About Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a traditional-style pub on Drury Lane, surrounded by some of the West End's best-known theatres including the Theatre Royal Drury Lane a few doors away. It is part of the Greene King estate and trades on its position as the pre-show and post-show pint for audiences, a family-friendly and dog-friendly room on one of London's most famous streets.
The building has the look of a classic London corner pub, with a well-stocked bar that covers cask ales, craft beers, wines and cocktails. Accessible toilets are provided, and the pub keeps a full calendar of live entertainment under its Live At Your Local programme, with function space available for hire for celebrations and work gatherings.
A pub near Theatre Royal Drury Lane for food and sport
The menu runs from small plates to pub classics, with lunch deals and sharing offers through the week, and food served until 10pm (9pm on Sunday). Sky Sports and TNT Sports play on the big screen, covering the Premier League, EFL, WSL and European competitions as well as rugby, F1 and darts, and tables can be booked ahead for fixtures. The pub also accepts Greene King's matchday discount and offers takeaway.
What to expect on a visit
Doors open at 11am Monday to Friday and 10am at the weekend, closing at 11.30pm in the week, midnight on Friday and Saturday and 10.30pm on Sunday, so it suits an early start as well as a late finish. Covent Garden and Holborn stations are both a short walk, with the piazza five minutes away. For more options see our Covent Garden pubs, or cross to the piazza for The Punch & Judy, the Greene King sister pub with the balcony over the market.
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Reviews
Not sure why so many London pubs are now owned by the Greene King. Speaking as a yank, I think they half killed the pubs. The menu is the same across pubs as is seemingly the beers. Food is definitely cooked on-site, but you either like the cross section of food and beer or you don't. This fact doesn't make it very exciting to try a pub cross town if the result ends up being the same.
Stopped here for a quick pint during my lunch break. It has an inviting cosy interior and there were families enjoying lunch together. I was served promptly and the barman was very welcoming. There was a small seating area outside the pub where I sat and enjoyed my drink watching the people and traffic go by. It is a lovely place to sit on a sunny day. I will visit again and will try the food as it did look good. Only giving 4 stars as I didn't stay very long and didn't try the food.
A small disclaimer at first - I am a tourist in London, so my review is a vision of a tourist, not an Englishman -) This is a proper pub - the kind you should visit if you want to experience the atmosphere of a real London pub. The place is relatively historic. “Relatively” because the pub was opened in 1852, but not here - it was in a nearby building that used to house a potato warehouse. In the early 20th century, the street was widened and the building was "reconstructed" (moved?) to its current location. But let’s talk about the pub itself -) Let's start with the fact that people usually come here for a drink. That’s why most visitors don't book tables - they get a beer and either stay at the bar or go outside to hang out. If you want to come to the pub for a meal, you absolutely - really absolutely - need to book a table. All decent pubs are connected to booking systems, and these systems work well. They will put a sign with your name and time on your table, and no one will dare to sit there. Like in other pubs, if you want to eat, they first bring you a menu, you choose your dishes, and then place the order at the bar. Yes, it is always better to check beforehand if the kitchen is open. In England, hospitality workers (especially chefs) have high wages, so owners try to save money - for example, they don't keep the kitchen open all day, but only for 4–5 hours. So, you place your order at the bar and return to your seat. Your food will be brought to you. You w