please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
It's a Wetherspoons in an old bank. You know what you're getting: good choice of beer, ok food, lots of space (particularly here - very high ceiling)
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I quite like this pub. But I rarely find it open on Saturday's. There always seems to be a wedding on. So not really a public house. Amending my ratings accordingly.
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Another large Wetherspoons that used to be a bank and was apparently used in the Davinci Code film.
12 pumps dispensing 8 different ales, 1 pump was empty and 2 offered ciders.
There is a rather ornate and interesting Knight taking pride of place behind the bar
Seating area up top with the ground having plenty of standing space as well as seating.
Certainly one of the nicer 'spoons.
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Probably one of the better JDW's in that it doesn't have too many wino's clogging the place up. Completely soulless, of course, like drinking in a hotel foyer, but the beer quality is generally good. Service is a bit up and down although since I always feel like the only person that still uses cash when buying a couple of beers it's not surprising I get frustrated waiting for the bar staff to process credit card transactions. Not their fault, of course, but would be good if they at least made an effort to serve people in the order they've been waiting.
Worth a visit.....if you happen to be passing.
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One of the best Wetherspoons pubs around. I think the manager runs a tight ship and it shows in the quality of the offering in terms of service and cleanliness. The beer is excellent and the service is good in what is a large and often a very busy pub. The food is standard Wetherspoons fare and is OK. The building it is in used to be an old NatWest bank so the interior is very gothic with the addition of some bright orange!
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Mixed bag of customers for this JDW pub. Not my cup of tea to be honest. However, decent ales and a decent London Pride. 6/10
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A good 'Spoons - good choice of ales with prompt, friendly and efficient service. Atracts a very varied crowd with people from all walks of life.
alexw - 12 Sep 2012 21:49 |
Great atmosphere, staff very welcoming
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Completely packed on a Friday night with a mixture of people, from the middle-aged enjoying the real ales to the students knocking back the jagerbombs, a great building to have a beer in.
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Rather grand JDW pub and only standing room only on this Friday night. I think the beers had been hit hard with numerous pumpclips turned round - GK IPA & Abbott available of course. I tried the Cottage Tornado and Itchen Valley Hampshire Rose; both were in good nick.
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Indeed a very impressive conversion of the kind Tim Martin and co do very well. No expense spared. The interior is airy and spacious, and perhaps feels more contemporary than one might expect from the lavish neo-Classical frontage. In truth the experience at this pub can't be considered that memorable; it does a lot of things right like ale variety and quality, but is essentially the standard Wetherspoon package. Saying that, there are perhaps fewer unkempt and bedraggled-looking characters drinking here than in many of the chain's outlets in less-affluent locations. But my experience is that the Knight's is not populated by lawyers and toffs either. Clearly they deem a JDW hostelry to be beneath them and choose to quaff their wines and spirits in more rarefied, dearer venues. No loss really - personally I don't want my pubs full of posh types any more than I want them cluttered by dossers!
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Splendid 'Spoons conversion of an old bank. I had one of the beers from Nethergate which was top class. I couldn't understand why a splendid place like this wasn't as busy as the other pubs in this Legal area where the beer was �1 a pint dearer - what does that say about the drinkers round here?
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As Wetherspoons pubs go, this is a very good one. Lovely interior, the toilets are among the best in London and the beer although more expensive than in most W'spoons pubs due to the location is still very much a bargain, as well as generally in good condition. During the current beer festival it has also been changing regularly giving plenty of choice. Pity it no longer opens at 7 a.m. as it used to be a good place for an early coffee.
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Had an extremely pleasant Thursday evening here. Busy enough to have atmosphere but not so that it felt crowded. Great range of drinks, friendly and enthusiastic bar staff, lovely building interior, plus clean and spacious loos make for an excellent pub experience. Almost a 10, but...
Only small let down was with the food; we'd ordered one of the Thursday curry club large deals and, whilst the curry itself was fine and promptly served, we were rather disappointed with the over-cooked extra naans, poppadums, and onion bhajis that made up the "large" element. The bhaji was quite inedible - I mentioned this and was served a much better freshly cooked one so it shows they can do it right, well done!
..and oh yes, the pints of Titanic Tug Light were superb!
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What more could you ask for from a boozer? It looks beautiful, it does good booze at Wetherspoons prices - and it's where my Dad used to take me for a couple of gin and tonics after he'd finished his shift at the Law Society.
Long may it reign
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One of the few real jewels in Wetherspoons' crown, this is apparently their only pub in the country that has been licensed for weddings. Converted from a nineteenth century bank, so it has a superbly ornate interior and the usual strong range of beers... but still a Wetherspoons at the end of the day.
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In terms of Weatherspoons this one is actually pretty decent.
