please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
I had the misfortune of going to this place last night (a Monday night). we had rung in advance to see if we could get a table for 5 and were told that it was fine as they were not busy. we got there(2 of us) at 7.15 to be greeted by a surly guard of a woman who asked us since the others had not arrived to go to the bar. we peered into the restaurant and noticed that it was crowded out by at least on couple and all the other tables were empty. Two bored staff were chatting away to one side. It took several attempts to get passed this pubescent but finally she agreed that they were not busy and we could sit down and wait for our friends. We brushed passed the tumbleweed into our cramped booth. Within a blink of an eye she was there asking us what drinks we would like, we asked her to give us a minute and well trained as she was: dead on 60 seconds she was back. Our friends arrived, we choose our drinks and meal and started to relax. The wine was ceremoniously plonked onto the table and an order for coke took a good half an hour. Throughout our time here we were regarded as an imposition and irritation by the staff. If surly became an Olympic event than these staff would be in with a big shout for gold in 2012. The food was okay and I think the kitchen did a good job but the front staff were obsessed with their attitude problems. Obviously this place is perfectly placed amongst the kebab shops, the pound shops and the homeless of archway and that is why the staff are so snooty. Are they trying to make something here? The locality is fine without this pretentious restaurant/pub. ... At the end of our meal we were presented with a bill. The service charge was included on the bill. We refused to include this when we paid. The staff member was bemused by this and the discretionary part of the bill had to be pointed out to him (you see, the female guard has already decided she was bored with us). This apparently had never happened before..hmm. The service charge is for service not for us to be made to feel uncomfortable and resentful. This place is terrible and I urge everyone to ignore this pseudo gastro pub restaurant until the management understands that it will run out of customers very soon if it does not improve. Maybe they can't be bothered, it certainly seems that way.
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Good looking pub with wonderful dining room - spoiled by truly awful, surly service and average food. This place used to be an excellent gastro-pub but has gone completely down hill. We were pretty much ignored by our waitress. The last time I had to raise my arm to attract someone’s attention was 24 years ago when I was at school. We felt like we was interrupting her every time we asked for something. Our avocado salad was dressed with olive oil – no vinegar. When I asked for some balsamic I was told that they had run out of it, but the waitress would speak to the kitchen to see what they could do. That was nice of her! When it came to paying I removed some of the discretionary service charge and left. We were chased down the road by the waitress. The waitress didn’t understand the word discretionary and thought we’d under-paid. I explained that I wasn’t paying for the surly service and I would have told her that in the pub if I could have attracted her attention. This place is ok for a drink, but eat there at your own peril!
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What have they done to this place?!
I use to love coming to gigs here years ago.
I've lost count of the bands i have seen here
Now its a gastro type effort
What is it when "middle class ex students" move to an area they forget what attracted them there in the first place and convert the pubs to one of the bland efforts they left behind?!
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Really disappointing meal. I went for sunday lunch with 3 friends; my roast was overpriced and undercooked. Going by other reviews it looks like standards here have slipped over time; the service was really poor, our waiter seemed so aloof we thought he'd forgotten us. But the worst bit came last, when we were told to leave our table and move into the bar area (where there was hardly any room) even though there was nobody waiting for our table - infact there were 12 empty tables in the restaurant! I regret giving this place the benefit of the doubt and definitely advise you eat elsewhere.
kate_ - 29 Oct 2007 21:50 |
Don't know about the food, but why are the bar staff all so miserable?
Potentially the best boozer around. Chose this place after I failed to get served at the Palmerston around the corner.
At least I got served, but a smile & a thank you wouldn't hurt too much.
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Heard alot of good things about this pub. Unfortunately it wasn't just the atmosphere that lacked warmth. Service was lukewarm, verging on reluctant, as was the food. Our decision not to pay the 'discretionary' 12% service charge was the subject of much debate amongst the staff without any concern for our experience or an apology. At these prices, if food is what you're after, spend your money somewhere else.
