please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Rubbish staff, identikit interior, big garden. On a sunny day, why not head here like all the other lemmings?
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Saturday night at The Edinboro Castle. I queued for FORTY minutes at the bar, waiting to get served, before giving up and leaving for Worlds End, where we were served within minutes. It's absolutely ridiculous that they still only had TWO people serving a bar that was ten people deep. The staff are SO slow, and they just don't cared - one girl was chatting away on her mobile phone, completely ignoring the crowd. This used to by my local, it's going down hill rapidly. Don't waste your weekend there, go somewhere where you'll get a drink.
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Went there this week.
Pub garden is nice, plenty of tables and different areas but this is the only reason to go.
The staff were appallingly slow and uninterested.
Toilets were not clean.
Food was not the standard you'd expect from the presentation of menu etc and not worth the money.
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Good pub in general. The range of beers is fantastic, the outside area is fantastic. I don't know about the food as I didn't have any. The down side well I had enough time to grow a beard, have a shave, and develop a three o'clock shadow before I got served. Sort that out and you have a great place not just a good one.
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Went there a few months back.
Pub garden was VERY busy, staff quite slow, I wonder why some of the staff decided to apply for a job there! Food is average [and it aint cheap!]
Has the prettiest barmaids I have ever seen, really sweet girls.
Good mix of clientele, toilets are clean.
Would only really go there in the summer, as the garden is the main pulling factor, as other posters have said.
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Nice enough pub. Always full of beautiful women. Staff are appallingly slow.
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Popped in here for another pint (see my earlier review for the Victoria ) on my way to a function at London Zoo.
As said before , pleasant bright bar area and a large beer garden out the back. I didn't have any problem getting served, but that was largely because at 5.30PM on a wednesday evening, apart from a few die hards in the garden, I was the only bloke in.
Didn't try the food but the beer range and quality of the two I tried was good.
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Best palce in camden, great beer garden, great bar staff, food is good. Very good in the summer.
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Beer garden is a great place to sit and chill and there are some nice beers, but I have to agree with most other reviews, that the slow service undermines the whole experience. Last time I was there for about 2 hours, and I'd guess about 45 minutes of that was spent waiting at the bar to get served.
The staff really are useless - they all seem to end up congregating around the till and spirits area which is out of reach of the customers and chatter away to each other when they should be serving people.
But because of its nice beer garden people will go there regardless, which perhaps explains why the staff/management don't seem to give a toss about decent customer service.
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This pub has a great beer garden, with many undercover sections, which will no doubt make business swell since the smoking ban. They have a great range of weissbier, ales, lager and bottled beers too. Indoor areas are available for free hire and the staff are very good. It is however terribly let down by the quality of its food. The burger is average, although a good size, but the accompanying wedges, all 3 of them, are pretty meagre. The side of chunky chips was a pile of mushy goo and the prices are steep for the standard. If your not intending to eat though, a good pub with a great outdoor area
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A promising pub - good range of beers, nice big garden, but let down miserably by being probably the worst managed pub in London. The bar staff are terribly slow, unable to do more than one thing at once, and inattentive to customers. In any other bar they'd all be sacked after one evening. Typical wait at the bar from three seperate visits is 30 minutes - far too long if you just want a nice pint over lunch, and don't feel like watching the barmaid chat on her mobile or stare vacantly at the till for minutes at a time. I always thought that Franziskaner beer would make any pub great, but not even that is enough to rescue this one.
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easily my favourite pub in camden.
beer garden is huge but easily gets packed on a hot day. try the holumi bbq burger.. or anything on the bbq to be honest.
have been on an england match day and refreshingly a lot of the customers were women so wasn't intimidating.
on the downside i'm not too fond of the new paint job they've done on the inside. it's lost a lot of its atmosphere.
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Decent place, completely let down by the staff. There's about two or three bar staff who are very attentive and good at their jobs.
