If you came for a pint here just once a decade, you wouldn’t find that much had changed. And it doesn’t need to, because the Lamb & Flag is just about as perfect a pub as you’ll find in the West End (even though it’s smack-dab in the centre of terminally touristy Covent Garden).
History hangs in the air at this low-ceilinged tavern; for example, in 1679, in the tiny alleyway outside, the poet John Dryden took a beating from thugs hired by the notorious poet and libertine John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester. Inside is dark and comfy, though perennial popularity means it can also be very crowded – especially when the nearby offices start disgorging their thirsty worker bees. Join the happy throng outside, or go upstairs (often relatively quiet) for a meal of simple pub grub.