Latest reviews from Holborn
| 62 /100 Ship Tavern, Holborn (Bar) 12 GATE STREET “Only dropped in because Bar Polski was not due to open for another 30. It never did open. Standard old school pub that reminds me of Nicholson's in terms of decor... somewhere between genuinely trad and tourist stylee trad. A couple of ale ticks. Thought Herefordshire Pale Ale was a new brewery tick til I realised it was Wy Valley HPA with a hand written pump clip. Very busy with older office types. OK.“ |
| 56 /100 Shakespeares Head (JDW) (Bar) AFRICA HOUSE, 64-68 KINGSWAY, HOLBORN “This is a big old barn of a Wetherspoons in central London. Packed to the gills on a Friday afternoon, rather raucous with multiple stag do's going on. The bar service was spot on to be fair, the table clearers were fighting a losing battle though. Closest thing to bedlam that currently exists I would imagine. I didn't know this was here but obviously plenty do.“ |
| 58 /100 Enterprise, Holborn (Bar) 38 RED LION ST. “Next to my hotel. That other website suggested that there would be a tick but the 4th cask pump was off and I wad left with bog standard cask and keg options. Thought of not ordering but was asked for my order so needed up with a Tribute which I necked. Nice enough pub. Relatively busy on a Saturday evening. But no use for ticking.“ |
| 70 /100 208 HIGH HOLBORN “Fist visited in 2003 and included in our Anniversary trip revisiting our best pubs in London 2003-2006. Classic, old fashioned alehouse with magnificent interiors, even on the toilets. Just a few ales on cask, but otherwise almost full range of Samuel Smith beers on bottles and kegs. Located in the same street as Cittie of York towards Tottenham Court Road. We celebrated with a tasty Samuel Smith Extra Stout. Polite service. (Visited with Finn, 28.09.2023).“ |
| 70 /100 22 HIGH HOLBORN “Together with Princess Louise this one is Samuel Smith's classic, magnificent, and long standing pub in London. It was, of course, included in our anniversary trip '23 revisiting our best pubs in London from 2003-2006. We first came here in 2004 and little has changed since then. Four cask ales and other Samuel Smith ales on taps and bottles. Large place, still cozy with smaller, almost private rooms. Central location in Holborn. Polite service. Always a pleasure - and their Old Brewery Bitter was in perfect condition. (Visited with Finn, 28.09.2023).“ |
| 44 /100 Catalyst Café (Bar) 48 GRAY’S INN ROAD “On the most southern stretch of Grays Inn Road, this is a bright modern cafe in a corner unit probably offering Greek fayre. I didn't eat here but I base that in the fact they only have one beer here, which is a crafted bottled lager from Greece“ |
| 86 /100 168 HIGH HOLBORN “Отличный крафтовый паб, можно постоять приятно так и на первом этаже или на улице, так и спуститься вниз. Выбор вроде и не огромный, но всегда интересный, и можно найти что то уникальное, причем зачастую по нормальным ценам. Также огромный плюс в том что он работает до ночи, что редкость в Лондоне.“ |
| 72 /100 Shakespeares Head (JDW) (Bar) AFRICA HOUSE, 64-68 KINGSWAY, HOLBORN “Visited around midday/early afternoon on Wednesday 2/11/2022 - great location and attractively presented place on entering and inside. It was fairly busy being weekday city lunchtime but service and staffing was spot on and with a good varied selection of beers/styles on cask on my visit and all in good nick (all factors that were a issue in my close by Penderels Oak JDW visit just prior) - reviews from many years back here seem to favour the latter but on current form would say the other way round currently. Great spoons and well worth a stop here.“ |
| 56 /100 Penderel’s Oak (JDW) (Bar) 283-288 HIGH HOLBORN “Visited around midday on Wednesday 2/11/2022 - a fairly large Spoons that was pretty packed on entering (city worker lunchtime of course) - nothing much to look at/typical spoons decor. Had a couple of cask brews, quality condition wise just about passable, service was abit surly, overall thought the nearby Shakespears Head JDW was better for selection/condition/staff/decor. Not a destination JDW for me, and hear it is one of the ones lined up for closure soon and not surprised based on my visit.“ |
| 74 /100 168 HIGH HOLBORN “Very handily located near the bee hive of tourist activity that is Covent Garden, and a beacon of interesting beer. The main bar is a narrow strip that can get quite full, involving some gentle nudging of arms and elbows to get to the bar, which is also invariably littered with half full pints from those choosing the bar as their drinking spot. There is a fair size room downstairs with comfortable seats, but wasn't obvious until you went to the loo.
