The Coach & Horses

One of the reasons that I went to London was so I could spend the evening in Soho, and also to visit a classic Soho pub. Well, this place turned out to be just that, a classic Soho pub. It was pretty packed, but that is probably because it is Soho, though it also turned out that most of the people were outside. Yeah, I did like this place, it really did have some charm about it, though I have to admit that I still can't quite get over the differences between English Ales, and what I'm used to.

Finding out there was a vegan fish & chips at a proper English pub was a no-brainer

Not taking rezzies, we walked into the maximum capacity pub & asked the bartender about dinner but they were currently full......again, they do not take rezzies

So we happily enjoyed pints of bitter & the most delish cider. I had asked the bartender about 1 cider but he recommended a different one so I went with that & omg it was the best!

Took our drinks upstairs to wait it out & discovered a table had just opened. Brilliant!

2 orders of the Tofush & Chips were amazing. The seaweed layer gave a ocean-y flavor whole the batter was light and thick & paired well w/ the tarter sauce

Perfect pub meal!

My husband and I visited this pub twice on our second visit to London. We were in town to see some shows at the theatres and this was conveniently around the corner AND offered a wonderful vegetarian (possibly vegan?) "fish" and chips. Hubs had a non-veg entree and also enjoyed it. There were two bar cats that made themselves at home on your chair when you got up to grab another pint. Wonderful and welcoming place right off the main drag that felt like a quiet locals spot. Can't wait to return again.

It was our first night in London. We had arrived late and were staying near Soho Square. We were hungry. Thus began the search for food.

We walked around aimlessly in the brisk London cold. It was f***ing cold. We're from Hawaii... we stumbled upon Coach & Horses, it was maybe around 9:00pm. It was almost time for last call too!! But the nice man at the bar explained to us British pub etiquette and had us sit upstairs.

This was our first time eating TRUE fish and chips. Remembering it now brings tears to my eyes. Note WE ARE NOT FROM THE UK and the fish and chips from where we're at have never ever been that great. So having this delicacy was just ~*mindblowing*~.

You won't be disappointed here.

Yes! A fully plant-based pub in London! I frankly wanted "Fish" & Chips because I kept on seeing it whilst going about my tourist rounds. Okay, I knew the chances of me eating it were low (we also don't eat onion or garlic nor anything else in the family in addition to being vegetarian) but there was still 5% of hope still clinging on...

We walked in at around lunchtime on a Sunday and - there is no way around it - it gave me a slightly "lazy Sunday" impression. We were greeted briefly and it was quiet. There was a table of two eating their Tofu & Chips and another man drinking his beer. We hovered for a bit and then realized it was largely self-everything and the bartenders tend the bar and don't leave it. After we sat ourselves after verbally confirming it, we decided it would be faster to just ask what we could have on the menu, I asked the vegan lady bartender. She went to the back and then came out with the verdict 5 minutes later: we could have the Portobello Mushroom Burger (no coleslaw, no fried onions) and the Bangers & Mash (no onion gravy). I was slightly disappointed but happy we weren't stuck with something like salad. Plus, bangers are pretty British!

The food came out and though gravy-less, it wasn't bad. The mash was creamy and good; the minced parsley that topped it gave it that freshness. The bangers were deep fried (hot) and house made from a mashed mix that included carrots and radish and molded into perfect "sausage" shapes. I quite enjoyed them. I'm sure having gravy could have elevated the dish but it was still good as is. Food (at least the one item we ordered since it was our last free day in London and we had other places we wanted to hit without overeating) was good; I'm (pretty) sure everything else they offer is as well.

Service was a bit confusing at first but they were pretty friendly and very helpful once we began to understand the system. I obviously don't frequent bars/clubs often so please excuse the American tourist. :) They do have two separate toilets in the back, though the doors don't close and the "waiting area" is a bit on the cramped side.

I totally support and cheer on this location!! We always need more veggie options - especially with local cuisines. I'm assuming the place is more lively later on the day, according to the other reviews, but they did have a steady stream of visitors.

