The Coal Hole

passing for a few hours through the center of London we chose this typical English restaurant to eat lunch! I ordered a fish appetizer for 2 people, a burger, and a vegetable pie! the burger was recommended by the waiter as very good! unfortunately all the food was very bad, absolutely everything we ordered! and to remember the fact that both the appetizer and the main course were cooked and brought at the same time!! really?!!! I gave 2 stars for the coffee which was ok! I do not recommend eating here! very expensive!!

We often like to find a small ye olde style pub for a meal when we visit London and this was absolutely perfect. Lots of pie selections to choose from as well as pub classics. Friendly staff and fast service. Decent portions as well which us northerners like. Highly recommend and will be on my list for the next time I visit London.

A fantastic spot to take a break and enjoy a pint or grab a bite to eat. Great location and atmosphere, the staff made us feel right at home.

I had a fantastic experience at The Cole Hole in London! The first thing that stood out was the super professional service - the staff was attentive and friendly, making us feel very comfortable. The menu offered a variety of delicious options, and I was pleasantly surprised at how reasonably priced the food was, especially for a pub in London. The quality of the food exceeded my expectations. From traditional pub fare to more inventive dishes, everything we ordered was flavorful and satisfying. The casual yet stylish atmosphere made for a comfortable and enjoyable dining experience. Whether you're looking for a great place to grab a pint or a meal with friends and family, The Cole Hole is definitely worth a visit. I can't wait to go back and try more of their menu. It's a gem in London's pub scene!

Fantastic pub. I had a birthday lunch here recently and had a great afternoon. We were a party of fourteen, including two young children, and couldn't have asked for better food, service and enjoyment. In addition, it's in a great location near one of the most pleasant parts of London.

Super food and really great atmosphere. Fantastic location for shows. We had a few pies and the kids had burger and a chicken sandwich. Service was a touch slow, but quality in other ways made up for it for sure! Great stop! Gin drink was outstanding!

Our server was Niki and she was really lovely. A very nice pub with huge portions 🤩 Basically we didn’t walk out… we rolled out 🤰🫃

After visiting Covent Garden happy to find the Cole Hole. Having nice snacks and good beer. Service very friendly, hope it does not take another 17 years to come back to London, my favorite town in the World.

Great fish and chips! The mushy peas were good, and so were the fries. The service was relatively fast, and I would recommend this place to anyone looking for a nice bite to eat.

Great food and service. Super friendly staff! Great first dinner on our London trip! Wish we could've seen a more extensive beer menu since it is a pub but still had some great local lager

The food tastes great. However the temperature of the potatoes wet not up to par. The service was okay, nothing spectacular. The ambiance was acceptable on a warm Friday afternoon.

I stumbled here on accident. The decor is beautiful. dark wood. plenty of seating for a family of four. We Had chicken sandwich, burger fries, but the fish and chips were outstanding. Great beer too! I do recommend this place for a family or singles. The restrooms were also nice and clean.

Wow, what a fun spot for a good fish and chips! Stopped here for a quick dinner while in London, and found seating in the upstairs balcony within a few minutes. I ordered the Large order of Fish and chips and my husband did the Steak & Nicholsons Pale Ale pie. I did want to order the small order for my fish, but the restaurant told us that could not be accommodated on our date of visit? Not sure the reason there. The large was plenty of food, and the fish was super flaky and lightly battered, just how it should be! The side of mushy peas was well seasoned, and the fries perfectly salted. Only downside was the small serving of tartar sauce. My husbands ale pie was delicious, with a flaky pastry, and hearty stout sauce filling. His side of cabbage was under flavored sadly, but the potato was well cooked, with a fluffy and buttery texture. Lovey strong stout sauce accompany on the side. Overall, you can't beat the fun upbeat vibe inside nor the kind service. We would certainly return.

Oi, what a cheeky name! A London classic for a pint and some fish and chips. Lively crowd friendly staff great location, it was busy inside so we just took our beers outside and stood next to the sidewalk and people watched, come on by I'm sure I'll be there again tomorrow:-)

A lovely pub with excellent British pub food. We loved the beef pie and sausage and mash.

I've been coming to this pub for 2 years now. Good selection of beers, amazing good with affordable prices.

Both my friend and I got sick after eating here. The food was terrible and bland and we had a bad feeling about it from the beginning. We should have trusted that feeling. We both had the meat pie thing and I'm pretty sure it was microwaved. The peas and carrots were dry and honestly the worst looking peas and carrots I've ever seen. We are only in London for a few days and this restaurant has put us out of commission for a day.

