please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Immediate warm and convivial feel on entering, a really relaxed feel. Some tourists as referred earlier but as museum types clearly a better class. No crass behavior observed! A single room now with a mix of seating but a quick check of the etched windows suggest earlier there was a saloon, public and private bar. The bar along the internal wall has an elegant carved back with mirrors.
6 pumps (5 on at the time) serving Skinners Betty Stogs, Cairngorm Autumn Nights, Pride, Theakston Old P, Sharps Doombar, and Morrissey Fox Blonde Ale. A very pleasant visit, well recommended.
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Just a few steps away from the bustling junction of Tottenham Court Road and Oxford Street, the Museum is a place of calm and contentment. Dating from the mid 19th century, like so many pubs, it has evolved and walls have been removed. In this case that’s not a problem, as a nice open feel has been created. Fortunately, the bar counter and back have been preserved, although, sadly most of the engraved mirrors are new but not out of keeping. The ceiling is particularly fine as is the range of 7 hand pulled ales.
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Full of tourists, of course, being opposite the British Museum. But it has retained many original Victorian features – solid wood bar, carved bar back, cut and etched glass. It now comprises just one bar, but like so many Victorian pubs it was clearly subdivided originally. There are doors extant not currently in use, leading to what was
apparently a Private Bar. Several decent ales on – York Brewery Guzzler; TT Landlord; Doom Bar; Old Peculiar; Old Speckled Hen; and Okell’s Summer Storm. The Guzzler I had was pretty good.
All in all a pretty good pub, albeit very busy during the tourist season, and I would definitely recommend it, and will return some time soon.
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I like it. It's central London, so that means the Guinness is lousy, it's chocker with tourists and office workers and it's overpriced. But, hey, it works on other levels: Lovely location, the service isn't too bad and it pulsates with a faint, but definite, air of literary and historical associations.
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First night in London and in a pub, entered the famous Museum Tavern hoping to have a good experience. I thought that being recommended in tour guides this would be a nice place. Wrong. Staff were more interested in chatting amongst themselves and could care less that I seemed lost. Went across the street and wandered into The Plough which was not a very good experience (see other review).
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Saturday afternoon pint after a wander around the museum. Surprisingly quiet considering the location. Lots of good ales to choose from and the bar staff helpful when choosing what to drink.
I had a rather nice pint of Doom Bar.
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More typically English than queueing for tea bags in the rain with the vicar discussing rises in the price of houses. I assume this is deliberate with one of the world's greatest scientific institutes just opposite. Whenever I have finished looking at the weirdy-beardy sculptures of ancient Mesopotamia, I pop over for a pint of Theakston's Old Peculiar which they have been pouring here for years. It is, of course, a tourist trap and gets crowded, so I just stay long enough to finish my pint and stare with wonder at my change. A good addition to a Bloomsbury/Holborn crawl.
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I like this pub, Good Ale selection rather than just the usual fixed brewery choice. Bar staff could be a little friendlier.
Visited on a saturday evening in December. It was comfortable and not so busy that you had to stand.
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This is a great pub with not the greatest list of ales and the staff are slow and extremely inattentive...determined through 4 visits in one week.
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Sit yourself down outside and enjoy the rich tapestry of London life that hastes by. Say hello to some of the strangers. Have several jars, stumble into the British Museum, take the middle left door in Great Court and bathe in the awesome presence of the Rosetta Stone. Take yourself back to the pub. Be sure to donate on the way.
A tourist trap with character. Perfectly acceptable.
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A decent pint of St Austell Tribute from a fair selection of real ales. Plenty of staff, good service with empty glasses not allowed to clutter the tables.
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Fine traditional pub close to the British Museum, so inevitably gets dominated by tourists coming in for lunch. Nice to see a good proportion of them drinking from the wide selection of real ales on offer - even though when an American couple spend 5 minutes deciding whether to share a half pint of Fullers Summers Ale or Charles Wells Summer Solstice, my patience starts to get a bit frayed !
But yes, I enjoyed the visit and would happily come back when next in the area
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Went in expecting to find a tourist trap due to its location - but found a gem.
Friendly atmosphere, good selection of beers (well kept), all in a stylish traditional building.
Excellent
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Nice place, the old peculier was spot on!
Bit too clean and shiny for my taste, and it was very quiet in there for a saturday night. But I'd definitely go back.
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Very nice pub. Nice selection of Ales. I had a nice pint of Old Peculier. Sure it used to be stronger!!!
