On a recent visit to London with a friend we came across this pub. It looked inviting but you can never tell. The staff were so friendly and inviting and we enjoyed our visit immensely. Actually, it was a highlight of Our visit. The cocktails were great but the bartender was the star. Wonderful atmosphere and a great place! Came back again having walked miles and did not have the same welcome. Miserable woman who was not helpful. Disappointed. No food even at 8pm and no peanuts or crisps.

Well located pub with a great old world atmosphere. Good staff service with one talented staff performing magic tricks. The food is however average, bland and dry. Given the price you can find better options nearby. Overall, a great place for a drink but not for dining.

Cannot recommend this pub enough! Great vibe, fantastic selection of drinks. Personal favourites are Monika's mini Mary shots and Beck's Negronis and Margaritas. Also great for a Sunday roast! Having tried a few different pubs on Whitehall I can confidently say this is the best one. I work nearby and always feel welcome when I come here. The service is second to none. But don't just take my word for it, go and find out for yourself!

Had a great Sunday roast with my friend today. You can experience the classic British pub atmosphere here with lovely staff and tasty food. Portion is quite big but with fair price. Will definitely visit again. Thank you!

Wandered in fresh from a matinee show at Adelphi theatre just up the road on Strand. Couldn't be more pleased we did. Staff were spot on with customer service, friendly and fun. Good choices on menu (our visit was on a Sunday). Prices were right for quality of food. Good decor and comfy seating. Had my first mint julep prepared by the lovely female bartender. Great choice of music played and good attentiveness from staff who were engaging and a good team. Would come again and would recommend. Keep it up Martin and his team!

26hrs of travelling from Sydney and this was our first lunch stop just off Trafalgar Sq. Did not disappoint! Both Jackson and Diana made us feel so welcome and were great. Food was traditional English and outstanding.

Classic London pub with great staff, good classic pub food, and good beer. Scotch eggs were some of the best I've had, and the sausage & mash was solid. Marius's magic was a bonus.

Very attentive staff. Good food. I had the roast beef which was very good. My daughter had the roast chicken which was also very good. My girls were entertained by a staff who did bits of magic tricks for them. Definitely recommended for their Sunday roast.

Cosy pub with good selection of beers. Loved the "Waggle Dance" honey beer. 👍 They make pretty awesome halloumi fries too. The TV screen showing sports right next to our table has spoilt our experience here a bit as it was districting for us & other customers. The toilets are downstairs, however they do have one on the ground level for those with accessibility needs. 👍

Fabulous atmosphere and the best fish and chips I've ever had!

Very nice pub near the piers, much more better than the closer ones. Friendly staff, clean, everything s fine

My husband and I stopped in here on our trip to London. Location is perfect for anyone coming from the riverfront, Buckingham or the square. Food and drinks were delicious. The roast beef sunday roast was the best meal I have had so far on this trip. Definitely a must stop!

Best pub on Whitehall by a mile. All the guys that work here are absolutely brilliant - Monica makes the best mini-mary - really well spiced. The Sunday roasts are amazing - the sausage bites are really delicious - great bar snack. Shout out to one of the regulars - Scott - great chat.

Gorgeous interior, melt in your mouth Sunday roast, good service, cozy

Lovely pub, haven't been here for many years but it was just as I remembered. Very clean and the staff are really friendly. Had the triple cooked chips with garlic mayo.... absolutely gorgeous

On a pub crawl 2018 with friends we stopped at this pub. It was quite random as we walked by on the opposite side of the street and were drawn to the building façade initially. Inside was awesome, really nice unique interior. Beers were good. We ordered some snack type foods which were really good too. I have been back in 2019 too with some other friends from the US while in London, they were impressed. It does get busy at times. I would definitely stop by if you're in London looking for a unique pub experience.

Fantastic pub!!! The food was great and the staff was exceptional. Marius showed us magic tricks that are a must. The steak and ale pie and sticky toffee pudding shouldn't be missed but above all ask about the scotch eggs!!!

Sunday roast beef was a little bit tough But Beers and Fish and chips were great ! All the staffs are really kind and nice. I really like this place. My last dinner in London here was great! After the dinner, I walked the roads to BigBen and Westminster through amazing night view!

Had a wonderful dinner at Old Shades. Mr. Mario attended to us and gave us a wonderful welcome with his magic tricks. We had the Cumberland Sausages and Mash & the Barnsley Lamb Chop. The taste of both these dishes was amazing. They have a wonderful array of wines and spirits. Its dark ambience and wonderful wood interior coupled with candle light it give a hallmark movie feel. The Old Shades is a must try if you're dropping by London.

I took some friends to experience a Sunday Roast for the very first time. We hadn't booked but Beckham was very friendly, supportive and resourceful. We were offered to sit at the bar and order some drinks while waiting for a table to be free and they accommodate us in less than half an hour though the place was packed! The atmosphere was lovely and the food amazing - we were four people, so got to try one of each of the roasts - still difficult to decide which one was the best. Definitely recommended if visiting London, as the location is ideal too.

Went on a Sunday afternoon, the place was packed but the staff managed to find us a table. The menu is very varied unlike our appetite (all four of us had the beef burger). As one of their ovens was out of service, food took a while but we didn't mind. All in all, a very good experience in central London.

