A laid-back, spacious, wood-lined, and easy-to-find pub situated east across the road from the entrance to the National Portrait Gallery, the Chandos has an upper-floor Opera Room furnished with sofas. Big and relaxed, with lots of people who come for a drink before dashing out again, it looks older than it is (it was renovated in early 2006), but it’s zero-attitude and makes a solid pre- or post-show choice. This is what an everyday pub is like.