Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese in City of London, Westminster

The actual pub was very atmospheric and charming On the day of our visit which was Easter Saturday half of the menu was not available including the signature meals of Barnsley chop and the steak and kidney pudding We orders three starters and five main meals I ordered a pot of tea which was only half full when it arrived no milk when I asked for milk I was given a small jug of hot milk ! Our mains arrived before the starters ! And I said oh we ordered starters and the waitress they are coming And then shortly afterwards our starters arrived So we ended up with our starter and main meal together Which we found rather strange We complained to the manager who didn’t seem very perturbed about this he did apologise but offered no discount On checking the bill we had been charged for three starters when we only received two and a side which we did not order On paying the rather hefty bill my husband asked for the service charge to be taken off ! All in all I would not go back to this pub nor would I recommend it to anyone Poor service I felt the manager did not deal with our complaint effectively

Great pub. Cozy, good beer, AND gluten-free options

The place is cool. The list of successive monarchs is a cool reminder of the winds of time. The staff member that helped us was… interesting. He seemed… distracted. It’s much what I imagine trying to get Edgar Allan Poe to pour you a pint would be like.

Great olde time pub!! Awesome atmosphere

The food was bland. The sauce wasn't flavorful enough. You could count the pieces of meat in the kidney suet pudding on one hand.

We wished we hadn't eaten before coming to the pub. Great selection of cask ale. Unique history. You feel like you've gone back in time. Most patrons ordered the burger. It looked amazing.

A must see when in London. All bars claim to take you back in time. This one really feels the part

We didn't eat, it does look like they have lovely food. It is a lovely atmosphere, a great spot and they are so nice and warm. I came here almost 5 years ago and I didn't remember where it was, now that I found it, I will be sure not to wait another 5 to come back.

What an awesome experience grabbing a few pints here. Cannot recommend this place enough, especially the cellar area 👨🏻‍🍳💋

We had such a lovely time at this restaurant from the first interaction! Damien helped us when we couldn’t find our luggage storage location- it really saved us! We spent the day sightseeing and we came back for our sunday roast reservation - every bite was divine! After lunch, Damien gave a group of us a tour and history of the restaurant, so cool and informative. Highly recommend supporting this business!

Lovely place food pricey amd they got the order wrong

A beautiful pub, helpful staff, and they also showed us the underground, where there used to be a prison long ago.

More character than the Cheshire cat! I was smiling ear to ear after my visit too: excellent beer, darts, a warm welcome. The variety of rooms and their historical character is really something special

Typical old English pub with an old world feel. We were there as a small group of tourists to end the evening and felt really comfortable there!

Unfortunately we were completely ignored and waved away. Too bad. Very nice historical location, but it's all pointless if the waiter sees us but doesn't pay any attention to us.

Very cozy, traditional pub. We really enjoyed it here. Absolute recommendation. If you weren't there, you missed something in London

We came here with no reservation and the host did his very best to get us seated. Thankfully there was a free table upstairs so we weren't required to wait long. The food is traditional British pub food, and I ate a wonderful lamb chop. The building itself is beautiful and sitting in the panelled rooms feels like stepping back in time. Many thanks for a lovely meal and enjoyable dining experience, made possible by the excellent staff.

LOVELY beer and awesome history pub… but the staff all look like they want to top themselves. Pay them more? Be nicer to them? Something isn’t right.

Had a late lunch here today with my partner and a friend. The steak and kidney pudding was quite heavy on the gravy content and quite light on the meat content and appeared to only have one piece of kidney in it, as far as my friend eating it could surmise. My pork tomahawk chop was all bone, a bit overcooked/dry, and the actual amount of meat on it was disappointing, especially for £26.50 (bearing in mind side dishes do not come with that, but cost extra). My partner had the sausage and mash, and that, apparently, was quite good. The food took quite a long time to arrive after we ordered and the pub was not that busy. All in all, for £117 for the three of us, including the service charge, we’ve had much better for the same, or even less money elsewhere.

Quirky pub with underground rooms. Beer is nothing special but definitely an interesting pub to visit.

