The Ship, Soho, London

I used to come here quite often when I first moved to London (I could say this about the whole West End…not just this pub), but then there was an unnecessary unpleasantness linked to a request for ID..and the pub stopped being a haunt for me….especially as I grew weary of this part of London.

But I’ve now been back….the jerk of a bartender and my cherubic appearance are both now long gone and I can remember what I liked about this place, namely the good old fashioned pub appearance and the quality music selection. The Fullers beers are another plus too.

Nothing fancy. Just a pub. But its Soho centrality makes it a perfect spot for meeting up. The blaring rock 'n' roll (Yee-aaa-uh!) is awesome for a night out too - as long as you're not terribly keen for an actual conversation of any depth.

I'm impressed with this pub. A lot of the traditional pubs in Soho can be a little bland (yes Green Man, I'm looking at you). But this one has a little bit of soul. And I like that there's a bit of a dive pub right next to the Soho Hotel. It's fun.

I came here last night for lovely Timinator's leaving do and a fab night was had by all. I stuck to rose which was actually really good, but I did notice that there was a lot of ales on tap. I can't remember how special there were, but there was a lot of choice.

The music is great, it's a bit dingy, the rock star photos across the walls are cool. There's a smoking area (again, right outside the aforementioned Soho Hotel - hehe) and yeah, it's a cool pub. I'm not sure it's set to become a firm favourite of mine, but if I don't fancy a bar and I'm in the area, I'll pop in again.

One of the best pubs in Soho which still maintains the alternative edge (both in music and bar staff) which this area of Soho used to be full of.

Very friendly pub with a great atmosphere. Good choice of beer on tap. I went on a Friday lunchtime mixed crowd of office workers and tourists.

Went again Friday night it was much busier, music was good, staff were just as welcoming.

I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad experience in this pub, and while it doesn’t look like much from the outside (or the inside for that matter) there’s just something about The Ship that sets it apart from most of the other Soho drinking holes.

They play some great music in here, the staff are always friendly, and the crowd is always pretty interesting.

You could easily park yourself ata table (not too close to the toilets mind) and people watch for a few hours. Or you get get rip roaring drunk and stumble out at closing time. It’s up to you.

I’ve been to this pub twice this week. I really like it! Last night it was the perfect place to escape from a summer rain. I’m not a beer expert (yet) but I can tell they have a few good ones. Being in the middle of Soho it attracts all kinds of costumers but the staff and some decor details give it a rock n’ roll feeling that puts a smile on my face.

The ship doesn’t look like a RAWK pub from the outside, but when you get inside you can literally find yourself in the middle of Priest Feast. Which is no bad thing! With the full and fine Fuller’s range on tap, a very trad interior, and a cool crowd, what’s not to like?

I like the vibe in the Ship. It’s young and bouncy place without being pretentious. You’ll see local trend setters, suits, uni students and OAPs all happily mingling and enjoying themselves. The interior of the pub is pretty small and narrow, so (like us on Friday night) you’ll probably find yourself out on the pavement or in the alley to the side of the pub (which sounds dodgy, but hey, this is Soho).

Lots of decent ales on tap including by favourite summer ale - Discovery. I haven’t tried the food, but the menu looked simple and included most of your pub classics.

The staff are super friendly and wouldn’t look out of place at Metallica or Motley Crew concert (i’m sure you can guess what kind of music is playing in the bar area!)

I’ll be back i’m sure.

Umm- yeah. Kind of odd. Went in there for the first time last night for a quick bevvie before food with a friend I haven’t seen for aeons so we kinda wanted to be able to hear what the other had to say you know. Bit difficult with the music blarring so loud… and what were they playing? And the mohawk behind the bar was a little distracting too. And Lordy how big are the gaps under the toilet door please? Like saloon bar doors- are they paranoid people will need fishing out after one too many?! See, I’d go there again because it’s an old school sticky dank pub and I’ll like a bit of grot now and again but I’m not sure I’ll enjoy it. Fair pint of Guinness though.

To me The Ship suffers from a weird identity crisis. In the depths of Soho, it looks like a traditional English pub from the outside, and indeed even from teh inside if a little on the shabby side. But there’s a juke box that they crank up in the evening with emo/goth/hard rock that seems to pierce the potential peace. The other wierd thing is that all the staff, rather than little English roses are all a little pierced and dressed in dark which is all good if you’re in a pub in Camden but just bizarre in here. Like the ongoing predicament of the chicken and the egg, I wonder what came first - the juke box or the staff. Not a bad place by any means, but not a favourite.