The rest are either painfully slow, uninterested or both. Expect waits of between 5-10 minutes before anyone even catches your eye and then anotehr 10 mins before they deign you worthy of being served.
Oh and don't ask for house wine unless you want a look of complete disgust.
If it wasn't for the beer garden this place would have no customers left.
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went there last Saturday on a hot day and the place was rammed, dreaded going to the bar but I got served quiet quickly and I wasn't expecting that afterreading previous reviews. Good bbq also, will definately be returning
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A good popular pub.
Was here in the beer garden last saturday evening. The garden was rammed due to the weather. Agree with a previous poster re: the bar staff being slow. Waited a disproportionately long time to be served. Only two people in front of me but was standing theri for over 10 mins!
So mgmt two things
i) get more bar staff in or give them better training
ii) sort out the hot air heaters
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This pub is totally let down by it's staff. They are unbelievably slow. I was talking to my mate about it last week and we both said the same thing. Sometimes it can be dead, only 4 or 5 people waiting to get served, 3 people behind the bar and you'll still be waiting 10 minutes. I went there yesterday lunchtime, exactly the same problem, we waited over minutes then left. It's a shame because it's a really nice looking boozer, great beer garden, good selection of drinks, good food, but the manager seriously needs to have a look at his staff.
anonymous - 20 Apr 2007 17:07 |
Good sunday dinner, lovely decor and outside area. No decent cider or lager, all that fancy stuff, but other than that, a really nice pub. The photo above isnt recent and doesnt do it justice.
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I was in there a couple of months ago and had quite a bad experiance with some of the staff there, my friend asked this tall red haired lad to make me a long island drink of somekind, which he clearly new how to make, but was then told he couldnt do it by a shorter, but slightly more red haired Aussie guy that he wasnt allowed to make cocktails, even though he had allready started making it. But even so the young lad carried on making it for us as we had stressed to him that we couldnt find any one any where who could make one of these, only to have it taken off of him and poured down the sink by what seemed to be the manager at the time, a short rude hairy guy, who then snaped at us "we dont do cocktails". This surly is madness because in such a lovely pub girls like me need cocktails- Sort it out Edinboro Castle!!!
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Nice pub; nice beer garden. However the staff were rude and very slow. Everyone was kicked out of the pub on Friday night around 9:30pm because the cash tills weren't working correctly! Haven't they heard of calculators or mental arithmetic? Will be giving this boozer a wide birth until I hear the staff have improved. A shame because this could be a great place to unwind.
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Was rammed on Saturday night. Another M&B unbranded pub with the decent range of continental beers on tap and in bottles that you would expect. Descriptions of the staff and standard of service in the reviews below are, sadly, true.
anonymous - 13 Aug 2006 15:45 |
Lovely pub, awesome beer garden, love the fruuli
BUT how slow and rude are the staff. After waiting 15 minutes to be served the first time, the polish girl told us (at 2.40pm) to 'hurry up and order or we'll close the kitchen'. Not five minutes later the menu's were taken from our hands and we were told (despite the signs saying loud and clear that kitchen is open til 3pm) that the kitchen was shut and were 'not allowed to order'.
The second time we went to the bar, the young man kept serving people either side of us, so we mentioned that we were next in line when he got a second. When it came our turn to be served, the young man said 'what do you want then' and proceeded to get our order wrong, 3 TIMES! It's not hard to hear and serve a pint of fruuli, a pint of bellevue kreik and a jug of pimms & lemonade!!
Incredibly slow staff who are also quite rude. Not a good combination. Shame it's the only place around here that sells fruuli!! I won't go back for any other reason!
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Auschwitz had a lot of lovely wide open spaces to run around in too, but you didn't see people falling over themselves to get in there, did you ?
It's certainly a nice enough pub, with a lot of high points, but the sad fact of the matter is it just takes far too long to get served there - I've been standing at the bar 5 minutes before the bell has been rung, and by the time they get around to me it's "Sorry sir, we're closing"!
It's a shame that such an otherwise excellent place has to suffer so heavily because of a few training issues.