Very attentive and dotting staff. Food came out pretty quickly (was here on a Thursday around 1400....after the lunch rush). Lancashire Hot Pot was steaming hot and VERY FLAVORFUL!

We were turned away by a frantic and harried-looking waiter, even though the restaurant was visibly less than half full; definitely not a good sign. We didn't end up eating so I can't speak for the food, but the service definitely left something to be desired...

Still a nice little pub. Decent selection of real ales. Much less commercial feeling than many of Nicholson's other properties. Food is good (standard Nicholson fare) but service getting it to the table is pretty slow. Getting an ale at the bar is usually pretty quick but the bartenders seem to be rushed and flustered even when the place is pretty empty. When weather is decent, it's possible to smoke on the side street/alley outside the side door.

Needing a pint before going to see Kinky Boots we noticed this pub so popped in. Décor the same as years ago, not changed. Wood panelling everywhere, dark wood bar and stools. Old world comes to mind. Visions of centuries ago people sitting around in this packed London pub. Service was swift with hiked up prices. However, we are in the centre of London so what could be expected. Not a pub I would put myself out to visit but useful at the time,

I dined my last night in London down in the cellar - a lovely, cozy place to eat, and the pub grub was as good as it gets. But the service was awful: there was no one at the bar when I came in, and I must have waited almost five minutes until a very uninterested bar tender took the trouble to appear. She knew nothing about the beers on tap. I persisted, because I was too tired to go elsewhere, and my hotel (the Strand Palace) was just across the road. So: a very divided review: food (a pie) great; beer a mystery; service awful.

Cozy! I like cozy british pubs! This used to be a coal storage. Good selection if draughts - several ales and IPAs. That will do it for me! Pale ale pint is £3.80. Wow!

The Coal Hole is a great London pub. I love its décor and old worldy ambience. It feels as though it probably hasn't changed much for decades-not that it's old and worn-on the contrary it is very well looked after. There are plenty of beers and ales on offer and the pies here are really tasty. There is an outside area which is taken advantage of more so now because of the smoking ban but I think it creates a great atmosphere when the patrons spill out onto the street and alley way that runs alongside of it. The coal hole is just south of Covent Garden and as a result it is slightly out of the bustling touristy area so you'll often find regulars using this place rather than streams of tourists. However it is on the same road as a couple of theatres such as The Lyceum so it's a great place for a pre or post theatre drink.

This very traditional bar on the strand is a great place to take foreign tourists who want a good rink but with an Old Englandy feel. The interior is great, all wooden and with lots of little alcoves and spaces for groups. The bar stocks a wide range of beers and ales and your usual spirits. It gets very busy with the after-works crowd and in the Summer you can spill out of the back outside, though it's not that scenic. The place has character and is quite okay for one off drinks but I couldn't recommend it to anyone looking for somewhere to start the night off or end up as it's bit too boring for that.

It's classier than it sounds. Stopped in and liked the atmosphere. Relaxed vibe, there was an older after work crowd, but I wasn't there to pick up anybody, so I didn't mind. The bartenders are really nice as well. I also really like the name. It's just fun to say. Come on, say it out loud. Coal Hole. Good stuff.

Love love love this place! My friends and I were doing a double decker open air bus tour around London, and stepped off almost directly in front of this place when we decided we were hungry. Boy am I glad we did! I had the fish and chips, an English bar food staple. I upgraded to the large, and I got two H-U-G-E pieces of battered fish, fries and a small serving of mushy peas (weird). Everything was delicious. There was so much food I couldn't finish it all. I also tried a strawberry-lime cider that was amazing and now my new favorite. Ironically, my friend kept talking about a pub with great pies, so we asked him to take us, and it ended up being this place! The pie was great, a warm flakey crust on top, with mashed potatoes and veggies on the side. The staff was great and attentive. Plus, how can you not love a place called The Coal Hole?! This will definitely be a stop if I ever make it back to London.

Although The Coal Hole once served the Savoy Hotel as a coal cellar there is nothing dirty or grimy about it these days. In fact this is probably one of the best looking boozers in London. There is a real sense of history to the Coal Hole, heightened by the decor which incorporates stained-glass windows, small wooden carvings and statues and worn wooden surfaces. The atmosphere is generally one of quiet joviality or reflection making this a great spot for a read of the newspaper or a quiet chat with a friend. The staff are laid back but friendly and always greet you with a smile. The drinks selection is mighty impressive with a varied range of bottled and draught beers, real ales, cider and a decent choice of wines. Generally these are served to a smattering of local workers who come in to enjoy a pint at lunchtime or after clocking off and various theatre-goers and tourists who come for its proximity to theatre-land and the opulent history. I love these quirky converted buildings, your eye is constantly dragged round the room to each of the many different features and there's a gret atmosphere to boot.