I was walking by and happened to stumble upon this gem. Food was actually reallly good. I came with a party of 7 and we all agreed that is was a delicious meal. The mashed potatoes were the best ive had my entire life. I dont know what they put it in but WOW. Prices are also reasonable.

Nice pub in a very busy district. Food available all day until 9pm. Great choice for drinks, beers and ales. The food was delicious and both manager and staff very friendly. Perfect 👌

Best pub of the city! Food is delicious and is possible to find the finest selection of classic english dishes (pies are superlative!). The stuff is super friendly and also perform some games of magic.

Nice traditional looking pub. But the amount of food you get is just not worth the price. The feta salad is full of some low quality cheese and for £15 the portion is so small. Also the menu states that for "tables of 4 people a discretionary service charge of 12.5 percent will be given" however they are adding this to tables of 2 as well. I feel that this is preying on people who don't have English as a first language or are otherwise new to London. For shame. However they are dog friendly :)

OLD SHADES was AMAZING! Definitely our new favorite pub in London. It was everything we could have wanted. The food, service and atmosphere all exceeded our expectations. The fish and chips and burger we had were fantastic. The servings were huge and the drinks were great. But better still, the Team working there were so friendly and nice. It was like we were regulars. Cheers and Best to Rob. Becks, Martin, Monica and Jack!

We were here for a social gathering of my school alumni after a commemorative service down on Embankment. Personally, if I lived nearer it would be my local as it's a great pub, serves a decent pint and the staff were very friendly. We had food as well which was really good. Can't fault it and will definitely call in again when in the area again. Highly recommended.

Brillant bar! Had the best night in here, loads of atmosphere and character, a great selection of drinks, first class

Great bar and friendly staff working there. Nice decor adds to the feel of the place.

Great pub. Food amazing

Of all the pubs (that's a lot) I've been to in the UK (all over), the food here is the best I've ever had. The Chicken pie will literally change your life lol. The owner was also walking around chatting with everyone. Just an overall top notch service. Cannot wait to come back.

Nice pub with decent beer selection and delecious burger.

Gorgeous little pub. The staff are really friendly and welcoming. It's comfy and warm. The music is at just the right level to enjoy whilst whilst still being able to have a conversation. The food is excellent. This pub is somewhere you want to be.. not somewhere you stop for a quick drink

After spending 5 days in quarantine, going to Old Shades was the best decision ever. Beautiful place, it has that old fashion, classic pub place. The fish n chips was amazing. My son had beef burger and he loved it. Shall be back soon.

Wonderful London pub. Great atmosphere and really lovely barman and bar woman. Very attentive and competent. Nice background music, loud enough to enjoy but not so loud you can't hear yourself talk. Beautifully decorated and I didn't want to leave but at London's prices 3 rounds was enough spent. We will be back though.

Cosiest and most wonderful pub in London. Lovely staff and fantastic service. The food is amazing, especially Sunday's roast. I highly recommend their vegetarian options. Great atmosphere and cocktails were delicious. I will definitely go back there :)

Lovely pub, and adorable staff. Not too loud during the week, and very cosy. It's nice to stop here after a day work or a visit at the museum. Was very impressed by the accessibility - place looks old so I figured there were no toilets with easy access for wheelchairs and was a bit anxious, turned out I was wrong! They're a bit small but at least there's a gesture. Affordable prices 👌 Wheelchair friendly!

To be honest we popped in to avoid the rain, but it was a great decision! It is a really lovely pub inside, great choice of drinks and the staff were very friendly. Will make a point of visiting again.

The staff is very welcoming and friendly, which makes the pub a great place to be! The Sunday roast was great! Plus we asked to make us the shortest possible espresso (as Italians do) and they did a good job!

Popped in today on a whim with my wife and toddler for a pint and ended up stopping for some food, it was the best pub grub we both had ever eaten!!! And jack behind the bar was both friendly and helpful!! Definitely recommend

Lovely pub with amazing music choices and pleasent rustick venue. Perfect for a few drinks alone or for bringing a date. I work 5 minutes away from The old shades and it's my go to pub for a cheeky pint after work. The bar staff are always very accommodating and very pleasant to have a chat to with plenty of banter. Would strongly recommend popping by if you're in the area. 😊

Great service. Fantastic setting to enjoy a drink

Beckham, Jackson and Roger made us feel so at home! Clean restrooms, wonderful drinks, casual easy service, and really beautiful decor/ambiance! loved stopping in here!!

Great atmosphere, great food and most importantly, even better cocktails. Beckham is an amazing mixologist. Just wish we could have seen him in his old school red shoes. 🤣🤪 A Trafalgar Square must!

A must in London. My husband and I arrived on our first day in the city and wanted to grab a late lunch in a “London style” pub. Our waiter “Magic Marius” was so friendly and inviting along with all the other staff. He noticed me taking pictures of their beautiful bar and was kind enough to let my husband and I go behind the bar and offered to take pictures of us! He might even show you some magic tricks if you are lucky! Overall, great pub food and atmosphere! I highly recommend to anyone visiting in the area!

Our whole experience at Old Shades was awesome! Mario took great care of us and even impressed our kids with some magic! They had plenty of beers on tap to choose from and the fish and chips was our first introduction to this quintessential London cuisine. Their gluten free fish and chips option allowed my daughter to be able to try this staple too! This will be a hard one to beat both for the memories and the food!