It is not as cheap as others in the chain due to 'City' prices but it does inhabit a nice beuilding. The painted ceiling is not really to my taste but at least they have tried something differnt with the space.
The toilets are excellent. Aside from that just a standard 'spoons.
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We visited this pub on Thursday as part of our real ale trail of pubs, it was our 2nd of the day the 1st being awful but that's another review. Anyhows, what a wonderful pub, gorgeously splendid interiors, very clean, comfortable & friendly atmosphere. The staff were very efficient & there was a wonderful selection of ale's & cider's on. We also had something to eat here & the food arrive promptly, well cooked & hot. The cost of any drinks were all reasonable what you'd expect from JDW. As a female I have to say the biggest highlight of this visit were the ladies toilets, they were amazing, really worth a visit to the pub if only for these, tho i'm told the gents weren't as grand but hey can't have everything. Definitely recommend it as somewhere to go that's not overly busy with either office/tourist peeps a general mix of all sorts 5*
MrsPG - 30 Oct 2010 13:53 |
The name and location looked interesting so we went in on the off chance (as we were initially heading to The Seven Stars) - very grand main room - the name making me think we might be surrounded by Masonic members in black suits, but mostly people from Courts Of Justice across the street - not quite as intriguing when I realised it was Wetherspoons - slightly loses some mystique because of that - but anyway - nice enough if slightly poncy. My brother excitedly tells me the toilets are lovely though!
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Being a bloke, can I just say how incredible the women's toilets are in this place! There is a full length curvy sofa that could easily fit about 20 people on it! And that's before you even get to the toilets themselves. Not that I find myself sitting in many women's toilets with my male work colleague talking about sport but seeing as the young ladies we were with were so kind to invite us in for a look around we couldn't really say no.
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A lovely building and a good range of ales but it still has the standard 'Spoons feel.
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JDW do choose some interesting sites. This is no exception. Beer is fine but its a barn not a pub.
If the big pub cos could get away with serving beer in a supermaket setting they would. Sad thing is people would still go.
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Nice lunchtime pub, cheap and chearful with nice beer !
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This is a large and very impressive building, it�s just a shame it is a Wetherspoons � although I will concede that it is well above average.
It was nice to see a projector on the wall showing Sky Sports news so that people could follow England�s progress in the cricket, shame about the result though.
A far better atmosphere can be found in numerous pubs in the surrounding area.
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Wow a spoons that seems to be clean, cared for and with a full selection of beers, some of which are from the back of beyond. Add all this to being open on Saturdays and this is right up there with being one of the best Wetherspoons not just in London but anywhere. I may just pop in tomorrow.
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Went in here a couple of months ago. About 2pm so it was fairly quiet.
Very good.
Not your average Weatherspoons.
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Nice building. But a bit too big to create any sort of atmosphere on the Saturday lunchtime we visited. At least it was open, unlike many other pubs in the area. Cask ales available were Cottage Smooth Hound, Welton's Rip Tide, Ruddles Best, Greene King IPA, Abbot Ale and Hydes Golden Find. They also had 2 real ciders - Vintage Organic and Old Rosie from Westons.
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fantastic toilets, very different!
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I have to say I thought this was massively above average for the JDW chain. The building is a spectacular baroque specimen, impressively detailed and really very nice to sit in. In contrast to other 'spoons I have visited, this was clearly well run - more staff on for the peak lunchtime rush and as a result I was served promptly. The food wasn't in brilliant shape but thats always an occupational hazard here, though my pint of Goldrush was excellent. Probably the best Wetherspoons I've come across.
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A decent enough Wetherspoons. Distinctly lacking in atmosphere but it's nice and spacious (although it can get really busy on a Friday night). As mentioned below, the service could be a lot better. Overall not a bad place but there are better places to go in the area. Speical mention to the cooks who always seem to cook the steaks the same way (medium/near burnt) no matter how you ask for it!!
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Overall, this is probably somewhat above average for the Wetherspoons chain. It's in a decent building (as others have said, the toilets are particularly impressive) and as a general rule I think the range of ales is a bit more adventurous than the Wetherspoons average. However, the service is consistently poor (although there's a big bar, there never seems enough staff on and the default attitude is very unhurried), and I don't think the beer is enormously well-served.
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Interesting old building conversion, but very empty at the normal office going-home time which I found strange. Modest selection of just four International Beer Festival ales (including the Sharp's Red Slow Ale and Flying Dutchman Wit Bier).
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Tried this place last night for first time. Big open room, unsurprisingly given their previous incarnations, like the Old Bank of England round the corner, with cosy mezzanine nooks at one end. A fairly normal mix of punters inside - post-work crowd and some real ale sessioners in there for the JDW international beer fest. Tried a few beers - Itchen Valley's 1644 Battle of Cheriton, Theakston's Cooper's Butt, Cottage's Golden Arrow, GK Gosnold's Glory and another that I can't recall. All of them in pretty good nick - could have happily had more of each. I expect to return before the end of the festival.
