please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Back open again now
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Sadly now closed.
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Bar staff were friendly and we tried the Swedish food which was good. Pint of Chelsea Blonde also nice.
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Disappointed. I called in at about 1.30 for a quick drink. The staff member looked bored out of their mind. My drink (expensive side of reasonable) was not served properly. The pub needs a good clean. Clientele included two mums spoon feeding their babies and taking up plenty of space to do it too. I'm sorry but if I as a working man go into a pub for a lunchtime drink, I want a pub atmosphere not domesticity. There is a time and a place for everything.
I have to say the the food served to nearby customers looked good.
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dont have any real problem with the place apart from the prices(aspall �4)it may be a "Swedish" pub but anything that keeps pubs alive ticks my box,three handpumps featured London pride,doom bye hobgoblin,6/10
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I visited this pub recently with friends, as we wanted to have a night out with other Scandinavians. What a mistake. This pub truly has the worst service I have ever encountered in England. The staff are very rude and arrogant.
The staff took full glasses off the table, and if we tried to stop them, they only grunted, gave an annoyed look and walked off. While having our first drinks, the manager came to our table and asked us to leave, as some of us were not drinking alcoholic drinks.
When we complained about the rude service to one of the waiters, this particular member of staff actually agreed with us. That probably tells it all.
The place has a small collection of Swedish cider and standard lagers. It does have a small garden at the back, but this was closed from early evening, as the place is in the residential area. The function room upstairs had two tables and a small TV screen which would not be suitable for watching sports.
I am embarrassed that this pub calls itself Swedish.
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One picture of Freddie Ljungberg does not make a pub Swedish. What are Swedish Sports? Saying that stereotypical blonde behind the bar. 2 Ales Brakespears and Pride �3.40 a pint. Nice pub.
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A small compact pub with an adequately sized beer garden. Does not serve food at the weekend which is a bit strange and in spite of notices in the garden asking for patrons to be aware of noise levels, the crowd out there on this Sunday evening (29th August) was loud and intrusive.
Guinness was nice and the bar staff friendly. 5/10
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One of the better pubs in a day of mostly average or worse pub visits. Nice and relaxing ,decent beerand friendly service. Worth a visit.
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I've seen Lowenbrau in The Hollybush in Hampstead but that is a few years back. I'm trying to convince them to get another good German beer in, Beck's Vier doesn't count!! I'm hoping that Punch Taverns will start stocking Lowenbrau again but I'm not holding my breath...
The pub is currently undergoing a bit of a face lift. They have put new signs on the front, Kopparberg, so they are really pushing the Swedish theme even in the decor. Look alright.
A bit of painting is going on inside and new seats.
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Noooo, no more lowenbrau.
Do you know of any other pub in London that serves it?
Apart from the World's End.
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I nearly cried when the owner told me that they no longer can serve Lowenbrau due to the fact that Punch Taverns no longer stock it.
The end of an era!
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A nice looking pub, both inside and outside. On my recent visit only two cask ales were offered, but both these (London Pride and Brakspear) were good. I also enjoyed the fish and chips, although my companion was less enamoured of her burger.
The staff were also friendly and helpful; however, the one major criticism I have was the music. This was mostly 1970s to '80s rock classics, which was not a problem for me, but it was sometimes rather too loud, and, worse, frequently sounded like what was being played were very poor quality MP3 files that exhibited gross data compression artefacts, making the music incredibly annoying and extra-intrusive.
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A great pub with a great choice of drink. Have recently added Brakspear Bitter next to London Pride. Hoegaarden and Lowenbrau are my clear favorites on tap. A shame that Fosters have found its way in this pub.
The garden is fantastic for parties and a quiet drink in the afternoons.
Well worth a visit.
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�5.40 for a pint of Leffe? Jeezo, pass the biscuits Moranty!
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yes, all very nice, especially a pint of Leffe for 5.40. Good grief
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Very nice pub, but the barmaid applied the sparkler to my pint of Adnam's Explorer which completely killed it. Why do they do this?
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Great Pub for everything but ale.
This pub surely is an argument for better cellaring standards or more likely more flexibility on the type of beers pubs with little skill or care for ale serve - better modern keg ales? The Adnams Explorer was flat with almost no condition. The Pride was a butter bomb with diacetyl nose and taste.
