I went to this pub on the recommendation of the concierge at a 4* hotel (which should hope to remain unnamed). Shall we start with the positives? The staff were friendly and helpful. There was no unnecessary delay. My two children were treated with kindness and goodwill.

The food, however, was absolutely horrid. Inedible would have been an improvement, since it might have spared my kidneys a near-lethal salt overdose.

Think "chain restaurant, Kazakhstan" - actually, that's unkind to Kazakhstan. And to (at least the more ambitious) chain restaurants. Fish and chips, all batter, little fish. And the batter, rubbery and over-seasoned. Choice of three meats (roast beef, turkey, roast pork) all overcooked and warmed on the steam table to office tower construction standards. Alternates (chicken with couscous) seasoned with huge quantities of paprika, salt and pepper, tasteless and wooden.

The desserts were tolerable, if a bit stale. All in all, very substandard, if pretentious. A tourist trap, should be avoided.

I went to this pub on a Thursday lunch time with my daughter and 2 children, we went to the upstairs restaurant for lunch.

We were seated and then deserted. After 20 minutes of being totally ignored, we were handed 2 menus, with no conversation at all, not even if we would like a drink, what options there were for children, nothing at all.

After another 10 minutes we all got up and left. Fortunately we found another much friendly place to eat.

A doorman at our hotel recommended my wife and I eat dinner at the Albert Pub in Victoria central London.

Unfortunately we had a horrendous experience with exceeding poor service and follow through.

We ordered dinner at the bar and paid in advance as this is custom practice in London pubs.

30 minutes later and no food, I asked the barman for a status and was told the food was "in the lift" and on its way.

After another 20 minutes had elapsed and the kitchen had closed, I confronted the barman who ran back to check on our order.

15 minutes later and no sight of our barman, I flagged down another barman and asked for a full refund only to wait 15 more minutes to speak to the manager.

75 minutes after we ordered a dinner which we didn't receive, the manager came out to apologize and tell us they've had issues with the kitchen.

He also went on to say he could not issue a refund and would need to contact the corporate office.

Almost two weeks has passed with no credit applied to our credit card, nor any correspondence from the Albert Pub corporate company.

Needless to say I've appealed the charge with my credit card company.

Having worked in the service industry I can say this situation was handled incredibly poorly by an inept wait staff.

Additionally, shame on the corporate office for not empowering their pub managers with the tools necessary to resolve these situations on the spot.

Fortunately, the general manager of my hotel indicated he was going to stop referring guests to this ‘restaurant’.

For those looking for a true English pub experience, this isn’t it. It’s a good thing central London has 100’s of other local pubs.

Went here with some friends near Christmas the decorations were lovely really made it feel cosy even though it is a huge pub. Quite busy but a friendly crowd. Served quickly, food looked impressive.

The Albert Tavern has excellent food upstairs. You can choose between a two or three course meal but I have always picked the two courses as you get lots of food on the main course. Nice service and a good price. The Albert Tavern is well worth a visit.

If you're looking for a traditional English pub then you you will love the Albert Tavern near St. James Park.

They serve a great traditional carvery, fab for a good old fashioned Sunday Roast. The staff are friendly but try to try to avoid lunchtimes at Albert Tavern as it gets jammed with local office workers. I love it anyway!!