please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Bit of a throwback of a pub these days, certainly in this sort of area. Has an Irish flavour but without overdoing the faux Oirish stuff.
Good barstaff, quite a locals/regulars place but I'd recommend it. They do bitter as well, unusually for a lot of Irish type pubs, and the Doom Bar I had was perfectly fine. You used to have a lot more pubs like this; genuine.
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Small friendly little pub. Good service.
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Had walked past many times, without going in. When I finally did, I found an excellent local that has avoided the refurbishments/rebranding of so many pubs in central London. Bit of an Irish feel: decorated with ephemera from the Emerald Isle. Now regret not popping in years ago.
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First pub we visited, seems like a 'local' and couldn't believe we were in London as the prices were that reasonable. Beers tried were all good, service good.
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Good beer . A little out of the way for a pre- train drink , but lots of room. Not so sure about the food . Good value service.
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Have occasionally popped in here for a cheeky one at lunchtime without fear of running into any workmates.
Eclectic little place with authentic Irish feel (bric a brac everywhere, racing on the telly, couple of regulars who never seem to leave their bar stools).
Definitely a locals place. When I have been in the landlord/lady always seem surprised to see a customer and a bit put out at having to interrupt whatever they are doing to serve.
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The Crown and Cushion is a bare boarded, dimly lit, traditional woody pub with an Irish emphasis - Ireland road signs everywhere and pots and pans on the bar gantry for instance.
If you look hard enough, you can evidence of the pub's former existence as a Truman's pub - some of the trademark wood panelling and a Trumans mirror. There's an outside drinking yard at the back which is decorated with some old enamel signs, two hanging bicycles and a large old Trumans pub sign. There's a Thai restaurant upstairs.
A largish TV was showing horse racing, with no sound, but, perhaps unusually was attracting little interest. Entertainment was being offered later in the evening from a music band.
Despite being close to Waterloo Station, it seems to be mainly a regulars pub. It's probably round the "wrong" side of the station to attract homebound commuters, unlike say The Hole in the Wall or The Wellington.
On the real ale front, there's 3 pumps which, on my recent early evening visit, were dispensing Greene King IPA and Speckled Hen. The IPA - � 2.80p - was in good condition and, notably, there was rather more real ale trade than one might have expected here.
Not everyone wants to drink in stripped out, pine floored, so called contemporary pubs and I quite liked the dark, slightly seedy, atmospheric feel to the place. Despite the limited beer range, I wouldn't be averse to calling in again if the opportunity presents itself
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Not inviting outside, however once inside you step back around 40 years apart from the live streaming of the horses. Proper old fashioned, dark drinking den for the Irish and working men. There is Thai food served upstairs too!
So if you like a masculine pub set in 1959 that has an Oriental twist then this is the pub for you! I think Shaun B will like it though!
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Quite an intriguing place. Judging by the Irish memorabilia all around the bar, and the amount of people drinking the black stuff, this is an Irish pub, but unusually it had two or three (Greene King) real ales on the pump, which is to be commended. I very much liked the interior - pubs crammed with nick-nacks like this are quite rare in central London. There was a wide mix of locals in there. Thai food and garden out the back. One point I would say is that the service from a quite-frightening looking barmaid / landlady was pretty unfriendly - willing to believe she was just having a bad day or moment, as otherwise this looked a decent, unspoilt, place to me.
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Old Speckled Hen was reasonably good, well drinkable, this was pub number nine on our crawl so was getting a bit weary!! Why is it so dark in here?? I was tempted to ask for a torch to find my way to the garden or maybe some carrots.
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Quality Establishment, good beer, great Thai Food. Service is quick.
Jukebox is a nice feature
Highly recomended.
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i cannot recommend this pub to anyone. i was in the pub last week , using the internet, when some comedian thought it was funny to hack into my email account and send rude messages. i will NEVER set foot in this pub EVER AGAIN , and will recommend my friends do the same!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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havn't been in for a couple of years,but this was my local as a lad growing up in the area,when it still had a saloon and public bar it had a lot more character,at least it's still called the C&C and not the Horse, Walrus or camel and cucumber
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Old fashioned crammed full of knick knacks boozer with a decent Guinness!
