place to unwind and if your not careful fall asleep (this has happened to me). The drink selection is really good with all your standard beers and ciders and spirits and some more unusual fruit beers. The wine list is second to none ensuring there is something for everyone. The food is some of the best 'pub grub' I have experienced in London and really good value for money. The pub pride themselves on their burgers, which are really good but so are their more traditional dishes. The macaroni cheese is amazing, and i am hard to impress with a macaroni cheese! There spin on nachos is also pretty interesting, instead of the standard tortilla chips they serve fried flat bread with various salsas. The staff are really friendly and although in busier periods you might be in for a bit of a wait, the service is always with a smile. This place is the ideal retreat after a days extensive shopping, a lunch break or catching up with friends and tucked just behind Oxford Street it is easy to find and access. read more

The Phoenix - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

Lovely bar, with a really nice atmoshere. Shame about the wine list; the only wine I liked wasn't chilled! read more

Nesstled just behind oxford street this pub is a little gem.. i love it for kunch to escape the crowds it doesnt feel like a pub in the centre of london, The decor is very down to earth a pub with an alternative twist. There's a great basement too so plenty of space for big groups. The menu is the main reaon i go here they change the specials often and try new things they do a great bangers and mash and a fab shish kebab. the portiuons are good and the prices very low for london!! In terms of drinks the staff are always happy to make you whatever you desire. in the evenings theres a huge music scene with loads of live music events and some great dj's the place really comes alive, thers so much atmosphere and its so easy to spend all afternoon here and stay on to enjoy the evnings entertainment, and the best thing is its still feel quite secret and a real find and im quite smug about that!! read more

Easily my favourite pub in Central London! The Phoenix is in a fantastic location, behind John Lewis on Oxford Street, but is quiet and off the beaten track for tourists. The drinks menu is amazing - a vast array of spirits, potent Belgium and French beers, organic and delicious soft drinks, plentiful wine selection. The non-alcohol drinkers are especially well catered for. Exceptionally fair prices for the West End (Leffe, £1.90 half), with a delicious food menu. The Phoenix is busy at both weekends and lunchtimes, but covers two floors making there plenty of room (although downstairs is a bit more 'student union' than gastropub). Friendly and efficient staff mean the place works like clockwork. The menu includes healthier options, such as hummous and roasted veg baguette, salads, tapas and delicious burgers (meaty, and spinach and lentil). The nachos are delicious - large enough to share, or a good meal for one, they are like big puff pastry pigs ears! Smothered in cheese and delicious salsa. A very good quality, highly recommended Gastropub, in a prime location. read more

The grotty looking exterior hides a comprehensive bar menu, which will make your mind boggle, The selection of drinks and side orders (big thick chips covered in mayo, and chilli covered nachos) may be fairly standard, but to get change from a £5 note in a pub that sits just behind Oxford Street is unusual. It caters to a primarily student/post work crowd, and you'll find media luvvies mingling with LCF students. It's no place to take a date, but great to have a natter with your friends, as around 5 minutes of lurking makes seats materialize. A great budget find- and on Tuesday they have 'wine time', which is special offers on bottles. read more

Not everyday you see Bulmers on tap, which for cider heads is worth the price of admission alone (not that there is one..). If, like me, you aren't particularly into your cider then the Phoenix also has a good selection of lagers including Peroni, Frulli, Leffe, and some old man beers (sorry ale) including Doom Bar. The main bar is a bit cosy and dark, even in the summer, so not the best place to drink if the sun is shining. Also topped off by a pretty comical bouncer, seemingly borrowed by the real Phoenix nights, who had delusions of Secret Service style grandeur. read more

Ha ha, I keep finding myself here when I am in Central London. Its a stone's throw the BBC for us music folks, does really decent food and the best thing is all the entertainment in the basement. Bands, clubs, comedy etc as it is also one minute to walk to Oxford Circus and the drinks are a decent price for W1. Lots of laughing and friendly staff means that I will keep finding myself there again, no doubt. read more

Nice little pub just off Oxford St, down one of the side roads it had a traditional feel with a Retro edge to it 2 floors a pub -restaurant reasonably priced and pretty friendly atmosphere,all in all I found it definitely a nice pub to drop in for a pint if your that side of town. read more

Looks scabby from the outside and is deafening on the inside. That said, it's away from the maddening crowds of Oxford Street - despite being a two minute walk away. Beer is good, a few tables outside but not really enough. At 3.80 a pint, it's hard to complain. read more

It's a good hidden gem if you need to get away from Oxford Street for an hour or 2. Maybe avoid the Friday-after-work-rush.

