please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
A proper pub in the north of the City, near the Smithfield market. Good ale, friendly staff, pleasant furnishing, quiet but not too quiet. Just right.
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A totally no nonsense traditional London pub, in a quiet back street near to Charterhouse Square. The barman on one visit was recognised from behind the bar at a late, lamented New Fetter Lane pub, the White Hart, now a Pizza Express. The Hand and Shears is a friendly local with a simple interior and a good range of beers.
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First visit for a long while - I have to admit I was a bit apprehensive about how my pint of 6X might be but it was actually quite good. Might well be worth another look soon - if they can continue to keep a decent pint of ale I'll be back
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Wonderful !!! A proper pub.
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Went there for Friday lunch last week. Very impressed. Good selection of beers. I had a very nice pint of 6X to wash down a very tasty Fish Pie.
I'll be going back.
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Fab time following a Smithfields breakfast. Smashing place, go there early (say before 11am) and lovely and empty. And unmodernised. Great.
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Had a few pints here a couple of weeks ago. Was playing a gig across the road in a horrid wine bar type place, and this was blessed relief. Good Adnams, shame that the other handpumps were Courage Best / Directors (had a directors when the Adnams went off - very bland).
Pub itself is cosy and inviting. Bar staff friendly.
Only drawback... it closed at about 10pm on a Friday night, which is a shame.
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I think the previous comment about "pushchair pushing yuppies" is a little unfair to say the least. For a start, the poster has tripped themselves up by saying that they haven't been there for some time - so how can they know what it is like now? Also, there is a recurring theme amongst other previous postings that the place could be a lot better. I'm certainly awaiting better news of the place before I go back.
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I was very disapointed to read the bad revues on this pub.I haven't been there for some time and due to moving further away from London I do not know when I shall get back there. I went to this pub every so often a few years back as I had got to know Arthur who runs the place.Granted he's a bit of a charactor but I always enjoyed his company and beer. I have also had a meal there with friends and it was fine.The location is great and the style is as a pub should be.No noisy kids running about and totally without pretention. Maybe the previous comments made about this pub were made by pushchair pushing yuppies.
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Very bland place, promises so much more when you see the outside.
2 Courage Beers on tap (my Directors was OK), but very little else of note. The inside could do with a clean-out.
Considering the heritage factor and location, the owners are missing out big time here. I'm not going back here in it's current state, but would love to have a reason to do so in the future.
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Hmm. I've walked past this place dozens of times, each time thinking that there's a great time to be had behind that frosted glass. Don't think I'll bother.
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On Monday night a group of us had a spontaneous & borderline obsessive-compulsive urge to play darts, so crawled from Fleet Street to Kings Cross looking for a board. The Rising Sun had people playing on their board (I was surprised to find customers, let alone customers using the board!), so we wandered up here thinking it looked the kind of place that might have one.
Anyway, it was awful. This place is a sh*thole, and I'm shocked by some of the descriptions of this place. I love an old-style pub as much as the next person, but an old and cared for pub, not one looking like the brewery has forgotten it has on the books.
The wood panelling is in terrible shape. The walls are adorned with topical cartoons from the 1800s that probably weren't very funny/clever at the time, and certainly have lost all relevance now. Like a pub in the year 2130 (presuming they haven't all become All Bar Ones at that point) with cartoons of John Prescott dressed up like a cowboy, or William Hague wearing a baseball hat on the wall.
All framed items that are above arms height are also caked in brown film. Please - even if it's just once a year, get up on a ladder and do some cleaning.
Also encounted the staff surliness previously mentioned (though not directly). The customer before me ordered 3 Stellas and 1 Fosters, and asked "Which is the Fosters". The barman snarled "the one in the glass with Fosters marked on it". Oh very witty...if the Foster's logo wasn't facing the barman, and not visible by the customer.
This place was so awful the dartboard crawl nearly dissovled in mutiny. Drinks were quickly consumed, and so we continued our nearly fruitless search.
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There's a fairly unanimous verdict here, isn't there? Great premises and great location on one hand, indifferent management and poor beer selection on the other.