At least the imported Lowenbrau is a better bet than the standard poor lagers served traditionally in more English pubs.
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Very friendly pub tucked away off the beaten track, but obviously not that much of a secret as the bustling atmosphere demonstrates. Clearly quite an attraction for Swedish visitors to London. Didn't try the food but the beer selection was OK. Worth a visit.
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Really friendly pub, popular with the London Swedish community. For instance, shows Swedish Elitserien ice-hockey and Allsvenskan football matches on its screen. Most of the staff are Swedish and the food menu has a slightly Swedish flavour (although I think they should really increase their Swedish dish offering)as well as more English/pub dishes.
Patio courtyard area out the back is nice in the summer - it's very much surrounded by buildings, so not very green - but pleasant for London.
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Apparently unchanged in 40 years except for the Big Screen, which is left on but silent, so it is not intrusive. Good beer [Adnams]; cheerful & efficient service; all ages; food not tried; no muzak.
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Boring.
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Good Pub, have made good use of the outdoor area outside, some intresting beers on tab, staff seam good but cant understand why the charge 80pence to use credit card??????
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Fabulous pub favourite with the London Swedes, hosts many a Scandinavian themed nights and a great selection of drinks. Plus a cosy back garden with plenty of character. Can get very busy during events but only adds to the party atmosphere of the place.
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Good staff, great beer garden. So good, I am keeping this place to myself.
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great little back street boozer - plenty of character, good beer and attractive barstaff. Food was Ok in my opinion and the service friendly - did i mention the barstaff? Would definately visit again if only for the barstaff.
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Great pub with lowenbrau on tap; need I say more
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Good selection of Beers!
anonymous - 22 Mar 2007 17:59 |
Not a bad pub with ok beer,and a cracking blonde behind the bar when I went in.6/10
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The Harcourt is not a bad little pub, it's not trying to be something that it's not, like many other bars & pubs in London. and it works... just need some help with the menu - the food is is main letdown, which is such a shame given that the beer is good.
The bar may be unkempt, but that adds to the inividual charm to the place. (can be very Smokey)Great out side seating, rare in London. If they get the food sorted out there onto a winner... 5/10
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This is a friendly pub in quiet surroundings and a nice small beer garden, well worth a visit. I often pop in there after work, good crowd.
w2man - 19 Aug 2006 21:43 |
I�m very fond of the Harcourt. It�s an excellent place in which to unwind after work. In summer the atmosphere is cool and relaxed, with benches on the (quiet) street outside, and a garden at the rear. In winter it�s warm and welcoming with the occasional, incomprehensible, game of ice hockey showing on TV and �glogg� (Swedish mulled wine) available for the adventurous / reckless.
As others have mentioned, the staff are predominantly Swedish. I�d add that they are invariably courteous and friendly. An easy 8/10.
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Decent pub, especially for an afternoon pint. Staff are always very friendly
dembo - 28 Jun 2006 23:30 |
Ten pound (plus a booking fee!) to watch the football.
Ha Ha Ha, Ha Ha Ha.
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Top notch boozer. Go for the Kopparberg mixed fruit cider for a night you may not remember.
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Understated, good pub, with subtle Swedish influence, but not that you'd notice unless you pay attention. I like it! More Swedes of the female variety always welcome!!!
anonymous - 18 Oct 2005 19:28 |
Good little local pub, unmessed around, with as people have said a Swedish connection.
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Vera Shaw, you must have been quite unfortunate to experience the Harcourt when it was quiet. It very rarely is these days, unless you visit during the hours of 3-5:30 when you'll find the locals they'll all be at work at this time. As for "the dreadful swedish concoction" you mentioned, the Kopparberg Cider is a best seller at The Harcourt, amongst the Swedish and the English alike.
anonymous - 16 Sep 2005 17:12 |
A trifle boring. It's so bright and quiet that sometimes I wish someone would fart to liven things up. Good value "beer of the week" promotion for �2. A dreadful swedish concoction is also on sale, be warned!
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In 1950 I had my first legal beer in "The Harcourt", I now live in western Canada but return every other year to visit London relatives and always go back to the "Harcourt" for an "Old Times" beer.It truly is a gem and I hope they have not changed it to much.
