please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
They advertise ales for £2.45 on Mondays, but seem to always have ran out of gas and can't serve ales!
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Awful well-worn drinking barn in railway arches. beer was undrinkable - leave it to the tourists/unwary...
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Cheap yet loathsome. Dirty tables. A branded establishment that lives off the location but does not put enough staff on to keep the place actively sharp.
A bit like a bank at lunchtime , lots of customers but not enough staff.
Beer choice was ok, and sampling was good also. Food was worth the price, but the place lacked a floor manager watching and responding to customers.
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This venue has been the home of Reptile for 6 years. It has had 6 years of 'alternatives' using their venue for a monthly get together, putting thousands over the bar. WHEN D Matteo have you ever had concerns about any of us using drugs!!!!!!!!!!! I can guarantee that Saturday night had the most drug abuse the venue has ever seen in its history. Do not tar us with the same brush as the clientèle you had in there watching the football!!!!!!
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I agree that it is a Wetherspoons style pub.
It's a large pub and would be ideal for a larger group.
I had not a bad hobgoblin here.
Nothing wrong with this pub but nothing memorable either
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Resembles a good Wetherspoons with the usual features of that chain: cheap beer; cheap food; endless promotions; sterile atmosphere; and insufficient (though friendly) staff. They do a very decent early morning breakfast, however, that fortifies you after a heavy night/sets you up for a tramp round London.
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Not unique, but certainly a rare kind of pub in that it is built under the arches of the tube system. This lends a good amount of atmosphere to the place, which is better inside than the outside suggests. The roof is all open brick arches and the sound above when a tube passes is a talking point whilst drinking one of their real ales, although these were in the main, common, well known brands.
Atmospheric and fairly darkly lit, this a decent place to spend an hour if passing anywhere near to Tower Bridge.
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We go here for lunch without fail every friday and it's got to be the best option in the area.
Think some of the earlier reviews seem bit unfair. I don't drink drink ale so not sure about that...
But the food is excellent and I reckon really good value as I normally struggle to finish mine (and that is saying something!). And we've never had a long wait (unlike poor taichiky) - cos we have to get back to the office and we have never been made late yet.
Staff really friendly and make special effort - maybe cos we aare regulars.
Would definitely recommend - we like it!
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A truely odd place, undrinkable ale, staff unconcerned!
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A rather cavernous place which is a little too anonymous, the staff are there to sell and it appears that customers are an inconvenience. If it was not for the fact it is adjacent to a station I suspect it would be empty. Standard choice of drinks, nothing special, all in all, there is no real reason to go there. They are however proof Cask Marque means very little.
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I don't normally write reviews for pubs but just have to for this one! But it is not going to be positive!
Just got back home from a Sunday roast lunch there and was very disappointed with it. I normally go to Weatherspoons but decided to try seeing as I only live down the road and have never been before.
Today the Sunday roast was beef. It says on the menu Sunday roast with all trimmings plus dessert for 7.49. Sounds good on paper but when my wife and I received our meals the plate was massive but the portion was quite poor. We had a few carrots, 3 roast potatoes, 1 large broccoli, a few spoonfuls of mash and 2-3 slices of beef. The gravy was extremely watery and the taste was quite bland. When I asked about the Yorkshire pudding the waiter went to ask the chef, only to be told that they had ran out of Yorkshire puddings! I didn't get told this at the bar when ordering so feel I had been conned somewhat as I paid for everything, not to be told afterwards parts of the food were missing. If that was the case they should had given me a discount.
On top of this the food took 45 mins to arrive! I had also ordered 2 pots of tea and that took 30 mins to arrive at our table. The service is ridiculously slow! I had an italian/spanish waiter who bought us our tea so I asked him if the food was going to be much longer as we had already waited 30 mins. He tells me that the bar should have told me it would be 30 mins but could be another 10-15 mins. When I told him that the bar never told me it would take so long he quite rudely said to me "well do you want to stay then or not?!". Certainly was not happy with his attitude especially when they were at fault for miscommunication and delay in bringing me my food and drinks. However the subsequent asian waiter was much more polite and accomodating which I am happy to give him credit for.
