The John Snow, 39 Broadwick St

The John Snow, 39 Broadwick St, W1F 9QP

I don't know whether the name of this pub is related to the nineteenth century epidemiologist Dr John Snow, who lived for a while in nearby Frith Street, but I suspect it is. With outbreaks of cholera throughout the mid part of the century, it was a lively time to be an epidemiologist, and I was rather disappointed not to find any enormous pictures of bacteria or the like on the walls to commemorate his work. This is, however, an extremely cheery pub, rather smaller downstairs than one would have expected from the venerable exterior, but with a colossal and very attractive upstairs to make up for it. The decoration is a fairly standard dark wood and floorboards type affair, rather dark and intimate (on the ground floor at least) and probably not too useful for big groups. Any music is played quietly, and mostly the pub hums to the sound of gentle chatter. No TV and I'm not sure they do food at the moment, and pints come served in those irritating long glasses, the width of half-pint glasses but twice as long, that always feel like they are about to break if picked up wrongly, but all these are minor quibbles. It really is a quiet, enjoyable establishment, with a particularly friendly barman employed at present.

Reviewed by Fred Flange, Sep 2004

Telephone: 020 7437 1344

Nearby pubs: The Star and Garter, 62 Poland Street, Soho (60 metres), The Coach and Horses, 1 Great Marlborough Street (200 metres), The Blue Posts, 22 Berwick Street (150 metres), The Shaston Arms, 4 Ganton Street (100 metres), The Old Coffee House, 49 Beak Street (70 metres), Zebrano, 14-16 Ganton St, Soho (170 metres), The Red Lion, 14 Kingly St (170 metres), The Blue Posts, 18 Kingly Street (180 metres)

Nearest station: Oxford Circus, Zone 1 (360 metres)