CAMRA - Campaign for Real Ale logo
Pubs & Clubs
Events
Beers & Breweries
Pubs & Clubs
Events
Beers & Breweries
CAMRA - Campaign for Real Ale logo
Join Us
CAMRA - Campaign for Real Ale logo

Dog & Duck, London

You have visited this venue
View all visits
Directions
You want to visit - You have this in
Cask Ale
Open
Operator: Nicholson's (Mitchells & Butlers)
18 Bateman Street, Soho, London, W1D 3AJ (View on Google Map)
(020) 7494 0697
Email
Website
X (Twitter)
Facebook
  • Historic Interior

In the bustling heart of Soho this narrow corner pub site has been licensed from 1734, with the present grade II listed building dating from 1897 to designs by architect Francis Chambers. An M&B Nicholson's outlet, this is one of Britain's Real Heritage Pubs; it is also reported to have two ghosts and the pub is featured in the Ghost Pubs website. An elaborate mosaic depicts dogs and ducks; the pub name possibly derives from the old-time "sport" of setting dogs on ducks with pinioned wings and timing how long it took for the dogs to catch them. The loser paid for the drinks!

Wonderful advertising mirrors adorn the walls and original light fixtures and marvellous tilework complement the interior. The pub is small and so popular, especially with media people, that it is not just smokers who have to drink outside. The bar has been extended towards the main Frith St door.

The pub gained fame just before the Coronation in May 2023, when the Prince & Princess of Wales visited to hear how the pub was preparing for the Coronation weekend, and to meet pub staff and representatives from other hospitality businesses in the area. Prince William was filmed behind the bar pulling a pint of Kingmaker pale ale, a special Coronation brew.

Historic Interest

Grade II listed, Historic England ref 1264051. George Orwell was a regular here and celebrated in the pub after hearing that Animal Farm had been chosen by the American Book of the Month Club for that issue. His pub choice on that occasion was influenced by the fact that somehow the landlord had got hold of some real absinthe, 135 degrees proof. Orwell, with his dark visions of a surveillance society expressed in his dystopian novel 1984, would no doubt have been fascinated by the mass of camera phones in action during the royal visit of 2023! Now named after the author, the upstairs Orwell Bar can be hired for functions.

Information for this venue is provided by the West London Branch of CAMRA
Previous Names
Local Authority
Westminster
Last updated
Last surveyed
22/01/2020
Leasehold owner
unknown
Freehold owner
Mitchells & Butlers
Pub ID
WLD/15928
Asset of Community Value

Two star - A pub interior of very special national historic interest

Listed status: II

A lovely small (and usually busy) pub, built as a hotel in 1897 to designs by architect Francis Chambers. The exterior has glazed brick upper floors and a carving of the eponymous fauna which appear again in a delightful but sadly mauled mosaic at the Frith Street entrance as well as in the wall tiling. Tiles are an important element in the decoration, lining the back wall of the left-hand part of the pub, and forming the dado and framing two fine advertising mirrors on the right side: interestingly neither promotes alcohol, rather cigarettes and cigars, seltzer and mineral waters (the craftsman, S. Trenner, signed his creations). Originally the pub would surely have had a division between the two very different halves and quite possibly divisions within the right-hand side. It is hard to envisage where the servery would have been: the present one, probably introduced in the postwar period, straddles one of two blocked external doorways: the superstructure on the counter is clearly reused work.

General information about historic pub interiors

A gorgeous, small and very popular (i.e. packed) Soho pub, it was built in 1897 to designs by the architect Francis Chambers for Cannon Brewery. The exterior has glazed brick upper floors incorporating a stone carving of the animals mentioned in its name (note also the delightful mosaic of the animals at the Frith Street entrance). The ground floor has polished granite and Larvikite facings, which probably date from a 1930s makeover. The interior is also a mixture of Victorian and inter-war work – the former represented by extensive wall-tiling and a couple of large, framed advertising mirrors promoting long-vanished tobacco and mineral water products. The more restrained work of around 1930 is found in the woodwork of the left-hand part. This was also probably the time when the pub was opened up and took its present single-space layout. Its Victorian predecessor would undoubtedly have had several divisions but it is hard to work out exactly how things were. The present servery now blocks a former outside door. Brass-topped tables.

General information about historic pub interiors
Monday
Noon - 11:00pm
Tuesday
Noon - 11:00pm
Wednesday
Noon - 11:00pm
Thursday
Noon - 11:00pm
Friday
Noon - Midnight
Saturday
Noon - Midnight
Sunday
Noon - 10:30pm
Monday
Noon - 10:00pm
Tuesday
Noon - 10:00pm
Wednesday
Noon - 10:00pm
Thursday
Noon - 10:00pm
Friday
Noon - 10:00pm
Saturday
Noon - 10:00pm
Sunday
Noon - 10:00pm
TasteMatch

Unlock TasteMatch and all of CAMRA’s online tools from just 99p/month with our Explorer Pass, or join as a member to get the best of pubs, beer and breweries plus discounts at the bar.

Current beers

This Pub serves 5 changing beers and 2 regular beers.

Regular and recently seen

Sharp's - Doom Bar TasteMatch Prediction

View beer
Sharp's Doom Bar Pump Clip-1
Sharp's - Doom Bar Session Bitter • 4%
Sharp's Doom Bar Pump Clip-1
Sharp's - Doom Bar

This beer is served regularly at Dog & Duck, London.