Staff were fine, decor was charmingly old, but pub felt like it was not well cared for and maintained. Menus were sticky and light bulbs blown. Food and soft drinks were truly awful. They tasted cheap, bland and (badly) mass manufactured, like school dinners. However the prices were exorbitant given how bad the quality of the food was. It’s a shame as with a good head chef, a bit of TLC, and a switched on Manager it could be outstanding given its heritage and bones. Instead the owners seemed to have settled for keeping costs as low as possible and the prices as high as they can get away with, presumably to make money as a tourist trap.

Nice old classic pub good for a pint or two with a mate

Food was lovely. Very interesting old pub.

Historic building experience with cheap beer, good pub grub and friendly staff. Not to be missed!

Epic pub oldest in the city. Highly recommend

It is super hidden down an alley but worth the effort. I ate the Sausage ring and it was yummy unfortunately because I was jetlagged from flying from the USA I couldn't finish my meal and was unable to take my leftovers with me.

The pub definitely has a historic feel to it. I think that it's actually a bit overwhelming because it's hard to imagine/relate anything beyond 150 years, and this place has over twice that since it's restoration. The cellar bar is even older going back to the 13th century when it was a monastery! I wasn't able to have a proper dining experience because they were very busy, but the cellar bar had a decent enough burger. I was disappointed with the fries being store like shoestring (given that London has such good chips!) Decent selection of ales/lager. Would recommend for the historic aspect alone. 4/5 for uniqueness!

Beautiful old pub with lovely nooks and craneys. There are a lot of steps if you want to head down to the lower levels to be mindful for accessibility. There’s a darts board for entertainment. London city prices re pints 2 for £15.70. Unfortunately the rudest lady served me that I’ve never been so shocked in a pub before. Whilst I was waiting in line I heard her make rude remarks about a customer in front of me. There were issues with paying by phone and by card which she blamed me for and made snide remarks, trying to embarrass me in front of the other punters when it was absolutely not my fault. Hope the rest of the staff can give her some training - she’s in desperate need of it

Incomparable ambience in the catacombs. A London pub with a long history. If you're lucky and ask, you can tell yourself the story of Polly the parrot or the history of the pub. Went there every evening during our stay in London... for me the best pub in London

Lovely pub just off Fleet Street, with loads of history and loads of floors.

Truly a phenomenal public house, steeped in endless history and off the beaten tourist track. We booked a table for ten for lunch, Damion made us feel most welcome, and told us all the brilliant history of this London gem and Pavan who served our lunch catered to every need and is so kind and attentive. Definitely recommend a visit, you will not be disappointed!

Food was OUTSTANDING! I ordered the "Chip Shop Platter" basically it was Fish & chips with a fried sausage, bread, and a brown gravy! It was SO GOOD! I would definitely recommend!

Went in for a pint and something to eat, it was busy so just had the pint. Interesting old pub with plenty of old world charm. May re visit when quieter.

Went there for lunch. Food decent but not brilliant. Sited where it is, food is City prices. We like subdued lighting but it was extremely low. Night vision goggles might be useful there

Super nice! We stopped to have a quick beer and eat some chips (which unfortunately we didn't eat because the kitchen was closed). So be careful: kitchen opens at 5. It is possible to eat typical English foods, either as single dishes, or to be divided between 2 (there is the option of taking "tasting" dishes for two people). Very suggestive environment full of rooms where you can sit, just like a classic English pub that you see in old films. Beautiful Definitely go and see the lower floor.

Good atmosphere and facility. The food was OK. What bothered us was no prices for beer. Only the menu card with description, without prices. It was a bad surprise when paying 🫠 and the table could be cleaner. It stuck...

Excellent beers and the fish and chips were very good. The attention is the best.

A spectacular step back into history - for the atmosphere and the surroundings - but a very much present foothold in current times with the beer selection and the attention to service. Pity we live more than 3800mi away or this would definitely be our regular!

Menu's say food available all day ... But was informed the kitchen didn't open until 5pm. The atmosphere is amazing and cider was solid.

Visited for the second time and my experience was tihis time really poor. Not even that busy, but bartender was unable to take a food order in 5 minutes of standing alone at the bar and focused on chatting to some probable friends of his. Tables were not cleaned in 20 minutes of sitting in a dirty one. I presume the place was heavily understaffed on a Saturday, or just poorly run at the time. Shame, the first visit was much better and thus 3 stars overall.