This is probally one of the more famous pubs in the area. With dark wooden beams, flag stones floors and interesting lighting this place really sets the scene for a Victorian pint or three. Im fan of this place, mainly down to it deco and atmosphere. I wouldnt recommend it as a night out option, but it's a great place to go during the week, or for an afternoon drinking session. Also, because its a Nicholson's pub, you can try before you buy!

Probably the most famous pub in the area, the Coal Hole is pretty much unchanged over the years, although it has had its ups and downs. Built in a corner of the Savoy Hotel complex, the pub has a medieval (circa 1904) style décor - dark beams, leaded lights, stone flag floors etc - lending it a theatrical air, which not only fits with the fact it's next door to the Savoy Theatre, but is doubly apt given the past clientele. The theme of stone, dark wood and leaded light windows , carries on into the street level bar. The ceiling is very high with heavy black beams. Hanging banners suggest something medieval, but no, it was decorated in 1904. Under the mock beams is a beautiful marble frieze of wistful maidens picking vines. The Coal Hole occupies a corner of the Savoy Building, designed by Thomas Collcutt. It was in the basement of the pub's former incarnation that the Wolf Club was founded, by actor and lush Edmund Kean. Supposedly a place where hen-pecked husbands could enjoy a sing-song, its real role was less innocent, and involved heavy drinking and loose women. But can you blame themnow the real ale is a pleasure to drink and the pub has a warm and welcoming feeling. One to visit then! The crowd factor and the perennially over-amped PA upstairs means quiet conversation is not feasible -so not for a romantic date. It's open till midnight Though.

Nice English fare. Steak and Ale pie was good, but could have had a bit more Steak. Turkey pie was great.

Super cozy and friendly. Definitely worth stopping by if you're in the area and in the mood for some old fashioned British bar food. We went during a busy Saturday evening and was seated quickly. The staff was very friendly and attentive despite the busy crowd. I recommend the gooey cheese with caramelized onion spread (I forgot what it was called). My fiancé ordered their fish and chips and liked it.

For just drinks, I would recommend this place. However, if you're looking for food as well I would suggest going somewhere else. For the price you pay, the servings are tiny. At other pubs you would get more food for even less money. The service was very slow and there weren't enough staffers when it got really busy in the dining room. Again, for drinks - come here! (Summer shandy made with London Pride was great.) Food - keep walking...

If you're British, this seems like a reasonably nice place. I'm American and I recommend visitors like myself choose a different pub. When I went to the bar to order and they heard my accent, they served everyone around me, first. Then, they gave me 1.20 in change back when they owed me two pounds thinking I wouldn't notice until later. They were right! Turns out those coins are about the same size. Fine. I can deal with 80p and a little disrespect. As I'm sure, the coal hole can deal with another one star review.

Long wait (about 40 minutes) for our meal and when it came out, our burgers were overdone/burnt. We were also upsold on water as the waitstaff did not offer glasses but automatically brought expensive bottled water. They were tiny so we didn't expect them to be as expensive as they were when we got the bill. We might as well have ordered pints! If you find yourself hungry in this area, take your time and don't be tempted to go to this spot.

After arriving in London after a very long flight we decided to head out to a pub and grab some beer and food before calling it a night at our hotel. Aimlessly walking around the area, we decided to stop into the Coal Hole. Enjoyed our beers and especially enjoyed watching the hammered middle-aged Brits clamoring all over each other. Food was another story. My boyfriend had the fish and chips, and myself the scampi and chips. Fish was decent, if not a little too over-battered and the chips were great, but small on the portion size. My scampi was terrible. The minute I bit into one of the deep fried battered shrimp I burned my mouth with the scourge of hot liquid oozing out. Yes, hot liquid. There was not an ounce of shrimp identifiable. If there was shrimp, it was incredibly mushy. Blech. Great spot for a beer, not so great for the food.

Great London bar where you are just as likely to run into a Business Prof. from the London School of Economics as you are to see a Canadian tourist out to see a show or a stage hand or understudy working on a nearby show. Great place to start an evening out in London. Great selection of hard Cider.

