The Harp, Covent Garden, London

Recommended here by a new friends boyfriend, arrived on a monday evening around 6pm, amazing decor, felt very oldeworlde. Predominantly a male crowd clearly in for after work drinks and very busy however, service was fast and drinks were reasonable. good luck trying to find a seat though!

Lived in the UK for four years and The Harp became a regular watering hole. Fantastic ales and service WAY beyond the typical English standard. Spring and summer days with the front windows open and a Harveys or Black Sheep in my hand are remembered fondly. Sure it gets crowded but the staff handle the crowds well and one is NEVER kept waiting to order. The ladies there could teach a course on providing good service, seems to me they actually care about their customers and this cannot be said for most of the pubs and restaurants in London or UK even. Still go over for business and always stop at The Harp when I’m in town. Remains one of my favourite pubs anywhere.

Love it. Great pub, well kept beer and fab range of ciders. The place is as crammed as a tin of sardines but it's well worth a visit. And if you can get a table then you're sorted for the night! Hate the portraits on the walls though. But that's just because I think they're creepy.

I was invited to an informal “Christmas Do” here: beer and sausages.

The front of the building is covered in window-baskets in the summer, but if you want an interesting approach (once you’ve found the place via the front entrance) try the tiny alleyway down the back. The pub is narrow, deep and usually very busy: so getting a seat (or more likely stool) can be a challenge.

There is an excellent range of beers and ciders. Apart from the usual bar snacks, hot food is usually available in the form of sausages cooked on a hot plate behind the bar and served on a baguette-sized roll: hot and tasty.

Definitely worth a visit.

great ciders but bad morning afters. tiny place that is always full to the brim. I recommend trying to get a table up stairs for a quietish drink.

Brilliant pub. They always have a HUGE selection of real ales from all around the country and the fridge is full of a great selection of real ciders.

Have passed away a lot of time merrily in this establishment!

It's always busy and packed pretty much every time you go there, but if you're not wanting to stand outside (at the front or back) there's generally always room upstairs or toward the rear of the building.

Service is always great and quick despite the bar being small. But it's one of the best pubs in central London by a mile.

This is a lovely pub serving several (mostly local) real ales and also several lovely real ciders and perries. The pub looks like a good old fashioned pub too. Knowing most of the ales I went for a cider and a perry…both were very nice
.
This pub is too small for such a popular pub..in warm weather folk sprawl out onto the street out front and gather in the alley out back. It is worth checking the upstairs as not everyone knows about the area up there. Managed to get a seat but there was a really rowdy and annoying group of lads who thought they were cool right behind me.

There are some minor renovations going on at the moment. I hope that that is the reason for no sink in the gents! I also hope they don’t change too much as this is such a nice old fashioned watering hole.

The pub has won many awards, most recently the CAMRA West London pub of the year 2010.

A nice local pub near Trafalgar Square. A friend of mine took me there some months ago and I really like the interior. It's not so big, but if you like cider go here!

Good local pub near covent garden with nice selection of ales.

I've been told many good things about this pub. Namely about the ale. But, Jeff the Landlord at The Gunmakers says that this is 'the landlords' pub'. And if it's god enough for him, it's got to be doing something right.

And it does, mostly. The beer is good, the location is perfect (two minutes skipping distance from Charing Cross) and well, that's pretty much all I want from this pub. I spent the night outside chit chatting with friends. I'd come here if it was a little bit quieter, but as it was my friends at the meet-up I was at taking up half the pub, I can't really complain about it being busy.

It's not a five star place for me, but Charing Cross can be a strange drinking place, and this pub just shot right to the top of my list.

An amazing pub which counts as my favorite near work local. The staff is great and the pub itself is definitely interesting. It gets rather packed inside, but aside from when its pouring out, this isn't a problem because of the front and alley/street behind. It also features great sausages.

One of the coolest places in London having a real English pint of ale. Good to reach via public transport, often packed but always definitely worth visiting it!

The publican's pub! If you enjoy a friendly atmosphere created purely by the combined goodwill of a tightly-packed crowd you will be happy in here. The real ales are among the best you'd find anywhere, in terms of choice and condition. The landlady is a treasure and her staff are first class. The only pub you really need to visit in London's West End!

I feel frustrated.
All these ravished reviews had got me dreaming of this pub and when I finally had the chance to go it was too busy to stay for more than a quick pint.
A couple of hours later - after an evening in a so-so pub - we walked past it again and it was still packed.
I want the sausages! I want a seat on the sofas upstairs. I'm in such a bad mood now.

The Harp is as an authentic old school London drinking experience as you're going to get. I was shocked when I found out they're actually owned by Punch Taverns, don't let that put you off! The staff are lovely, two old dears (they'll hate me for saying that!) who are quietly efficient, quite the contrast from the usual useless Aussie's you get in most establishments. The beer is out of this world, they have 5-6 ales on at all times, well-kept and always something a little special to try. This was the first pub I tried the mythical Harvey's Sussex Best in (coming from The North as I do, you don't see it!), and boy was it worth wait. I practically sunk the first one in 30 seconds and went back for more. Moorhouse's incredible ales are also sometimes a fixture here, and once you've tried Pendle Witch's Brew, your life will never be the same. Why the hell am I living in Germany?! As for food, well, you can get a selection of English sausages in a roll. With onions. That's it - perfect!

It does get busy here, but get in early, and grab a seat by the window, and you'll have a evening to remember.

Best pub in London? Maybe.

My favourite pub in the world. Always amazed by how quick the service is despite the fact that it's consistently so busy. You can pay by card AND get cashback, and the sausages are yummy (although they often sell out and don't do them on Friday nights). I like entering through the secret-ish alleyway entrance and grabbing the table upstairs by the window and watching the world go by. And I don't even like ale.

This is a superb pub in a great location. The staff are really friendly and attentive. Great choice of real ales

The Harp is all about the Ale. An old fashioned style booze house in a great location, it does give you the feel of what life might have been like in London in the 60’s or the 20’s… you get the picture.
I think it is much more a guys haunt, but for post work drinks it’s a good 'un, esp when you have The Harps most obsessive patron taking you there (yes you Mr.Chambers)

Really very nice. An extraordinary array of ales - and more to the point, loverly west country ciders waiting for you in casks. If the place isn’t super busy, the staff enjoy dishing out tasters so you can ensure you drink the cider or perry of your dreams.

Also - great seating, marvellous decor and a good vibe. Top marks

This seems to be quite a normal, nice little pub. But mind you, it is a very special, friendly and cosy place with a lot of character. It’s the place itself, but also the other customers add to the atmosphere.
There are only stools - no chairs.
See below for the choice of drinks.