Why Walk Into The French House?
If you’re exploring Soho’s legendary pubs, The French House on Dean Street is one of those places worth seeking out for its atmosphere alone. Once a gathering place for wartime French exiles, artists and writers, this tiny pub has held onto its bohemian character while much of the neighborhood has changed around it.
Step inside and you’ll find deep red walls crowded with old photographs, a small wooden bar and an atmosphere that feels more like a lively gathering of friends than a conventional London pub. There are no televisions or background music, and conversation is still the main attraction.
Know Before You Go
Crowd Expectations — The French House is a tiny Soho pub with very limited seating. Evenings can become standing room only, with drinkers spilling onto Dean Street. Visit earlier in the afternoon if you’d like a better chance to appreciate the historic interior.
Food & Dining — The ground-floor bar is primarily for drinks, while the small upstairs restaurant serves a changing French bistro menu.
Reservations — The downstairs bar is walk-in only. The upstairs restaurant has just a handful of tables, so book well ahead if you’re planning a meal.
House Rules — Keep your mobile phone tucked away while inside. The French House has a longstanding no-phone tradition, and beer is served in half-pints rather than full pints.
Visiting with Children — Children are permitted in the upstairs restaurant during lunch service, but restrictions apply at other times. Check directly with the pub before visiting as a family.
Accessibility — The ground-floor bar is cramped, and the upstairs restaurant is reached by a narrow staircase, which may be difficult for visitors with limited mobility.
What’s the Pint Pick?
Order a half-pint of The French House Lager, served in the pub’s signature glasses. It’s a fitting choice for a Soho institution that has always preferred doing things its own way.
One popular story traces the half-pint tradition to a brawl involving sailors and heavy pint glasses, although the precise origins are difficult to establish.
Order your half-pint at the bar and pay when you order. If the card machine prompts you for a tip, you can press skip. Digital prompts are increasingly common these days, but tipping is still not customary when buying drinks at a London pub bar counter.
The Stories Behind The French House
Take a closer look at the black-and-white photographs covering the walls. They’re a reminder of the writers, artists and eccentric characters who made The French House one of Soho’s most celebrated meeting places.
Among them was painter Francis Bacon, who regularly drank here alongside fellow artists and writers. Look for his portrait among the collection. Another famous regular was Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, whose missing manuscript of Under Milk Wood has become part of the pub’s folklore. Thomas really did misplace the manuscript during a London drinking spree in 1953, but exactly which pub he left it in remains disputed.
But The French House has an earlier history that explains its unusual name. Originally called The York Minster, the pub became a gathering place for French expatriates and, during the Second World War, members of the Free French movement. General Charles de Gaulle is associated with the pub, although stories that he wrote his famous 1940 appeal to the French people here are not firmly established.
For decades, Londoners simply called it the French pub. The name became official in 1984, following a fire at York Minster cathedral in Yorkshire.
Address: 49 Dean Street, Soho, London W1D 5BG
Nearest Station: Tottenham Court Road
Website: The French House
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