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Ye Olde London, St Pauls - pub details

Previously called: Bell, Book and Candle

Ye Olde London
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Address: 42, Ludgate Hill, London, EC4M 7DE [map] [gmap]

Tel: 0871 951 1000 (ref 7356) - calls cost 10p per minute plus network extras

Nearest tube stations Blackfriars (0.2 miles), St. Pauls (0.2 miles), Mansion House (0.4 miles)

Nearest DLR station Bank (0.6 miles)

Nearest train stations City Thameslink (0.1 miles), Blackfriars (0.2 miles), Farringdon (0.5 miles)

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> Current user rating: 5.4/10 (rated by 31 users)
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other pubs nearby:

All Bar One, Ludgate Hill (0.0 miles), Jamies Bar, St Pauls (0.0 miles), Ochre, St Pauls (0.1 miles), Chambers Bar, City Of London (0.1 miles), Patch, Farringdon (0.1 miles) - see more nearby pubs

user reviews of Ye Olde London, St Pauls

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 38 shown - see all reviews

This Greene King pub is hardly a destination in its own right, but if you like me go to a concert in St. Paul's Cathedral (or simply are sightseeing), you will surely be thirsty afterwards. As there are not so many pubs in the immediate vicinity of the cathedral, this one might be your best bet. The usual GK suspects on cask - including the seasonal Starry Night, which was remarkably good. I did not eat.
Sigmund - 13 Feb 2018 21:45
Watch out! I think this place has changed management. It's gone from OK to terrible.

I went along with a couple of friends for a lunch and drink (Friday lunchtime). My food was OK but the key issue was the 45 minute wait for it to turn up - even then only after prompting. One of my friends did not get her meal at all. After 54 minutes she went up to the bar to get her money back which begrudgingly and rudely the bar staff gave. There was no sign of an apology or compensation.

My other colleague was ripped off on the food: a dry and unappetising plain veggie burger plus about seven chips for £10 served on a wooden plate which looked to me like it had not been properly washed.

In all we suffered utterly appalling service which I find totally unacceptable. I will never be using this pub again. Our lunchtime was ruined. We complained to Taylor Walker, the owners of this pub.

My advice is give this place a miss.
StudioM - 26 Apr 2013 15:11
Didn't go downstairs, but the upstairs is cramped and grotty. It was staffed by one surly barman who tried to give me a pint that had been stood there god knows how long, and was doing nothing about the mentally unstable vagrant shouting at customers.

Needless to say, I shan't return.
catbert - 3 Feb 2013 18:40
Second visit here but only just bothering to review as nothing really stuck out in my memory on my last appearance.

On the last visit on Sunday afternoon, my mates and I delved a little deeper into what this obvious tourist trap has to offer the more discerning and more local punter. Whilst the overall impression was one of a pub-by-numbers with no great departures from a tried 'n' tested formula, it was not as naff and medicore as one might expect.

Ale-wise, there is a choice of only 2 on the top bar, but lurking downstairs is a rather larger affair with a bigger bar, which accommodates a third cask ale, along with additional other tapped/kegged fodder. The Young's London Gold was well-kept despite the humidity of the day, and it was served reasonably well by the barman, who was pleasant enough.

The bottom bar yields much more seating both indoors and out, with patio doors leading to a somewhat cramped and gloomy garden, but in this district any al fresco option can be welcome so they'd done their best with limited space. We chose not to seat ourselves outside however as the air conditioned atmosphere inside was far cooler and on a sweat-plagueing day this was most appreciated. We whiled away an hour quite happily.

Few people arrived during our visit to help create a bit of a buzz; an older couple were enjoying lunches (food looked passable) and tht was about it, but then maybe Sunday is not the best time. Fortunately we weren't over-run with tedious tourists, so that was a blessing.

All in all, I'd chalk this up as a convenient possibility when in the Cathedral area and in need of a quick drink to enliven the spirits. Otherwise, I wouldn't say Ye Olde London is a destination pub, as it just could be anywhere in the capital and lacks any real 'edge'. It is of greater relevance to foreign visitors who probably swallow all the (mostly contrived) history they've dug up for the place. But in my book. this is often preferable to what passes for "Ye Newe London".
TWG - 20 Aug 2012 14:31
There is a sign behind the bar which says "If you think the head on your beer is too large - tell us - WE WILL GLADLY TOP UP YOUR GLASS". This isn't strictly true. First, the bar staff will try and argue that standard pint glasses are actually oversized, when there is no line on them, and when that fails, they will not gladly do anything. We will grumpily top up your glass might be more apt.

On the plus side, the beer was nice and the downstairs bar was pleasantly cool thanks to the open patio doors.
J_R - 19 Apr 2011 17:38

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