A handsome Victorian corner local in Fitzrovia, reopened after a 2023 refurbishment, with cask ale upstairs and entertainment in the cellar.
The Albany holds down the corner of Great Portland Street and Clipstone Street, a few minutes north of Oxford Circus and right by Great Portland Street station. The building dates to 1898, rebuilt on the site of an earlier 1869 pub, and a 2023 refurbishment lightened the rooms without stripping out the Victorian bones. The Fitzrovia News covered the reopening and the careful restoration of the original interior.
This is a proper Fitzrovia local that does two jobs well. Upstairs is a relaxed pub for a pint of London Pride and a plate of British food. Downstairs is a small basement bar that hosts comedy, cabaret, quizzes, and live music through the month. Come for an unhurried after work drink or a Sunday roast. Skip it if you want a late club night, because that is not the brief.
The Albany sits on the corner of Great Portland Street and Clipstone Street. Walk in for the bar. Book ahead for a Sunday roast or a basement night.
The ground floor is the main bar, light and airy after the refit, with the splendid Victorian detailing kept intact. It reads as a neighbourhood pub rather than a destination, which is the appeal.
Head downstairs and the basement bar changes character. That is where the comedy, music, and cabaret nights run, so the room you want depends on the night you visit.
The draw at the bar is cask. The Albany keeps London Pride alongside a rotating guest ale, with the usual lagers and a short wine and spirits list behind the counter. It is a pub range done properly, not a cocktail programme.
Order a pint of Pride and settle in, or pair the changing guest beer with a Sunday roast. The kitchen runs classic British plates and the roasts are the thing to plan around on a Sunday.
What to order
- 01
Pint of London Pride
- 02
The changing guest ale
- 03
Sunday roast
- 04
A glass from the wine list
