Morpeth Arms, Pimlico

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user reviews of the Morpeth Arms, Pimlico

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Why have they changed this pub? It was a lovely old boozer. I always used to pop in when going to the Tate. Now ruined with new furniture, a clone makeover and the most expensive food menu you can imagine. Nearly £9 for some camembert? You must be joking... Sad times – leave it well alone.
nik2740 - 25 Jun 2008 12:39
If you went into this pub for the first time you would think not a bad place, in a sort of flat pack by design clonish sort of way.

If your drank here before summer 2007 you would say why oh why did you try to ruin what was such a charming place, getting rid of the traditional banquette seats, and replacing them with high chairs, redecorating in cool chill-out colours in what should be a brigh and brash typical Victorian pub and unecessarily remodelling the bar.

Some comments after spending some time their tonight - now totally patronised by students from the arts school, unlike the wider mix it used to entertain. Some came their to play on their lap tops (shoot me know, I really am getting old). And whilst the toilets could not match the gradeur of the Princess Louise in Holbourn, they were still magnificent fully height urinals, with highly polished copper and brass work. Now sadly replaced with the diddy ones.

Not the most awful pub, just sad what they have done to it. Check out older postings to see what others thought pre-makeover.
baggydave - 13 Jun 2008 22:48
Went in on recommendation and found nice and charming. excellent staff with smiles a plenty with fast service and great tasting beer. ask about the prison cells and ghosts there's plenty of character here
dickyainge - 27 May 2008 16:42
Refit has opened it up a bit and not changed the place excessively. Beer is the usual Youngs and Wells stock plus Deuchars IPA which was on good form. The upstairs is in common use now (previously I think it was special functions only).
rainlight - 9 May 2008 22:22
Treading water is how I'd describe this place. Ok I guess but nothing to divert you there unless when you're passing, the sun's out and you sit on the street tables. An MOR boozer.
jobytc - 30 Apr 2008 17:31
Sunday afternoon, not too crowded but waited nearly an hour for our food (they said there was an accident in the kitchen) and it wasn't really what I ordered. It was supposed to be a chicken breast stuffed with lemongrass with a sweet chili glaze but was covered in orange goo that tasted like campbell's tomato soup. The waitress said the menu said it was 'homemade sauce' but er, it didn't.

No real cider but the seats were comfy.
maddiekat - 6 Jan 2008 20:35
I'll third AbeC, the interior could be anypub, anywhere, what's with the current mania for turning boozers into departure lounges. Still a nice pint and a friendly welcome, but bar leaving do obligations I'll not be back. Not that the Jugged Hare would be my alternative, save yourself the walk and try the Grosvenor just the other side of Vauxhall Bridge Road.
anonymous - 25 Sep 2007 15:15
Drunk in here on and off for almost twenty years. Had two leaving do's there including one where I spent far too long in the toilets.

I only seem to be posting "why?" (why did you do this to your pub) nowadays, clearly I am prematurely old aged.

See AbeC's posting thtee below, think that says it all. It did not need a make over, it was nice already!

OK I have seen worse, and beer was decent and not too expensive for the area. Doing up the interior seems pointless.
baggydave - 8 Sep 2007 22:44
nice to sit outside.Shirley thought the toilets were very good.
becks007 - 1 Sep 2007 10:59
Didn't think the conversion was too bad although it's a while since I was last in there. Beer was on good form although the food was very poor. My friend had the fishcakes which were tasteless, overcooked and then microwaved - has to be one of the worst meals I have seen served and they charged eight quid for it! To be fair the staff were apologetic and gave a refund - stick to just the sandwiches if you are hungry.
TheBeerMonkey - 9 Jul 2007 16:50
A catastrophe has occurred - I thought this pub was too lovely for Youngs to alter. Wrong - and the wreckage is a miserable sight.

Youngs' pub conversions have been getting brasher (e.g. White Cross and the Old Ship in Richmond,) but this is much, much worse.

Goodbye Morpeth, Rest in Peace - I'll trudge up to the Jugged Hare hereafter.

AbeC - 24 Jun 2007 23:21
Popped in for lunch, whilst waiting for our time to visit the Hogarth Exhibition at the Tate.
Good food and a well kept pint of Youngs Bitter.
The upstairs non-smoking eating area has good views of the Thames and the river traffic.

