The Princess Of Wales

Would definitely not recommend. Terrible place.
We ended up here for a late dinner and went straight to the restaurant upstairs. We were greeted by annoyed staff who seemed to really not enjoy her job.
Food came out quickly, but I was first served something completely different than I had ordered, then when the actual meal I ordered came out, only half of what was described on the menu was actually present.
The mac&cheese was good, everything else was burned, tough or tasteless.
Bad service, bad food, overpriced. Overall, definitely not a good place to eat.

I met up with a friend here around 18:30 on a Monday night. It was very crowded — though much less crowded by 20:00.
There are about 10 beers on draft. They were generous to let me taste a few. They did carry a few IPAs.
At 19:45, they went around asking all of us to switch our beers into plastic cups, which was a little awkward but easy enough to do.

Best pies in London I’ve tried yet, but the service wasn’t the absolute best. Went here after a walking tour and loved the food, which is the main reason I was there. But the lack of great service was worth mentioning.

After being at Gordon Wine Bar, then wandering into here, massive comedown. Felt to me like the hills have eyes, although the bar staff seemed OK, not great décor, very wooden feel and basic amenities.
Luckily we only had one drink here, at least it’s also close to the tube for a quick escape. Will definitely bypass this place if in the area again.

Ducked into this place after deciding Gordons was not going to solve our lunch dilemma and we are happy we did. It was about noon when we arrived and it was not very full. The woman behind the bar advised we can sit down here but there was not table service or the regular dining room was upstairs. We opted for downstairs. The vibe was cool and it was very clean. We got some beer and ordered lunch. I got the fish and chips, which was outstanding, to be honest. I really enjoyed this place and the service was great as well.

The service is fairly slow and they charged us £2.50 for water… The food was ok but a bit overpriced, you get minimal fries with fish and chips.

I had dinner at Princess of Wales after a few drinks at Gordon’s. As we walked in, someone outside said, «great food.» Was he wrong! On the first go around, everything we ordered was not available — raspberry ginger beer, beer (can’t remember the brand), steak and ale pie, and chorizo burger. So, we had to change our order completely, ordering a burger, a lamb shank pie, a lemonade, and a Guinness.
The waiter recommended the burger, which I would expect. I asked if I could get it medium rare, and he said yes. When we actually got it, he said chef said he could only serve it medium. It was actually more well done. It was tough and dry. The bun was toasted, but barely warm. My guess is that the patty is brought in frozen and cooked up — that’s why the chef had to cook it to «medium.» Not at all what I hoped for. The lamb shank pie seemed like it was precooked and microwaved. I found the mint sauce overwhelming. The peas and corn were of the frozen variety, not fresh. So, it was watery and tasteless. I thought the slaw had too much mayonnaise and didn’t taste good. For me, the only thing that was okay was the chips. At least it was hot and crunchy. Our friends who were with us liked their food — pork belly and pulled pork sandwich.
The service was quite poor as well. It took a while for us to get our menus. But, I thought it was okay at first — he was busy. And, he seemed to have a sense of humor, though a bit sarcastic. He was the only waiter upstairs, and there were about 5 tables. But, it took all of us standing, putting on our jackets, and interrupting him with another customer to get our bill at the end of the meal. And, I realized what I had initially interpreted as humor with sarcasm was actually rudeness. Humor is a fine line — so maybe he thought he was being funny.
The company we were with was good. So, that made the night fine. But, I wouldn’t recommend eating here if you are expecting good food.

Worst dining experience I’ve had in years. Service was beyond bad. The London police won’t let them serve drinks in glass at night. They were out of half of what we tried to order. Serves us drinks we didn’t order & charged us for them. They rushed us through every course & forced us out before we had time to finish. There are many restaurants on the street and around Charring Cross. Skip this place.

