Pub in London WC2
Edgar Wallace
40 Essex Street, London, WC2R 3JFClosest station: Temple, about 4 min walk4.3out of 5 on Google, from 601 ratings
Details last checked October 2024. Things may have changed since.
About Edgar Wallace
Pub fare and draft beer offered in cozy quarters covered with vintage posters and other memorabilia.
Just off Fleet Street near the Royal Courts of Justice, the barristers' chambers in the Temple and the Aldwych, this is a real gem of a one room pub, with an additional drinking and eating room upstairs. The ceiling is packed with the landlord's collection of beer mats, and the walls and back bar - and more! - can only be described as a mecca of advertising signs for beers, sherry, port, cigarettes, tobacco and cigars of the past. There is also a shelf of Edgar Wallace crime novels, pub guides and other books that will make you want to linger.
The choice of cask ales, sourced nationally, may be more limited post-pandemic but two to three should be available. Good value pub grub is served at weekday lunchtimes. It's a "quiet" pub with no music; laptops, mobiles and so on are not allowed. Please note that, in this legal area, it does not open at all at weekends.
Description from WhatPub, CAMRA’s pub guide, with a summary from Google Maps.
Features
- Dog Friendly
- Outdoor Seating: Pavement tables in fine weather
- Family Friendly: Until 5pm, but only if eating
- Quiet
- Serves Food
- Serves Lunch: Not weekends
- Real Ale
- Function Room: Upstairs
- WiFi
- Good for Groups
- Smoking: Outside the front of the pub
- Accepts Credit Cards
- Accepts Debit Cards
- Accepts NFC
Opening times
- Monday
- 12:00 – 11:00 PM
- Tuesday
- 12:00 – 11:00 PM
- Wednesday
- 12:00 – 11:00 PM
- Thursday
- 12:00 – 11:00 PM
- Friday
- 12:00 – 11:00 PM
- Saturday
- Closed
- Sunday
- Closed
As listed in October 2024. Hours change, and bank holidays differ: check with the pub.
Good to know
- Operator
- Independent
- Price
- 2 out of 4 (Google’s price level)
- Phone
- 020 7353 3120
Photos
Photos from Google Maps contributors, stored when the pub was last checked.
Google rating and reviews
4.3out of 5 on Google, from 601 ratings
4 out of 51956gooneron Google, August 2024
This is a delightful pub located down a side street near Aldwych. I opted for a Camden Hells lager at £7. They did have 3 cask ales available. Of interest is the special offer of a £10 lunch which is excellent value. It was fairly busy for a mid week afternoon, due mainly to a pub tour group. There is a nice seating area upstairs and a small standing area outside. The ceiling is covered with beer mats, a feature I liked. The bartender, Jana, was everything you could wish for, very friendly and engaging. In summary a very nice pub.
5 out of 5Scottieboyukon Google, September 2024
Another very very old bar, so much to look at, so much to see and a brilliant atmosphere inside. , Such a glimpse into the past, with all the ads and old smoking stuff dotted about, Such a well kept bar
5 out of 5Ydna Samohton Google, September 2023
I didn't eat here having come from lunch at a restaurant nearby so I can't rate the food this time (but I did come here for a work Christmas lunch years ago & the meal was great at that time). Very unusual pub, cavernous and airy with walls and even the ceilings plastered with beer mats and tobacco/cigarette posters from bygone times. Pub not crowded at all in the late afternoon and service was prompt.
5 out of 5Gareth Rhyson Google, December 2023
In a crowded field of pubs near the Temple, the Edgar Wallace has the best atmosphere and a good range of decent value ales and lagers. The owner/manager is a really nice man who is almost always there and often having a drink himself. The pub has an iconic old school look, which I hope never changes. It also has an interesting history that you can read on a sign outside the pub (no spoilers!) You can easily spend a whole evening here catching up with friends in one of the pub's little nooks and crannies. Warning: it can get very busy on a Thursday or Friday.
5 out of 5Tom Shawon Google, April 2024
Great pub, lots of history and memorable interior. Busy and atmospheric. Recommend the upstairs seating area.
Rating and reviews are from Google Maps, as they stood in October 2024. See the latest on Google Maps.