Hercules, W1D 4DF
- 7 Greek Street, W1D 4DF
Hercules was a bar on Greek Street in Soho, in the old premises of the Pillars of Hercules pub. It has now itself closed in turn.
The information below is retained for historical purposes.
It's a long, narrow space, stretching back from the street. On entry, there's a cosy little banquette seating area up a couple of steps on the left, and high stool seating on the right. A copper-topped bar is beyond, with a couple of tall stools lined up along it and a few more in the tiny alcoves opposite. Right at the back is another banquette area, again up a couple of steps. A small sofa is tucked in just at the base of this, completing the seating arrangements.
Lighting is dim and colours are dark and muted, though a touch of relief is provided by the stained glass ceiling mural at the back, showing Arnold Schwarzenegger as Hercules. The patterned carpet on the floor of the banquette areas gives a nod to its past, but the new management certainly seem to be positioning it as a bar rather than a pub.
Kake visited on a Monday afternoon in September 2018. There were just two other customers when I arrived around 2:15pm, apparently friends of the bartender. Music was playing, not too loud.
The handpumps have all been removed, and the bar now has just three keg taps; two of them clipped on our visit, for Asahi and Guinness. A pint of lime and soda was £2.
Kake's verdict: A decent enough place for an afternoon drink. I'd like to come back and try the interesting-looking bar snacks and cocktails.
Accessibility: Two steps in, no handrail. A couple more steps to almost all of the non-high stool seating. Toilets are down a flight of stairs in the basement.
See also:
- Photos of the menus as of September 2018: bar snacks, cocktails, mixed drinks
- The Nudge review
- WhatPub entry