Coach & Horses

The Coach & Horses is a real little gem minutes off Farringdon station. This place is serious about the quality of its drinks and food, and one doesn't have to be a beer drinker to go there. We first enjoyed the terrace (at the back of the pub) and the wine list before sampling the menu. Each dish was perfectly executed and tasted wonderful.
The Coach & Horses is an ideal place to relax after work or to meet up with friends at the weekend. Great food and great wine list in a friendly and relaxed environment. It is actually nice to find a place that does things very well without taking itself too seriously…

Situated in a sidestreet off Farringdon Road, the Coach & Horses' rather drab exterior is very deceiving. What appears to be just another backstreet boozer is bursting at the seems with a sensibly-sized range of some of the most appetising and dare I say unusual food (deep fried pigs head anyone?) I have ever had the pleasure of consuming. The inside is still very much as it was, it would appear, when it first opened a century and a half ago. Quaint, but just the ticket when it comes to relaxing on a lovely sunny evening. And a sunny evening is definitely the best time to go. The main pub receives a vast but comfortable amount of natural sunlight through the windows in the afternoon and early evening, giving this already great place an atmosphere I have never experienced in any other pub. There is something very satisfying about sitting in an airy, Victorian wood-panelled room against a backdrop of warming golden sunlight. It really uplifts the mood!!!

The food is fantastic, the staff are charming, friendly and efficient, and there is even a modern dining room at the back of the pub leading onto a reasonably-sized beer garden, should you ever tire of the Victorian era decoration in the main area of the pub.

Hands down, it is my one of my all-time favourites.

Having visited the Coach & Horses for Sunday lunch yesterday, I was in two minds about writing a review. This is one of those places that has an air of secrecy about it and you get the impression that the people that go here like it that way. Tucked away down a back street off Farringdon Road, it's location certainly helps. The C&H feels like a proper workman's pub with it's slightly outdated furnishings, pastel peach walls and 80s carpet but the food was something quite else. The menu isn't huge but offers a rounded choice of dishes and the portions were hearty and without being overwhelming. According to my fellow diner, the Roast of the Day (beef) was the best he'd had in a long long time and the confit of lamb and pork chop were both full of flavour and exceptionally moreish. For dessert, the chocolate fondant was sublime (cooked to perfection and wonderfully rich without being sickly) although the rhubarb fool did slightly disappoint, lacking any sort of tang despite being crammed with fruit. It did, however, spark a discussion about the origin of this plant (Asia) and it's name (meaning “foreign barbarian”) so proved to be a very educational dish. All in all, just what you want from your Sunday lunch. We will return soon.