please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Decent bar but the staff are extremely unfriendly. Especially to people who do not have London accents !
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I found this place to be a typical cavernous Wetherspoons that is great for meeting up with friends before going onto somewhere else. I wouldn’t bother staying longer than a couple of beers unless it was a nice day and I could get a table overlooking the lock.
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As with most Wetherspoons, it serves good drinks at good prices. The food isn't too bad either, certainly no worse than equivalent pubs in the area, including some of the more "gastro" ones on Parkway. Their curry club is quite good, and I say this coming from Bradford.
It's full of all sorts, old men, groups of lads, couples, so it's unsurprising that some people find it a little intimidating ("townies" ffs! Where do you live, rural Berkshire?). The place doesn't have the "atmosphere" that an established pub has, but as with most places it's the people that you're personally with that make or break it. Its a perfectly pleasant enough place for a few drinks on a night after work, or for a dessert to the excellent cocktails served at Bar 55's happy hour around the corner!
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Probably the worst Wetherspoons mixed grill i have ever had in my life(and that is saying something)why dont i learn.
That said, for a couple of drinks early evening,you could do worse than going in here.It certainly keeps the price of a night out in Camden Town down a bit(why is a north London manor priced like the west end?!)
Not a night out, but a good starting point, and i would imagine quite pleasant sitting by the Canal in the Summer.
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Why would anybody wish to go in here? Really, why?
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Popped into this place on New Year's Day and again a few days later. Reasonable ambience, at least during the afternoon during this holiday period when even Camden is almost deserted.
Basically a JDW with music. I was just about able to handle the Scissor Sisters at this time of day, but Joss Stone prompted me to explore further afield.
Disabled access and toilet.
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Weekend evenings they will frisk you so hard you feel you're an Arab trying to get on an El-Al. You are manifestly over 40 but ID will be required. Minimum twenty minute wait at the bar.
However in the week it can be a nice place for a cheap unfussed pint in Camden; always a selection of guest beers and not too badly served. Hardly ever even approaches capacity. Really nice outside bit by the canal.
Previous reviewer: "Jekyll and Hyde" - haha. Exactly.
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not a bad place to start the night...
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a jekyll and hyde of a pub. best time to go for a pint is before 1pm - good service, good selection of real ales for £1.99 (recommend Spitfire) , quite relaxed. At 1 weekdays you can't get near the bar once the office hordes descend for the (good value it must be said) food. At weekends the tourists arrive and they all want COFFEE (it's a pub for god's sake) which takes for ever to make. Expect a good ten minutes wait. Should have separate service for drinks only. Tim Martin take note!
anonymous - 30 Oct 2007 10:25 |
The guy's on the door ask you're age even though to a blind man he can tell how old you look. Not a great place to go, but is cheap.
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Met a friend here for a meal and drink one lunchtime. I really like this pub and it's in a great location by the canal. We sat outside by I did get pestered by a wino who wanted to borrow 38p to buy another can of Stella. The food was nice and I had a pint of the guest ale BOB (Gloucestershire Brewery) which at £1.99 was good value. The interior is funky and the toilets were clean as you'd expect from a Spoons pub.
Reading through some of the previous comments it doesn't look particularly nice but as I went during the daytime I did very much enjoy the visit and recommend stopping off there if you've just tramped round Camden Market...
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Visited the Ice Wharf today with friends & had no problem at all - even sitting outside.
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went in after eating in camden and was shocked at how bad the guys on the door were the pub was fairly empty and I think they must have been bored cos they were extremely abusive to two women who hadn't done anything except buy a drink and sit outside and be loud I will never go there again should have known better sfter all it is a weatherspoons oh by the way are your 'Door Supervisors' licensed
anonymous - 20 May 2007 12:19 |
Rubbish - having dodged the drug dealers on the walk to the pub you then face having to empty your pockets on the way in and getting frisked airport style.
Full of Camdens undesirables and a poor pint of lager meant we only stayed for one. On a plus point, toilets are very good. Wetherspoons do deserve recognition for the consistently high standard of facilities across the chain - have been my salvation on a number of occassions!
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The staff were great! I love this pub
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Where to start.
Getting searched and having to empty your pockets to even get into the place was not that reassuring. Beer is ok and pretty cheap, I will give them that. For risk of sounding like an old man, music was too loud, the staff were as un-helpful as could be possible. There are so many better pubs in the area, I would rather rip out my own toe nails, cover them in arsenic and eat them than go back.
anonymous - 5 Apr 2007 11:00 |
Big modern curved building alongside Camden Lock. A little dark - though the candles help create a relaxed atmosphere. Indeed, apart from a Buddhist monk begging for money, there was a genuinely calm, family friendly atmosphere among the very mixed clientèle. The place is just a little tatty - some holes in the seating, and a general feeling of being tired and in need of spruce up, but is really not bad. It has a feel of a seedy run down cinema foyer. The staff were all very friendly and polite. The service was very quick. Food, good value, and the beer was in good condition. A decent enough place, if lacking in charm and atmosphere.
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Rather a bad experience on my last visit - the Abbot (the only non-guest beer on then) had run out, and no cask beer was offered with a meal deal. There were guests, but I had to pay the full price (although only 10p more than Abbot)as it's not JDW policy to include these in the deal.
I'm finding it almost impossible to use JDW pubs now.
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Have to agree with some of the previous posts- staff we're awful. Boy running the show didn't seem interested, no queue management and the barmaid didn't even know the beer I was trying to order (which was off anyway!).
