Picture of Edgar Wallace, WC2R 3JF

Historical version 22 of Edgar Wallace, WC2R 3JF (view current version)

Good Beer Guide pub near Aldwych. (Note that they're closed on weekends, like many other pubs in the area).

This is a must-visit location for fans of real ale. Bob describes the beer as "very drinkable" - high praise indeed. They have eight handpumps, which are usually all in use, and even their own house beer, Edgar's Pale Ale (it's basically Nethergate IPA with extra hops). They're also very keen on guest ales.

Beers available on our March 2008 visit were Adnams Bitter (£2.85), Edgar's Pale Ale (£2.85), Nelson Trafalgar (£3.05), Wooden Hand Cornish Mutiny (£3.15), Mauldons Moletrap (£2.90), Shepherd Neame Masterbrew (£2.95), Wooden Hand Black Pearl (£3.10), and Salopian Abbey Gates (£3.05). Three of these ran out during the evening and were promptly replaced by three others whose names we failed to note down. One nice touch is that the pump clips of the next beers in line are displayed on the wall next to the handpumps. Beer lists for the current and previous months are available on their website, and are kept nicely up to date.

As of June 2008, food is served noon-9:30pm Monday to Friday. It's provided by AP Catering, a franchised catering business, and is pretty good; although the selection may look fairly standard, it's all very well executed, and they have specials too (written on a blackboard by the bar).

In March 2008, Kake tried the chicken schnitzel with herb mash, chunky tomato salsa, and creamy mushroom sauce (£8); it was good, with tender chicken and a good flavour to all the components - and a very nice twist on generic pub food. The menu had changed by the time of our June 2008 visit; this time I had the mozzarella and roast vegetable panini (£5.50 including chips and salad) photo; it was well-presented, nice and hot and obviously freshly made, and the chips were particularly good.

Toilets are upstairs, and there's another (bookable) room up there too, which can seat about 20 comfortably, and has a limit of 45 people due to fire regulations.

See also:

Getting here: Come out of Temple Station, turn to your left and go up the steps, cross over the crossing and turn right. At the end of the road there's a little lane going off to your left, marked off with bollards. Go along here, and up the steps at the end. This is Essex Street; the Edgar Wallace is just a little way up on the right, on the corner of Devereux Court.
Last visited by Kake, Leon, and other Perlmongers, 5 June 2008. Opening hours taken from the 2008 Good Beer Guide and updated from the Edgar Wallace website, October 2007. Lack of weekend opening verified January 2008. Food times taken from board outside, June 2008.
OS X co-ord: 531056 OS Y co-ord: 181002 (Latitude: 51.512242 Longitude: -0.111167)
This is version 22 (as of 2008-07-10 23:14:11). View current version. List all versions.