AWFUL Tried to have a drink there today at 3.45pm with my GF. Place looked completely closed with no sign or explanation. And is advertised as being open at 12. Eventually an angry looking woman came and signalled to us 10 minutes. So we sat outside patiently waiting for 20 minutes. She stood with her back towards us making no effort to open the place or accommodate us. So we gave up and had a drink instead at the lovely Jagged Hare. Who where instead very friendly and welcoming. AVOID SHOULD BE 0 STARS

Popped in for a pint before meeting friends at a restaurant round the corner! Lovely place will definitely pop back soon. Had a pint of Yardbird which I'd never had before, gorgeous! Then an old favourite Abbott mmmmm!

Pick your own seat and order from the bar. It took us a while to figure that out. No server will attend to you before you place your order. Food was great and servers checked in often to make sure everything was okay. Located right by the Victoria station, so it’s accessible by most public transportation. Food portions are very generous.

The pub is spacious with lots of seating. You pick a seat and then place your order at the bar. The menu has a variety of items. We had the Steak and Ale Pie and Fish and Chips. The pie was a better choice. There was alot of breading with little fish.

A Green king pub. The food was very nice & very generous I'd say too. Expect it to be absolutely heaving after 5 00pm even during weekdays

This is a pub with a great location, near to the Victoria station and the Apollo theatre. The food was nice and the portions were good. However, the staff was very unfriendly, they actually ignored our presence unless we put ourselves in their faces and talked. We understood they had a lot of work, but still, the customers have no fault in that and they should make an effort. Our table was dirty, and as you are expected to order at the bar, you are also the one taking your own beverage to your table. No one showed to take the dirty glasses nor clean and desinfect the table. It is important to say, we are in a world pandemic. Once our food was ready the waitress brought it and took the dirty glasses. But still...

Nice pub and it was buzzing even on a Wednesday night. Most tables were full. We didn’t feel rushed though. The drinks were great.

I come here occasionally to meet friends for a drink before the train home. I get the impression it's more of a local workers and commuters boozer but that's whats needed around here. Its got a good selection of drinks and some standard pub selection. Getting a table after the offices close is tricky but there's plenty of standing space. Decent pub all round.

We ordered fish and chips and steak ale & pie. The fish was very tasty, with a crispy coating. Simply a classic. Unfortunately, my dad, who ordered the ale pie, couldn't tell the same about the pie as he was not impressed by the quality. The pub is spacious in a super location close to the Victoria Station. We were positively surprised by the very friendly and quick service. This is a classic English pub where you can order a decent beer in addition to the food.

Such a lovely place ! I ordered a amazing fish and chips with a beer. The fish was perfectly crispy, and the fries were absolutely amazing. An delightful and delicious experience, I'll definitely be back as soon as possible ! 🇬🇧

Dropped in on a rainy afternoon for a couple pints and some dinner, and was very happy overall. Nice atmosphere. Friendly staff, good sized pub that was full but not crowded. Had the Steak Pie which was quite good. I'll be back next week to test more beverages and food:-)

I went here on a very HOT day in London. The pub was everything I was hoping for as a first time visitor abroad. My friend and I ordered waters, a bacon cheeseburger, a steak & ale pie and a dry cider. Ordering was easy, even though I was lost on having regular peas or mashed peas. I'm going to credit my slowness to jet lag. Beverages were taken on my return trip from the bar and we waited for food. It was a longer wait, but I was warned that US dining in relation to timing was different. When the food arrived, I was excited! It was everything I was hoping for! I would highly recommend the steak & ale pie. It reminded me of a pasty, but better! @Numo was very kind in checking in on us to make sure we were good to go! I DID try the sticky toffee pudding, and it was meh. The custard tasted like a runny vanilla pudding cup, and the sauce was odd due to the raisins. The cake portion was spot on. I would dock .5 stars for the cake, but it's not THAT big an issue. I would 100% visit again!

Nice, cozy place. Beer is good. Glad we visited this place, near Victoria Station. Ideal place for meeting friends and time to talk.

Had the most amazing pie and mash, didn't leave a scrap. Set up for the rest of the day. Thank you Clinton and Jordan for our amazing food. Karen and Ruth.

Really nice pub. It was much cleaner (no sticky floors) than I was expecting, staff were very friendly. The food was standard for a pub, would eat there again but not amazing. Good prices and nice decor touches to fit the Shakespeare theme. Service was quick, it was busy but not packed and not too loud, for a Tuesday at 6pm.

Interesting place. Order at the bar and they bring it to your table. Good fish and chips.

Wonderful drinks, delicious food, amazing service, comforting vibes and good prices. Best pub I have been to in my trip to London. 10/10 recommend to all travelers.

