Pub in London W1
Newman Arms
23 Rathbone Street, London, W1T 1NGClosest station: Goodge Street, about 5 min walk4.3out of 5 on Google, from 302 ratings
Details last checked October 2024. Things may have changed since.
About Newman Arms
Historic pub dating to 1730 offering a selection of draft beers, plus cocktails, wines & spirits.
Named after the local landowner William Berners, whose country seat was Newman Hall in Quendon, Essex, it's a small, narrow and cosy low-ceilinged pub, with a proper flagstone floor.
Note the almost Dickensian covered alleyway to the left, once unlit and nicknamed Murderer's Alley. It is a surviving fragment of a fringe of the St. Giles' Rookery, once the most famous slum area in London. A beer-only licence lasted here until 1948 when wine was licensed to be sold, and finally a spirits licence was granted in 1960.
After a period of closure for building works to be carried out, this site reopened in May 2018 under Truman's Brewery management, as their first Tap House in London. Truman’s expanded the pub into the basement and increased the number of draught lines, to offer customers a wider range of beers. This was one of the first pubs in London to install a ‘crowler machine’ to fill 910ml (a pint and a half) cans with any draught beer on site for customers to take away. Up to 4 cask ales plus 12 keg beers are on offer. The venue does not offer in-house substantial food but Serious Pig packet snacks are available.
Following a management buyout in 2022 Truman's was rebranded Big Penny but this iconic pub kept its original name. There have since then been reports of no cask ale being available here on occasion; further updates welcome.
Description from WhatPub, CAMRA’s pub guide, with a summary from Google Maps.
Features
- Dog Friendly
- Sports TV: Selected events such as Six Nations shown
- Real Ale
- Function Room: Proles' Parlour & The Orwell snugs in basement can be booked
- WiFi
- Reservable
- Good for Groups
- Accepts Credit Cards
- Accepts Debit Cards
- Accepts NFC
Opening times
- Monday
- Closed
- Tuesday
- 3:00 – 11:00 PM
- Wednesday
- 3:00 – 11:00 PM
- Thursday
- 3:00 – 11:00 PM
- Friday
- 3:00 – 11:00 PM
- Saturday
- 3:00 – 11:00 PM
- Sunday
- Closed
As listed in October 2024. Hours change, and bank holidays differ: check with the pub.
Good to know
- Operator
- Trumans
- Price
- 2 out of 4 (Google’s price level)
- Phone
- 020 7436 9777
Photos
Photos from Google Maps contributors, stored when the pub was last checked.
Google rating and reviews
4.3out of 5 on Google, from 302 ratings
4 out of 5Chad Greenblatton Google, August 2023
Nice pub located in the heart of Fitzrovia off the busy streets. Came on a fairly busy Wednesday evening to avoid the rain. I did see on the menu that they had 2 for 1 cocktails. However when I asked the staff about their cocktails they seemed bewildered... So I asked for a simple cosmopolitan, more bewilderment. Bar man was fairly nice guy though and gave it a shot and it was not half bad. However, for the website to advertise this is not great. Nice inside though and pretty clean, basement had a musky smell to it but guess that's from the history of the building. I would visit again for…
1 out of 5Coco Lorenzoon Google, September 2024
very disappointed. i used to frequent this pub and it used to have such great service. This wasn’t the case this time, i was next to the bar for about 15 minutes even after the queue had gone, i wasn’t asked if i had wanted a drink, i asked if i can order food and she said they didn’t do food as she walked away and i was talking to a back of a head. Will no longer head to this pub for after work drinks, sadly.
4 out of 5David Simkinson Google, December 2022
A lovely, intimate pub - single room at ground level, an even smaller space downstairs, and an upstairs room that can be hired out. Take a look at the top floor middle ‘window’; a cheeky reminder that this building was once a brothel. I bet that alley could tell some stories! Friendly staff, a decent selection of beers, and a pleasant change from the more brash establishments nearby. Definitely would return.
5 out of 5East London Girlon Google, June 2018
Tucked away in a side street between Goodge Street and Tottenham Court road tube stations lies a cute pub in Fitzrovia. With a cosy and attractive interior, extremely friendly staff, a hearty food menu and great music, the Newman Arms was a great choice! Don’t be fooled by the tiny bar area when you first walk in either – it has a great atmosphere and the bar staff will make you feel really welcome. Not only that, they have an upstairs drinking and dining area and a downstairs snug area. If you are looking for a pub to sit down and have a beer in then you can definitely do it here! The food…
1 out of 5Michael Dohertyon Google, February 2024
Omg the beers here were so bad, mine tasted like hot fairy liquid and the other was so chemically. Maybe the pipes were being cleaned but I had the IPA and my mate the Pale Ale. We had one sip each and one of each others and left. This can’t be the beers they serve normally. Below is how much we had before we left
Rating and reviews are from Google Maps, as they stood in October 2024. See the latest on Google Maps.