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Old-fashioned town boozer, crammed full of all sorts of odds and ends, and with a noticeable Irish element in both customers and decor. I'm sure that you can get an excellent pint of Guiness here, but the Greene King IPA was on good form.
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The infamous yellow pub of waterloo is no more, the cream pub it now is. Shame shame please return it to its former glory, not even Monica the bar lady approves of its new apparrel. It has to be said though, this public house is still the finest watering hole to be found in waterloo; traditional oak everywhere, and still great ales. A nice pint of hen awaits those who enter. What more could a drinker want - some beer nuts I hear you cry! Yes, they have them too, and taytos for that matter. Fantastic
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Bit of a funny pub this one, but certainly has lots of characters. 4/10
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i used to drink in here in the seventies when it was a traditional type pub,before they knocked the two bars into one and ruined the place
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A true English pub, superfluous amounts of traditional pub oak, classic ales, speckled hen, IPA and a delicious range of ciders. Foods dam fine, and quality beer nuts. The bar lady's a true charmer, hughly recommended for the more discerning pub-er
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Forgot this was the pub i visited in 05, very different on latest visit though, get the feeling you are expected to spend money here!
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Good place to find GAA (Irish sports - hurling and gaelic football) on TV. Good Guinness too!
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What a pub, roaringly warm, nice cold beer and friendly 'Man U' fans to join Us watching the game. Well worth a visit when this way. But the Villa will win next time.
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I owe a lot to the Crown. Some of the staff and most of the locals may look rough, but they're a friendly lot and eager to help. Twice I went there looking for rugby internationals and been disappointed that they weren't showing it. I asked if they were showing the match and the staff had a word with the other customers (who on both occasions were watching horse-racing) and within a couple of minutes one of the tellies was switched over so I could enjoy the match!
Don't know much about most of the beers, but the Guinness is good and they sell cheap house wine that doesn't hurt your head. The lock-ins are hilarious.
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Great pint of Guinness. A lively place, where most of the locals ended up dancing on the tables until about 3am!
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Good service, excellent Guinness, decent prices. Very much a boozer, and therefore a decent alternative to the rather bland bars that have widely infiltrated the area. Ropey old jukebox mind.....
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Does seem like a very popular place, which probably does attract locals but doesnt make others feel unwelcome really, So its definitely an OK place to go. Do darts competitions which is quite cool, does seem a lively place
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Think Nicklaus is being a bit sensitive to be honest. Seems like a bit of a locals' pub but not unfriendly let alone hostile.
The cash registers by the stairs show this pub has been around for a while. I like that about a pub. While trendy bars will always have their atmosphere, and I like that as well, nothing replaces a bit of history and tradition.
Seems like darts is the order of the day here, though I don't quite know what the system is.
Didn't have the Guinness served by the Irish girl but liked it nonetheless.
Will2 - 26 Nov 2005 20:26 |
I have been drinking in the CROWN AND CUSHION for some time and I always enjoy drinking in the friendly atmosphere.
This Saturday 19 November, any Rugby League fans can come and watch the GB vs Australia match in the pub. Food is served all day.
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The pub equivalent of walking on thin ice. Always seems like the sort of place where you're liable to get a punch in the chops, even though I've seen no evidence to suggest it. They seem to change the paint job on the outside every year - I've seen it bright yellow and bright mauve - proper Del Boy specials. Beer garden in the summer. Not much to shout about in the way of ale, but the it's alright. Cooked grub is decent and good value, but once saw someone get a rough looking cheese sarny and walk out.