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This is a great pub! ok so it's a bit slow...wednesday is softball night in the park and it's packed and weekends are always busy...it's London! The beer is great, the staff are friendly (to me) and it's the best beer garden/bbq in north London. What's your problem?
anonymous - 17 Jul 2006 10:46 |
Went for a drink in here on a nice sunny sunday afternoon. Nice pub and garden but it was a bit unwelcoming and they definetly need to pull their fingers out behind the bar- about 5 staff behind the bar and still waited a good 10 minutes to get served when there were maybe 3 other people waiting maximum, all my friends had similar experiences. Ended up having sunday lunch which was OK, bit of a ropey piece of meat though. Wouldn't hurry back, staff a not too friendly either.
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I guess the last writer was there on Sat arvo/night too as I experienced some of the poorest efforts in serving for a while.
The beer garden is good, large and has shading if needed, the beer selection was good, great even, if you can get one.
BBQ outside was good but they could make better use of the outside bar.
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Great decor, great beer garden, pretty good atmosphere, nice range of drinks. Food looks nice too.
But OH MY GOD COULD THE BARSTAFF POSSIBLY BE ANY SLOWER?
Just don't go here if you're thirsty.
anonymous - 27 May 2006 10:44 |
I thought this pub was quite cool, brill garden and bbq and stuff, service can be slow on fridays and saturdays because when the weathers good theres so many people at bar, i mean have you seen the size of the garden, and on a hot day the bar staff are flooded with a truly never ending wave of drunk and demanding customers who all bark orders at the staff at once who lets be fair, are all fairly young and probly are more concerned with how there hair looks then the some of the snoby, rich and ruder members of the public that go in to the pub. None the less if you want good table service go into the pub on a sunday or during the week when their not rushed off their feet and no one ever waits more then 20 mins for their food.... common sense surly?
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Absolutely terrible. After standing at the bar waiting for 45 minutes on a Wednesday night, I'd decided I didn't much like this place. With staff that are more interested in preening their hair than serving a pint it's hard to see how anyone would ever have cause to visit this pub twice. OK food and a nice beer garden are the only things that redeem this place from the wrecking ball.
In a vibrant area like Camden this place should be trying much much harder. Try the Albert, the Washington or the Lock Tavern instead: all pubs that have good service, good beer and good atmosphere without the comatose staff.
Don't waste your time with this one: 2 pints, 2 burgers, 45 minutes, 18 quid. Our survey says....
anonymous - 11 May 2006 23:39 |
Sure staff turnover is high in London bars, but few others have such consistently slow service as this
one.
Granted the bar always seems to be understaffed, but at the prices charged you'd expect the management could spend a few extra quid an hour on another pair of hands.
Good food, nice beer. Shame about the zombies behind the bar and the above-average prices.
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Not sure which Edinboro Castle these guys have been going to but I love the place. The decor is retro and funky, such a nice mid point between all the dingy old boozers and clinical wine bars that populate most of london. Beers are amazing, definitely the best and most innovative range in Camden and better than most of London, including my beloved Fruli! This place has had huge problems with the local residents and is doing its best to please everyone. And note to those who complain about lack of staff - if they had more staff Im sure they would use them!! Staff turn over is a problem for most bars in London.
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Interesting and decently sized pub, great beer garden in the summer, good belgian beers, but a 'laid back' service. I like the decor myself (I suppose you could call it poncey compared to wetherspoons and the moon under water) and think it's nice and comfy inside. Can often get a good seat, and the music's not bad (barring weekends).
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If you look in the dictionary under poncey, you'll find a picture of this pub.
Sadly the attempts at being "hip" undermine the enjoyment of a good range of beers. Overpriced and with barstaff bereft of any sense of urgency, you will find this pub is generally populated by people with more money than sense (even if they've only got coppers in their pocket).
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Great decor inside, one of the best beer gardens in Camden. Beers are not too bad.