Would liked to have for stopped for another but was dragged away to pub number 8.
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Go on, have a pint.
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A very nice pub. Keep your eyes peeled for the stained glass in the food service area which survives from a 19th Century refurb, as well as original etched glass behind the bar.
Nice beers, including guests, and a quiet atmosphere, both inside and out.
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Considering its location-- immediately across the road from the British Museum's spectacular neo-classical facade-- I think it's fair to say that Joe Bloggs has no right to expect that this will be an enjoyable pub to drink at. Tourists, tourists, toursits, easy money for the lowest common denominator... well, no, actually. Of course there's tourists, but to The Museum Tavern's credit, it manages a snug but welcoming atmosphere, a great selection of real ales underpinned by Youngs, while retaining the kind of traditional London pub decor that here signifies 'charm' rather than 'dirty, couldn't care less flea pit tourist trap'.
Not a bad place for a pint in Bloomsbury at all.
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I think this pub is brilliant considering the touristical (!) location
anonymous - 23 Aug 2006 12:21 |
Greatly improved since last visit, about three years ago. A good old-fashioned boozer, not too badly knocked-about [a bit like me really] Nice friendly helpful governor and staff, and good range of real ales, very well-kept. Some interesting Victorian features inside. A bit of an oasis in an area not over-supplied with good pubs. Recommended.
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Very good manager who knows his real ales and his clientele. Just about the best pub in the West End restored to its former glory by a very good manager who knows his real ales and his clientele. Staff also very polite. Four of us spent a most enjoyable evening here last night (excellent pints of Butcombe & Timmie's Landlord) following my retreat from a pub down the road which served a disgusting pint of Youngs Bitter (which the manager here is very wisely resisting stocking!).
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Ales are getting better here. Visited this week and they had Pride, Bombardier, Landlord, Theakstons OP, Harviestoun Bitter & Twisted and a golden ale from Butcombe. Very impressive.
anonymous - 9 Aug 2006 19:56 |
Urf has a fair point. People love slagging off others but happily forget their own behaviour after a few. Pubs are pubs for the public to share with the exception of people who wear pastel coloured jumpers over their shoulders or boating shoes, they can sod off!!
Great range of ales in good nick. Tried a couple of new ones, which was nice. There isn't much room and it's very close to the museum so you wouldn't always expect much room. I'm always happy to get in people's way if they're wearing boating shoes.
couldn't give a toss about the food here but I presume it's not all that?? I'd eat elsewhere.
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Great range of ever changing real ales but unfortunately smudger69 is spot on with his comments. Good pub that could be so much better.
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My wife and I visted London in February, and we stayed around the corner from the Museum Tavern, so my review may be biased by the proximity and convenience of the tavern.
Decor and service were satisfactory, and there was an interesting mix of customers, local and transient like me, but the best thing about the MT is its variety of cask ales. They have one of the best selections we found during our pub tour, and I was only slightly disappointed that they changed so frequently during the week we were there...because one I really enjoyed was gone the next day. My wife drinks wine and was ok with the cabernet they served.
nunrk - 26 Apr 2006 09:06 |
This was the last pub my wife and I visited on our London trip, and it turned out to be my favorite. The 6x was a great discovery, and the Best Bitter was so good I went back for a second. The staff was friendly, the crowd was...interesting, and we loved the decor. The Karl Marx stories certainly add to the romance of the place. Overall, the atmosphere was so pleasant I didn't even mind the smoke cloud hanging over the bar like a storm cloud.
On a more personal note, my wife and I are both Americans, and I can assure you that we were not loud or obnoxious while patronizing any pubs in London, including the Museum Tavern. However, on the night we visited the Museum Tavern, there was another American couple in the pub sitting with a group of what I gathered to be Londoners, and several times the fellow held his hand in front of the lady's face to stop her from speaking. Now that was obnoxious! But so was the loutish local who continually tried to engage other patrons in his drunken, obscenity-laced conversation about pointless nonsense. Rest assured, we tourists haven't cornered the market on obnoxiousness.
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The layout of this pub suggests it's only interested in cramming in as many tourists as it can for lunch! There's nowhere to stand comfortably at the bar without continually having to move or be knocked about!! Good choice of beers though. Not one of my favourites.
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Food is rubbish. Don't eat here.
Real ales continue to impress.
anonymous - 19 Feb 2006 15:44 |
I think this pub looks stunning from the outside but is a bit of a disappointment inside. Staff are good and beers pretty good but just can't help but feel it's a bit grubby. Not my favourite in the area although keeps the museum tourists away from the better pubs!