Was a cold, wet January on our visit so lots of taps out of use but still plenty to get stuck into. Three cask, couple from Iron Pier, lots of London / Southern breweries with just a couple from the States with insane prices, and the barman keen to warn away those choosing them (£19 a pint).
It can be a bit claustrophobic but window sills outside can be used to rest beers on. I'm glad this is here, but the lack of space makes my yearn for another option nearby.“ |
| 70 /100 Shakespeares Head (JDW) (Bar) AFRICA HOUSE, 64-68 KINGSWAY, HOLBORN “Visited numerous times, the last being 30/12/2022. Conveniently located JDW, close to Holborn tube station. Service was rapid and friendly on my last visit, with guest beers from Southwark, East London and Windsor & Eton. Price of a pint was reasonable at £4.40. A solid Wetherspoons.“ |
| 84 /100 168 HIGH HOLBORN “Quaint little London pub. Cozy and inviting interior. Particularly on a cold ass English winter day.
Knowledgeable and friendly staff.
15 cask pulls and maybe 25 keg taps. I haven’t seen the bottle/can list but hear it’s good.“ |
| 78 /100 168 HIGH HOLBORN “Nice bar near the British Museum. Kind of small but cozy. They do have an additional more modern appearing (cafe-like) seating area downstairs. They have a solid selection. About 9 cask beers. Around 30 taps. All predominantly British beers. They have a bottle list as well which is predominantly Belgians and American, a couple UK bottles. No food served.“ |
| 80 /100 168 HIGH HOLBORN “Small cozy bar with a good selection of beers on tap“ |
| 66 /100 Penderel’s Oak (JDW) (Bar) 283-288 HIGH HOLBORN “Visited August 2014.“ |
| 68 /100 208 HIGH HOLBORN “Stunning interior, worth a trip just for a nose around. The beer, it's the standard Sam Smiths range. Not a pub to visit for the beer though!“ |
| 46 /100 Sainsbury’s (Various locations) (Grocery Store) 33 HOLBORN “Based on the Streatham Common Sainsburys in London would have to say its better trying up the road at M&S / Tescos for interesting beer. Visits in Nov/Dec 2021 did not yield many interesting new ticks, mostly Sainsburys badged traditional beer from other brewers I had missed over the years, but not much new craft to speak of sadly. Whoever at Sainsburys looks after beer sales/marketing should look at the variety on offer at their competitors.“ |
| 62 /100 Shakespeares Head (JDW) (Bar) AFRICA HOUSE, 64-68 KINGSWAY, HOLBORN “A long bar close to the entrance with a rather narrow room that opens up to the rear of the place. Among the 12 cask ales we found three ales that were new to us, all of them for breweries in London. Some interesting craft beers on tap as well. A decent spoons, close to the Holborn tube. My twelfth, and last, traditional breakfast on this autumn trip to England! (Visited with Finn 24.11.2021).“ |
| 60 /100 Shakespeares Head (JDW) (Bar) AFRICA HOUSE, 64-68 KINGSWAY, HOLBORN “Lage ´spoons close to Holborn Tube. Good-looking. Normal range.“ |
| 68 /100 208 HIGH HOLBORN “Full range of Sam Smith's beers in this attractive old pub“ |
| 72 /100 22 HIGH HOLBORN “Classic city pub with much to look at inside, very good Sam Smith ales on tap“ |
| 50 /100 Sainsbury’s (Various locations) (Grocery Store) 33 HOLBORN “Sainsbury's, over perhaps 8-10 years has gone from the best range of supermarket beer to one of the worst. It's like they ignored the rise of 'craft beer' in the early 2010's and allowed other supermarket offerings to sweep past them. They've still not caught up“ |
| 52 /100 Sainsbury’s (Various locations) (Grocery Store) 33 HOLBORN “In my experience one of the worst supermarket chain for beer. I have only ever found a small uninspired selection. Certainly not worth repeated visiting. Also not experience much regional variation in beer selection as I’ve found with other supermarkets.“ |
| 58 /100 Sainsbury’s (Various locations) (Grocery Store) 33 HOLBORN “Review of Sainsburys Doncaster.
