The Princess Louise, Holborn, London

Loved this place when the two of us stumbled upon it on a walkabout on a Sunday late afternoon/early evening. Found the atmosphere and partitioned snugs perfect for a chat. Sought it out again on Tuesday evening on a freezing cold walk back to our hotel when we had the brilliant idea of making what would have been a terribly cold walk into a pub crawl. The partitions mean that if the pub is quiet you dont get the ghost-town feel, and when its busy the noise of constant chatter is kept to the background. We loved the friendly staff, mouldings, stained etched and cut glass, period features and absolute uniqueness. Price-wise I guess it is cheaper but I didnt notice a great deal of difference from other London pubs we visited and their own-version diet cola isnt so bad for someone who only likes Diet Coke.

Gorgeous pub dedicated to a gorgeous woman
Louise,Duchess of Argyll & independent minded
daughter of Queen Victoria.
If you like history,then there are photos on the
walls here to sate your curiosity, showing this
lovely woman. But the pubs interior is very very
special, with etched glass,small booths,listed
tiles & stained glass. Good beer & nice meals.

An interesting pub that has many little alcoves surrounding the bar, which is quite good if you want to be social but only with your group of friends!
Quite nice decor being very traditional.
A Sam smiths pub which usually means very reasonably priced drinks and slightly more variety than normal.
Friendly staff, so worth a visit!

This place has a nice atmosphere, the Victorian interior of dark wood and etched glass is beautiful and the little acloves are nice to have a cosy drink in. As it's a Samuel Smiths pub the choice of drinks are slightly limited - if it's not Sam Smiths they don't serve it, but I am rather partial to their Alpine lager and at less than £2.50 a pint it makes for a cheap night out! It does get crowded in the evenings, especially towards the end of the week, so get there early if you want a table or an alcove.

A very interesting pub, located not far from Hoborn station.

This is a Samuel Smith’s pub, the beer is traditionally brewed in “Yorkshire squares” in Tadcaster North Yorkshire, but it seems to have travelled down South rather well.

The interior has an unusual design with many "rooms" made of dark wood and glass partitions, most of which lead onto the bar area.

The pub gets very busy, so if you want a seat you need to be patient or early.

Me encanta los pubs de Samuel Smith en inglaterra. Son muy antigüedad y la cerveza es mas puro que pubs normal, quen serve las cerveza de Stella, Carling Y Kronenberg esos son muy malo. The Princess Louise es en Bloomsbury entre Holborn (tube) y New Oxford Calle (tottenham court road tube) en Londress es perfecto por las Turistas quen visite una pub traditional. El pub es muy pequena pero y hey mucha gente supre pero hay seis cuartos de la bar. Me recomendar un pint de Pure Lager o un bottella de Lager Organico.
Gracias Samuel Smiths!

A really gem this pub and the interior is really fascinating. If you are there it can even happen somebody will start talking to you also. Friendly staff and good selection of beer on tap even if it's only from Samuel Smith (the owners of the pub)

My absolute favourite pub in London. The kind of place that you don't even mind standing outside, such is the aura.

Of course, the best times to enjoy it are mid-afternoon, or after 7.30pm...as the office crowds will not be there and you'll probably get a snug to yourself.

Wonderful, wonderful place.

The Princess Louise is one of those pubs that's perfect for out-of-towners. It's beautiful, seems a hundred years old and feels very English. Surprisingly it's not full of tourists and drinks are very well-priced.

The interior of Princess Louise is amazing. It looks a little like a glass and wood maze, with lots of doors leading to hidden cubby holes. Really charming.

However. A pub this lovely doesn't stay secret for long and at 7pm on a Friday you'll be lucky to get a seat.

Fantastic pub, great beer (admittedly low choice) but at these prices who cares. The inside of the pub is nothing short of a work of art. It does get a bit busy but I have to confess the service was reasonably swift. I have never come across a pub with so many partitions, very quirky and well worth a visit.

I met friends at the Princess Louise on a Saturday evening, and had a great time! The pub is gorgeous, having been restored to its Victorian-era gin palace roots. There are beautiful glass partitions making little "rooms" along the bar. Bar service was prompt and pleasant. Our group even managed to find a place to sit together, although the pub was very crowded.

Absolutely beautiful pub - the kind of place tourists gawp at for being so wonderfully English and quaint and publike while the Brits drink beer and moan about the weather.

It's a Sam Smiths, so you know what you're getting drinkwise (although it's worth mentioning in case you're one of the gawping tourists - this means you can only get Sam Smiths beers as well as a couple of wines and spirits - and that it's very cheap) and crowdwise - stands a mile out from the regular Sam Smiths though by virtue of the carved wood and cut glass decor.

Gotta love a Sam Smith's pub - if not for the super-pub feel and ambience then for the exceptionally cheap beer prices (which doesn't necessarily mean bad tasting beer).

The Princess Louise is gorgeous and probably the best of the Smith's London pubs. The nooks are awesome for intimate convos. Of course, this pub gets insanely busy and can prove difficult when all ya want is a little elbow room. Still, I can't blame anybody for wanting to squeeze in here at typical pub-going times. It's central, gorgeous and cheap.

It used to be a Ward's pub so it was a home from home for expat Sheffielders. Spent many a boozy night there dreaming of the steel city in the early eighties.

Peer prediction: "You'll really enjoy it!"

That's right Qype, I did really enjoy it, although, you could have warned me about the popularity. This pub would probably be a lot better if it was slightly less busy. Not really an ideal venue on a balmy Friday evening, although the fantastic decor and bargain basement prices sweeten the bitter pill (geddit?) of having to stand outside. Well worth checking out at a quieter time, if indeed, there ever is one.

I've been really struggling to review this place, despite a couple of visits. I've finally decided to give it a go.

It didn't help that I'm not always sure what to think of Sam Smith's pubs. I like the odd visit to them and I particularly enjoy their prices, but I wouldn't want any of them as my locals as I like to have a bit more variety. I also don't think this is the best Sam Smith's by a long shot. I'd prefer Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese and the Captain Kidd.

Originally built in 1872, named in honour of one of Queen Victoria's kiddies, it was recently restored to it's former glory. The décor here is pretty special but it does mean that it's harder to find a space in a larger group. There are lots of places for 4 or 5 people to hang out, but with more than that it is difficult. On one visit we found some room upstairs but then had to head downstairs when they closed the upstairs. We then annoyed another punter by invading his quiet area of the pub, he had had to himself previously.

So I haven't had the best experience here. I do think it's overrated somewhat. As I keep telling myself, looks aren't everything.

Great pub, gorgeous setting, but soooo busy at night! It’s lovely if you can get a table, so I recommend getting there early and setting up camp.

If you’re interested in pub history and architecture then this place is for you. Try to avoid during lunchtime Monday to Friday as the braying suits (I know, I was one of them) spill out on to the pavement, and getting served becomes less a challenge and more of an ordeal. Inside, marvel at the beautiful Victorian architecture and dream of days gone by. Handy for the British Museum and Sir John Soanes’ House.

Lovely and quiet on a Sunday afternoon: a perfect place to meet friends, and (for a girl who still needs convincing about beer from time to time) their Alpine Ale is very nice.

I love the decor!

Looking really spesh since the refurb! A great choice it you want a cheap pint in style, or treat a foreign visitor to a classic British boozer - plenty of places to sit for a central London watering hole, too.