My dessert was ok but nothing to write home about. Had a triple layered cake with ice cream. However this came very quickly.
I had planned on complaining to the manager but thought what difference would it make if I did, so didn't bother in the end.
The pub itself is styled as an old country type pub which is kind of cosy and nice. Now and again you will hear the trains going by overhead which I thought was quite funny as I was bouncing about a bit.
Overall not a great first experience with this pub. I think the Minories is good to go for a pint with mates but for food I don't really recommend. Although I haven't tried the other items on the food menu, after today's experience I don't think I want to waste money trying! The Weatherspoons down the road is 10 times better for food & price and that's really saying something!
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Back in my youth in the early 90s when the City had far less bars and clubs (and a lot closed at 8 or 9 pm) the Minories was the Square Mile's premier meat market. I've seen the Pitcher and Piano in Liverpool St referred to on here as the gateway to Essex but this is the original.
It's wedged under a couple of the arches of the rail tracks out of Fenchurch St and adjacent to the entrance to the Tower Gateway DLR station. The pub itself is large and rambling with a bar area under each arch. It was quiet on my early afternoon visit last week with clientele mostly consisting of dining tourists. The offers on shots and cocktails behind the bar though suggests that in the evening it is still a destination for Basildon's finest.
Surprisingly the Minories has a Cask Marque although the ales on offer consisted of LAndlord, Pride and Bombardier. Old Rosie on pump is also available for those who don't give too much thought to the state of their liver.
I'm not totally sure what to conclude about this pub - the environment is perfectly pleasant (notwithstanding the trains rumbling overhead) but I suspect in the evenings it's still pretty nasty.
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Stumbled on the Minories whilst working in London for a few days. Popped in each night for something to eat and a drink and have no complaints at all with either. Beer was good, lovely pints of Pride and Landlord, food very good and served very quickly, reading earlier post it looks like they've improved in their service.
Nice setting under the railway arches, once you get used to the rumble every few minutes, will call in agin later this month when back.
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Nice interior, friendly enough staff and great to the watch the football as there are TVs everywhere! I was in here on a Sunday so I don't know what it's like midweek but I wouldn't mind going back to see.
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Beer was undirnkable. Dire, dire, dire. It really is not worth commenting on.
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Being near my workplace this pub is popular during the warmer months with my work colleagues, chiefly due to it having a relatively large outdoor area where drinks can be imbibed while smoking. If you can ignore the noise of 3 lanes of constant traffic passing close to your tables it is a pleasant venue for an outdoor drink in summer.
However, being close to Tower Hill it does receive many tourists, particularly families looking for food service. This in itself is not a problem, however with the bar and table service having slowly declined over the past 3 years (staff levels having declined) you should prepare yourself for a long and painful wait to get served at the bar most afternoons or early evenings on summer weekdays and school holidays.
Be prepared on Thursday and Friday evenings to lose some coinage to "toilet nazis" (attendants) if you desire to wash your hands.
There is a wide selection of lagers on tap, though some quite pricey (�4.20 for a Peroni for example) and 3 bitters/ales and Guinness.
It is a shame really that the pub has become so understaffed during the warmer months in particular, because it's a good pub and one of very few in the Tower Hill region with an outdoor partially covered area.
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Large but characterless boozer filling a couple of arches under the railway bridge by Tower Gateway station. Four handpumps, two dispensing Adnams and two Bombardier - yawn. Wasn't jam-packed on a Friday evening, though, which is something I suppose, although I can't see myself returning soon.
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I like this pub, the staff seem to know me now. Good service and excellent food. Also they still offer 2 meals for �7.99, which is good for the location! Beer kept in good condition.
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Was there on Saturday night. Hadn't been there for a good 4 years and wasn't too keen on going back when friends mentioned it but was pleasantly suprised with a really good mix of people, friendly staff and atmosphere, fairly ok ish music and quick service at the bar.
Good selection of drinks both soft and alcoholic and plenty of seats to have a chat in the front bar if you didn't fancy the noisier back bar.
Even the lollipop lady in the loo was lovely! Will definately go back.