I don't know if we were unlucky, but it didn't go well at all. We arrived and they couldn't find our reservation, they made us sit anyway, but from there we had endless waits to order and then for the dishes. High prices. The atmosphere is nice but it's not worth the wait or the price of the dinner.

Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese is such a fun pub to visit. This was the second time we sought it out. This pub is hidden in an unobtrusive alleyway off a larger street in London. I needed my trusty Google Maps to show me the way! The pub is a Charles Dickens favourite and it is said he would sit beside the fire in the snug and write away with an ale at his side. Of course I loved the evocative picture this conjured up in my mind as I sat beside the very same fireplace and listened to the friendly banter from the bartender as fellow tourists popped in for a beverage in the fabled place. I love how this pub has multiple sections. Last time we visited our family had an enjoyable meal upstairs. This time we enjoyed the snug, imagining the people who would have sat there before us and the conversations they would have had. In search of more we discovered the cellar bar , with brickwork predating the Great Fire of London and where monks would have found their way through tunnels from a nearby abbey to receive their daily beer ration. This pub, in just two visits, has become a firm favourite, not just because of its immense history but also because the food is good and the staff are both engaging and deeply knowledgeable. This is a must visit pub if you want London at its finest.

Ye Olde Pub Crawl Gold Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese is such a fun pub to visit. This was the second time we sought it out. This pub is hidden in an unobtrusive alleyway off a larger street in London. I needed my trusty Google Maps to show me the way! The pub is a Charles Dickens favourite and it is said he would sit beside the fire in the snug and write away with an ale at his side. Of course I loved the evocative picture this conjured up in my mind as I sat beside the very same fireplace and listened to the friendly banter from the bartender as fellow tourists popped in for a beverage in the fabled place. I love how this pub has multiple sections. Last time we visited our family had an enjoyable meal upstairs. This time we enjoyed the snug, imagining the people who would have sat there before us and the conversations they would have had. In search of more we discovered the cellar bar , with brickwork predating the Great Fire of London and where monks would have found their way through tunnels from a nearby abbey to receive their daily beer ration. This pub, in just two visits, has become a firm favourite, not just because of its immense history but also because the food is good and the staff are both engaging and deeply knowledgeable. This is a must visit pub if you want London at its finest.

Food looks amazing including the steak and kidney pudding. I did not eat but this is an excellent pub serving Sam Smith's beers. I sat in the deep cellar

Terrible service. The crumpet was stale. The waitress got our order wrong and we waited an hour and a half for our food because they forgot to put our order through. I normally don't mind that sort of thing but I found the whole experience uncomfortable and the staff not very welcoming

A place full of history! An honor to be able to be here

Amazing little gem. Me and my dad were visiting all quirky pubs in London and stumbled upon this place. Amazing atmosphere, a maze where we ended up in the back room which was cosy and served some great Stout! Served by the amazing Leslie, we really couldn’t have received better service from anywhere else. We really enjoyed this place and will be coming back for sure!

Finally found it. Amazing re the history. Had a whiskey whilst there. The staff were amazing and incredibly welcoming.

A very fun place for grabbing a pint and some food, steeped in history back to the 1300s. Although the building was built one year after the Great London Fire of 1666, the cellar was originally a monastery dating back to circa 1300. Don’t miss the story of Polly the Parrot, a trained parrot who would mimic and curse customers which became so beloved that over 200 newspapers and the BBC ran her obituary when she passed. (She now sits stuffed above the bar). Many of the great “literati” spent time here as well: Dickens, Chesterton, and Twain to name a few. As to the service, we inadvertently made a reservation for the Essex location, some 30 miles away. Although it was busy, Damian the Host was able to accommodate us, helping us out in a pinch and as we were leaving gave us a brief tour of the property. Very welcoming and much appreciated. Don’t miss.

I was refused service at 22.45. I wanted a quick pint, 15 minutes before closing. But the staff were keen to clear up. Plenty of time to drink it before official closing. Rating purely because of that.

Loved this Pub, great atmosphere inside.

It was good ..... nice old world atmosphere...... you coukd almost smell the Great Fire of London smoldering around you.

Lovely historical place with great interior and atmosphere but very touristy. Food was average and toilets were untidy :( I’d say it’s overpriced.