In a handy location on the Strand, The Coal Hole has been an after-work watering hole for me on more than one occasion. I have never had a drink in the ground floor bar, instead opting for the basement bar which always seems to be much emptier (perhaps less people are aware it's there). It's a pub and it does what a pub does best - sells booze. It also has some decent albeit basic food - pub food - burgers, fish and chips, pies etc. I had a burger here once, not the most amazing meal I've ever had but it was tasty and I was hungover so was just what I needed! Pubs in this area will always be busy, being in such a central location and The Coal Hole can certainly fill up in peak hours after work and in the evenings, but I have still had some enjoyable times down here and can usually find a place to stand or perch without being too uncomfortable. In summary it's a basic no thrills pub but it's in a handy location and the food won't knock your socks off but it'll certainly do the job.

A loud pub located on the Strand - it attracts mostly London folk or local workers, the tourists opting for other pubs. Decent range of beers to be had here, and their ales are kept well. As with most Nicholsons pubs, you'll get mid level food, some of it better than the rest. Their pies are always a safe bet! Best bit about this pub is the downstairs basement bar. Head around the back of the building and sneak in. Tricky to find, but an even better hiding spot from the tourists! Lovely wine too. A Gordon's substitute when too lazy to walk to the other end of the road.

I enjoyed the beer tasting tour with Annie Power. She is very knowledgeable and generous. I walked in a 1 in beer knowledge, and left at a 10. She has worked in the industry over 30 years and it shows! What a wonderful spirit and atmosphere.

I was in London on vacation, and my friends and I decided on stopping by the place for obligatory pub fare. The atmosphere had a rugged, old-worldly feel, and I was pleased to learn that the restaurant had a bit of history, thanks to the back of the menu. We went on a beautiful, sunny Saturday in the early afternoon, and it wasn't too busy. I was impressed on how fast our food was served! I ordered Fish & Chips (typical, but a must have!) and they must have been the best I have ever tasted. The fish was HUGE and perfectly fried, not greasy like the junk I've had in the States. My friend had the Angus burger, and we all agreed that although it was nicely seasoned, it was too dry. My boyfriend enjoyed the Bangers and Mash, and he noted that the sausages were quite tasty. Overall, it was a great stop on my trip! I didn't realize it was so famous.

Been here several times. Had the best draught Guiness ever in whole London. Large variety of beers, even draught ones. Food lovely, everything reasonably priced. As a concierge in a hotel ranked among the Top10 hotels in London on Tripadvisor I recommended this lovely pub to hundreds of guests who were more than pleased with my recommendation. Good job guys, will return!

There's nothing especially outstanding about this place - it's a good old-skool pub in it's décor, layout and booze. It's a solid 3-star pub. But then we ordered some "chips" and snacks to accompany our many beers and they earned themselves another star. This is not your standard pub food fair - the chips were amazing, almost certainly a creation of duck fat. We also got some mini toad in the holes which came on a slab of wood with a small jug of deep gravy. Absolutely delicious. Come for a drink, stay for the food.

I expected more of this traditional pub. For all the dark wood and restored wall decor, it still had a bit of a chain pub feel to it. To be fair, it could be that I happened to be there during the after work crowd crush. However as much as I tried, still I found The Coal Hole strangely lacking. In spite of the crowds, the sprawling space did feel at least breathable, while the service was trying hard to serve quickly -and graciously- in the middle of being slammed by patrons. The beers were the usual variety, including foreign selections. While we didn't eat the food, it looked tempting, especially the savory pies passing by in front of us on a regular basis. It all seemed good enough, yet not amazing. Still something was just missing for me. I didn't really feel like I was in a pub, but more of a bar made to look like a pub. I wouldn't discourage anyone from going though.

I do not understand why my work colleagues, always want to come to this place after work. It's not that there's something really wrong about this place, it's just not like there's anything particularly good about it either. *Insert bland English pub review here* There are better pubs and bars especially in this area of town, but pop in if you must before going to see a play in the area or if your colleagues drag you here.

Sometimes my husband and I end a fun day of exploring a new city with a short pub hop, and this popular place right on the Strand seemed like the a good stop along the way. On a Saturday afternoon, the place was PACKED. Diners, drinkers and tag-alongers were all there - on the ground floor and upstairs - enjoying the selection of brews. I decided to try the Shark Bite / Shark Head? ale/lager/whatever it was - and I couldn't drink it! It was horrendous!!! BUT, the good news is that when I took it back to the bar and asked for a The Rev. James instead, they replaced it at no cost. I was willing to pay for the alternate beer, but they were cool about it. Nice. We had a good experience there, but I'm not sure that I'd go back for food. The upstairs dining area was sweltering (and it wasn't very warm outside), and the crowded conditions just aren't my favorite. On to the next pub!