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Not many wetherspoons like this, impressive building , good service and no down and outs.
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Good city pub - cheap food and drink and normally plenty of room. Good range of beers too
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Impressive Wetherspoons, certainly one of the better ones. I had a half of York Constantine which was ok. Had tried most of the other beers but there was definitely some Weltons on.
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JDW can be seen as a haven for older men who want a beer at 9:30am in the morning and find the bench outside Costcutters a bit too character-building.
However - this is a smart outfit for legal eagles. Architechturally impressive and decently run.
It's still a JDW but it is a cut above the rest of the chain.
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Arrived here at 10.50am waiting for pub to open. Duty manager was shocked to see about 20 blokes waiting outside - told us its normally dead at weekends and they only open because head office say they had to. Anyway, even though we were the only people in there practically there were 6 well kept guest ales on - all sampled and all decent. Fantastic interior as already noted. Will return.
Sharp - 31 Aug 2008 21:23 |
Arrived here at 10.50am waiting for pub to open. Duty manager was shocked to see about 20 blokes waiting outside - told us its normally dead at weekends and they only open because head office say they had to. Anyway, even though we were the only people in there practically there were 6 well kept guest ales on - all sampled and all decent. Fantastic interior as already noted. Will return.
Sharp - 31 Aug 2008 21:23 |
As far as Wetherspoons goes this place is quite impressive. I've been drinking here now for four years and only have one request - Bring back the ginger manager! He's very sorely missed!!!!
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Visited here after a disappointing pint in the little pub up the road. Bit noisy for me but the beer was well kept, the service friendly and fast, and the toilets clean. Steak menu looked good value.For these reasons alone 7/10.
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Stumbled across this by accident and it was a gem of a find. Could only stay for one drink as they were about to close the place for a wedding but the beer was great and the surroundings very impressive. I'm not usually very keen on pub chains but Weatherspoons do seem to do a good job at retaining these old buildings.
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Fantastic. Much better than the usual Wetherspoons.
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So what we're basically saying then is that the toilets are quite nice.
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Great decor for a weatherspoons pub, beer was acceptable.
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Yep it is a W'spoons but the decor is nice and it worth going and looking at that. Only a 5 though as not much else to look at :(
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I agree with Mintyboom, I went in here on Friday and the service was abrupt to the point of rudeness. Glasses and plates everywhere. Won't be going back.
anonymous - 18 Nov 2007 16:21 |
Pleasent looking pleasent enough Spoons full of lawyers and Kings College students (their magnificent neo-gothic library is directly opposite). Beer was alright, as you'd expect. Nothing special but solid and with good staff.
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Have been here several times before and it hasn't been too bad but went in on Monday and my experience was a little poor - the barman didn't seem at all interseted and was on the verge of being rude, and the ale selection was somewhat limited. When I asked if a particular beer was on or not (the pump clip was turned upside down but not round) I was greeted with a sullen "huh, it's off" in reply, and it appeared that other ales were also off despite the clips being turned the right way round. However, one redeeming feature was that when they got my food order wrong, the lad who fetched it out was most apologetic and replaced it promptly. The Penderel's Oak is fast becoming my favourite Spoons in the area and on this evidence will continue as such.
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Seems to have completely died during the afternoon lunchtime period after the recent smoking ban, but picks up from about 4pm, so if you want some "life", go about 5pm when all the barrister boys are there.
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Went here last week after a trip to the nearby Seven Stars. A rather lacklustre selection of real ales on offer but the service was quick and the prices helped.
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As Wetherspoons pubs go this is definitely one of the better ones. Nice decor, and I have to say the service was surprisingly great. Mind you, go elsewhere if you want food. Mine was barely cooked.
Ghoti - 16 May 2007 18:25 |
I like this pub. Very impressive. Great location on Chancery Lane. Great decor. Clientelle is from the legal sector. Lawyers and clerks and other local workers as well as somekings and LSE students. It is still a Wetherspoons's though.
anonymous - 26 Dec 2006 16:14 |
Good place. I go here at least once a week, as it is right down the street from LSE. The atmosphere is outstanding, they have an excellent selection of beers, including Courage Best, and pretty good, reasonably priced food.
The food quality is a bit inconsistent though. I have had the Tues. steak twice now. The first time it was cooked way too fast, burnt on the edges, and yet still rare in the middle. The second time, however, it was cooked to medium rare perfection. The breakfast is ok, but they don't know how to fry an egg, way overcooked. But heck, for �1.99, who can complain as long as it is edible?