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use to go to this place all the time, alas i think the chef has lost both the plot and his taste buds. the food was the worst i have tasted and so was the atmosphere - who could come up with dishes like rabbit and squid - yes together
what about duck with black pudding
please bring back the old standards as i loved this place
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Eaten on both a Saturday afternoon and a Friday night and never had to deal with booking issues and the like; just turned up and had a 10 minute wait in the bar with a beer. All very nice. Staff friendly as is normally the way when you are in the first place. Menu is always different, fresh, interesting, simple and good value. The restaurant can seem like a full-on dining room experience but it has lots of character - I agree that a big weakness of this place is everyone always seems to chain smoke the moment they arrive, but that's soon to change anyway.
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Booking is in sessions and an early table is only until 9, although we didn't get out until half past because the service was so slow. Our first waitress was fine and the starter arrived quickly but the mackerel was tasteless. The main was battered smoked haddock which just didn't work with tartare sauce.... and green peppers in mushy peas? Pudding and rib-eye steak were fine. The service got slower and slower, 25 minutes for pudding and about the same again for the bill. The table next door were chain smokers which made things worse. A discretionary 12.5% service was added which we did not pay. St John's may have been the first Gastropub in this area but The Junction Tavern, Devonshire Arms and The Palmerston are all much better and within walking distance.
anonymous - 1 May 2007 12:01 |
Excellent food but I agree it lacks warmth. Worth going for a meal rather than justa drink.
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Interesting one this. One of the early Gastro Pubs - but doesn't exactly exude warmth - it doesn't hook you - it never feels like a proper local. That said I can't fault the food - its top notch - right across the board. So if you don't mind missing out on that cosy feeling I can completely recommend it. Outside really needs a lick of paint now too - looking very shabby these days.
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The Wadworth 6X tasting notes on the brewery website describe a "delightful copper-coloured beer" with a "malty, fruity nose"
At no point does it mention that "6X is supposed to smell like old socks.", which is apparently what the bar staff in this pub have been told.
If someone tells you that their beer is off, at least have the decency to smell or taste it yourself. Half-wits...
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I used to be a fan of this place but was very disappointed with the attitude of the staff yesterday evening, possibly this is the disdainful approach other reviewers have noted. The 6X was clearly off, but the bar staff rather sniffily declined to replace it. There are other gastropubs in the area which make more of an effort - try the Junction Tavern or the Lord Palmerston
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A very pleasant pub in an area not famed for them. Sat at the bar, along with various people reading newspapers, and chatted to the friendly bar staff. The pub has a good range of ales on tap, including some lesser known ones. Excellent pub.
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Quiet and relaxed, with newspapers to read and a nice choice of beers, including something brewed by the Grand Union brewery somehwere in West London - not something I'd had before but was good.
Staff seemed friendly on our visit. After spilling the remaining inch of my friend's ale on someone else, the barmaid replaced it with a glass of Leffe. I'd be pretty chuffed if I lived in Archway to have this as a local.
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Restuarant is great - the dining room is wonderful; the front bar is standard gastro-pub, and really nothing special.
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Ok this pub doesn't have a great deal of competition in Holloway/Archway if trendyish bars are your thing but it ain't too bad.
Always a goodish atmsophere and food is popular. I saw Venessa Feltz with her personal trainer boyfriend having row in the restaurant bit which kind of made my evening complete
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This is the only place in Archway serving a decent price of bitter (3 types changing regularly), but its not cheap and asking for a top up was met with disdain bordering on contempt.
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Probably the worst service I've ever received. Having booked our table for 10 for our Christmas meal for 3.30pm on Saturday we were tersely told on arrival that our order had to be submitted before 4 as the kitchen was closing. This wasn't mentioned when booking. Some of our party were a bit late due to public transport and were rushed to choose starters and mains, many of which had run out. We'd hardly pulled the crackers we'd brought before they were rudely cleared from the table, they took away our wine glasses while some were still eating/drinking and to top it all after only an hour and a half we were asked to leave the dining room and move into the bar so they could set up for the evening. There was no eye contact from the staff, they just stared at the table to see what else they could clear away. It was a real shame because the food was really good but there are much better places to spend my hard earned cash and I urge others to do likewise.
