please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Interesting building, and decent Fuller's beer. However, no real atmosphere and expensive. Overall verdict - quite OK as somewhere to stop for a quick pint.
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As the picture depicts - desrvedly famous for its glorious decor, a sister pub to Fleet Street's Olde Bank of England pub and probably even more glamorous. Even the suited clientele seemed inoffensive and the place is lacking the braying city boys who tend to plague the Square Mile.
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Visited on a crawl last week. Beer excellent as always but does lack personality.
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Paid a recent visit and although it still lacks atmosphere it does have one thing going for it, the beer quality is excellent.
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It's my work's local, and all to familiar. Sensibily priced for the area, and with a decent selection of drinks and pub food. Friendly staff, and lots of little areas to hide away in, if you need some quiet space to hold a "pub meeting".
A little for an evening venue perhaps, but still pretty impressive.
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Great pub in fantastic surroundings. Serve decent range of beer, including my favourite and quite hard to come by Leffe Blonde. Food is a little more expensive than your average pub food, but then the food is nowhere near average, it is to die for! I thoroughly recommend the liver and bacon - it even comes with mash made from real potatoes, not Smash!! On the downside it can get pretty busy, but service has always been pretty good.
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Went in on a Friday evening about 2 weeks ago. Decor was nice, a Fuller's pub so Beer is always good, but the bar staff are LAZY. It took me 10 minutes to get a beer and there were 4 bar persons in the serving area, however they were more intrested in talking to each other then serving the punters standing at the bar. I did speak to the manager about the shabby service and all he said was that it had been a busy day, that's no excuse !!!. Will look for another bar in the area next time
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I have to agree this place is a fantastic building through and through and hosts a pretty decent boozer.
I've always been when its busy so service is about catering for the onslaught of demand. It seems to work and I have no negative comments here. Staff are friendly and there is a decent array of Fullers. I'm no Fullers man sadly so not for me. Yep it's not cheap at £3 a pint but look where it is.
I'd go again and probably will.
Mcloj - 24 Aug 2007 14:15 |
Fantastic building hosting an excellent pub. Service is first class even on busy days, staff are friendly (especially given the odd fat bawdy lawyer type you occassionaly get in there) and I've never had a bad pint of Pride in there (and I've sure drunk a few!). Yep it's not cheap at £3 a pint but it's still cheaper and more atmosphereic than the sterile All Bar Ones and the like in the vicinity.
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Went here last night and was really impressed. Busy but good atmosphere mainly due to the size and layout - real character. Service was spot on. Sat in the gallery upstairs overlooking the main "hall". Food was a bit pricey but good. A City pub that hasn't been ruined by new management and obscene refurbs.
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Fantastic pub. Full Fullers range was available for consumption. Chiswick was in good condition and reasonably priced. Quick service at the bar and with a smile as well. Food looked very expensive but have been assured it is very tasty. Cracking atmosphere in this pub, worth going out of your way for.
Sharp - 31 Mar 2007 01:31 |
I like this place - the "banking elite" seem to congregate here, for once you've waded through the swathes of pin-striped paunchers, you're sure to be met with a billowing haze of cigar smoke. Decent lager, can't speak for the ales as it's not my drink. Definately a favourite for xmas party-goers - pretty good bangers 'n mash at lunch.
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Always a good pint in here, a bit lively but fantastic decor and a good range of fullers beers makes up for it. Service is normally very good and reasonable food.
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Great pub offering a good selection of beer and an interior you would normally associate with an art gallery rather than a pub.
We went along on a Thursday night and there was a good size crowd but still plenty of tables available. Patronage was very male dominated which ensured even the Bradshaws of this world headed home alone.
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I'm normally against large drinking barns but this room is so impressive that it is worth going to. Like most large pubs though it gets bloody noisy.
Worth noting that the function rooms at the back are very useful - a couple of years ago I went to a mateds birthday do in one of them and we were able to sneak in a "rough as a badger's arse" stripper that took me right back to the 80s
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Revisited the Counting house last week. Been here a few times now. As zakman says, not the best pint of Pride around but usually good all the same and the service was fast and efficient.
There are several function rooms at the back and were in full use tonight. These can be a source of entertainment if you have enough front to try and blag your way in to one to lift a bit of buffet. But best tried in the run up to christmas when the occupants are usually too p**sed to know if you are with them or not.
