The Fox & Hounds was famous until 1998 as the last pub in London to have a 'beer only' licence;…read morethis throw-back to the 1830 Beer Act meant it could only sell beers and wines (no spirits). The same landlady had run it for 30 years and it had a quirky but very loyal, mainly local, customer base - and had won numerous awards over the years as London's best pub.
The pub was acquired in 1998 by Youngs, who vowed to keep its character, but of course got a full liquor licence, and to start with made a bit of a hash of things - less friendly, dull menu, that sort of thing.
Since then it has improved enormously, and whilst it is not what it was in the 1990's, is again a small, cosy local boozer with real ale and loads of character, which offers food at lunchtimes and evenings (though I've not eaten here for a while).
The location ensures an extraordinarily varied mix of clientele, including wealthy Sloane types (Sloane Square is but a stone's throw away), old-fashioned Londoners and the devotees of stratospheric Anglo-Catholicism in nearby St Mary Bourne Street (see separate entry). Somehow the mix seems to work. There are lots of loyal regulars, so some find it a little cliquey - though I have to say this has never bothered me.
Worth popping in, if you are in the area.