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Hal clearly has no clue about what he's talking about, The Harcourt has still got everything a "traditional pub" should have. We even have our original victorian mirrors that are over 100 years old. I'm not sure many other publicans could say the same thing. The only thing we changed dramatically in the redec we had 3 years ago was to pull the bar back a few feet and get rid of the overhanging ceiling (which in my opinion was a good move). Other than that everything else just got a lick of paint. We will be changing the colour of our "little" Swedish Lounge most people have said that it's a bit too yellow which is probably right. You also got somethine else wrong Hal, we don't serve Swedish Kopparberg Perry, it's cider. Don't suppose you saw our lovely garden at the back did you?
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good english pub frequented by swedish folk with a good selection of english and continental beers would return if in area
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Somene below described this as "the epitome of the traditional English pub"; well, I beg to differ. It's been modernised in a rather unappealing way and the recent refurb of the little'Swedish lounge' has made matters worse. The atmosphere isn't bad and they serve Swedish Kopparbergs perry but it's all a bit boring really.
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A very nice pub indeed, exactly as described by Ruby below. A bit off the beaten track for me but well worth a detour. My pint of London Pride was perfect.
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This place is a bloody gem. Found it by happy chance when I was living nearby, babysitting some evil cats for a couple of weeks. Ironically, if you overlook the Swedish flag outside, the occasional chalkboard references to Sweden, and the picture of Sven under one on the high tables, it's the epitomy of the tradinional English pub - wood, brass, bad carpet, good beer. The Swedish Kopparberg pear cider makes the whole place worthwhile and yes, there's a large and very welcoming Swedish clientele. I hope to god that any English boozer in Sweden can make a similar statement. 10/10, which considering I'm normally a sarcastic, miserable bastard on here, means a lot.
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Used to be my local when I lived on York St. Since had a refurb (couple of years back) so the Swedish room is a bit too clean for my taste now :) Nice spot to go for a drink though.
Jack Knight - 24 Aug 2004 12:41 |
What can you say+ As I am one of the attractive Swedish clientele and also a regular to the place I can vouch for the Harcourt as a good pub. I live several miles away but still try to get there at least once a week to meet up with mates or enjoy a friendly chat with the bar staff, whether I know them or not. It is truly a friendly local pub with good choice of beers, ciders (both swedish and domestic) and a bar manager that looks like Jamie Oliver (but don't tell that to his face). And as for the clientele, yeah baby there are alot of girls there, especially during sport events!
Daniel - 4 Aug 2004 11:41 |
Enjoyed a very nice pint of Lowenbrau in there on Friday - great place. Lots of Swedes - though disappointed that the barstaff were male! The mad landlady wasn't difficult to spot - most entertaining! Will definitely be back.
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The Swedish connection is mainly as a result of the swedish church across the road, who a long time ago had a group of people that used the svenska salongen when they came to the pub, as a gesture someone put a plaque up to remember them. In the area there's also a swedish restaurant(Garbos),shop and the swedish chamber of commerce. Also because of this the majority of our barstaff are swedish =) The reason we close on a saturday afternoon is because there's usually no point in opening (lack of trade) apart from when we are showing English/Swedish/Italian football.
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Lots of attractive clientele -(due mainly to the Swedish connection) also great place to watch Italian football. Great beer garden round the back for some privacy...
Morgan - 28 Oct 2003 15:45 |
This pub closes on a saturday afternoon, madness.
Swedburg - 27 Oct 2003 13:15 |
Lovely pub with a beautiful garden for the summer. Good beers, especially the L�wenbr�u. Great atmosphere and very friendly barstaff..
Tom - 19 Oct 2003 00:43 |
was wondering about the swedish thing. i reckon this place is good because they have never chucked us out. i also feel guilty for pinching one of their decoration santa's at christmas time so am going to give it a good score
alex - 19 Aug 2003 11:12 |
The Harcourt has had a complete redec and now looks great! Lots more room, completely new and exciting lunch menu with a variety of different dishes to choose from. p.s. the land lady ain't that bad!
Sarah - 16 Jul 2003 15:23 |
Fantastically friendly, smart and down to earth boozer - nice beer garden in the back (one of very few in the area).
Liable to spot the odd Swede in the Swenske Salongen due to the Swedish church opposite.
N.B watch out for the mad land-lady.....
Paul Cole - 2 Jul 2003 21:34 |
