please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
I wanted to like this place, I really did; it's got a wonderful location on the canal. But a very mediocre pint of Pride at an eye-watering price rather put me off. It's the only real beer cowering in amongst a wasteland of lager pumps; it rather looks as of they've only got it on becauae they sort of think they ought to.
If, like me, you're looking for a decent canalside pint, try the Grand Junction a couple of miles west.
Royed - 25 Jun 2008 23:50 |
While the staff are nice had one of the worst pints of Guinness ever (not sure how they mucked it up) the wife had a martini which was equally poor, but couldnt bring herself to tell the barman as he seemed so proud of himself. Nice interior though.
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Pretty standard townie bar, would have been fashionable seven or eight years ago. We went in on a quiet evening and were overcharged by a barmaid who apparently knew nothing about what she was serving (we asked for a dry white wine and she upcharged us for a Pinot Grigio as, she claimed, this was the cheapest dry white wine - a] PG isn't dry and b] there were cheaper chardonnay and sauvignon blancs available, both of which ARE dry). The bar manager refunded the difference but the barmaid came over and insisted that it was our mistake not hers. Might be an idea to order quite specifically if you are the type of person that likes this type of pub. Alternatively give it a miss altogether and go to the infinately superior Old Eagle round the corner.
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I went to this place during the rugby world cup, and it had a large screen...other than that a standard pub really. It has been completely refurbished since (which I think clarifies some of the comments below) and is now a cocktail/burger diner...
I wanted to hate it as it's very pretentious but the burgers are actually good, and the staff really friendly. Decent lager selection but not many options for those that like a bit of flavour in their pint.
All in all worth a visit, haven't yet been in an evening for the DJ/cocktail side of the place though!
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Elana... agreed! Went there on Friday when it was super busy and had a great night. Can't say it looked like the sort of place that you would watch rugby or listen to Dido(as mentioned earlier by someone else)Music was very good, cocktails better and the burgers looked pretty damn good too. See you next week Grand Union
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No idea what the last review is talking about!! i went there with a group of the girls on the weekend and the place was awesome. great vibe great people. will definately be going back this weekend.
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oh dear...not an original idea in place in this second rate chain. Unless of course you wanna watch rugby and listen to dido. The highgate ones died on its arse up the road as well , so not quite sure why they think London is so in need of this offer ?....
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Well chilled out place, you shall be well pleased if coming from CAMDEN ROAD. Getting this good a place so close to the station is pretty cool, food served from 5.30. Found staff friendly and although a tad expensive, its good and background music is quite good in general too
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Don't go there that much (10-15 times a year) but thought the reviews were unfair. Had one flat beer and the bar manager and the main manager could not have been more sorry. Beer was bang on after that and I found it hard to give them money. Only comlained quietley ! Music on saturday is bang on grown up. Burgers are good but nine quid. Shuts early.
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cool bar deffo worth a look
anonymous - 12 Jun 2007 13:50 |
Ok so this isnt the place to go if you fancy a good Sunday lunch. It is the place to go if you fancy a Vibrant, quirky and rampant bar experience so for all of those who wish for a 'quiet' glass of pinot complete with good 'conversation' on a Friday/Saturday night, try somewhere else.
The Grand Union is deceptive at first with a standard bar layout but with an additional modern gothic vs garden centre stlye to it. If you walk round the back there is a twist with a larger bar area, comfy seating and as if on que - a dance area (well its not an official area but it becomes that through the night) complete with a pole/pillar (which must be utilised despite warnings from the doormen) in the middle of the room.
The music comes in all varieties of one form - upbeat any requests can be made with the dj and the staff in general do have fun while they work, and work hard they do. The prices for Camden area are great Value and the fact that the venue as a bar is open till 1 - gets my vote. If it wasn't this good, it wouldn't be s packed week in and week out.
anonymous - 4 May 2007 16:56 |
POOR POOR POOR!
anonymous - 16 Apr 2007 21:37 |
Had Christmas dinner there and the service and quality of the food were both awful. Took us two hours to get two courses when it was fairly quiet, and the turkey dinner was disgusting. When we complained to the manager he was dismissive and rude. Looks lovely but really needs to work on customer service and quality.
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I went here for Sunday lunch. The staff behind the bar were arguing with each other and we had to wait 50 minutes for our food.
The roast dinners cost £9 but the roast potatoes looked suspiciously like the ones you get ready cooed for you freezer, which is not what you'd expect for that money.
All in all it was not a very impressive experience which is a shame as the bar itself is a nice place.