Just down from the former premises of the legendary Marquee Club, don’t be surprised if John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix and Keith Moon return for lock-ins at The Ship. The roomy, comfortable Edwardian interior isn’t remarkable; come for the music. No jukebox here - the young bar staff spin punk, soul, r&b, reggae, and classic indie pop to keep the ghosts happy. Notice the toys and red-top collages behind the bar. Uncomplicated, threadbare, non-trendy fun - you might even spot an actual Soho character. Fancy that.

Cute little pub. Nice beer, generic staff.

Charmingly grotty pub. (Soho really is one of the best parts of Soho for choice of drinking holes.) Reasonable prices and friendly staff. Heavy metal types will like it.

Great pub in Soho, can see why it has such good reviews. It’s normal and drinks are normal prices and smells like a grotty pub. Friendly staff and perfect to get away temporarily from the hustle and bustle of Soho and tourists. Although the house wine is almost undrinkable.

Yes, the toilets are a bit scummy, and yes, the pub isn’t exactly what you’d call classy - the floors are a bit sticky, it might even smell a bit - but what a top boozer. I feel ashamed that it has taken me so long to get my review of this Soho legend up.

The Fullers pub is probably my favourite pub in London. The bar staff are friendly, the ales are well looked after, the music is (mostly) brilliant and the atmosphere is first-class.
There’s always a crowd of people stood in the ally to the side of the pub. This is partly because the pub is so small. But where this pub really shines, is late on a Friday night when everyone’s crammed into the pub. A top place to get a bit twisted on London Pride.
And now onto the toilets. There are three urinals in the gents that are so close together, it can be a bit of a squeeze with just 2 people using them. You do occasionally get a third person trying to squeeze in but this is not to be recommended.

Don’t come here if you want a cocktail, a quiet night, or a seat.

Do come here if you fancy a proper ale, some loud music and a messy night on the beers.

I like the Ship a lot, it is one of the better Soho pubs and certainly one of the best at that end of the streets. The Ship is right in the middle of media world and as a result the pub can be full of pretentious young things but they’re easily avoided and can be the cause of great merriment. One can barely talk on pretentiousness mind, I was once to be found in the ship under a brolly, in my defence the ceiling was leaking. Not a frequent occurence I can assure.

The pub itself is unspectacular; long and thin, little seating and a large alleyway adjacent in which to stand on a friday night rush hour. The toilets can be found at the pub’s rear, one can only speak for the gentlemens but it appears no gentlemen frequent the Ship, these public conveniences are a nightmare. Still, much like the fact the pub is predominantly satnding room only the Ship caters for men, manly standing beer swilling men. In this sense it is a traditional pub.

The service in the Ship is always excellent and friendly. The staff may look a little different but they’re all thoroughly nice fellows, sometimes more pre-occupied by the stereo but still, nice. The drinks are standard fayre, Pride, Guiness usual lagers and on the whole not exciting. The Ship may not be the greatest looker but it scrubs up great after you’ve had a few.

The Ship is my favourite pub in Soho.

It's retained its traditional decor. No trendy up-marketing here. Wooden shelves and tall stools, cast-iron tables and short stools. But most importantly some simple, fine ales on tap and a sufficient variety of booze behind the bar. There's nothing fancy, just the necessities.

It's the vibe I like. I've seen everything from suited businessmen to goths to a Foo Fighter in there. The bartenders can be as punked-up as the clientele, but they're pros and a good laugh. They happily kept safe behind the bar - and for some weeks - a gift a friend left for me. I once asked them to pop an entire Black Sabbath CD in the player for me, and they did.

This isn't a beautiful pub, nor a quiet one, nor one for great food. It's for drinking, meeting people, watching people, and for the cool to try to act uncool (and vice versa).

There's only a few yards of cramped standing space outside, so don't come here for the fresh air. The toilets are tiny, too. Also: it's not open on Sunday. But if you want a funky downtown spot to meet friends and booze amongst a diverse crowd, you could do much, much worse than the Ship. And you might get to listen to some Sabbath, if you're lucky.

The Ship supports my theory that everything I need can be found on Wardour Street.

A traditionally decorated, very small pub, right in the heart of soho, The Ship is spot on for having a bevvie before heading on somewhere else, or for drowning your sorrows after a long week at the office. Weekday nights it is full of film production types from local offices, great if you are looking to network, and lunchtimes it always seems to have a few punters drinking outside too. The pub is small, so you are bound to be in earful of someone talking about the latest special effects know how.
The music played in this pub is brilliant, and apparently the pub itself has a lot of musical history with the marquee club originally being nearby.
The outside space for drinking is small, and prepare for annoying reminders to keep within a certain space from staff, as has become standard with most soho drinking establishments.
Thumbs up to this pub for retaining it's original decor and retaining a bit of soho's history.