I just come here to see if they have any new beers. M&S has a better selection though, as do Asda etc. Sainsburys do have some Brewdog beers and a couple of beers brewed for them“ |
| 82 /100 208 HIGH HOLBORN “Lovely quirky place with fab beer, defo reccomed :)“ |
| 80 /100 168 HIGH HOLBORN “Very small bar. Good selection of beers. Great service.“ |
| 84 /100 168 HIGH HOLBORN “It's a classic craft beer co bar. I am a bit more down on English craft beer than I think most people are (how many weak pale ales and IPAs do we need guys?) but these guys source the best stuff out there and have a broad selection. Also it's an English pub and you can't beat that for relaxing places to drink.
These people love beer and it shows.“ |
| 82 /100 22 HIGH HOLBORN “A grand old place this. Rebuilt in the early 20s to evoke rose-tinted views of a big old-fashioned 18th century alehouse, it's a place you can't help breaking conversation to marvel at. The bar itself takes up much of the left hand side, with huge old wooden vats towering above the whole way along. On the right there is a line of neat private snugs, full of couples or suits catching up after work. Somewhat fittingly beer range is devoted solely to owners Sam Smiths, including a bitter drawn straight from an oak cask, and a couple of their ciders. Further exploration reveals additional sections and private seating areas. Lovely old place this. Dog friendly too. Mobile's not allowed, but I didn't pay attention to that.“ |
| 50 /100 Sainsbury’s (Various locations) (Grocery Store) 33 HOLBORN “Based on a Sainsbury’s Local in central Edinburgh. They had a good bottle selection of mainly Scottish beers, many of them new to me, and some pretty good ones among them. Otherwise it is just a standard supermarket.“ |
| 62 /100 20-22 SANDLAND STREET “North of Holborn in the back streets, this is a traditional pub with a large central bar sporting many of the Badger brand brews, including their current cask special on my visit. Arrived just before closing so it was almost empty, but I'm guessing like most pubs in this part of the city it's full of suits from early evening hours.“ |
| 74 /100 168 HIGH HOLBORN “Lively small bar with interesting keg/casks. Belgian beer menu. Good prices. Busy. Okay“ |
| 62 /100 Crown (Sam Smith’s) (Bar) 51 NEW OXFORD STREET “Lovely little historic looking saloon bar pub as many Sam Smiths pubs are. This one is dual entranced back and front with a fair amount of outdoor seating at what I guess is classed as the rear of the pub - it's quite hard to tell which side is which! Inside the usual selection of lagers and ales from this northern brewer are available, most of which I've sampled many times before, but this is a pub worth visiting for the decor.“ |
| 62 /100 208 HIGH HOLBORN “This beautiful pub is nearly, for me, all about the wonderful ornate interior. The glass and mirror work, fittings, and the super cool booths are really quite a sight. The beer is of course all Sam Smith and although well priced a bit pedestrian in style for the modern age.“ |
| 86 /100 168 HIGH HOLBORN “Of course the tap list alone underwrites a 5 star review with ease. ~50 covering a large spectrum of styles but it's the fierce devotion to local small producers and cask that makes it world class for me. Indeed I cannot recall a venue with such quality and depth, at least in recent memory. The street level bat is not large and can get crowded; the less busy alternative is the cellar cocktail bar but it is a bit soulless. Good friendly service and quick to offer samples.“ |
| 48 /100 Sainsbury’s (Various locations) (Grocery Store) 33 HOLBORN “It is quite useless to have a "catch all" entry for Sainsbury's stores, as they vary a lot in size and beer selection. But the bigger stores seem to have a fairly decent selection, at least for a foreigner who can expect quite a few ticks here.“ |