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I had the best meal I think I've ever had in this pub last night. Wine was great too. Highly recommended.
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The pub at the front is OK but nothing special. However, the dining room at the back is one of my favourite places to eat in London. Great food and the staff seem a lot friendlier than the bar staff. It can get very busy and a bit noisy, but I've never had a bad meal or a bad night here. It's best to go in winter when you can really appreciate how cosy it is.
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i love it in here, a really good wine selection, and the food is great, and they let us take in our own trivial pursuit
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this pub is quite good but drinks r expensive
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Nicest (i.e. least scary) pub around the area, but a bit overpriced with a scattering of poseurs... great food though (and the service was fine when I went, they even chatted up my girlfriend).
anonymous - 3 Mar 2005 17:00 |
On the last two occasions I've eaten here the food has been a bit bland which is a shame as i've had good meals there before. The service has never been a problem in my experience, can get noisy in the front bar at weekends because the designers decided bare walls looks good, but makes all the sound richochet around the room leaving you feeling like your in a noisy club with no music playing! Best boozer in Archway though
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The food may be of a good standard but the rest of the pub is rubbish, overpriced, not v. pleasant bar staff, full of Blairights and wanabees.
gerry - 8 Nov 2004 13:48 |
Fantastic Food - if you can get a table (book in advance). Overall great up market pub with an excellent kitchen, though some of the staff are rude.
Booze Lover - 5 Nov 2004 15:34 |
Great bar, great looking restaurant. The food and ambience was excellent, but the night was ruined by the service. We were served by the rudest waiter. Possible one of the worst nights out in London we've had.
simon french - 14 Jun 2004 13:18 |
Best pub in Archway by a mile!
anonymous - 10 Jun 2004 11:26 |
Great food,nice dining room and there's a small garden used in the summer.Overall v good.
Claire - 2 Apr 2004 15:55 |
Although I live in Manchester I do pop into St Johns at least once a month and must agree with the last comment (billy) Also has an excellent restaurant through the back. Great atmosphere, Mid-priced and Highly recommended!
mark - 29 Jan 2004 18:18 |
definatly the best pub in the archway area and one of the best pints of guinness around
Billy - 29 Jan 2004 17:58 |
I'd give it 8 out of 10 for the food and the staff, both of which are great. I've only been there about three times, but the menu is very impressive. not so keen on the clientel (I'm a bit of a snob when it comes to the posh media/art student types that seem to hang out there!). to my mind its not really a pub though- more of a really nice place to eat before settling into the Drum and Monkey across the road for the rest of the evening.
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Good beer & wines with great food & friendly staff.
Tom - 13 Jan 2004 10:27 |
This is one of the best pubs in London - supurb food, excellent service and great atmosphere.
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great food - can't keep beer very well though. the ales tend to always be on the turn.
william - 13 Aug 2003 16:09 |
I just had an excellent half-pint of Deuchars IPA this afternoon. This is easily the best pub in the Archway area. It's a spacious gastro pub with three ales on handpump, and an extensive wine selection. I have not yet tried the food but the menu looked very exciting. Soft latin style background music on minidisc during my visit, but large number of discs near the deck suggested a broad range of musical styles played. Definitely worth a visit!
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nice posh-ish pub serving Leffe beer amongst others. Great restaurant area.
stuart wilson - 26 Jun 2003 09:56 |
excellent food especially the steak!
anonymous - 15 Jun 2003 10:07 |
Fantastic pub. Comfortable sofas, great beer and a top menu for bar snacks as well as the restaurant. You can easily spend a whole afternoon/evening here.
Neil Roberts - 27 May 2003 14:40 |
Fantastic large pub with an unrivalled menu and restaurant section. Wide range of beers, spirits and people.
Matt - 14 Apr 2003 15:08 |