This pub really is so cool. The history, the atmosphere is all so incredible. I will say that we did go to this pub on Saint Patrick’s day which was on a Monday, so I’m not sure if that had anything to do with it, but they were completely out of a lot of items by 5:30pm no fish and chips, no lamb, and no pork chop. The food we did order was really good, but part of the reason we went there was for the fish and chips. Even though the atmosphere was great and the food was tasty this was by far the worst service we had in all of London. I’ve truly never had a server be more rude. She was short with us from the get go. I wish we knew her name because she either hates her job or just hated us. We were a larger group and had a few kiddos with us, but we had a reservation, were patient, and the youngest kid in our group was 10 and they really weren’t rowdy at all. Our waitress seemed annoyed by our general existence. Based on the service alone I would never come back here.

Long on atmosphere and ale. It's pub food but decent enough. Worth a visit.

4 quid for a half-pint, you have to duck to get through the corridors, we asked for smoking area and they directed us to a bench in the street. not a welcoming place.

Damn everything about this place sucks. Took my mum and grandma in on a Monday afternoon - thought it was going to be an old school English pub but not at all. even at that time the place was fairly busy but absolutely lacking in ambiance; guy at the bar hating his life, no music, ghostly quiet, no atmosphere just absolute wake / church after mass vibes; women’s toilets are absolutely filthy with used pads spilling out of bins; the cherry on the cake though were pigs in blankets we had ordered - £8.70 for 5 tiny, worst quality possible sausages stuck on a stick barely wrapped in bacon, it was so depressing and honestly offensive - you can get much better quality and price in a freaking wetherspoons 😭 AVOID by all means, i wish we could cancel our money spent in this disaster of an establishment

While the atmosphere is nice, the staff are great, it's a little pricey for what it is 👀

The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is bc I think the choice of drinks at Sam Smith pubs is not to my liking. An absolutely amazing place to check out- a must even. The staff is always welcoming and knowledgeable.

Super old pub from 1600s. Awesome vibe and beer

They must have had a bad night. Waited for a table booked at 7pm for 20 minutes. Finally got a table upstairs. Waited for the waiter to come for some time. To find out that out of the 2 veggie options, only the salad was available. Very filling indeed. We left w/o eating. Sad because the location ans the house are cool.

People here is so nice and glad to answer all your questions. You won’t just have a nice beer (the recipe from Germany and maybe better than Germany beer☺️) and also look around this old history house❤️

Absolutely great staff. Especially the manager in the suit who was very friendly and told us all about the history of the pub. The food is lovely! I’d definitely recommend to anyone who loves a bit of history and british pubs!!

One of my favorite spots in London. An old tavern with different hidden rooms. The food was really good, the atmosphere amazing. The staff were really nice and supportive. The chessboard was spectacular and the beers great. A must in London

Great ambience and history welcoming staff. I enjoyed my time there

Tutto veramente buono! The owner is really nice and happy to share several historical notions about this piace! Highly recommend

My husband absolutely loved this pub. Really atmospheric and steeped in history. Great choice of drinks. It's a bit dark inside if you like that sort of thing. Great service. Friendly.

1666 pub full of character with lots of different areas including wood panelled rooms, cellars, and larger bar areas.

Oozing with history. This seems untouched and as it was hundreds of years ago.

One of the coolest pubs around. Amazing atmosphere, history, and a great location. Wasn’t too crowded when I visited.

Great pub. Really cosy and a great place for a drink. It's expensive but that's just the northerner in me.

This is a must visit pub in the city. It’s a labyrinth of nooks and bar areas. Interesting beers form the Samuel Smiths brewery, you won’t find a pint of Carling anywhere.

What a cool Pub. The service was good and it’s an odd layout, but in a cool way!

Yesterday we saw the Fawlty Towers play. Today we got an encore that cost more than the West End tickets. The drinks are good and there is a wide selection, and the bartenders were very earnest and trying to deal with a difficult situation. None of what went wrong is their fault. The system got our table numbers mixed up, which is not surprising since the table numbers are hardly legible and our table alone had two separate numbers on it and there were two other tables with duplicates of the same number. It took us almost an hour to get a cheese board (after they were out of everything else we wanted to order) only to get a board that was missing one of the cheeses listed on the menu. Portions were small and the quality seemed like it came from Tesco. To put the cherry on top, the toilet in the ladies does not shut and there was something like vomit in the gents. Maybe if you just come for drinks or eat at the restaurant, the place is nice and the historic atmosphere is cool. But the cellar belongs in a Monty Python sketch.