| 66 /100 Ship Tavern, Holborn (Bar) 12 GATE STREET “Visited 8/1/19. Small old pub in a small lane close to Holborn station. Good beers,, with a decent restaurant at first floor. Dark and grotty pub,, good beers, nice place,, close to Holborn“ |
| 68 /100 Ship Tavern, Holborn (Bar) 12 GATE STREET “Visited on tour to 22 southern counties with OGJ and EE 08.01.19. A nice restaurant and a pub downstarirs serving six ales on cask - without sparklers. Well worth visiting for a good dinner. Fine service and good food in the upstarirs restaurant at our visit.“ |
| 62 /100 Sainsbury’s (Various locations) (Grocery Store) 33 HOLBORN “Good if you are looking for macros or beers by the major craft breweries/ex-craft that is now owned by big beer.“ |
| 68 /100 22 HIGH HOLBORN “Pub clasico con varias salas, bastante ruidoso, varias lager de barril....“ |
| 72 /100 208 HIGH HOLBORN “The range of Samuel Smith beers is quite extensive and prices are decent but for me the individual/small booths with glassed in sides, the pressed metal ceilings and the Victorian-era style of the place is the main attraction.“ |
| 74 /100 22 HIGH HOLBORN “A looker in all ways, we enjoyed an early lunch here, when doors opened at noon, so we had plenty of time to admire the big hall, wood panelling and the boots down the right side of the bar. Recommendable spot.“ |
| 66 /100 Penderel’s Oak (JDW) (Bar) 283-288 HIGH HOLBORN “Big JDW on High Holborn, I liked this place much better than the other JDW close by (Shakespears Head) more space between tables, better looking breakfast and more polite service. Also a small back garden with seating for 20 or so, nice in good weather.Beer selection was ok,nothing special,, but a good JDW imo“ |
| 72 /100 208 HIGH HOLBORN “Located close to Holborn tube station,, this is a must visit if you are into historic pubs, glass and mirrors from Victorian times, nice woodwork as well. Beer was just about OK at or visit.“ |
| 86 /100 168 HIGH HOLBORN “Visited twice during my latest London trip. Selection from local breweries couldnt be better, think there was 3 from Kernel at my visit, we was a group of 8,, and got served very fast, large lounge downstairs suited us well. Well worth a revisit“ |
| 74 /100 168 HIGH HOLBORN “Visited summer 2017 in the evening. Nice Pub with a good selection and a impressively efficient crew - a sea of people, presumably fresh out of the theater were expedited in a few minutes and there was room at the bar to order again.“ |
| 48 /100 Shakespeares Head (JDW) (Bar) AFRICA HOUSE, 64-68 KINGSWAY, HOLBORN “Located 80 m south of Holborn tube station. Big spoon, almost square room with the long bar located to the left. Good beer selection on cask and keg. Visited twice, once for breakfast and once for a beer, if not rude service, very close. Place also seems dirty and not well cared for. Busy at breakfast and late evenings. I found Penderels Oak(JDW) much more suitable, a short walk only“ |
| 90 /100 168 HIGH HOLBORN “Local moderno con gran seleccion de cerveza craft.“ |
| 86 /100 168 HIGH HOLBORN “I think this place has the most taps of all their locations, spanning almost the entire lower floor. A great variety of local ticks though nothing much beyond that. Also in usual English tradition very few unique styles represented. Still a great place and wonderful location.“ |
| 64 /100 20-22 SANDLAND STREET “The front street was packed with people but inside there were still places to sit. Selection was not comprehensive, they had the same pale ale spanning several taps. Prices were just okay. Bathrooms were skeezy (if that's a word). Not a big beer geek destination, you can go a few blocks east for that.“ |
