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The White Swan

3.8 (52 reviews)
ModeratePubs, British
Open 11:00 am - 11:30 pm

The White Swan Photos

THE WHITE SWAN ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Quiet
Good for groups

Recommended Reviews - The White Swan

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Reviews With Photos - The White Swan

View from the second floor window of the pub sign
Jennifer H.

Great ambiance, food & service. We sat in the second-floor dining room by the window. The sidewalk below was full of people drinking beer, but we had a quiet dinner. I had the fish cakes with potatoes, salad and it was really good. The salmon fish cakes were pretty rich, but the portion size was good. My boyfriend loved the meat pie he ordered; wild bore. We got a few half pints of beer and it was a really nice break in the busy city.

Vegan Lentil Pie
Haley G.

The White Swan is a great place to have dinner and a drink. The service and food was good and we all enjoyed our experience.

Rolando N.

Solid pub fare. Service was excellent. Menu items were limited on this day as they were out of most fish plates including fish and chips. The mixed grill plate was a little bland Bangers and mash were simple but very good. The gravy was very nice and a good flavor to the dish. Burger was ok but nothing special.

Lamb rump
Ashleigh D.

Dining room is upstairs. The food was pretty good with decent portions (mine was not too big, but the fish and chips portion was huge!). I had the lamb rump. It came with lots more veg than potatoes which was nice. The fish and chips were good as was the beef pie. The service was a bit slow, but the waitresses were friendly.

Wild board and chorizo pie
Florian C.

Good moment in this wonderful place. The salon bar is nice, nice drink the dinner room is beautiful. The food could be better but the pub is incredibly beautiful.

S. T.

This review is for the upstairs dining room, not the pub. Having been to Dishoom, and found a queue of an hour and a half, we started exploring other options in Covent Garden. If we couldn't have the best Indian food, we wanted traditional British. We were recommended The White Swan, and we weren't disappointed. Covent Garden was a madhouse at 8:00, with teeming crowds milling around every pub, but the upstairs dining room at The White Swan was a calm, comfortable oasis. We ordered the ribeye steak and the steak-and-ale pie. The ribeye came out slightly undercooked, but the waitress cheerfully took it back to the kitchen to make it right. The accompanying chips could have been more flavorful, but they were nice and crisp. The pie was delicious: a flaky crust, and a savory filling with tender meat. The mashed potatoes matched the dish well and were tasty with the gravy, but the vegetable side dish was odd: chopped unflavored raw cabbage and peas, and par-cooked carrots. We had 2 delicious glasses of wine (in our experience, good wine is hard to find in a British pub), including an unexpected Picpoul de Pinet (Domaine Roquemoliére)--a bit like a heavily oaked Chardonnay. The portions were huge, so we were too full for desserts, but I included pics of that menu.

Upstairs dining room
Demetra L.

Stopped in for a casual dinner on my first night in London. Was looking for fish and chips and ended up trying the special beef and pale ale pie - it was amazing!!!!! Our order was ready quickly, the pie came out piping hot with layers of flaky dough, beef, mushroom, and Pearl onion. Absolutely delicious and was better than the fish and chips.

Fish n chips
Scott G.

Happening little pub in Covent Garden. Lots of locals (and some tourists) in the pub downstairs, having a few pints and relaxing. Elegant dining room and good food served upstairs. I had to have fish n chips on my journey to the UK, and this is where I ended up having them. Good, well-battered fish, chunky chips, and malt vinegar. It wasn't incredible or anything, but it hit the spot. They had a beer, ginger brew mix that I enjoyed along with some mulled wine. Also had the plumb, apple, cherry crumble with custard, and this was definitely the best part of the meal. You may think I'm lying, but it was not too rich. It was just right. Didn't frequent the pub downstairs, but it seemed like a fun crowd when I passed through. Right on a busy corner in Covent Garden. Check it out.

Old rosie cider

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3 years ago

Love this place! The food and service were fantastic, Sarah was especially superb! Hope you get that free bottle babes. xoxo

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10 years ago

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14 years ago

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7 years ago

Cam in for Roast dinner. The beef was lovely!!! Will come back next time i am in the area..

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9 years ago

Ate upstairs in the dining room. The service was slow but the food was great! I recommend the steak frites.

