The Harp
January 10, 2010 | Map
What a find!
Decent pubs in the tourist hotspot between Covent Garden and Piccadilly Circus are rather scarce, and I always need to think hard when being asked where to go for spontaneous drinks. Exiting the National Portrait Gallery, though, I remembered The Harp instantly: a CAMRA member recommended this pub to me a few months ago, and I had passed on this recommendation to other friends, yet never visited myself. And I am glad I corrected this omission today.
The Harp, near Trafalgar Square
The Harp is a very small pub. The long, thin room is not much bigger than the bar, which features an impressive number of eight hand pumps churning out an ever-changing selection of real ales. Undoubtedly the reason for the pub’s high standing among CAMRA members. We arrived early enough to occupy a comfortable amount of standing space, but our pub experience would have been only average, had we not discovered the upstairs room.
The Harp, near Trafalgar Square
The upstairs room is this place’s true highlight. Well, unless you are exclusively focused on quality real ale. We, however, are also people who enjoy a comfortable atmosphere, which is exactly what The Harp has to offer. A bit like auntie’s living room, though auntie is not just a collector of antique-ish furniture, but also has a contemporary taste for combining pink walls, ornamented hardwood tables, decorative old-style lamps, stunningly framed paintings, and very comfortable modern leather armchairs. And that’s why we did not just stay for the quick one, but lingered about to conclude a relaxing day appropriately.
Beer in the Evening Review
Fancy a Pint Review
Time Out London Review
Filed under Pubs
London with a yellow rucksack.
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