Proper pubs aka old-style boozers are becoming hard to find as the gentrification of Soho continues apace, so this one, just off Oxford Street, deserves your support. Dating from at least 1825 and formerly a Courage house, it has a small, cosy, wood-panelled bar area with a matchboard ceiling and a selection of prints and knick-knacks on the walls. The inside has been described as "it feels like being out at sea and in the captain’s quarters". An overspill bar upstairs is usually open on Thursday and Friday nights to cope with the throng.