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Much better than it was. gone through a refurb but really no differant to a wetherspoons as it is owned by Laurel (R20) or laurelspoons as comonly known.
worth re trying tho
anonymous - 14 Nov 2007 00:07 |
My previous review for The Minories was unfavourable, but in truth, prior to last Thursdays visit (August 9th), I hadn�t set foot in here for three years. So, would my recollections in my initial review prove to be the undoing this time around? Yes and no. The bar seemed to of had a refurbishment since and I don�t recall, it, well, being so nicely done up inside. The large beer patio is accommodating and on the face of it, all the pluses should lead to a favourable rating. However, despite the half-decent beer selection, (London Pride and bombardier amongst the ales), the condition was err. Not so good. Mt pint of Pride tasted sour and the service on my visit wasn�t particularly up to scratch either. All in all though, here isn�t a bad place by any means and I now feel I was a little overly harsh on my previous review. Or perhaps it was because all my previous visits were on a Friday night. A time when drunken, suits stagger to awful music and offer you four pounds for a single cigarette (true! This really happened). Choose your time wisely and accordingly and you�ll like it here. I think. I certainly wouldn�t visit on a Friday night though.
HTM69 - 12 Aug 2007 13:02 |
well i visited one saturday afternoon and was walking to get a DLR train didnt think this would be open , it was so in i went , was quite shocked at how big the place was , there wasnt many people in at the time so i was chatting to matt the barman who gave me a guided tour of the pub well showed me the bit out the back , only intended staying for one before meeting friends for a session , they came down n met me here , had a few more then left , overall it was a bit pricey but it is in the square mile , havent visited during the week so cant comment on that but i didnt find it a bad boozer as pubs in this area go
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Not a place I have visited lately, but I used to frequent The Minories occasionally when working in the nearby area. It always felt incredibly gloomy and downtrodden and in all truthfulness, isn�t my kind of venue at all and it�s full of suited morons in a Friday night who can�t handle their beer. If you have any understanding of what makes a decent pub/bar, do not be a fool like me and visit. Not recommended.
HTM69 - 14 Nov 2006 17:24 |
The manager is a top guy, he actually looks a bit like Martin Clunes!
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This place is ming - its populated by chavs awaiting their trains back to Essex - best avoided
anonymous - 24 Sep 2006 18:51 |
Awful, awful, awful place. They actually charge you at the weekend to get in and be shouted over by drunken suits. One redeeming feature: On Thursday night it's pound a pint. So the only way to enjoy the Minories is to grab as much lager as you can carry and stake out a place in the beer garden. But this only applies if, like me, you work a hundred yards away, you finish work at 9.30pm, and the whole team goes together. But now the cold weather's drawing in, even that crude pleasure is denied us. Do not under any circumstances sit inside this pub on a Thursday or Friday when the music is terrrrrriiibble and there's a "who can be the biggest bunch of tw*ts" competition between the suits and the chav fifth formers.
Oh but the singing gents attendent is priceless
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Situated below the main railway line into Fenchurch Street by the entrance to Tower Gateway DLR station, the crumbling Victorian brickwork overhead appears ready to fragment and drop into your pint every time a train rumbles overhead. The thick brick walls are complimented by a heavy flagstoned floor and they have at least made an effort to retain the "under the arches" feel but without the pigeon shit. Plenty of cubby holes tucked away and usually several seats available even at busy periods. Service was fine although 2 of the 3 (rather mainstream) beers were unavailable. Fairly cheap (Courage Best �2.30 is at least 50p less than avarage for the area). Given the tills by each entrance, I get the impression that it turns into a more clubby establishment later in the evenings when the volume probably gets turned up loud. Plenty of screens for sport. It does get a bit smoky and it attracts its fair share of loud and lairy city office workers who are usually worse for wear after4 pints. There is a sizeable seated area outside when the weather permits. Overall, certainly not brilliant but it has its merits and makes a change from the usual standard pub.
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Horrible, plan and simple
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Frankly awful, smokey and reeks of stale beer.
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A dungeon with beer taps.
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Does the entrance, or did it, have three or four step that go down into this place fronm the arch?
Lee - 2 Nov 2004 13:49 |
Calls itself an "entertainment exchange"!
Big beer garden with trees
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