Nice atmosphere, air conditioning is good and it’s in a nice area.
It’s just a shame the staff were useless! They brought my food out and it was wrong…
I ordered Sausage and Mash + Chips as a side.
I received Sausage + Chips…
When I pointed it out to the waitress she said that’s what I ordered. I told her then what I ordered and that there was obviously some confusion. She just shrugged and walked away never to return…
I call that bad service…
The food was still very good and my girlfriend enjoyed hers but good food + bad service/​manners is not to be tolerated…
Avoid… :(

I’ve drank in plenty of Nicholson’s pubs and this is the worst. The usual selection of excellent ales but little else. Far too busy due to location (tourists from strand and River plus city types from nearby firms), yet the upstairs is dedicated to restaurant. It could be fine — but no, it’s an overly busy, cramped pub with plenty nicer cramped pubs within 5 minutes walk. Oh and food prices are jokingly expensive.

Wonderful pies upstairs. The Lamb shank is incredibly tender. The chicken pie is really meaty. Great.

This is more for the restaurant side of it:
My friend just flew in from Arizona to Heathrow airport today, so I decided that it would be a good time to catch a meal and a pint since she’s been on the place for the past eleven hours. At first was a bit confusing since we were both new to London and did not know if we were to sit bar side or go upstairs. We ended up doing the latter.
Waitress was generally pretty kind and responsive, though it seemed as if they are understaffed, being the only waitress upstairs. She was very helpful in the selection and remembered our orders perfectly.
It was a little complicated at first since they ran out of my first two choices of beer. The waitress would take my order then come back five minutes later to interrupt and tell us that it was out. Nothing terribly wrong with that, but I wish the bar downstairs kept its stock in better shape and the waitress better informed.
Where they redeem themselves is in the waitress really stepping up and owning up to it. Though a tough experience at first, the waitress handled it well and struck the cider I ended up ordering from the bill. She used that opportunity to turn what would’ve otherwise been a mediocre experience into a solid dining experience.

Despite the other comments for the Prince of Wales, the Restaurant and Pub is called the Princess of Wales.
We ordered burgers and fish (both around 10£) and it was quite good and not too expensive. Of course it might be that other places around are better, but our Burgers were excellent and the chips as well. The fish was battered and my colleague liked it. I had a Boar Burger myself and it tasted great. Staff was really friendly and the beers were served quick. They have beers from Germany, Belgium etc. and of course local beers. After all I can say I was really content with the service and the food.

Ah., my first one star review in London. I was wondering how long it would take for me to have a truly awful experience in this city. Turns out — just over five months.
It was New Years Day and also my birthday (of all times) and we had tickets to see a show right around the corner. We were searching for a place to kill an hour with drinks and nibbles and found the Princess of Wales. Sounds good.
Inside they had a big pot with the sign «Mulled Wine» and a special New Years Day menu for the bar. This was separate than the restaurant upstairs mind you, but we never made it there.
Princess of Wales is a touristy bar. Brightly lit, knick-​knacks on the wall, casino game in the corner. Not usually my cup of tea (I like a bar with a little more heart or uniqueness) but it would do in a pinch. Normally, I’d give it about a three.
However, where it starts to lose points is service. Where it really loses points is attitude. My hard and fast rule is that I don’t give one star reviews unless it’s an awful experience, and I’m given crap about it from the staff. Both happened here.
We went to order drinks. Turned out — no mulled wine (even though they still had the pot out and a giant sign advertising it.) Ok, cider it is. I then saw on the menu they have shrimp cocktail. Sounds like a fun way to start the new year. I ordered that.
10 minutes go by, 20, 30. Nothing. I walk up to the one man they have behind the counter and ask him when it’s coming, as we’re trying to make a show. He says soon.
Forty minutes go by. I ask him again and he gives me a look. He goes into the back and comes out with my shrimp cocktail… Only, it’s not shrimp cocktail. It’s four giant prawns with shells and eyes and legs still on. It comes without sauce. It does come with bread but no butter and a bowl to wash you hands in. In no way is this shrimp cocktail (by definition, the shrimp come shelled and, you know, there’s cocktail sauce.) But that’s fine, I’ll eat it, I just need sauce.
I ask him politely for sauce and he says it’s coming. Five more minutes go by (we are now less than 15 minutes away from our show) and nothing. Ok, I’m done.
I walk up and tell him that this is unacceptable, We need to get to a show and would like a refund for the food which we did not eat. He says no, that we ordered it and it’s ours. When I protest again, he says he’ll go get the manager. He heads to the back and comes out telling me the manager is busy and I’ll have to wait.
We argue. Finally, someone comes through the front door and the guy behind the bar says I need to talk to him. Not sure if he’s an owner or the fabled manager but I introduce myself and go to shake his hand as a polite intro. The guy folds his hands to stop the shake (he doesn’t even know the situation now, just that I’m upset.) Ass. I explain the situation, that we’ve waited, that nothing has come, that we are still trying to make a show, and he goes behind the counter, gets our money and thrusts it into my hand. Fine.
We leave in a hurry and just make our show (it was literally right around the corner.)
This pub is unremarkable in every way, besides that it’s literally across from Charring Cross Station. There are many many better ones just steps away. Walk past the Princess of Wales and avoid the hassle.