Stopped here for dinner because it was close to our hotel. Dining room is in the lower level. Great beer, fish & chips, steak & ale pie and sticky toffee pudding. This is not a "tourist trap". Servers were friendly and the food came out quickly.

Pretty good food. Pretty poor service. Sat for almost 30 minutes with no drink after walking up the dreaded spiral staircase at Covent Garden's underground stop. The fish & chips were pretty good, but obviously not what this place specializes in. The inside was a beautiful old-school bar with seating both upstairs and down. The beer selection was pretty much par for the course. Nothing spectacular, but a good selection nonetheless. I probably won't come back here, for fear of dehydration waiting for drinks. The prices were a bit higher than other places nearby, but you're paying for the atmosphere.

Very disappointing! Thought we'd managed to find a pub with atmosphere and good food...no such luck.

While the bar food is decent here, your real reason to come in is the atmosphere. City workers rub shoulders with the occasional curious tourist and it isn't the worst place to meet people. I'm pretty observant at pubs -- I get my drink, sit down and people-watch, and this is a great place for that. The wood decor and relative darkness inside can make you forget that the Strand is right outside the door. As others have said, it's hard to describe just what about it is so special, but still, there's ... something. Tip: The ground-floor bar is going to be packed at any given time during normal human hours. A lot of people, especially first-timers, don't know that there's another bar in the basement. You can always bring your drink up; I prefer to sit on the upper level and look down.

No I didn't see any hole(s) nor did I find any coal. However I did find some black stuff and it can in a pint glass. Ahh Bisto!

Decent pub on The Strand just along from The Savoy Hotel. The bar downstairs is much quieter than the pub and there is an outside standing/smoking area overlooking the rear of The Savoy Theatre. A steady performer.

I used to like this pub a lot. And then it went a bit wrong. I'm generally loathed to drink in Charing Cross. Nothing is here and it feels like a bit of a halfway house. You only come here if you can't be bothered to go into Soho or Covent Garden. It doesn't make for very cosy drinking. If you don't stay here for long, and treat it like a meeting place before moving on elsewhere then it's fine. But otherwise it's a bit generic. It's a shame as it's got a great history (it's one of the old standing music hall venues.) The food is pretty awful. They even managed to mess up a salad. But the red wine tastes of chocolate and is really yummy. So a bit of confusion. Great history, average pub. I wouldn't make a point of coming here, but it's fine for the age old question in Charing Cross - where is there to drink around here?

Very charming pub. Great place to have a pint, glass of wine or just talk with friends. Loved the ambience. If you go, the waitstaff will not clear your table or take your order. When you place your drink order, the bartender is friendly. Nevertheless, I like this place and will return.

Last night, I visited The Coal Hole with my boyfriend and his parents. This was my first London pub experience and it happened to be a place that my boyfriend's father used to go with his father! We had a quick 1/2 pint for the sake of going to a pub on our first night in London. The Coal Hole was packed and we took our beers outside. The Coal Hole is bigger than it appears on the outside and as I don't have much experience with British pubs, I thought that it was an exciting new experience. It's cool inside. I would love to go back when we have more time and are feeling less jet-lagged!

Great decor. Lovely atmospheric old pub. Good selection of real ales. Good for a central London meet up with mates pub.

Not my favourite pub but it's always good to have somewhere to squeeze in when I'm wandering in town on Friday nights, a short walk to Charing Cross, Holborn and Temple stations. Beer and overall atmosphere is alright, music could be a bit tacky and way too loud sometimes. More tables upstairs but they are not very comfy to sit for long. Well, they have good beer on the tab and food is ok.

The Coal Hole feels pleasantly Victorian. I think of it as a wintry sort of place, where one would like to bundle in from the dark, shaking the snow off one's boots. It's a good central meeting spot with lots of comfy cubbyholes to curl up in for a cosy chat. The basement area is frequently very quiet as it's not obvious from the upper level that there's anything downstairs except the toilets. The upper part is more spacious and features a nice pseudoBurne-Jones tapestry under the balcony. The food is not very interestingI think it's probably a franchise menu of some kind, and it consists mostly of slightly soggy piesbut the olives are tasty and I am told that the beer is pretty good too. The bar staff are friendly and attentive.