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The building and interior are impressive. It is worth stopping in for this at least. (If you have not been to the similar Old Bank of England on Fleet Street, it is in the same vein). It is excellent to see the old city buildings reised like this, for which unless you worked there, would never get to see.
On the ground floor is a big island bar, which does help to spread people out, meaning we did not need to queue too long. Main selection of fullers ales on (as you would expect).
There is then a gallery on the left, which is good to escape from the crowds (assuming this is not booked out). Similarly another floor above for functions.
Beer quality was 'ok'. Not quite the fresh-ist pint of Pride around locally, but in the fine to drink, but not wishing as much as in some other places. Slight let down compared to the rest. (will update rating if this changes over coming months)
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Good location, interior has the wow factor. Well worth a visit if you have never been.
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Nice pub, but I don't understand why people crowd the passageway to the toilets when there is plenty of standing room in the massive bar!
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Much like the Old Bank of England, it's very plush inside. Positively gleaming and quite stylish. Fullers beers, which are nice. Smack bang in the city so expect it to be busy after work. I don't know if it's open at weekends?
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I stopped by at lunchtime during the New Year holiday when London was deserted, especially the City, so my impression may not be typical. But there is an impressive range of Fullers beers - ie pretty much all of them. The decor is also superb, as you can see from the photo. I didn't try the food, but the menu looked good - good enough for me to want to return to try it. In fact, it looked a spectacular place and well worth a visit. Not sure what it is like when filled with beery bankers, though.
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Wow, walked in here and that was the first thing I said. A stunning building with friendly staff and well kept beer. Will definitely return.
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Always the place I end up going with my banker/insurance-type mates. Don't go if you don't like City boys cos that's pretty much the extent of the clientele. Used to be fantastic service a couple of years back but it's slipped a bit. Still pretty good though.
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Nice after work city pub, though haven't been for about 18 months, hope it is still good.
A few nice evenings there and quality toilets. London Pride is a good purchase.
Go the Counting House.
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Comments from sports fans about time taken to get a drink are accurate in my limited experience of this place. However, if you love pubs with the full range of Fullers' beers and you love beautiful conversions of ornate interiors, look no further my friend.
Lots of those city types with fat bottoms in pinstripe.
Perhaps a place to visit at a quiet time on a weekday. Closed on a weekend I'd imagine.
anonymous - 7 Apr 2006 15:39 |
My Bank is now a trendy wine bar.... Well a boozer anyway. Totally agree with comments about having to wait an age to get served. Members of staff come across as either gormless or just darn right ignorant. If you get served in the evening within 5 mins, give yourself a pat on the back as you've done bloody well !
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It's a case of find the ladies...
Nice building, but can get rammed some evenings making it something of a test to get served before closing time. However, there are lots of nooks and crannies to retire to - if you can find a seat - and it does have a garden of sorts out back.
Ok, but never somewhere that I would choose to go back to time and again.
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yeah fair enough it looks alright but its a bit like drinking in a draughty barn......oh what an atmosphere, i love a.....
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Magnificent building, but *good christ* you'd better be patient if you want a beer. I was there last Friday lunchtime and it took me over 10 minutes to get served.
The barmen are utterly incompetent... the sort of people who know damn well you've been waiting ages for a drink, but if a pretty girl saunters up to the bar then they'll serve them immediately. There was a near riot when this happened on Friday. It doesn't help that there's a supervisor-type constantly walking backwards and forwards aimlessly as customers are getting increasingly impatient.
8/10 for the venue, but 1/10 for service. They desperately need to re-train the existing barmen and/or get extra staff in. I dread to imagine what it's like on a Friday night.
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Another old bank turned into a pub. Got a wonderful ornate interior but like a lot of pubs of this type has a feel of a conference centre. Fullers beer which is served up well. Just lacks atmosphere.
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reliable boozer with excellent, good value food in great surroundings.
book a table if you want to each at lunchtimes. only £10 for some good food in good environment (upstairs).
evers - 29 Aug 2005 17:24 |
Yeah you're right,...thats my kinda refurb,.."If it aint broke.." an all that,....Maybe they just took two weeks out to refill the soap dispensers in the bogs....Still a decent gaff
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Apparently has been refurbished. Looks exactly the same as before to me.
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Lovely building, but you could be claiming your pension by the time you manage to secure a drink.
