Eh, that's also kind of the East London aesthetic for you. It used to be (maybe 30 years ago) very dodgy and is now (mostly) very hipster.
The Bar Americain which he mentions but doesn't show a picture of, on the other hand, is excellent, slap bang in the middle of Picadilly, and quite opulent. That's great to combine with a meal at the surprisingly cheap (given the location) brasserie Zedel.