Ship and Shovell Pub & Restaurant, Charing Cross Reviews Summary

Atmosphere & Decor

Pros:

• "Nice wee pub by Charring Cross Stations. The atmosphere was very homely and warm."
• "Charming with lots of character."
• "Brilliant selection of beers in a Beautiful building. Lovely atmosphere in a great location."
• "Wonderful atmosphere in this place."
• "Great London boozer...traditional great food and atmosphere."
• "Loads of charm you feel like you are in Dickensian London."
• "Great relaxed atmosphere."

Cons:

• "Too full of loud, entitled, drunk, suit-beswathed bankers with shiny purple ties waiting for the rush hour to die down."
• "Great beer, awesome decor... Staff very unhappy of our presence."
• "Beautiful old pub. Unfortunately this was ruined by the miserable (bordering on hostile) bar-staff who have no business being anywhere behind a bar."
• "Ordered prosecco and not given a glass! Awful service from a darker hued male in the snug part of pub."
• "The service was not good. We walked in and were ignored by the wait staff."
• "Service could be friendlier though, felt a little indifferent."
• "Bit of an unfriendly place."

Location & Accessibility

Pros:

• "Close to Charing Cross and Embankment Stations."
• "The location is great."
• "It is in Villiers street and a couple of minutes from Charing Cross main line station."
• "Great, old-fashion pub a few mins walk from Charing Cross Station."
• "Not far from the Golden Jubilee bridge."
• "Close to Trafalgar Square and numerous travel links."
• "Right behind Charing X so good for access."

Cons:

• "Separated across two sides of the narrow Craven Passage, it inevitably causes mayhem when meeting with friends."
• "It is the only pub divided into two parts on either side of the street."
• "Actually two pubs across the street from each other. But which is the ship and which is the shovell? Many great men have tried and failed to answer this question."
• "Uniquely, the pub is in two parts, one either side of the road/pathway."
• "Unique in the fact that it is split over two buildings on opposite sides of the road."
• "This pub uniquely has rooms on two sides of an alley; I drank in the quieter side."
• "It's one pub that's split into two across a walkway."

Service & Staff

Pros:

• "Oddly it has 2 bars directly across the Street from each other, super busy place and staff keep their cool despite working flat out."
• "Staff are friendly and the drinks are fairly priced for central London."
• "Absolutely amazing customer service from a fantastic bar team."
• "The staff were great to deal with in the lead up and on the night."
• "Staff was friendly and nice ambiance inside."
• "Staff are friendly and helpful and only add positivity to the visit."
• "Friendly staff who are always good for a laugh."

Cons:

• "Bar staff too busy to care."
• "Great beer, awesome decor... Staff very unhappy of our presence."
• "The service was not good. We walked in and were ignored by the wait staff."
• "Ordered prosecco and not given a glass! Awful service from a darker hued male in the snug part of pub."
• "The service personnel untrained and not good."
• "Service could be friendlier though, felt a little indifferent."
• "Almost had to demand service at Bar and tell staff that tables needed clearing and cleaning."

Food & Drink

Pros:

• "Supported by Badger brewery there is plenty on offer and a very nice Guinness for, I thought, VERY reasonable £5.50 considering the prime location."
• "Good selection of Badger ales which you don't see often in London."
• "Typical pub food - burger, steak & ale pie, fish & chips. But it was good quality and reasonably priced by central London standards."
• "Good mix of traditional beers."
• "The bar staff are very knowledgeable on the real ales and beers they serve and the wine list is extensive and reasonably priced."
• "The ale was great and so were the scotch eggs."
• "The fish and chips onion ring and garlic bread delicious."

Cons:

• "Unfortunately, last time I was there no food was served other than pub snacks."
• "We got some food the last time I visited and were fairly disappointed."
• "The food is nothing special and not really worth its money."
• "Steak pie was excellent but the fish and chips was unfortunately very dry."
• "We came here because they have home-made pork scratchings, but we were a bit disappointed in the result."
• "The other plate was a bacon & tomato relish sandwich that was just OK. Not bad, just not 'special'."
• "Fries were not that tasty."

Unique Features & History

Pros:

• "The only Pub to be split in half by an alley with steps."
• "It's a good old fashioned pub that's just a pub, no sports no music just people catching up and having a laugh over a few drinks."
• "London's only pub in two halves, apparently."
• "Great pub, from a great brewery... And then there is the great unusual feature of having the bar split in two across a footpath, each with their own feeling."
• "Steeped in maritime history."
• "Historical interest: The two buildings, but one pub, The Ship and The Shovell are supposedly named after Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell."
• "Loads of charm you feel like you are in Dickensian London."

Cons:

• "Separated across two sides of the narrow Craven Passage, it inevitably causes mayhem when meeting with friends."
• "It is the only pub divided into two parts on either side of the street."
• "Actually two pubs across the street from each other. But which is the ship and which is the shovell? Many great men have tried and failed to answer this question."
• "Uniquely, the pub is in two parts, one either side of the road/pathway."
• "Unique in the fact that it is split over two buildings on opposite sides of the road."
• "This pub uniquely has rooms on two sides of an alley; I drank in the quieter side."
• "It's one pub that's split into two across a walkway."