My daughter, mom and I were very hungry after getting in from Canada. We saw this pub on the way to the hotel and thought it looked cute. We all ordered fish and chips, and it was the worst fish and chips we have ever eaten, we couldn’t even finish. I am so disappointed as 3 plates was £47… a huge amount for disappointing food. The fish was over cooked and rubbery though the chips were good. I wouldn’t eat here again. The pub itself is cute and probably good for drinks. The staff member at the counter insisted there was a table number at my table (there wasn’t) and that my meal didn’t come with tartar sauce, even though it was on the menu. The whole experience left a bad taste in my mouth.

Ordered a meal here for lunch and it took one and a half hours to arrive.There were other complaints whilst I was waiting. The staff seemed very disorganised. The beer and atmosphere was otherwise good.

Great fish and chips Very large and typical London venue. It is the ideal place to have a few beers with friends.

Your standard classic English pub, named after William Shakespeare’s father John. Being directly opposite Victoria Station, it’s in a convenient location if you’ve got time to kill before a train or coach. Allegedly the landlady here was murdered in the 1800s and dog-fighting use to happen in the basement, though the same could probably be said of most pubs from 200 years ago. One last think to add, if you cause any trouble here they’ll have no choice than to say, “You’re bard!” If you found my review interesting or helpful please leave a thumbs up 👍 Thanks!

Spacious hall, fast service, a sufficient number of different types of German beer, delicious food. Great for large groups.

Nice for a quiet drink but drink quality has gone down. Used to come here loads for a post work drink as it's a decent size, never too buzy and the ambience was always nice. Service is always quick, staff are polite, though food was only ever just ok which stops it being a 5 star place. Went here recently and the spirit drinks were definitely and noticeable either watered down or the measurements were tiny , which is a shame as obviously that's it's main selling point. So I'm knocking off an additional star for that. Fix the drinks issue and I'll increase this back to a 4 star. Improve the food quality too and I'll give it a 5 star review. Edit: Appreciate the response Shakespeare but the drinks we had were definitely noticeable weak.

Lovely food and drinks, they said it would be half and hour wait on ordering food, which was good of them to inform us. I think it was quicker in the end though. We shared the "favourites platter" and we said it was just enough to share for lunch without being overly full. The slider burgers were lovely. It was good to see security on the doors, it felt safe and everyone in there seemed to be enjoying themselves, some just stopping for a drink but also couples and families having lunch. Only 4 stars as my husband waited to get drinks for a while.

Felt compelled to write a review as the staff here are so lovely and friendly. At such a busy central London pub, you might not expect them to be as accommodating and attentive as they are, but they really make an effort. Great selection of beers and generally a good vibe. Only dropped one star as the food was just fine, nothing amazing but what you would expect from a chain pub.

A little scruffy to be honest. I was expecting more considering its location and name! The beer was fine.

I like pubs like this. But as Germans we are used to the fact that the service comes to the table. We got the order after the second time asking. But the toilets are really disgusting. The beer and the food have been good. Cheers !

Can see a real change here over last few months. Was I time I would actively avoid the place. But now very different. Hope they reopen downstairs soon as always used to have a gray vibe back in the day

Just passing by for another quick stop, a quick snack, a drink and a chat after a long shift at work. Nice atmosphere, cool space and nice staff.

Wow!!! Long queue on the Sunday at 2.30 PM.... meaning food should be good and I can confirm that everything was fresh and tasty!! Added to my favourite restaurant

Capped a lovely, though rainy, day on the touring London by bus. The food and drink was delicious. Very busy place, obviously quite popular with locals and visitors. The only negative is the toilet facilities.... many not functioning, very foul smelling, and pretty dirty. Thankfully the bathrooms are on the basement level and the aroma didn't invade the dining/bar area.

Quick service, good pints, and tasty sharable food.

Very nice traditional pub! I've been going there for years.

My friend and I had a fab time whilst visiting the Shakespere Pub. Ricardo and Max were amazing and made us feel extremely welcome and nothing was too much trouble. Good quality food and would highly recommend

Absolutely disgusting!! Don't even going there! Food terrible. Customer service absolutely shocking!!. Me and my family went hear for dinner on Saturday (8th). They served me meal just before 9 o'clock which included to kids meals! Then proceeded to come over to our table at 9 o'clock to inform me that it was over 18's only after 9 o'clock, which made my 5 year old daughter feel uncomfortable and like she couldn't finish her meal!!!! Would of been perfectly fine of course if they'd actually informed me of this before I ordered and paid for our meals!! I then went over to the bar to order a drink because I of course wasn't leave until we'd eaten the food we'd just paid for. They told me again we had to leave when I went up to the bar to order my drink and again said we had to leave which I said I won't be leaving until we are finished our meals. I was then served the wrong drink so I went back up to the bar to get the drink I actually ordered for the guy behind the bar when said the drink I had wasn't what order and didn't taste right which I'd know because it's my favourite drink and what I order every time!! For him to say what dose it taste like then. Very rude and unprofessional!! Wouldn't recommend at all!! The food was also rubbish and complete tasteless a special the chicken wings. You could get much better food from the chicken shop up the road 😂.

Beautiful place around Victoria station. I come here everytime I'm in the area and everytime I leave with a good vibe. Strongly recommend it!