There are some things about this pub that are quite good but, from a senior management perspective, you can tell it is appallingly run. The changes that need to be made are so blindingly obvious that i’d bet a good amount of money that whoever is making the key decisions about the running of this place has never spent a Thursday, Friday, or Saturday evening (i.e. the busiest times of the week) in there. The staff we encountered worked so hard and are obviously not helped, or supported, by their leadership team.

Decent pub but rammed at the weekends

A quaint pub, a little more quaint than any other since 1667 - after the big fire 🔥

Very historical pub. I run pub tours for friends and this is always on the list. I've managed to go into a different room every time I've been here.

Love the oldest pub in London!!!

O e of the best pubs in London,super especial

very cool spot. historic building with a very cool interior and a nice atmosphere.

Love this pub! Such a good atmosphere, great to visit if you like older buildings! Food was wayyy overpriced - only got chips so can’t speak on the rest but it was expensive for chips.

Might be my favorite bar I've ever seen. Great atmosphere and the downstairs got more impressive. We did not eat, so I can't judge the food but the bar itself and the drinks were spectacular.

Staff were wonderful. This is such a cool pub, head down to the cellar for your drinks, we loved it down there!

Quite nice food and great beers. The interior is a piece of history. Worth checking!

Average. Host/reception was a bit chaotic and lost and the service was nothing great. Food was average.

The main bar and chop room are atmospheric and definitely worth a visit, but it’s really a tourist pub now and they’ve priced things accordingly. Sam Smiths were one time the cheapest places to drink, but sadly no more. An expensive pint, even by London standards.

Nice pub with plenty of spaces. Good beer.

One of the most unique places to have a pint. And the stout was great!

A fantastic pub with many different areas, each one with a different vibe. They also have a great beer selection. All Sam Smiths, so not one for the person looking to explore multiple different breweries, but most people would find something they enjoy from the wide selection of drinks. I also had to contact the pub afterwards, and they were most helpful. Will definitely go again.

You will never find a more unique pub. It's extraordinary both in age and in design. Rebuilt just after the great fire of London in the mid 1640s, it is ancient as well. Several lounges go down well below basement level and are accessed down narrow stairs. Well worth a visit.

Quirky old London pub. Plenty of places to explore inside. Prices ok, decent pint

One of the loveliest pubs in London. First time above ground floor. Open fire rooms upstairs are a treat. Has to be experienced. Horrible construction across the road. Needless.

A truly wonderful find. It's like you've gone back to Victorian England. A must for beer and history lovers when visiting London.

Came for a pint. What a cool place. Would be even more magical to eat here I bet. The restaurant staff looked very professional and accommodating. It was a bit chaotic behind the regular bar.

A traveler stopped at a monastery and they invited him to stay for a delicious dinner of fish and chips. After dinner he went in the kitchen and asked a guy "Are you the fish friar?" and the guy said "No I'm the chip monk." To save money California is combining the Dept of Fish and Wildlife and the Highway Patrol. The new department is called the Department of Fish and Chips.

The interior space is a bit small, but there are a lot of people, so it's hard to stay comfortably. Noisy and somewhat expensive

Great beer from Sam Smith's Yorkshire brewery. Lovely warm atmosphere with a great fire on a cold evening.

Nice old pub. Doesn’t look very big from the outside. Access the pub via a side alley off the main road. Once inside one room leads from one to another on and on. We popped in for a drink during late lunchtime, so seats limited as most people were eating. Smelled lovely, but we didn’t eat here. The pub doesn’t serve standard drinks, and uses a lesser known brewery. With most branded lagers etc, having their own equivalent.

The "India Ale" is ghastly so don't order it because they don't exchange bottles. Also don't order softs because they come sans fizz. You'll still be charged. If it wasn't for the history, you wouldn't want to visit. I don't know how many historical figures are turning in their graves at the state of this place.