The worst thing is the service. It is comparable to molasses, especially Thursdays and Fridays after work.
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Groovy pub with good range of beers and reasonably good menu (variety and quality). What constantly lets this pub down however is the service - of a summery Sunday afternoon, the place is obviously going to be rammed, and yet they only have 3 staff on. Also their summer bbq is a good idea but they've instituted possibly the worst distribution system known to man.
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Been meaning to change my entry for ages to say I got food poisoning from the barbeque... and not the nice sort either.
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The garden's the only thing of interest here - the pub itself, the staff and the beer are all below-average. The ale/beer you want is usually off/barrel being changed/late deliveries etc etc...........The BBQ is crap - but if its sunny the garden's pleasant but usually noisy and full of Aussies. Avoid for most of the year.
anonymous - 1 Aug 2005 12:22 |
Awesome pub! Very good everything! Beer garden, food, staff, a wide range of drinks and great atmosphere! One to try for sure!
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Without doubt the worst staff I have ever come across in all my years of drinking, anywhere in the World.
You can literally be the only person at the bar and not get the attention of the surly post-teenager purporting to be "serving" for five minutes.
It's almost as if they're doing it for a bet!
Sack the staff, sack the management and realise the huge potential of this venue.
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Lovely pub, nice beer, nice garden, lovely food, cute barman (long haired indie looking one). Especially good during the day...
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looks lovely since the refurbishment, very nicely done. some interesting beers on tap and in bottles, although one of the ales tasted a bit off. staff weren't very quick or familiar with the drinks.
we tried all of the snack dishes on the menu, and the food was expensive and not very good. assume that applies to the rest of the menu (e.g. list of 5 or so Sausages and Mash variations with very fancy sausages, but "served with Bisto gravy"...?)
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This has become really characterless since the refurbishment. The barbecue is completely pointless, given that, by the time you receive your overpriced "food", you're no longer hungry as both it and the bar are staffed by utter incompetents.
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Oh dear, to the power of 6. This pub has got progressively worse over the years, in fact I think it has gone down incrementally equally each time which is satisfying mathematically. I remember 7-8 years ago meeting Morrissey here and my Dutch mate being highly impressed and saying he would buy him a drink. I said get Morrissey to get you one instead, a much better story and Morrissey didn't oblige but at least provided a good tale by telling him to f off. Those were the good old days, I went there on a Friday in March, full of office wallies and the most ridiculous staff. 4 admittedly attractive young ladies but who were more concerned with their image than serving people, I caught 3 of them checking their reflection within an hour. Shocking. They sell ok ales and have a great beer garden, should be one of the best pubs in the area but lets itself down terribly.
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Definitely the best incarnation of this place since it was given a horrible All Bar One style makeover a few years ago. Still not sure if it's trying to be a pub or a restaurant but always has decent beer and like the other comments say, where else in Camden will you find a beer garden like this.
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This is my nearest pub and when the trees are fully green and the sun is hot, it's hard to beat. Or rather the beer garden is. But WHY, when it is hot and sunny and the garden's full, do they phone up 'dial-a-moronic-slow-barman'? Be prepared! Buy more glasses! Have the ingredients for jugs of Pimm's ready-prepared! Allocate one member of staff to collect glasses and another to wash them! Allocate members of staff to their own section of the bar so everyone gets served fairly and in order. Simple ideas - fast service - increased profits. DO IT. Anyway...........
Inside is OK. Confusing, vomit-inducing decor however, including a rubbish painting of a the Flying Scotsman going past Edinburgh Castle.
Anyone know why it's spelt 'Edinboro'?
jossv - 31 Mar 2005 12:07 |
I agree that the refurb has been done well (and the food looks good, though I have not tried it), but was it really necessary to get rid of the pool table like every other pub that gets refurbished in Camden?
anonymous - 28 Feb 2005 11:01 |
Great pub on a Sunday for watching sport on TV, reading the paper and getting a great lunch. The design changes over the last year have been interesting but not so bad that you can't enjoy yourself here. I would much rather sit here now than before with the pool tables, just a better group of punters now. The food is outstanding and the beer selection above the norm. Although already mentioned the BBQ outside in the summer can't be missed. The sights and smells make for a great place. Keep up the good work.
