The Lord Raglan, St Pauls

Having read previous reviews I have to agree about the ear splitting music levels. I cope with it on a Friday... but on Tuesday when the bar is relatively quiet and i want chilled drinks with colleagues!
Food is standard pub chain stuff... at best edible... at worse a strange mix of dried up slop. They also fail miserably to deliver food within sane waiting times on a Thu and Fri lunchtime. Strangely the food you've waited for for 50 minutes can then actually arrive uncooked!
Measures on bitter can be hilariously short!
It's one former redeeming feature was a sensible price list for The City... but consecutive price rises over the past two years have been a minimum 10p per pint every three months!
I'd avoid at all costs... but everyone from the office drinks there... so I'm stuck!
At least some of the bar staff actually make an effort to be welcoming and do their best despite everything.

10 Jun 2010 23:28

The Viaduct Tavern, St Pauls

I've visited the Viaduct a couple of times this year, since starting to work in the offices next door. Firstly the interior is certainly the pubs top feature... apparently an original Gin Palace, the marble, paintings, mirrors etc seem original and must be worth a visit alone.
Before the smoking ban it seemed to be exclusively middle aged male bankers/lawyers/drs (the pub sits between the Old Bailey, Merrill Lynch and St barts Hospital) intent on lung disease, but now seems a little more mixed, and certainly cleaner air!
Drinks selection is a little limited... Pride, Discovery and Honey Dew are always on tap... with a guest (currently Mr Harry, previously Admans) usually, but not always available. Just a couple of lagers, Guinness, Hoegarden and Cider are the only other draught. They try to make something of the Gin Palace origins with a long list of Gins.
Lunch time they serve sandwiches (roast beef/pork/cheese) but not much else, though what they do serve is excellent.
The staff, along with most of London's pubs, vary from time to time, but i've certainly never had anyone be rude, and for my two visits to the Cells I've found the managers (one Lady one lad) both really keen to pass on some of the stories/history from the past. The place does vary wildly from dead quiet Mondays to packed (pavement almost stupidly so) friday evenings. An all-round lovely little pub worth visiting.

31 Oct 2007 00:31