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The White Swan Reviews in Other Languages

Review Highlights - The White Swan

The Sunday roast was very well cooked and the fish and chips were the best we've had.

Mentioned in 2 reviews

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The Centre Page - Modest entrance area.

The Centre Page

3.6(25 reviews)
1.2 miBlackfriars
£

After visiting Shakespeare's Globe across the Thames River, I was rushing to the airport and…read morespotted this place near St. Paul's church after crossing Millennium Bridge. Given the location, I knew it was probably a tourist trap and I wish to avoid those usually but had no time so stopped in on a Monday afternoon for lunch. I'm so glad I did! I was in London only briefly and had yet to try proper fish and chips and I was definitely WOW'd. I've only had this in America, and this was definitely better than anything I've ever had. When it arrived on my table, I could feel the heat from the plate -- that's how scalding hot and fresh it was, and I loved that! The cod was absolutely massive, a thick portion of fish deep fried with the skin on within an incredibly crunchy beer batter. There were pieces of bone in it, but no bother, this only made it seem more fresh. The chips (thick cut fries) were perfectly crispy and both the fish and chips were insanely delicious with a bit of salt and malt vinegar (which I had to request by walking up to the bar). The dish came with a tartar sauce and ketchup, but tasted way better with the salt and vin. I absolutely love that the fish and chips also came with mushy peas, whereas most pubs only give you fish and chips alone. The dish was also very well priced at 9.95 GBP, and I was able to use my credit card, rounded up to 10 GBP because they have a 10 GBP minimum for using cards. I appreciate that this restaurant had free wi-fi, which I found out by asking my waiter, who quickly provided the secret code for me to use. In America you would never ask your server for this but I noticed that nearly every hotel and restaurant I visited during my 11-day tour of Europe offered wi-fi. Good on them, because how else would I check in to a restaurant on Yelp and shower them with praise and circulate promotional foodie photos on Instagram? During a weekday, many workers nearby flood this place to grab a pint during lunch....now, why don't I work in London? I would give this place five stars based on the food alone, but I am giving it four because I wished the service had been more attentive, as I had to go up to the bar to get malt vinegar and also to ask to pay my bill. I understand service in Europe is more laissez-faire than in America, but since this is a tourist spot I would have liked to be checked on by the staff at least once during my meal, and certainly to be presented with the bill. Note: They also serve Sunday roast dinner for 9.95 GBP on Sundays

Great location, great specials and great service. This is a solid pub that seems to attract a good…read morecrowd. Being from the states I am not as familiar with all the UK brands --- but they seem to offer a wide variety of beers (lots on tap) and cocktails. TIP: I recommend hitting this place before 5:30 on the weekdays as the happy hour crowd fills this join up.

Photos
The Centre Page
The Centre Page - Downstairs dinning area

Downstairs dinning area

The Centre Page

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The Banker

The Banker

4.3(16 reviews)
1.5 miThe City
££

We had passed this pub several times, as it is located on a common route to the hotel we were…read morestaying in, and we wanted to have our first London pub experience, so try it, we did. We arrived just after the work day, and the crowd was buzzing just outside. We did the self-seating option indoors, and sat down to a great view of the Thames river, as we pondered our meal choices from the menu. The location is just great. For a leadoff drink, I had to go with the house cask ale, which was the Fuller's ESB, a drink I've been enjoying since the 1990's, and it delivered as expected. I went with an order of Sausages with mashed potatoes and peas...it doesn't get much more classic than that, and I was happy with it, especially with the quantity (3 sausages!). Wifey was on the hunt for a meat pie, and she went with the Steak, Ale & Mushroom Pie, which I can report was wholeheartedly approved. One of the better pies we've had on the overall trip, and the best we had at a pub location. The overall vibe of this pub is exactly as you might picture it, and we weren't disappointed with any aspect. Service, though not overly patient (hey - they were busy), was competent and pleasant. Cheers!

Great pub in the City of London. Found it while walking near the River front after crossing north…read moreover London Bridge. Casks, drafts, lots of seating - both indoor and outdoor. They had billiards and some other entertainment. Quick service.

Photos
The Banker
The Banker
The Banker

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The White Swan - pubs - Updated July 2026

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