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Pretty decent place to go for a few pints, especially in early evening in the summer time. But lacks any genuine pub atmosphere. Fair, but not top-notch, selection of brews. Decent quality, though. Wouldn't go to randomly chat to strangers, but good if you're with a crowd of mates.
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Yes, I'll back up what Jason says below. Excellent beer garden, so good for summer, but pointless in the winter when you have to sit in the over-designed interior.
The pool tables are now gone. Always a big no-no in my book.
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Used to very nice, but now full of twats in Von Dutch clothing as soon at the sun comes out.
Food is good, and excellent range of continental beers. BBQ though pricey is hard to resist.
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great bar and lovely beer garden. used to spend many lovely evenings there. halcyon memories..
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i used to work there. staff is just great. but it is very hard to serve 100 people comin at once from the park
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Fantastic bar with the best beer garden in london. Great food and atmosphere with some of the best funky house djs playing there on a sunday. I always have a wicked time there!!
rich - 24 May 2004 15:59 |
it's a very popular pub that has recently been refurbished. has a lovely large beer garden with outdoor heaters and a bbq and is perfect for spending a spring afternoon/evening with a load of mates. good wines and beer and very friendly staff. a bit of a retreat from the madness of the central camden town pubs
alisdair - 28 Apr 2004 10:34 |
Nice summer pub with large front beer garden. Great if you want to get away from the camden throng.
Isn't too bad inside but really is one for open air drinking. Staff have always been nice when i've been there but haven't tried the food yet.
Steve - 12 Mar 2004 10:20 |
2 pool tables, big place, food's ok. Staff seem to be better now. Prices are quite steep though. Go back in summer for the beer garden though.
Brendan - 15 Feb 2004 15:12 |
To Joe, 6 Jul 2003,, the pub is named after a train that used to run on the tracks below,, not an americanism of Edinborough.
Used to work there (98), loved the place and would go back if i were that way again. Great beer garden and locals are fantastic, never had one problem the whole time i was there. Sounds like service has slipped,,but you can't have it all.
Simon - 31 Oct 2003 05:11 |
My first visit to this pub was on Saturday after a long sports day in near by Regents Park. 12 of us showed up at 3PM and proceeded to get pissed until the manager - large bird with nice bubbies - threatened to kick us out if we didn't quiet down. We still had fun and I still don't know how I got home. Ugh. Service was OK, the loos were fine but some of the patrons kept wanting to bash us because we were noisy. I'll be back next summer.
Staffie - 22 Sep 2003 13:16 |
I wish they wouldn't spell 'Edinborough' the American way. Other than that quite quiet, fair-to-middling.
Joe - 6 Jul 2003 18:54 |
On a summer's day, it's lovely to be able to sit out in the sun, and it's a nice enough place. The service isn't top-notch, but, to be fair, it can get fairly busy. Prices aren't at all that bad, and the food seems pleasant enough - decent burger and chips at least.
There's probably better pubs in Camden, but, on the other hand, at how many of them can you enjoy the summer sun as much as you can here?
Nick - 6 Jun 2003 23:00 |
WONDERFUL POTENTIAL, but the worst service I've come across in years. Once we were finally served by the 'braindead' staff - seriously NOTHING going on between the ears - we moved out into the large, sundrenched beergarden and waited for our meals. When they did arrive, we then had to wait 25 minutes for the accompanying cutlery with which to eat it. Stone cold bangers and mash isn't the best !!! Even more annoying as other diners were being served (with cutlery) and repeated requests for same were met with the same gormless look and excuse that they'd run out. DON'T GO IF YOU'RE IN ANY SORT OF RUSH.
evan - 16 Apr 2003 17:19 |
