The Abbey, Westminster - pub details
Address: Abbey Orchard St, London, SW1P 2LU [map] [gmap]
Tel: 020 7222 5084
St James's Park (0.1 miles), Westminster (0.3 miles), Victoria (0.6 miles)
London Victoria (0.7 miles), London Charing Cross (0.8 miles), London Waterloo (0.9 miles)
Pub suggested by Arthurish on 9 Mar 2007
NB: Information about this pub is incomplete as it has not been visited by a member of the beerintheevening.com team and is not currently registered.
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> Current user rating: 5.8/10 (rated by 4 users)
> Local guides: London pub guide, Central London pub guide
other pubs nearby:
Speaker, Westminster (0.1 miles), Sanctuary House, Westminster (0.1 miles), Feathers, St James's (0.1 miles), Old Monk, Westminster (0.1 miles), Strutton Arms, Westminster (0.1 miles) - see more nearby pubs
user reviews of the Abbey, Westminster
please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
| This has always looked like a place to warrant walking past however the previous comments about good beer led me to believe that there was something worth exploring at the bottom of the stairs. This modern basement bar is not exactly oozing with character and the quite bland décor and lack of any natural light doesn’t help. It is fairly spacious with high ceilings and a separate balcony area but appears to be more of an evening venue than a quick lunchtime pint stop off. The bar, dominated by shelves of bottles and 3 large angled plain mirrors, extends the whole length of the floor and it would have to be extremely packed or have totally inept staff not to get served quickly. As it happens, on my 2 lunchtime visits, the bar staff have outnumbered the punters. The tables in the main bar area are standing height with tall stools although there is a raised area at one end with more traditional seating. There are a few large potted plants dotted about and 3 large cylindrical lights and a couple of ceiling fans break up the plainess of the ceiling. The music is almost as bland as the bar and there is the usual run of 3 plasma screens and quiz/games machine. As for the beers, the original enticement, there are 4 hand pumps, 2 with Marstons (Pedigree and Burton Ale) and 2 with Jennings (Sneck Lifter and World Biggest Liar). The quality was however poor and I get the impression on my first visit that mine was the first pint and no-one had pulled through the pump before they opened. It was barely drinkable and far too warm. The quality the second time was better but not good enough to carry any recommendation. As bars go, the place will appeal to those who prefer them to more traditional pubs (The photo above (not mine!) pretty much says it all) but it would need a sharp upturn in beer quality to get me back for a third visit, which is a pity given the selection available. RogerB - 25 Dec 2007 21:18 |
| A great little find this, has changed hands in the past but as one reviewer has already said - looks like this one could be staying around for a while. Very modern bar more of a wine bar if anything, tends to be alot busier as you would expect thursdays and Fridays. Good selection of wines and beers including 4 real ales, food a little pricey although the tapas which are available after 4pm are great!!! Lunchtimes can be a bit hectic at times but worth the effort. Staff extremely friendly and can speak english which is always a bonus. Even the manager seems a decent fella often found mingling with the customers are giving a few shots away all in all a nice little bar. Will definately visit again. anonymous - 3 Oct 2007 15:14 |
| BLAND YoungElvis - 19 Sep 2007 22:02 |
| There have been umpteen bars on this site in the last dozen years, this one, depressingly, seems set to last. The office workers of Westminster are either so undemanding or so pub-starved they pack this place out. Staff could not cope with the crowds and there was plenty of disquiet at pushing in. Lunchtime is marginally better but offset by the overpriced pub food that, admittedly, affects most pubs in the area. dry_riser_inlet - 20 Jul 2007 14:00 |
| A downstairs bar, the entrance is easily missed. It used to be called Base One Bar, but has been refurbished. Gets very popular in the evening, about 5:30. Very comfortable seats and the service is good too. Arthurish - 9 Mar 2007 07:25 |
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