Part of our Best Pubs in London microsite. Is your local listed?
The best London pubs are always down alleyways. The S&S is doubly wonderful, because it is twice down an alleyway.
Uniquely, the pub is formed from two separate moieties on either side of Craven Passage. Only the Euston Tap could claim a similar accolade, but its eastern lodge seems to come and go. Originally two separate pubs, the S&S has been united since the 1990s, with a cellar (staff only) connecting the two.
Given its location, the S&S gets its fair custom from tourists, but its also a damn fine pub for the discerning London drinker. The larger northern section is a beaut, with mirrored panels competing with dark-wood panels for wall space. The southern section contains a couple of snug booths that are perfect for West End assignations.
Here and there, items of nauticalia dangle forth. The pub is, after all, named after Sir Cloudesley Shovell, the admiral who presided over one of the greatest maritime disasters in British history. A portrait of the ill-fated seadog hangs over the fireplace, with one of his ships in the burny bit.
The food menu is largely built from pub classics. The beer, meanwhile, comes from Badger brewery, which is something of a rarity in central London.
