Let there be Rock: The Intrepid Fox

15 St. Giles High Street, WC2H 8LN

JuanFran, a friend of mine, took me to this pub when we met back here in London, about two months ago. And I’ve been there again, and again with him, which makes clear a couple of facts:

1. JuanFran’s got a great taste for pubs.
2. Maybe I don’t, hence this blog is a complete waste of time

The Intrepid Fox used to be kind of an institution in Soho,at Wardour Street, as one of the most famous heavy metal pubs up there. I weren’t there at that time, but I’ve heard it was really a funny place to enjoy a pint in, completely stuffed with weird goth memorabilia and shabby decoration. A classic dive in London.

But it closed, and reopened not too far away on its current location, quite close to Tottenham Court Road tube station. Hence, let’s forget about what this place used to be, and let’s talk about what it is about at the moment.


First thing, decoration is absolutely great. Imagine a hard rock café devoted to heavy/dark/goth music, and you almost got it. A huge budget is backing the place, that is clear enough, and if the investment is worthy enough, that’s something we have to explore… anyway, deco is great.

Second think: drinks. Not too many different beers, that’s true, but at least they taste decently. And that’s something important on a place like that: I am just remembering how close to be poisoned I was last week, back in Madrid on holidays, on Chill Out (Malasaña). Ono of my former favourites places in that area in Madrid, where I enjoyed great binges as a teenager, and prettily nice decorated at the moment. But don’t even dare to enjoy a drink, whatever the fuck it is. Just shit, and my stomach suffered it the whole fucking night long. I’m digressing, aren’t I? Anyway, I was saying that drinks are ok. And they pass the 10 quid trial (buy three pints with a tenner and get spare change). Good enough for me.

The most important thing in a place like that should be the music. In fact, the whole thing. And that’s a little flaw the Intrepid Fox has… as they play not just the expected stuff, but also new metal (‘chandal metal’, as I love to name it in Spanish) covering bands as POD, Korn and that kind of things you might like, but not listen in a Heavy Club. Neither Amy Winehouse is a rock band, regardless I like it or not. Nevertheless, don’t expect Bisbal, Bustamante or Reggeton… in the end, that’s still London. And there are usually live bands performing, as it is a quite famous venue as well.

Anything else? Well, one of the waitress is Spanish, but she is so fucking full of herself that trying to make up a friendly conversation is just a waste of time. I’m a heavy goth modern here in London, did you know that, bloody tursist? (You actually do that bouncing your body as Eminem, and you just have the picture). And that’s a pity, as she’s shagable enough (yeah, the blog is becoming a bit more romantic every day). Apart of that, I’ve read somewhere you might get a pentangle on your Guinness foam, but I didn’t when I asked for one… very likely the bitch I’ve talked about isn’t able to perform one. And what else… well, they have an outside area where you can enjoy a sunny day –yeah, I’m just kidding- and the corridor to go to the toilets, and the toilets themselves, are really successful.

The biggest flaw of the place, JuanFran says and I agree with him, is it has lost a great part of his original charming. Plenty of tourists are around, and you really feel like in a Theme Park instead of in an original pub. Just as I told before, as in Hard Rock. And, still, it’s a place I’ll go over and over again, ‘couse… it’s cool…