When I travel, I try to eat as much local cuisine as I can manage as a vegan. When I discovered there was a vegetarian pub in London, I had to experience it for myself.

I get in, and I'm a little confused. Everyone is drinking and singing, I don't see anyone eating. After poking around for a bit, I almost leave, until I ask a man behind the bar where to order food. He smiles, lifts the bar for me, and points me up some stairs.

It's not at all what I imagined, but it's cute! On the second level of the pub, there's a very kitschy, brightly lit cafe, complete with a cat curled up on a chair.

I ordered a beer and a tofush and chips. It was glorious. It was everything I wanted and more. They wrap tofu in seaweed, coat it in beer batter, turning the humble tofu into a decadent British specialty. The chips and peas were a lovely accompaniment. I believe their tartar sauce is homemade, and it was excellent.

This is definitely worth a visit if you want to experience vegan pub food in London!

"The Coach and Vegans", as the sign says out front. What a great idea to have a pub that is fully vegetarian and vegan, that is casually a regular pub that seemed very popular on the Friday we were there. That being said, it was so busy that we almost left because we couldn't find where to get food! Packed wall to wall, I asked the bartender if there was extra space to eat (because we came for the tofush and chips) and she informed us that yes, there was. The weird part, we had to go behind the bar to get to the restaurant. But it was fine.

After getting upstairs, we discovered that the restaurant part of Coach and Horses is beautiful! A quaint tea and cake shop as well as a restaurant with delicious food options; pot pies, tofu fish and chips, chilli, you name it. This was such a great ending to our trip in England, including the kitty cat that sometimes occupies the space. This is a great space in London, and I'd highly recommend it.

The Coach and Horses is a legendary pub in Soho's long history, favoured by innumerable famous faces - writers, actors, journalists and many more.

On a Hidden London walk on the day we heard about John Hurt's passing, it seemed entirely appropriate to pop in for a swift pint and to raise a glass to the old curmudgeon in one of his favourite haunts.

You can immediately see why characters like Hurt and Tom Baker, as well as the Private Eye crew and Jeffery Bernard favoured this pub.

Completely unadorned, the Coach and Horses is essentially a pub that has not left the 1970's, with Double Diamond and Ind Coope logos behind the bar, spectacularly ripped bar stools, linoleum and a gents toilet not far removed from the one in "Trainspotting".

It's clearly intentional, unfussy, comfortable in its own skin and completely disinterested in your opinion - and all the more to be cherished for that reason.

Everywhere else, pubs try so hard to generate "character" and "credibility", but you've either got it, or you don't.

The Coach and Horses does.

It was time for dinner, so we went to Norman's Coach and Horses, London's First Vegetarian & Vegan Pub. We had the Tofush Fingers, which were good but not as good as the Silver Cross' entree. They had a delicious homemade tartar sauce here though!

This place holds so much promise. A traditional English pub with vegan alternatives for the usual pub fare, yes please. Let's start with the food--delicious. We had the tofush and chips and the five-bean burger along with a side of onion rings. The tofush and chips was excellent--crispy, sea-weedy (but not too overpowering). And the mint peas were a revelation. The five-bean burger was good too--hearty, flavorful, and not doused in liters of ketchup. The onions rings were non-soggy and just as they should be.

What could definitely be better is the service/ambience. We arrived here, very hungry, at 11:00 as Yelp mentioned that the place opens at 11:00. Open it was, but only the bar. The kitchen opens at 12:00. This is forgiven given the fact that Yelp does not, currently, support different types of opening hours for the same establishment. Anyhoo, we got our drinks and waited till 12:00. At 12:00, I expected the bartender to take our order, but she kept on carrying on with her business. I had to make my way to the counter and ask her if it was ok for me to place the order. Overall, a nice place with lovely food but the service tainted the experience a bit. My advice, go here in the evenings as the place is much livelier then.