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I had lunch here a few days ago and was late back to work having waited 45 minutes for a sandwich.. It wasn't busy, maybe 25 people in the whole (rather cosy) place. The bar staff weren't overly nice, a bit sour and one young man nearly threw my change at me.
Food was nice though. A little lacking in vibe and atmosphere. The place felt like four different businesses trying to work side by side instead of one team running the place together.
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I gave it a visit recently, having once been a Mac regular before the owners let it fall into disaray. I though The G.U was cool. Yeah, I was a little nervous of all the balck but wuith the gilded baroque mirrors and stuff I thought it felt quite regal.
Nice crowd and busy for 5pm too.
Vast improvement on the hole that the Macbar turned into.
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Not very impressed, looks like a bad copy of the Camden Arms that is just around the corner. Wont be going back the "Mac-bar" any time soon......
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It looks a lot darker than Mac Bar. It's not logical.
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Now reopened as "The Grand Union" and a pretty dull time is to be had here. Not that it was any good before, so at least I can't have the usual rant about pubs becoming gastrofied.
No ales, but it was opening night, so maybe that unused ale pump handle isn't just a wanky decoration.
It's pretty similar to The Grand Union in Westbourne Park, which makes suspect that it's owned/run by the same crew. Except that it's not on Grand Union canal. In fact it's not even on a canal. It's near one. But that one's called Regent's canal. I really hope they did think they were naming it after the canal as that sums up places like this. Anyway, that's enough of me twatting on about canals.
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Now closed. see below.
atlas - 16 Feb 2006 14:12 |
I used to go there quite a lot with mates from work. Always quite lively but sadly also quite busy, especially on Fridays. The problem is now that there is a really annoying bunch of analysts who turn up and ruin the atmosphere. Oh well, there's always the Constitution round the corner!
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The staff seem to enjoy themselves more than the clientele at this place. Worth giving it a go - you will either love or hate it. Takes an eon to get served due to the amount of cocktails they always seem to be preparing the person being served before you. Different vibe for Sunday lunch where i was surprised how attentive the staff were.
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Very Poor service, massively over priced. Tiny toilets for such a big bar. More time queuing to use the loo than drinking. My friend asked for a Smirnoff Ice which she was informed they didnt sell. However, the owner said he would do her a vodka with fresh lemon juice and lemonade. Basically the same drink but made up. It came with a cherry and a slice and was nearly six pounds. Very Cheeky.
On the whole there are far better places in Camden with nicer staff and where you can have night out without having to think about what yopu are spending right from the first drink.
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Hit and miss - very posey, you can wait an age to get served and the staff behave as though they are doing you a big favour by taking vast quantities of your income from you in exchange for an insubstantial beverage...I have had the odd reasonable evening here - it's all contingent upon whether you get a seat.
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The worst place to drink in NW1. Very poor service and then had terrible experience where we ordered some food in a large group and because we didn't want to put a card behind the bar, the waitress asked us to pay AS WE WERE EATING OUT MEAL and then came over to challenge us when we didn't leave a tip! If it had been an issue she should have asked us to pay before we started eating. It was better off as Rosie O'Gradys. Full of posers and losers... and that's just the bar staff. Get round the corner to the Camden Arms.
anonymous - 13 May 2005 13:42 |
Went here for my birhtday a couple of years ago and had a fantastic time, great venue, great decor, great crowd, great bar staff. Went there a couple of weeks ago. Oh dear, what's happened?! Drab crowd, decor looking very tired indeed and more lights than Blackpool illuminations. Atmosphere = zero!
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this is a really good bar. it gets busy on a weekend, but at all other times its brilliant. its camden post britpop in all its glory. its at once brash, clever, monied, downbeat, recherche, post 2000 art. its great at drinks and does smashing sunday brunch. go there.
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I wasn't too keen on this place. Went there on Friday and it was too busy, there was nowhere to sit and it was hot. Lot's of people went there to pose by the look of it. Would like to have seen it before it became the bar beast it is today.
Stevie B - 18 Oct 2004 16:16 |
Silly place with too many sofas. If you want to sit on a sofa you should stay at home. Aimed at an RnB type crowd, and admittedly seems popular with them - I met a girl on a tube once who waxed lyrical about it. I went there twice and wanted to cry.
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Nice atmosphere (i.e dark and cosy) bit away from the hustle and bustle of camden - if that's what you want
sara - 19 Jun 2004 08:41 |
Recently rennovated and greatly improved this is one of the best pubs in Camden. Food is good and they have an extensive cotails list.
Alex Paul - 29 Mar 2004 10:37 |
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