ABV 4%
Style Session Bitter
Colour
Vegan No
Gluten Free No

St Austell - Nicholson's Pale Ale TasteMatch Prediction

View beer
St Austell - Nicholson's Pale Ale
St Austell - Nicholson's Pale Ale Session Pale Ale • 4%
St Austell - Nicholson's Pale Ale
SIBA Indie Beer Sold Here
St Austell - Nicholson's Pale Ale

This beer is served regularly at Dog & Duck, London.

ABV 4%
Style Session Pale Ale
Colour
Vegan No
Gluten Free No
Changing

Changing beers typically include: Sharp's - Atlantic , St Austell - Proper Job

Source: National

Your scores

Join CAMRA to access beer scoring and view scores for other pubs. Become a member.
Retrieving scores
You have no beer scores submitted.
Facilities
Lunchtime Meals Lunchtime Meals
Evening Meals Evening Meals
Real Fire Real Fire
Wi Fi Wi Fi
Features
Cask Ale Cask Ale
Real Heritage Pub Real Heritage Pub
Cask Marque Beer and Cellar Hygiene rating
Cask Marque: Beer and Cellar Hygiene rating 5 out of 5
Transport
Close to bus routes
Nearby Station (850m)
London Charing Cross
Close to London Underground/Overground/DLR (300m)
Tottenham Court Road

Help keep our information accurate!

Notice an error or missing details? Help us keep our pub & club information accurate by sharing any corrections or updates you spot.

Suggest an edit

Nearby

Crown & 2 Chairmen-1 Apr 2023. (Pub, External, Key). Published on 09-04-2023
Open
Crown & Two Chairmen
Castle (Mitchells & Butlers) Pub, in London
1 Regular, 3 Changing Beers
  • CAMRA discount scheme
Simmons Soho W1 May 2017. (Pub, External, Key). Published on 23-05-2017
Open
Simmons Soho
Simmons Pub, in London

Cask Ale not available

Photo date: August 2013. (Pub, External, Key). Published on 28-08-2013
Open
Burger & Lobster
Burger & Lobster Other Drinking Establishment, in London

Cask Ale not available

Photo date: August 2013. (External, Key). Published on 28-08-2013
Open
Thirst Bar
Independent Pub, in London

Cask Ale not available

Photo date: August 2013. (External, Key). Published on 28-08-2013
Prix Fixe
Independent Restaurant, in London

Cask Ale not available

(Pub, External, Key). Published on 24-08-2013
Open
Club 49
Independent Pub, in London

Cask Ale not available

Forty Dean Street W1 May 2018. (External, Key). Published on 07-05-2018
Forty Dean Street
Independent Other Drinking Establishment, in London

Cask Ale not available

Soho Theatre W1 Oct 2015. (Pub, External, Key). Published on 18-10-2015
Open
Soho Theatre
Pub, in London

Cask Ale not available

Little Scarlet Door-1 June 2022. (Pub, External, Key). Published on 26-06-2022
Open
Little Scarlet Door
Little Door Pub, in London

Cask Ale not available

Simmons Greek St June 2022. (Pub, External, Key). Published on 26-06-2022
Open
Simmons Greek Street
Simmons Pub, in London

Cask Ale not available

Recently Viewed

(Pub, External, Key). Published on 20-04-2015
Steps Bar
Pub, in Glasgow

Cask Ale not available

  • Historic Interior
Resting place. (Pub, Key). Published on 04-03-2015
Open
Castle Inn
Pub, in Chiddingstone
2 Regular, 1 Changing Beers
  • Historic Interior
City Arms - Manchester. (Pub). Published on 01-01-2012
Open
City Arms
Pub, in Manchester
8 Changing Beers
  • Historic Interior
(Pub, External, Key). Published on 22-05-2021
Open
Shipwrights Arms
Pub, in London
1 Regular, 2 Changing Beers
  • Historic Interior
(Pub, External). Published on 03-08-2013
Open
Asylum Tavern
Pub, in Peckham

Cask Ale not available

  • Historic Interior
Published on 03-01-2012
Closed • Opens Wed at 11:00am
New Inn
Independent Pub, in Pembridge
2 Regular, 1 Changing Beers
  • Historic Interior
(Pub, External, Sign, Key). Published on 06-08-2014
Open
Murrell Arms
Pub, in Barnham
2 Regular, 2 Changing Beers
  • Historic Interior
(Pub, External, Key). Published on 01-07-2013
Open
Swan
Pub, in York
3 Regular, 4 Changing Beers
  • Historic Interior
(Pub). Published on 01-03-2015
Open
Berkeley Hotel
Samuel Smith Pub, in Scunthorpe
1 Regular Beer
  • Historic Interior
Pub Walk Shoes Icon

Love Cask Beer?

Join CAMRA to support the campaign to access more features plus access to a range of different benefits.

Become a member
© Campaign for Real Ale 2023 - 2026 (inst-a1d1538e-a59e-4815-8cb3-fe2f3fa53282-3374504-app-54457q4zp)
Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube
Home

Privacy Overview

We use cookies, which are small text files, to improve your experience on our website and to show you personalised content. You can allow all or manage them individually.

Necessary

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information. More information

Non-Necessary (Analytics)

These cookies help us to improve your web experience. They allow us to gather feedback on your behaviour and to show adverts relevant to you. You can turn this off here.

Cookies

We use cookies, which are small text files, to improve your experience on our website and to show you personalised content. You can allow all or manage them individually.