So the solution is simple (provided its a free house, which I believe it is) - get in a more interesting ale, and start smiling at your customers. You will then attract more customers without any capital outlay whatsoever.
Easy, you'd think. I live near here and wouldn't dream of going in a for a pint at the moment - I'd choose the Rising Sun over this, and I'm not a massive fan of that place either to be honest.
Landlord - sort it out and you could have a goldmine there.
stonch.blogspot.com
anonymous - 10 Jan 2007 16:39 |
I was so disappointed with this pub. It's in the heritage guide and looks great. The beer is well kept but the barstaff are miserable and you feel unwelcome. We had to ask the landlord to top up our beer as he gave us very short measure. After tutting and sarcastically asking 'is there enough in there now' after topping us up, he discussed it with one of his barstaff, thinking we were out of hearing range. She obviously asked where we were and as they craned round the bar screen to find us we sat staring at them feeling like criminals. I gave a cheery wave, much to their discomfort, and we made a discreet exit. Don't think we'll be going back anytime soon.
chick - 10 Jan 2007 15:19 |
Other comments have certainly hit the nail on the head regarding this place - it certainly doesn't fulfil it's potential at all. On my last visit I had the Adnam's which was average at best. Woman behind the bar could've cracked a smile as well. With a better range of well-kept beers this could be an excellent pub.
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I agree with someone else who said this place *should* be great but disappoints rather. The layout, whilst nicely unspoilt, is not very conducive to a good atmosphere. It's rather smokey and the selection of beers is not great - Courage Best and Directors, and Adnams, which is ten a penny nowadays. Could do better.
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Nice traditional backstreet pub, but a lack of decent beer lets this place down. The blackboard outside still advertises Theakstons, but neither that nor Adnams was on early yesterday evening
Therefore I had to suffer a pint of Courage Best, not my favourite beer by a long chalk
Disappointing overall
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Lovely backstreet pub with original wood panelled interior and mixed clientele. Very small so can be crowded on Thursday and Friday nights esp during the winter when its not possible to stand outside. Probably not suitable for large groups at any time of year. However for a cosy pub with well kept beer this one is hard to beat.
anonymous - 9 Jul 2006 15:29 |
Thanks John I will. They used to do Theakston XB until recently - indeed the blackboards outside still claim they do.
anonymous - 5 Apr 2006 11:17 |
Stonch, they had Adnams on as a guest beer last night, which is preferable to Courage Best and Directors in my book. Give it another go, sometime
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Friendly staff on my visit. Great place. yippee doo
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No decent ales at present - just Courage. Despite being a pub which SHOULD be amazing this makes it hopeless in my book.
anonymous - 12 Feb 2006 12:19 |
A really nice, unreconstructed pub interior, and well-hidden enough not to be on people's pub crawls and guidebook radar. Well-maintained if unexciting beer selection.
This place ought to get an 8 for its feel, but drops a couple of points for being so much a local's place (on the night I was there, anyway) that stopping in for a beer on one's own doesn't feel like a welcome thing. Gets one point back, though, for a friendly barman who actually greets newcomers as they come in the door.
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Worth a visit if in the area, bags of character but a bit uncomfortable so I wouldn't stay for more than one.
anonymous - 3 Jan 2006 15:37 |
Nice place. with working fireplaces!! The Great undecorated! No frills.
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Excellent beers but get's a bit crowded
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Great interior, refreshing change from chrome finished wank bars. Nice little spot off the beaten track.
Jack Knight - 24 Aug 2004 12:16 |
Cosy. Tucked away in a quiet backstreet so plenty of scope to spill outside. Still quite original in decor, slightly cramped and snug in cold weather. Decent beer though small selection. Full of lawyers.
Matt - 5 Aug 2003 06:06 |
This is a really delightful pub, carefully tucked away near Barbican tube station. The clienele is mainly lawyers from the three large law firms that reside on Aldersgate Street. In the winter it is snug (although it can be crammed full in the early evening on Thursday's and Fridays) but it really comes alive in the summer when people generally stand outside and take in the sun. A truly magical place.
Kuljit - 30 May 2003 15:55 |
