The Griffin, Shoreditch - pub details
Address: 93, Leonard St, London, EC2A 4RD [map] [gmap]
Tel: 0871 917 0007 (ref 3837)
Old Street (0.3 miles), Liverpool Street (0.5 miles), Shoreditch (0.5 miles)
Old Street (0.3 miles), London Liverpool Street (0.4 miles), Moorgate (0.6 miles)
Pub facilities/features:
- Jukebox
- Pool table, Dartboard
NB: Information may be incomplete or out of date as this pub is not currently registered.
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> Current user rating: 6.4/10 (rated by 28 users)
> Local guides: London pub guide, Central London pub guide
other pubs nearby:
Great Eastern Dining Room, Shoreditch (0.0 miles), Elbow Room, Shoreditch (0.1 miles), Cantaloupe, Shoreditch (0.1 miles), Foundry, Shoreditch (0.1 miles), Princess Royal, Old Street (0.1 miles) - see more nearby pubs
user reviews of the Griffin, Shoreditch
please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
5 most recent reviews of 26 shown - see all reviews
| Not a bad boozer. They are keen on orange lighting. Perhaps to make it look and feel cosy but it doesn't work. A bit rough around the edges (peeling paint, rickety chairs etc) but that is the nature of the place and I don't mind it. A "Shoreditch" crowd, as expected, but without the 19 year old sloaney hip chicks (just away from the beaten track enough to be off their radar). I am not an ale or bitter drinker but had no problem with the lager they were serving up. HLC - 3 Feb 2009 11:46 |
| The dismal appearance of the exterior might lead you to believe that the interior is just as dismal. But you would be wrong! The interior is far more dingy than the outside! The dirt on the floor, buckets, broom and stepladder lying around, chipped and battered paintwork everywhere, with cables and plugs under the Christmas tree in lieu of presents completing the picture. The heating was apparently not working properly as it was very cold inside, and the large intrusive no smoking sign didn’t help. The musty smell is still there as well. But I quite like it! And the Tim Taylor Landlord was excellent, albeit not cheap at £3 a pint. I wouldn’t hesitate about popping in again if I was in the area. RexRattus - 13 Dec 2008 11:41 |
| This pub is a cesspool. The place has to be seen to be believed. Honestly, I'm not one normally to criticise a fatigued look in a premises, but this place has probably not been cleaned since the Kray twins were in nappies. There is a faint look of a wild west saloon about the decor, dust in all the corners - positively furring up some features - unspeakably foul toilets, and a carpet which is matted thick with black hard matt excresence - built up of many years loving neglect. In reality this should be on some tourist trail as to what pubs were like in war-time East London. Get inoculated before you enter. bricktop - 5 Dec 2008 12:45 |
| The Griffin is a place that needs to be experienced to be believed. It sits among a block of buildings that are at best, long past their prime and the tiled exterior of the pub (note the old Meux brewery lettering) seems to stand out all the more for it. The interior has been knocked through into one long bar and to call it tatty and battered is an understatement. How it appears to have escaped even the merest lick of fresh paint or new carpet for what must be decades is beyond comprehension. The run down appearance is actually part of its charm and appeal and whilst the interior designers have been busy elsewhere in the area, the Griffin has managed to stay as a genuine no nonsense pub. The carpet in the pool/darts area little more than the original underlay with a few tufts and the feeling as your chair legs sink in is only matched by the bizarre ritual of pulling them back out. Whilst you do so, notice the London Pub Crawl poster and I defy you not to mentally tick them off. The customer base is a very mixed bunch from a variety of backgrounds but no matter how different everyone appears to be, everyone seems to blend together harmoniously. The Jukebox mentioned in an earlier post was certainly on form when I was there as it spewed out selections from the likes of the Clash / Dylan / Tubes / Richard Hell – so much more to my taste than the drum & bass / club rubbish that seems to blight so many pubs. The 3 Ales were all available on my visit – Deuchars, Pride and Speckled Hen, a bit pricey but tasted fine. The smoking ban probably detracts from the pub’s ambience but there are a few seats outside under blinds for the banished souls. In a nutshell, the Griffin is well worth seeking out for the experience but I wouldn’t recommend it to impress someone on a first date. RogerB - 29 Oct 2008 23:23 |
| A load of fun, can't say fairer than that rikerst - 16 Aug 2008 15:35 |
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