Lastly, the best thing about this place is watching the drunken barrasters stumble out after closing, or stumble around in the last hour. Just don't get ale spilled on you. Yes, and as you have heard I'm sure, the bathrooms are top knotch.
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the only thing i like about this gaff is that a fair portion of the clientele have come straight out of a case in the law courts, meaning that at any hour of the day you're likely to be boozing next to a bunch of suited and booted scum-bags giving it the biggun like they're something out of Goodfellas. come to think of it, why do i like that?
p.s. contrary to popular opinion, this pub was NOT featured in the recent Da Vinci Load film - the scenes referred to were shot on location in the director / cameraman's apartment
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What's all this about the toilets? The ones I went to were smart but not 'legendary'. Maybe I went to the wrong ones or the wetherspoons faithful are more used to the long drop!
It was nicely decorated and is a very nice building but is definitely not as nice as it could be. Or am I being fussy? Having said that there were a lot of ales on and a few nooks and crannies where you can avoid people while you drink.
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It is a nice pub although at one of the recent beer festivals, the manager had not entered into the spirit of things, and the range of beers was extremely limited. I agree with most of the comments but I go to a pub for the beer; the toilets and their appeal are way down the list!
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Interesting pub. It is probably the best wetherspoons in the UK and, as per every other comment, the bogs have to be seen to be believed. The whole place is very plush with high ceilings and posh decor. It is also one of the only wetherspoons that does not attract chavs or under agers. However, as in common with all wetherspoon pubs, it is soulless and has no real character.
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This is a great pub for taking people not from the area too. The toilets are legendary.
Great interpretation of the Wetherspoons formula. Seriously good for beer, but something for everyone.
It is beginning to show it's age a little round the edges, but the atmosphere makes up for it. Did I mention the loos?! It deserves a 10 for those alone!
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This is the best Wetherspoons pub. Lots of nice legal secretaries!
anonymous - 2 Feb 2006 18:02 |
Impressive decor to say the least. Couldn't believe it was a Wetherspoons when I walked in. Had to go back outside to check I was in the right place. With Wetherspoons you expect to sacrifice some class in favour of getting value for money, but there's not a bit of that here. Here you don't get the usual Wetherspoons crowd (drunks and youngsters who are only there because it's cheap). The grub is the usual Wetherspoons fayre but looking in the kitchen (you can actually see into this one) it looks clean and encourages you to order something from the menu. There is a wide range of beers and from my experience the guvnor runs a decent cellar. I note also that most of the others who have reviewed this pub have praised the toilets, and I would not argue with them on that. I have not been in the ladies (I'm a bloke) but am reliably informed that it is worth visiting the pub just to see them. The gents are certainly among the best I have visited. All in all I have to say that this is a very nice pub that is worth a visit if you are in the area and looking for good value, a nice clientelle and pleasant surroundings. It's not a million miles away from Covent Garden and theatreland either.
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Fairly dingy Wetherspoon. It is open on a Saturday which is a little unusual for the area but, because not much is open round there at the weekend, there were only a couple of people serving and at times one bloke was serving beer, collecting glasses and getting food from the kitchen. The beer was good and the range OK seeing there was a beer festival on but the pub needs to be cleaned up and decorated. It less the patina of age than neglect. It says something about a pub when the best bit's the bog but it is.
anonymous - 16 May 2005 21:16 |
A huge space, like a lot of Wetherspoons, but we found a more intimate seat in the rooms up the back. Good value real ales.
I agree with the previous comment, the toilets were impressive.
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a quality pub, with the best toilets around ever, i hired it out 4 my 18th birthday last year, got f##ked outta my face, ended up on the loo floor, which was so clean, not a smell of p#ss around at all. nice looking bar, high ceilings. VERY CHEAP to hire out, but you've gotta put bout �1500, behind the bar. quality place.
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Not a bad pub, alright to go to during your lunch hour but it is full of barristers clerks (which isn't a bad thing really!!). Staff could be a bit friendlier and they could be a little less stingy on the food servings. Toilets are the best thing about this pub, their quality!!!
anon - 5 Dec 2003 15:27 |
this is a luverly place, but as a bunch of 18 year old jokers we were barred for "making to much noise" - all suits in her and the management are complete c**ts, nice place but shame about atmosphere and manager
anonymous - 26 Oct 2003 20:58 |
Very large and spacious and absolutely rammed with men in suits called Geoffrey alongside their short giggling PAs.
Worth going if only to experience a Wetherspoons not populated by old drunks who piss themselves.
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wetherspoons, lovely location, incredibly high ceilings, balcony seats, amazing loos (winner of the loo of the year award)
corinne - 7 Oct 2002 16:20 |
