Picture of Harp, WC2N 4HS

Historical version 21 of Harp, WC2N 4HS (view current version)

Good Beer Guide pub near Charing Cross Station and the National Portrait Gallery, in Covent Garden.

It's usually pretty busy, no doubt due to the proximity of Theatreland and Charing Cross, but it's not always as crowded as it looks; force your way through the throng at the front and head to the back or upstairs, and you shouldn't have to wait too long for a seat. Note though that the upstairs room is bookable, so may not always be open. The windows at the front are opened in nice weather to let the breeze and sunshine in.

tallpaul says that as of January 2009 the regular beers are Harvey's Sussex Best, Black Sheep, and Landlord (£2.90 in August 2007), plus two guests, although on a visit in May 2009 they had six handpulls, all with ales on. On Ewan's March 2008 visit, they also had White Adder, and in August 2007 they were Belhaven Fruit Beer (£2.90), Bateman's XXXB, and Spitfire. They also generally have real cider/perry - just ask, it's kept in the fridge.

On the May 2009 pubcrawl, there was room to sit downstairs in the afternoon, but only at high tables with stools. On a May 2008 visit it was packed downstairs at around 9:30pm on a Thursday but the small room upstairs had a very pleasant quiet ambience, with a couple of tables free, and it gradually emptied as the evening went on.

Ewan's verdict: Beers are well-kept, staff are friendly and, although it doesn't look much from the outside, this is definitely one of the better pubs for this area, if you can find somewhere to sit or even stand.

The only food served is sausages in baguettes, but they're "award-winning" sausages, and they're served all day.

Also listed on the UKCider wiki.

See also:

Last visited by Ewan, Kake, Kat, James and Matthew on the Iterative Pub Crawl, 28 May 2009. Opening times and food details verified over the phone by Kake, 23 April 2007.
OS X co-ord: 530162 OS Y co-ord: 180647 (Latitude: 51.509258 Longitude: -0.124176)
This is version 21 (as of 2009-06-03 12:08:22). View current version. List all versions.