Nag's Head

Excellent pub! Nicely tucked away and a great place to while away an afternoon. Full of character and sometimes characters, an open fire, a low bar, an insistence on no mobiles and a bit of an obsession with asking you to hang up your coat… Definitively worth seeking out.

Manners are not abundant among the staff. On numerous occasions I have been barked at to hang my coat- once i even just took it off the hook, then dared to put it on the seat and carry on chatting for a whole 2 minutes whilst my friend visited the bathroom (at least until i was caught!) The barmaid actually shouted at me!! The owner is a temperamental old goat at the best of times, wavering between horrid and tolerable.

The food is vile, the only people I have ever seen enjoying it are American tourists. Anyone else in their right mind survives on crisps and beer until its time to walk down Maroush for a shawarma on the way home.

But for some unknown reason, I still keep coming back. I actually like this pub- I think perhaps because it is so unlike the pretentious nonsense everywhere else within a 3mile radius, the beer is consistently good, and the clientele usually make for a good evening.

For photos and more please visit my blog:
http://hungryinlondon.com/2011/04/the-nags-head-belgravia/

I really feel though that I should give The Nag’s Head in Belgravia, a short walk from Knightbsridge tube station, a mention, because I have spent some time in this area desperately searching for a drinking hole which is neither extremely posh and expensive nor a tourist trap.

Correct me if I am wrong, but The Nag’s Head must be the only place in this area that fits these criteria. So now that I have finally found such a pub, it would be very mean not to share it with you.

You find it after you have passed a couple of overpriced and equally underwhelming restaurants in the bend of a small mews, which is interestingly called Groom Place.There must have been a lot of grooming going on in the olden times. The pub is old fashioned, traditional and very cute. I think this is how pubs used to look like before the pub chains took over and it appears to not have changed in 50 years. The publican looks like he’s worked there since the beginning which gives the place some added charm.

I can’t comment on the beer as I have only ever drunk whiskey there (yes I am a lush) and they do have my favourite, Lagavulin. I don’t know anything about the food either (I did see some plates being carried past me which did not look very promising…), what I know though is that the staff is very friendly, the patrons a very non-Knightsbridge/Belgravia appearing mixture (meaning not wearing Prada and Gucci and looking like coming straight from hairdresser/sytlist) of young and old and the atmosphere is very pleasant and convivial.

So, should you need some break after you have stormed the sales at Harvey Nicks (or is any of my readers shopping there WITHOUT sale? good for you!), this is the calm and invigorating oasis you need to regain your strength. Cheers!

OK, I will only write this review if you promise not to tell ANYONE about this pub. Save it for yourself and your favourite people only. Deal? OK.

I paid my first visit to the Nag's Head having just spent twenty quid on one (yummy) drink at the Intercontinental Hotel bar in Mayfair. I guess this contrast of venues could be described as going from the sublime to the ridiculous, but I'd prefer to say from the sublime to the fabulous.

Before we got to the Nag's Head we were informed that this particular pub has two strict rules. 1: You HAVE to hang your coat up. 2: Mobile phones are BANNED. And, lo and behold, when we entered the most charming pub I've ever laid my eyes upon, there are coat hooks in every available nook, and little polite notices reminding patrons to switch off their mobile devices; a rule which I was delighted to comply with.

Service was the friendliest you'll ever find in London. There are two small rooms, both cosy and welcoming with roaring fireplaces. But what made the night for me was the clientele, and the classic 'London pub' atmosphere. One table in the corner was occupied by some dapper-looking chaps in their 70s. And, all of a sudden, one of the gentlemen whipped out a pair of drumsticks from his jacket pockets and started drumming rock 'n' roll rhythms on tables, glasses and - at one points - our heads (gently!) whilst singing the songs. Before long the entire pub was partaking in a singalong of 'rock around the clock'. It was magical. And a moment I'll always remember.

I can't promise that the drumming fellow will be there if and when you decide to give this pub a whirl, but the charming staff, the cosy atmosphere and unbeatable secret-mews location should be more than enough to encourage you to pay the Nag's Head a visit. I cannot WAIT to take people there.

Charming pub hidden away in a back street near Knightsbridge station. The old fashioned décor and paraphernalia like an old till really add to the feel here.

Here they insist you hang up your coats and switch off your mobile phones (although I didn’t see this enforced at any point). I like this though, because the feel of this pub would be seriously disrupted by posh blokes chorusing ‘yah yah yah’ into their pocket microwaves.

The barmaid was excellent, twice the average speed I reckon and laughing most of the time too. There are a few tables up front, with a larger cosy area down the stairs to the left of the bar.

The only downsides were the lack of ale choice for a free house (just Adnams..bitter or broadside) and the price (think I paid £3.60!), but this is a lovely old fashioned pub (300+ year history) that I would recommend a visit to

I generally agree with the prior reviews. This is what a pub should be (and the "no mobile telephones" policy helps). I had an Adnams Broadside.....

http://www.beerfromthecoast.co.uk/beers_broadside.html

.....followed by an Adnams Bitter.....

http://www.beerfromthecoast.co.uk/beers_bitter.html

Both were very nice (3.50 GBP each), showing that this real pub knows how to properly keep real ales.

I was there on Sunday, 9th March 2009 and I found it very quiet at around 4:30 pm, picking up just a bit by 5:30.

This is what I would term a traditional watering hole. I arrived here for after work drinks on a Friday evening and I was the only woman in there. There were lots of blokes … drinking.

It’s quite small but after 15 minutes or so we managed to secure a table. It seems to be a pub that people visit on their way to somewhere else.

Loved the assorted paraphernalia that adorns the walls. There doesn’t seem to be a common theme. In one corner there were old skis and skates. Another wall has a couple of those cane poles that are used for beating rugs.

The No Mobile Phones rule is enforced. A lady walked in while on her phone and was told firmly that she could not use her phone in the pub. You have been warned.

This pub is the perfect place to take someone to if they are looking to drink in a real English pub.

A very nice little pub in Belgravia. Friendly bar staff serve a good selection of real ales from a sunken bar in this quite pokey pub. Lots of space outside and it’s on a very pretty, quiet street. The neighbours must get angry with the noise from the pub around closing time! Haven’t tried the food yet, but i’m told it’s good.

Recommended. I will be going back!

Nice little backstreet pub, only a few steps - but a world away - from the bustle of Knightsbridge.

It's very small inside with only room for a dozen people or so in the first upper room (and only then if half of them are standing), though the lower room (reached by steps to the left of the bar) has tables that can hold about as many again sitting.

There's a bit of space on the pavement outside, but because it's quiet and residential you usually just get crowds of people standing in the street with their pints.

It's very much a small independently owned and operated pub. No fruit machines here, no modern furnishings. They've got a couple Adnam's brews and a few other ales. The atmosphere's very relaxed, cosy, and neighbourly.

I like this pub and the nearby Grenadier best in this area.