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Wonderful interior. Absolutely heaving - but that is my own problem for going during the Friday evening rush hour. Beer was very good - seasonal range available too.
mally - 21 May 2005 19:04 |
Very nice Fuller's pub. It's another old bank but a better conversion than the Wetherspoon round the corner. The London pride is nearly as good as at the Swan but you have more room to drink it in.
anonymous - 9 May 2005 20:54 |
Great environment for a beer and good fullers erved well by friendly staff. Just an oasis in the City that should never be missed!
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Good pub ...very large ex-bank...often full of "bankers" from Edenbrook
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Fantastic Fullers pub - well worth searching out. One of the best in the area.
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Superb pub, one of the most interesting interiors of any of the central city pubs.
What I love about it is that it has a zone for whatever drinking head you have on. You've got your propping up the very attrative bar option, having a chinwag with the lads /colleagues. You've got your very posh and cosy looking chairs round the edges of the main ground floor level, ideal for watching the punters come and go and looking business like if that's what you like.
You've got your rooms out the back, which have the vibe of an old drawing room / drinking club, very atmospheric and a good place to sit and have a smoke and a chinwag. Then of course you have the upstairs, which is a superb to take a little group of drinkers to and plot up in, or perhaps a lady for that intimate cosy chat. The best of it up there is that you can look down on the punters below and just people watch, and there are lots of little nooks to merrily consume your drink of choice in.
Love it, and a fairly mixed crowd.
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Pretty spectacular interior with a great domed roof, loads of seating downstairs, up on the balcony, and in a couple of decent sized rooms at the back. Really well kept Fullers beer (which one would hope to expect from a Fuller's flagship in this location!) Menu is standard Ale n'Pie fare but none the worse for that. Long bar and plenty of staff ensure quick service even when it's busy - only criticism is that it can be a bit 'blokey' but still one of the best pubs in the city.
Mr Lash - 11 Nov 2004 09:24 |
Excellent Fullers Ale & Pie House in a former bank. Always busy with City types, but service is good and pub seems very well run.
Atmospheric interior
John - 4 Nov 2004 13:04 |
An impressive pub - hugely over the top interior looks great. Very good range of Fuller's beers, decent food and friendly staff. Prices also pretty reasonable in the main. Some say it's a bit of old man's pub, and I suppose it is quite blokey due to the location, but it's hard to fault the place really. Also, the high ceilings mean it never gets too smokey, even when it's packed.
Kris - 16 Aug 2004 19:03 |
Couldn't believe the level of Essex totty in here - eye candy everywhere!
Even before I got my reasonably priced beer goggles on, I was raring to try out the spring-loading in the comfy leater sofas.
Mark Lee - 1 Jul 2004 17:08 |
Excellent interior, great food and reasonably priced considering the location, and good table service upstairs too.
sam - 19 Mar 2004 10:49 |
Beautiful interior (high ceilings). Standard fare with good service. Very busy on a Friday night
Justin - 23 Feb 2004 11:13 |
Classy joint for suits and plebs. Well poured beer. If your lucky there will be a few cute Essex girls after work there who work for Banks. Recommend it, good atmosphere.
Mark Joyce - 19 Feb 2004 14:14 |
Excellent meeting place, large and airy good for non smokers and you can talk without having to shout.Comfortable leather chairs.
London Pride pub so gets top marks.
I meet up here monthly with private trading chums for several and then up to Liverpool Street for an Indian or the excellent Turkish in devonshire Square.
Graham - 21 Nov 2003 16:37 |
Part of a small Leicester chain. Nice pub- well set out and good atmosphere.
Greg - 12 Nov 2003 22:14 |
Decent boozer, spacious, used to ba a bank of some such, hence the name. Has a nice high domed skylight ceiling thing, and good views from the terrace bit on the second floor. A great vangate point for eyeing up the skirt , not that there is much.
Wattsy - 5 Sep 2003 14:50 |
Not bad pub. Food good; and views from the upstairs gallery worthy of note, but may need to book in advance. If you don't like Fullers, don't bother.
Darren in the City - 18 Jul 2003 13:53 |
Busy City type pub, the staff need a special mention for rudeness and complete incompetence. Otherwise, I couldn't recommend it highly enough ;-)
Paul - 18 Jul 2003 08:53 |
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