The Newman Arms, Fitzrovia, London

Great pies!

I haven't tried the pies, but I hear they are delicious! Friday night in the Newman arms is a crowded affair, so be prepared to stand outside in the cold. Plenty of real ale and a nice crowd. I will come back, but at a quieter time and probably to eat.

Great location and a 2 minute walk to Goodge street station.

In the eloquent words of Eric Cartman; "HEY! You get your b** a** back in the kitchen and make me some pie!"

There's something in you that clicks when you need a pie, and for most of us this shouldn't be too often or we'll be called names on the street. But when it happens, there should be no skimping on the quality. This is where somewhere like Newman Arms comes into play. I laughed out loud when someone asked if I'd booked a table when I said I was popping there for lunch mid week. A table? It's just a pub! But lucky we had booked a table as it was actually pretty full.

The pie room is a wee one upstairs with old traditional English furnishings. You can pick between a traditional atom-bomb cloud pie, or a pudding pie - £9-10. This comes with two veg and either mash or roast tats and is a very big and tasty meal. There's something really rewarding about dashing through a crispy golden pie crust with a spoon.

Personally the filling itself could have been a little thicker as it was more like steak and kidney soup with a pie crust, but it was still tasty and warrants a return visit one of these days.

A pie room. They have a pie room. 'nough said really.
This cute, ultra English establishment has the upstairs room packed back to back (and still fits about 30 people) so book ahead or don't even try!
I loved my meal here, be prepared to cover your desire of two meals in a day at once though, proportions are designed with a builder's tummy in mind. I got a 'pudding' steamed pie, very moist, with chicken and leek filling and a helping of gravy. Around the sides were peas, corn, carrots, cabbage and basic mash. Honestly I beamed after the first bite!
They are about £10 each- but with a meal this big it's worth it.

The Newman Arms is a gorgeous, traditional pub with brilliant atmosphere. It's difficult to believe that only steps away from this old timer is the bustle of Oxford Street. They serve proper pints and real pub grub (pasties, pies, even spotted dick). The vibe is friendly but first-timers and out-of-towners are welcomed. Prices are affordable too (again, it's hard to believe the Newman is just up from Oxford Street as well as Tottenham Court Road).

David Moore, one of the co-owners of Pied a Terre introduced me to this pub. The man knows his stuff.

It should be mandatory that all fans of pie visit the Pie Room. Massive bowls of perfect pastry puff and delicious filling, tender meats and soft vegetables. It’s not very expensive, either; most pies will set you back about £9. The Pie Room tends to get really crazy around lunch time, so a booking is necessary. It’s a rather tiny space, but the trade off is that they don’t cram you in too tightly. If you go for a dinner, though, especially during the week, you’re not likely to have a problem getting a table. Calling ahead to see if they have room is still recommended.

As Rob says the Pie Room is brilliant. I went with two friends last week & because we hadn’t booked, they could only fit us in for an hour. However it was a pretty good hour with an enormous plate of Steak & Kidney Pudding groaning with healthy veg, such as very crisp & well cooked cabbage, nice mash (which I couldn’t actually finish as the rest was so good).

It has a very traditional feel and the pies were served on lovely Willow Pattern plates, which I haven’t seen since I was a kid.

All the pie meals are just under a tenner and as well as the steak & kidney pudding, they had many other staples including Steak and Guinness, Chicken Ham & Leek and the special of Dragon Pie. I have no idea what was in Dragon pie as there was only one left, but the waitress told us it was nice and spicy.

How anyone could fit in a dessert after one of the pies in this place is beyond me, but as Rob mentioned they do some good pub puddings as well.

This place has some great history. Ever seen the 60s horror film Peeping Tom? If you have then you've seen the Newman Arms (the outside anyway). And George Orwell used to drink here, so if it's good enough for George...

There's just about enough room to swing a cat downstairs, but that's part of the 'poky old London boozer' atmosphere, but the real draw is the pie room upstairs. The Pie Rooms isn't exactly a well kept secret so you'll have to book and they may try and hurry you along if you try and loiter, but it's worth it if you've got a hankering for some tasty pastry loveliness.

From the proper checked tablecloths to the bread and butter pudding for dessert (if you've got room!) this is stodge city. It's organic and free range stodge though so don't feel too guilty. The fillings range from the traditional steak and kidney, and chicken and mushroom to the more gastro stuff like venison in red wine.