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I went into this pub on a busy lunch time recently. But what surprised me the most was with two staff on they really kept everything going. Coustomers were being served, food being delivered, tables kept constantly clean and these two people the barmaid and the manager I think, were still able to share a joke with each other with their regulars and with anyone like me who couldnt help but overhear their halirious banter. Despite everything I read on this site the food I ordered "Tandorri Chicken" was really mouth-watering. My only dismay? I didnt get to see the pub dog.
anonymous - 23 May 2005 13:21 |
What can I say??!! The "craic" is mighty and the service is pretty good too. And the pint of Guinness?? (well I had to try a pint of the black stuff, its an Irish pub isnt it?? Absoultely delicious and beautifully served by a really pleasant Irish girl whose name sorry I forget!! Anytime I go in there now this is my drink but I do wish that Irish girl was always there to serve it too!! Definitely the best pint around.
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I've only been going to the Crown for a few weeks but the company's wicked, the Buds are served well within the 'born on' time limit and burgers always go down well. Yes, love the place and hope to keep going back again and again!
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As has already been mentioned the Crown may not be to everyone's taste, but then nor is the Walrus, Horse or Elusive Atmosphere. The Crown serves the finest pint of lager I have had for a long time and as for the food being dodgy, I have eaten in the Crown more times than I care to remember, I am still here, a burger and chips (at the time of writing) is �3.95, and its really quite nice. Admittedly you can get a better burger in Horse for �7, as long as you are happy for it to be accompanied by a pint of "headless horrible" and served to you by a wine waitress.
Almost everyone you see regularly in the Crown, staff and customers alike, will be friendly and welcoming, will share a joke at the bar while you wait to be served and your beer always comes with a smile and a "how are you?", practically non-existent throughout London these days. Even the dog T-Bone comes to say hello (only to your genitals but it is definitely a hello). In short, a cracking boozer full of atmosphere and characters, never a dull moment, great beer and Agnes the barmaid is gorgeous, absolutely love the place.
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I've been drinking here for a little over four years.
I disagree that the other pubs in the area are better i.e. Walrus, the Horse and certainly not the Elusive Camel (Elusive Service would be more accurate).
The Crown is a little dingy and it does smell of beer, but then it's a PUB and not an old pub revamped to become a wine bar.
The service in the Crown is warm and friendly. As it is a pub and not a bar, you don't have to drink with your little finger sticking out and the beer is always well-poured and cold. The food is pub grub. Nothing more and nothing less.
If you like a proper pub, with a local feel, yet open to all, go to the Crown.
As for T Bone, he's an old perv who always tries to give men "the sniff"... But then like the odour of beer and dust on the pictures/floors/walls - it's part of the dying pub culture. Although I wish he'd pick on someone else!
Try the Crown once. If you don't like it, don't go back. If you do, you'll be back again and again.
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I was a little surprised to read other people's comments regarding the Crown. The Crown has a unique atmosphere, which I suppose is not to everyone's taste. I have always found the staff and the management to be friendly and welcoming. The food is based on Indian cuisine and I agree that the English food is a bit naff. The Indian food is good and not too expensive. The pub also provides free internet access to clients in a semi private room. This has proved popular with people who want to check their emails, book travel tickets etc. The dog (T Bone) is a character himself, once you get to know him as are most of the regulars.
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Would never go here again since the resident dog had diahorrea and pooped all over the floor next to our table when we were having lunch. Not to mention the 'sausages' with our sausage, eggs and beans were wrinkly hotdogs, and they didn't tell us that 'Sausage, Egg and Beans' came with chips, and we all ordered chips on the side. So we were overrun with chips. They might have said something..... avoid at all costs. There are many more much better pubs close by.
Emma - 18 Nov 2004 12:05 |
OK Lager, terrible food, blackened hamburger, nice service, dingy, smelly. The Walrus across the road is much better
Mike - 27 Nov 2003 13:07 |
Has seen better days. There was a time when this was a meeting place for exiled Man City fans who seemed a good bunch of lads.
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Good jukebox.
Pikey the Koala - 10 Jun 2003 11:34 |