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One of the only 'real' pubs in the area - Good mix of tourists and locals, Worth a visit.
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Arrived earlyish evening to find fairly busy, with mix of locals and some tourists. Also a combo of both having food - a good sign!
Service effecient (for which very pleasantly surprised!) with a good range (6) ales on draft. Add to this a combo of other drinks, lagers and impressive for main tourist area.
As a group we worked our way though all of the beers fairly quickly, with all being in good condition. Also as the evening went on we were easily able to get a table.
Look forward to returning again.
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Well the obnoxious ones I am referring to were a group of about 8 20 somethings talking loudly and sprawling around the place, refusing to clear a way to the toilets and generally acting like they owned the place. Which they don't.
anonymous - 3 Jan 2006 11:02 |
I am again amazed by the appearance of "loads of obnoxious yanks". I have been using this pub for 20 years and, in fact, recommended it. I have in all that time seen perhaps 6 Americans and Canadians there. I certainly have not seen an obnoxious one. I wonder what an obnoxious yank is.
Charles
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Loads of obnoxious yanks on my last visit but the Theakstons Old Peculier really is good. Considering its location, very good pub. Rotating guest ales.
Best thing was the "why not impress her? buy a bottle of CHAMPAGNE?" sign in the toilets - not ironic in the least and very amusing.
anonymous - 1 Jan 2006 19:02 |
Nice surprise... good mix of locals and tourists. Lots of original features, decent beer (Young's) good service and a genuinly cosy atmosphere. Given its position its a miracle it hasn't become disneyfied.
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I found the Theakstons Old Peculiar well up to standard, but this place soon fills up with tourists, inevitably given its location.
According to my 1997 London Evening Standard pub guide, one of the Museum Tavern's decorative mirrors was vandalised by Karl Marx. All London's pubs like to have some claim to fame, real or imagined, but how many can say they once had the founding father of communism trashing the joint?
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Long, narrow, street corner pub decorated like an ex-gin palace. Does a small range of popular guest ales. Tidy, nonthreatening atmosphere. The Old Peculier was a bit tired, but the chips were tasty.
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The bar staff are the friendliest you'll ever meet in London; don't know why people say the food is crap - it's OK pub food as far as I can tell. It has quite a few locals - you see the same people every night. Most are pretty friendly and talkative though recently there's been a group of lads that down beers and shorts and who are really quite unpleasant if you're a woman. I hope it doesn't turn into one of those macho places but fear it's in danger of doing so. In which case, I'm all for the tourists!
anonymous - 22 Jul 2005 14:51 |
Pleasant enough. Very American, although I enjoyed the conversation I had with an elderly Floridian couple with whom I got chatting in there last Friday night. I'd recommend this pub for people who want to be close to the bright lights for a late supper, but have no time for noisy, crowded places.
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I was manager there up to 1998, and it was definately S&N not Youngs. We did home cooked food but the brewery kept insisting that we use the pre-packaged stuff from Bookers because then they could control our profits exactly down to a single portion. From recent comments it seems to have hurt the food quality.
Nice friendly pub, I loved the tourists and the constant new faces every day. Lovely warm atmosphere in winter.
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Decent if one isn't surrounded by loud Americans. I say that as an American.
Food is mediocre, beers are better, staff has always been friendly.
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Tried it again yesterday - not so many loud Americans this time, but I must agree with Jo, the food was crap! Nice draught Old Peculier, though.
drinker - 4 Jul 2004 10:13 |
Same street as The Plough except this one has nice toilets and you can always get a seat. Food is crap though.
Jo - 9 Jun 2004 17:49 |
The Museum Tavern
Nice friendly bar with mix of locals and tourists easy to relax in and has good vibe, selction of cask beer excellent and food not bad either
Tony - 7 May 2004 14:52 |
Full of American tourists. Avoid like the plague.
drinker - 9 Apr 2004 20:44 |
Very impressive! Great beers on cask. Lovely interior... lots of dark wood and there is room to breathe.
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Quality establishment. It's a great room with quality ale. I haven't tried the grub but there was a long line for the lunch special.
Jeff - 11 Oct 2003 20:59 |
Across the street from the British Museum. My favorite pub. the food is excellent, especially the pork pie. Pleasant atmosphere and nice barmen.
Charles - 30 Jul 2003 10:36 |