Food was alright though and fairly cheap.
Middle of the road but that's what you expect with a chain pub.
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Staff and rude and uninterested, they act like they've just had a rough night out and aren't in the mood for dealing with people. Place is big, bland and totally characterless and it's full of chavs drinking Magners. Awful pub.
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great in the summer, can drink outside by the lock and its a good atmosphere..
staff are shite though...slow service and they dont even smile....
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This is a great place to spend a few hours. The music is varied, the drinks are reasonably priced, with a great range, and the clientele are interesting, pleasant and cosmopolitan. The service is always excellent - it definitely makes a difference to be met by staff who smile and don't mind a bit of banter while the drinks are being poured. Slight turn for the worse recently, staff-wise, as a new under-manager seems to create a strong mal heaume with the other staff and the pub regulars too, i've noticed. Hopefully he'll be gone soon however.
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Superb location, reasonably tasteful and comfortable decor, great range of drinks but not as much cheaper than the competition than they once were. Barstaff are slooooooooow and then some. Nice for a quick drink on a hot day but strangely devoid of any atmosphere so not a place you'd chose to stay in for very long. All in all, one of those places that has the potential to go either way (beer selection, location and decor suggest it could become a great pub, service and atmosphere lead you to believe it could be a terrible pub) but ultimately it's just mediocre.
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horrible pikey pub that isn't even cheap. what's the point???
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No, it really isn't good. It is actually dreadful. And certainly not "posh" - in fact quite the reverse though I'd prefer not to say what that is.
anonymous - 27 Jun 2006 14:10 |
Agreed that this is a better llyods bar. Does greatly help with the scenic location. Staff are friendly and bouncers do a good job. Saw them chuck out a dvd flogger!
Was a bit rough after a few ales. Maybe the way they were kept or just one too many! Worth a few visits
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i think its extremely good for a posh wetherspoon. best one i've ever been to. people are always nice, and its lovely in the summer. clean, nice food, beer is well kept. and its right on the social bit of the canal so there's loads going on. its pretty good really.
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For those who are unaware, Lloyds bars are Wetherspoons, though slightly trendier and with music. I've only been in this one a few times, but aside from the overcrowding, it isn’t too bad and seems fairly clean in comparison to others.
HTM69 - 31 May 2006 20:07 |
Pretty uninspiring Wetherspoons fare.
Nice selection of beers, but don't be foolish enough to try any of the cask ales - it will be off or very poorly looked after.
Food is cheap, but terrible.
Nice enough surroundings and atmoshphere though. It could be worse.
anonymous - 27 May 2006 10:51 |
A bit bland full of pretentious models with no personality.... now im a model but i like a good conversation with someone
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I actually really like this Wetherspoons/Lloyds bar. It is more of a bar than a pub but as long as they continue to sell nice Hogaarden and Fruli at such low prices I'll keep coming back. Also one of the few pubs in Camden (Apart from the dev) where the person sitting next to you hasn't used their own trousers as a toilet!
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Ok to come for a couple of pints before a gig in Camden but it's one of the more soulless of Wetherspoon's pubs and that is saying something!
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This is one of the nicer bars in Camden - despite having a pretty awful reputation some years ago the new Management have been working hard to get rid of the rubbish and replace them with decent people.
Nothing like a normal Wetherspoon pub, this has a different menu, LIVE Jazz on Wednesday and DJ's playing Soul, Funk and House music and not a cheesy tune in site. My friends and I have started using this bar on a Saturday night before we go clubbling in Central London and the atmosphere is usually excellent. A chain bar with personality :0)
anonymous - 18 Sep 2005 00:44 |
For a weatherspoons, it's not too bad. Celerbrated my last two birthdays there. I can't remember much else about it............
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Aside from having all the personality and ambience of an airport departure lounge, this pub isn't too bad. A few real ales and lagers on tap, plenty of room, food's usually not awful and comes out fairly promptly, and there's usually enough staff on that you can get served fairly quickly.
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This pub is really nice to go to, it has got the 'townies' that peole call them but i dont see a reason why that should put people off. The food is excellent, it hasnt nothing to do with the fact my boyfriend is the kitchen manager there : ) I have been there with my family to have meals and they were all to specification and at a perfect temperature and the prices are very reasonable. I would recommend this pub to anyone who wants a decent drink or a tasty meal and a decent price!!
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Went in here recently, typical LLoyds set up, not bad price for a pint of Amstel. A mixture of clients, old and young, seated area outside by the canal which I am sure will be nice during the good weather, that is if they can get rid of the dead heads flogging drugs a round the place.
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Yet an other version of weatherspoons but called lloyds No1, cheap beer is all one can say about it.
gerry - 26 Oct 2004 16:03 |
if you like a good pint, quality food, a good atmosphere and any sort of sport on in a pub then this is most definatly NOT the place for you, but if you like an atmosphere you could cut with a knife and big groups of young ( and i mean YOUNG) towneys this is ythe place for ypou
Billy - 20 Sep 2004 18:23 |
A weatherspoons, so very cheap, but full of very young townies - maybe it's pretty lax about checking for ID, although the bouncers are pretty vigilent about everything else.
Not very nice basically. Go there if you like ales and/or laughing at lads with gelled fringes.
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its a reasonably priced bar. thats it.
why do they have a guy in the loos to put soap on your hands and give you a towel??? yuk!
also its so dark in the bar, even on a nice day outside.
danny - 25 Aug 2004 12:14 |
