Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese

I am a fairly go-with-the-flow traveler but my one request on a recent trip to London was traditional Bangers & Mash - and Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese Pub knocked it out of the park for me!

This is known as one of the most famous pubs in the world where many literary greats were frequent visitors: Mark Twain, W.B. Yeats and Charles Dickens (who even featured this spot in A Tale of Two Cities). *Side note - I sat in the exact spot that was Charles Dickens sat when he visited - I mean, how cool is that?!

This place isn't the biggest so there may be a bit of a wait if you don't have a reservation - but fear not, the team does their absolute best to accommodate you without hesitation and luckily, we only waited about 3 minutes before a table opened up. From the hostess to the waiter to the person that brought the food to our table, service was stellar. I enjoyed that they allowed us to sit back and enjoy our meal while checking in every so often to be sure everything was to our liking and we were having a good experience. To the team here - Thank you for making our dinner her so special.

Food wise, you will find your typical and traditional British fare but elevated to the next delicious level. We had been out and about exploring the city all day {meaning..eating small bites everywhere along the way}, so we opted to split an entree and it was the perfect amount of food and completely hit the spot! The Kentish hop Sausage Ring served with Creamy Mashed Potatoes, Onion Gravy and topped with Watercress is an absolute must! I would also suggest adding a side of the Buttered Carrots (Cause you know..veggies}!

This was the perfect British meal and the perfect last meal in London! Highly recommended!

Review #18 of 2024!! yeeezzz

Ok so I came here on a friends recommendation and after looking up the history of the place I was like, yes!

It was hard for me to get here because it is way further out than the other
"touristy" things in the city. It was dark when I got here and when I asked for a table they told me there was a special event and a lot of the rooms were already taken. They were able to sit me all the way upstairs in a corner table, literally. There was nobody there with me expect the waiters. Eventually more people started filling in the room but other than that it did not get crowded at all.

The food is your traditional British cuisine. I order the fish and chips and they were average, nothing spectacular about it. The service was prompt and attentive. I mostly went for the history and the architecture and the atmosphere. Unfortunately there was not much of an atmosphere when I went so I was a little disappointed on that. Next time I honestly would not visit because it was just so far away on public transportation, the atmosphere was not there and the food was just meh at best.

I love visiting landmarks in London and this pub was such a treat for me. The place is rich in history and filled with old photos of the bygone eras for visitors to view.
To top it off our foods were also delicious. We had the fish and chips and the sausage with black pudding. The portions were just right and foods were made to order. The only thing I thought was not so great was the waiter who we tipped 5 quids for a takeaway box,took the money but didn't even bother to get the box for us.

What an absolutely quaint gem of a Pub. The food was fresh and delicious, and the service was kind and prompt. We were crunched for time, and our server made sure our food came out quickly.
Treat yourself and stop in, even if only for a pint.

Kitchen closed between 3-5 when we went but otherwise an atmospheric pub with good beer. Lots of seating across several floors. Nice staff.

Bathrooms did not smell good though :/

I was at a conference for work and co-workers, and some conference folk was looking for an English restaurant experience. My friend knew about h the Cheshire, so we went. I had such wonderful classic dishes like English pudding, spotted dick (I just like ordering it because it's a naughty word in the USA), and such good beer we were over the moon. I have been here twice now since the last time I was in London, I sought it out. I like when places do classic dishes and do them well/perfectly. Yes, the menu has some trendy things for everyone, but I want the olde London from films, and some tasty beef thing, with spuds in a perfect gravy, served by a polite English towne-server. Right governor! (No one ever calls me "Governor", Cap maybe) You get me, right? When you come to Boston or Maine, I will put on my best cap and give you a show, though you can't get thar from heeere!).

Anyway, the atmosphere is a local place since I had to go down a little alley to get here. Everything is calm and sedate at the dinner hour, the way it should be. I felt like I could be anytime from the 1940s to today--many thanks to the owners for maintaining the "meilleur."

Service was perfect for European service, a little more attentive, actually, but eventually, they just left us to our own and kept our drinks filled. A perfect end to a long day. I trundled to my boutique hotel feeling like Horace Rumpole.

Old to the point of ancient. No frills, no fuss no muss. Just dropped in for a pint in an old pub.

Don't waste your time or money, just 'Ye Olde Rude Staff'. Shame on you for being the rudest pub in London.

We stopped by on Friday June 9th 2023 around 7:20pm. We were travelling with two children (13 & 18) and were immediately funneled down into the cellar bar. Just for full disclosure there were 10 or so customers outside drinking and smoking (which is fine) and there was a small group in the dining room on the main floor which is why I think everyone directed us downstairs. Once we got the the cellar we immediately turned around and went back upstairs to order. The bar downstairs was dank and it looked as though they wanted NO tourists there...and we were there to buy 3-pints and move about our way for the night.

Anyway back to the review....I went back upstairs and asked the VERY RUDE BARTENDER to order at a side bar and he said I would have to go back downstairs and drink there. *When I pointed out that there were already patrons drinking & smoking outside and asked why we couldn't do the same the bartender looked puzzled that I immediately called him out. I just said 'forget it' because of their inexcusable rudeness.

Of all the placed we visited from June 7-14, this establishment is the ONLY one where we encountered such rude employees, and I mean EVERYONE WHO WORKED THERE. Even though this place is highly rated, I would recommend everyone DEFINITELY skip and just avoid the rudeness and flippant attitude. Don't waste your time or money at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese. Maybe change their name to 'Ye Olde Rude Staff'?

Ahh who doesn't love an olde cheese? While the name doesn't bring forth a necessarily pleasant picture, I promise this pub isn't stinky or moldy (as far as I could tell). However, it is incredibly old and so very interesting! With several sitting areas across multiple levels, you could visit on numerous occasions and feel like you're in a different place each time.

My husband and I drank in the basement area and ate in the restaurant room. Both were very different and interesting. I'd give the food a solid "meh", with very slow service. But the ambiance more than made up for this! And it seems as though many others agree, as the pub was quite popular, especially among tourists (ew). Nonetheless, I'd highly recommend a visit.

Really fun old pub. Food was very good and the atmosphere was even better. Great way to skip the rain and enjoy London.