Went here for a comedy night. Really good fun and great atmosphere. The food is good too. read more

The Phoenix - Old Rope comedy (Monday nights) - Pubs Near Me - London, XGL

Great place to meet for drinks, which is still relatively uncrowded compared to the rest of the West End. There are some comfy seats to chill out and have a chat in. They also do a nice selection of food, if you get peckish. Downstairs, there's a basement club. Once a month they do a fantastic country and western night on Saturdays, where they play Johnny Cash, that type of thing. It's very relaxed andunponcey night; as well as hardcore country fans, there are all sorts of people who just want to enjoy the music and have a laugh. read more

The food was very good and we didn't have to wait long . The staff was also very nice and friendly . Great atmosphere and decor . Would definitely recommend for anyone looking for a nice relaxing pub to have lunch or a drink in !! read more

I have been here on a couple of Mondays for the Old Rope comedy night (held downstairs) - the pub seems nice, although on one night the basement stank pretty badly of urine, which I didn't enjoy that much. Nice range of beers including draught Leffe and Fruli, although the bar downstairs always seems to get overwhelmed and run out. Upstairs seems quiet, so might be a good central weekday spot, although had an unfortunate element of 20something business lads. read more

I have been here loads of times so thought it was about time to write a review. The Phoenix is a great pub to visit when you are in the Oxford Circus area - it's reasonably priced, is close to the hustle and bustle of Oxford St while still being relaxed, and has some great club nights on Fridays and Saturdays in the downstairs bar. I have only eaten here a couple of times and can thoroughly recommend it for basic pub grub. The Sunday dinners are lovely but the bar is very dark indeed even during the day- a bit too dark when you would like to be able to see what is on your plate! It can get quite crowded on Friday nights and you can't reserve areas if you are coming along with a big group but when I've popped in at other times it's not too bad at all. If you are going out in the area but don't fancy Soho you could do a lot worse - especially if you fancy staying out late as you can go to the club nights downstairs for around a fiver on weekends. I've taken several friends here and they have all enjoyed it and made return trips. read more

I quite liked this place, we went there the Friday before Christmas and it was of course packed but people were still friendly and we managed to get a nice space there for our very large group. They had some nice beers for girls; I drank strawberry Fruhli, and they had some other belgium bottled beers which were reasonably well priced. The only bad thing about it is the stools, they were really small, it's not just because I have a large behind; noone in my group could fit on them! read more

I usually come here for one of the many comedy nights in the basement (which appears to be part-way through redecoration, fortunately I like the smell of wet paint) but this is also an excellent place to drop in for a quiet-ish pint and some decent food on a Saturday afternoon. A nice escape from the Oxford Street crowds. read more

Just visited The Phoenix for a quick drink and a catch up on my way home after I finished work, apparently if you work in retail or hospitality, you get 20% off every Sunday! Think I've just found my new spot for a pint every Sunday now.. the guys behind the bar were awesome and funny. Definitely a cool place to spend an evening. read more

The main reason I know The Phoenix is for the excellent comedy night that takes place there weekly in the basement venue, and running close to time as I often am I often spy the menu and beer selection as I bustle in and leg it down the stairs, thinking Hmm, that sounds great I wonder if it's any good?. Well, research so far suggests that running past is the best option. The Phoenix is another one of those ideas that looks good on paper but doesn't have the right amount of care & attention rubbed on it to actually make it good. The bar promises a good selection of beers, including not-just-generic-lager options Franziskaner, Fruli, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and Brooklyn Lager. However they must be missing something from their handling procedure because the Sierra Nevada was flat & uninteresting, and the Brooklyn Lager was a shadow of its usual self. The food service only just made it up to the grade of lacklustre admittedly it was the Christmas rush at work, but we ordered 3 mains and then waited 50 minutes for them: my burger seeming a bit out of place on the burnt bun, and looking like it should be being belted around an ice rink towards a net somewhere. If you're not particularly worried about the pub you're in being of any sort of quality then The Phoenix is a great pick it's handy for Oxford Circus, and it's got a great range of mediocre products to choose from. read more

Was meeting a friend for a quick drink after work on Monday and decided on the phoenix as its the nearest bar. We decided to be sophisticated and drink white wine and service was fast(good) and generous(bad but more of that anon). as the pub was surprisingly crowded for a Monday evening we could only get high chairs at a counter just inside the door. We were joined for a short time by a work colleague whose pint of whatever seemed fine and did not to my knowledge sicken him. My accomplice and I continued drinking wine until by our 6th glass of wine we decided that soakage would be necessary if we were to make it home and ordered the 3 meat tapas plates which i believe included chicken and pork but couldnt swear to as i wouldnt have recognised my own mother at that stage. However it did its job admirably enough to allow me to crawl home with some vestige of dignity after what equates to 2 bottles of white wine by my lonesome. When is a pour too generous? When the drinker has no self control, next time i'm sticking to vodka, those pours are always puny! read more