St James Tavern

You're in the heart of Soho's neon-lit chaos, but step into St James Tavern and it's all sticky floors, dark wood and the kind of place where everyone knows the barmaid's name. It's the real deal—no craft beer lists or Instagram-bait cocktails here, just honest lagers, proper ales and spirits that don't require a university degree to order. The kitchen cranks out the kind of food that works: think fish and chips, pies, Sunday roasts. It's where pre-theatre crowds pile in before heading to the nearby Piccadilly theatres, and where locals have been nursing their pints since forever.