19:20, Clerkenwell

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user reviews of 19:20, Clerkenwell

please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.

I am very impressed with the service in 19-20. We had a launch party for a charity event and the staff were helpful and all the beers were on, so I would recommend 19-20 for private parties.
JoForsyth - 2 Apr 2008 11:39
Went to 19-20 bar tonight and was genuinely impressed by the quality of cocktails and the knowledge of the bartenders.Played 3 games of pool on real American pool tables...Great stuff..Monday night and the bar was busy.. The 2 other bars on the street were dead..They must be doing something right!!

maddie23 - 23 Oct 2007 00:25
The other reviewers have hit the nail on the head - it is pretty amazing how a bar run so pitifully badly can keep staggering on!

Last night, at a mates leaving do, we went to the bar 5 times and returned with alternative drinks as each time there was something unavailable. This just highlighted how poorly the bar was run....
1) No Kronenbourg Blanc
2) No cream, so all the cocktails with cream were unavailable
3) No melon liquer - so from their list of 3 cocktail 'special offers' only two were available
4) No mint leaves, so no Mojitos
5) The house red special was not the one they were advertising in the wine list

Moving onto the staff - 'bored disinterest' and joke amongst themselves they were much more animated. At one point after they had taken my order they decided to do shots together, leaving us waiting and watching. Not once did any of them say please or thank you when asking for money or returning change.

There are so many places nearby which are better run and better stocked - go there and avoid this dump.
nitrox11 - 11 Aug 2007 10:15
Bizarre layout, strange decor, hideous bar service, expensive drinks, rude staff and tatty toilets. Fits in well with the local area for those alone. Avoid.
DarJoLe - 3 Jul 2007 16:17
We booked the lower floor of 19:20 for a private function, but apparently no-one told the bar staff. They were rude, incompetent and inattentive throughout.

There were a paltry four beers on tap, one of which remained unavailable all night - on a Friday, even. Bar staff on the upper level refused outright to serve punters from the function despite the contrast between the heaving mass of people waiting to be served below and the empty upper deck.

19-20 could have some promise as a bar or function space but is sorely compromised by the dismal layout - the one link between the upper and lower floors is a cramped spiral staircase that is doubly compromised by emerging on the top floor at the main entranceway and descending outside the entrance to the toilets.

In peak times this makes for a pitifully cramped and uncomfortable environment. However, in contrast to the other two establishments on Great Sutton St, the upper floor was conspicuously deserted throughout the evening. Consider heading there for an expensive and indifferently-served drink. Do not under any circumstances consider hiring it out. Dismal.
raincoat - 30 Jun 2007 17:46
No problem with the pub itself (although the men's toilets were quite small) but the bar staff were ignorant and rude. Friends were short-changed. Service was slow, abrupt and impolite. Staff seemed to have trouble understanding basic English when serving although their homophobic remarks were more comprehensive.
anonymous - 30 Jun 2007 14:50
Inexcusably bad bar staff. Horrid and disorganised, they got worse as the night wore on. I had to explain how to dispense TAP WATER - the concept seemed completely lost on her. I am sadly not kidding.
mail2pete - 30 Jun 2007 11:21
shockingly rude bar staff. I've rarely seen such a workshy bunch of aggressive whingers. first and last time I'll visit this pub.
supernova - 30 Jun 2007 03:37
What an awful bar. Crap layout promotes heavy bottle-necking downstairs, rude/ignorant bar-staff who either can't understand English, or won't serve you if you look like you've been mainly on a different floor from where the bar is.

I'd never go back.
andylizard - 30 Jun 2007 01:59
Basically - a loser's bar. Its horrible to look at and attracts awful people.
anonymous - 4 Jan 2006 16:22
good bar, good atmosphere, excellent pool tables which never seem to get too busy...

Surely its call 19:20 because of its address though...
anonxxxx - 7 Sep 2005 11:31
If you ever wonder why this bar has such a buzz about it, it’s either because it’s been designed along Feng shui principles or because it was once a watchmaker’s studio. Bright and functional, it’s sort of Richard Rogers with a twist of orange - which may explain why there are quite so many media types here. Oh, and in case you’re wondering it’s called 19:20 because… it’s bad luck to use ‘1’ and ‘2’ without using ‘3’ in any selection of numbers, so we have a ":" Not a members bar but still for followers of fashion - this is Clerkenwell after all.
Kaden - 6 Aug 2004 13:20

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