There’s better pub grub to be found. Chips are hard to screw up. They did. And unfortunately the chips were the best of the lot. Hhhmmmm. Perhaps forgivable if the meal didn’t take over 35 minutes to arrive. Bangers and mash were «good» to our travel mate’s taste, but to everyone else at our table they looked charred (black). Overall, if you need an overpriced place to grab a mediocre (at best) meal after Gordon’s Wine Bar — which I totally recommend, this is it… If not, I’m sure a two minute walk will find something better.

Had to get fish and chips while in London, and stumbled across this pub. It’s part of a chain, though it didn’t really feel like it.
Service was a bit slow, but we got what we wanted. The food was pretty good. I can’t say I’m a fan of the mushy peas side, but maybe it’s authentic. The fish was very tasty, there was plenty for two, and the chips were good.
Would I go back? Probably not; I bet there are better places out there. But it was good enough.

Rather meh pub, and the only thing going for it is that it’s open relatively early such that you can grab breakfast if you’re up. Location is great, close by both Embankment and Charing Cross tube station. Staff aren’t particularly polite or helpful, but they carry Big Tom’s and give you a decent two inches of vodka so I can’t complain too much. English Breakfast isn’t too shoddy too, but not something you can’t easily find elsewhere.

The Princess of Wales is not really a good bar, the only thing going for it is its proximity to Charing Cross station. Other than that it is just the usual London boozer with its warm overpriced lager and lengthy queues at the bar.

Is it a great pub? Eh, not really. But is it still open and only a short walk from Gordon’s Wine Bar when Gordon’s closes shop at 11pm on a weekend evening? Yes.
I’ll have to come back and try this place sometime during the day, if the food is good it’ll get an improved rating.

Not a bad start to my foray into the pub scene.
I usually prefer the intensity of night clubs, but getting accustomed to the pub situation here in London is proving easier than first thought.
Prince of Wales is still quite a walk from the energetic Soho-​Covent Garden area, but it feels like a good rally point for some pre-​party pre-​liquoring action. The Embankment tube station is within sight just to its south; the main entrance to the PWC building is just across the roadway.
The property has two floors: the lower is where that party’s at; the upper is the dining area. Their fish and chips — two fillets each nearly one-​foot long, deep fried in light fluffy batter and paired with a mashed peas side and creamed tar tar sauce — is probably one of the best I’ve had since my arrival here in London (see photo). It certainly beats that frozen-​for-​too-​long-​then-​deep-​fried reconstituted fish sticks bull crap they serve back in the States.
The beef and horseradish sausage was accompanied by mash potatoes, gravy in a boat and three onion rings (see photo). I must admit that the table mustard came through for me here.
The Guinness was served chilled with minimal head; the Stella fresh as if just tapped that evening.
All that tallied to just shy of 25 pounds before tip. Not too shabby.

It’s an ok place to stop by and quench your thirst :)
I did not spent much time in it since we were only passing by but I had a pint of beer and a cocktail.
This was Friday night and the place was a bit empty… maybe because it was Christmas day, but the service was nice so after we had couple of drinks we continued our venture.