jbsjazzer - 27 Apr 2007 09:45
Nice spot by the Thames, although watch out for the fast road outside...Nice old fashioned feel to it. Youngs beer, quite nice. What particularly won me over about this pub were the picture on the wall of the late Queen Mum pulling pints.
Muzthing - 5 Apr 2007 18:01
one of my favourite Youngs. Bitter is always top-notch,nice cosy feel to the place and can usually be served fairly quickly. Bought one of their heavy china pint pots as a birthday gift for a fellow Youngs devotee. Only downer is that i never win the monthly prize draw !.
fenton - 1 Apr 2007 16:56
Lovely place on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon - not too busy - v close to the Tate Gallery.
Decent pint of (new) Youngs, also Brakespear. Adequate pub chow.
Nice old Victorian pub, little changed.
AbeC - 14 Jan 2007 19:10
A riverside pub. Well the Thames is across the busy main road. Decent booze, decent food, decent atmosphere, decent. 7/10
WaitorseBoyz - 5 Dec 2006 14:50
I knew this pub very well in the 80's. Met most of my good friends from Pimlico in this pub. Fosters was fine and the bar staff were friendly enough. Not a pub known for punch ups. There is a staute outside which I sleapt in one night. My ex and me used to go here. An okay pub as far as I'm concerned. Lots of good memoments with friends.
anonymous - 4 Oct 2006 18:19
Good pub with great Youngs, interesting mix of drinkers as said below, worth a drop if you are near.
Harlap - 14 Jul 2006 14:27
What a place!! Guys in drag. Girls in punk. Wierd (if I'm not being too conventional) outfits. Occasional beered up suit. Not sure if we'd happened on a fancy dress party the first time round... but nope, been exactly the same every other time. Good to meet some entirely random types. World Cup Free Zone - and very proud of it. Sit outside and great view of the River / MI5 building... Amiable barstaff. Adequate wine.
LooseVixens - 24 Jun 2006 22:55
The picture of the Queen Mum pulling a pint is brilliant!

I love this pub. It's a nice, quiet place with a good selection of beers and a friendly and relaxing atmosphere. The place is nicely done up with authentic decor and it feels like a good, honest London pub without the attitude you can get elsewhere. Definitely worth a visit.
redboy - 16 Jun 2006 21:13
...And there is a fornightly quiz night
mooose - 14 May 2006 11:59
As most of the other contributers say its a good standard Youngs pub with reasonable range of sandwiches, paninis and other snacks. It is reassuring that a good pub like this has not been converted into All Bar One clone. Particularly reassuring is the picture of the Queen Mother pulling a Youngs pint!
mooose - 14 May 2006 11:57
Typical Youngs pub really. Friendly bar staff, one of whom is a whizz on the card game on the Itbox. Relaxed, quiet and hassle-free.
kingston_toon - 18 Mar 2006 22:23
An absolutley brilliant place. I used this with some regularity many moons ago when dating a girl who lived near Dolphin Square. Comfy feel and 'pubby' vibe about the place with always 'on' ales. It is perfect for a post Tate refresher.
Moose58 - 10 Feb 2006 21:21
in terms of positioning you couldn't ask for more from this boozer. picture the scene: the GF wants to ``do something'' at the weekend. yep, you've been stitched up with a visit to the Tate. But here lies this little oasis you can duck out to whenever you need to. also good when you've ``earned yourself a pint'' after an office-based weekend morning and speed-marching round the gallery.
tanderson7 - 9 Nov 2005 13:07
The prices went up after the last landlord & lady went, but they've kept the standard up. Sells everything Youngs make, and know how to keep it.
Smelfungus - 15 Sep 2005 16:47
This pub usually quiet at the start of the week but can get rammed on Thursdays and Fridays with civil servants and students from the nearby art college. The ale (I'm told) is good and they have a good wine selection but it's not really that cheap. Weekends, especially in the summer, mean bucketloads of Tate visitors but Saturday and Sunday nights are often really quiet with just the locals around. Head barman Dave is very friendly. Celebrity spot - Tory MP David Davis can occasionally be spotted sipping a quiet pint in the corner.
anonymous - 18 Aug 2005 16:06
Used the Morpeth regularly for lunch back in the days when Westminster allowed me to park my coach across the street.

Shame 'cos it's a really friendly place.

I park at Tesco in Kensington these days and use the Britannia Tap in Warwick Road.
PsychO - 3 Mar 2005 18:59
Dropped in here for a couple after a day at The Oval and it was one of those sunny days that Londoners pine for. Even if I remove the late-in-the-day sun advantage it was a good time spent.

The interior is certainly worth a look through and I agree with Chris (27/6/04) as to traffic on Millbank but being on a corner we opted for the side street where it was quieter.
barry.boloski - 3 Mar 2005 17:02
Very nice, unpretentious Youngs pub on the river. Does get quite busy with the after work crowd but always seems to be enough room (to stand at least) and the staff are on the ball ensuring fast service. The beer is well kept and there's lots of interesting bits of the pub's history on the wall - it's cellars used to be used to house prisoners prior to deportation, and are still rumoured to be haunted... Well worth a visit if you're around Vauxhall/the Tate.
Mr Lash - 11 Nov 2004 12:21
I used to work at this pub when I was living in the UK and I enjoyed drinking there even on my days off as I got to know all the locals. There were lots of very friendly regulars from all walks of life there!!
anonymous - 10 Jul 2004 04:44
Good little Young's pub that does get very full with (a) visitors from the Tate along the road and (b) employees from GOL just over the road. Food ok. Seats outside but unfortunately there is too much traffic on Millbank to make sitting out very pleasant.
West London CAMRA pub of the year 2004.
beeronaut - 27 Jun 2004 09:44

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