Albert, Victoriaback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
I usually judge a pub's cleanliness by the toilets. I certainly wouldn't eat food in a place where the stench from the toilets is evident when stood at the bar....shocking
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A heritage pub and obviously a tourist trap. Nevertheless, the Black Sheep was totally drinkable, the staff within my hearing were helpful and civil to the visiting punters. Quite why BITE have two different entries for the Albert is not apparent.
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I have been in this place several times over the years, and whilst it nay not offer anything outstanding, it never disappoints.
Last visited only last week when I found it to be pleasantly full with a decent atmosphere. They included Black Sheep on the bar and I also plumped for one of their two Cider offerings from Westons.
Handy for the tube at Victoria, this makes a reasonable place to stop for a pint,
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OMG. POPPED IN HERE TONIGHT FOR A QUICK ONE !!!!!
HOW TO SUM IT UP!!
Rudest most awful female bar manager you will ever meet
toilets that made me ashamed to be British
badly poured pint
so many better pubs around the corner and most of them are also Taylor Walker.
I work for the met and this used to be our local ! No more
avoid like the plauque
God help the tourists
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#this used to be a good pub tourists not withstanding, but standards have realy gone downhill recently. poorly kept beers and smelly unkempt toilets don't bother.
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lovely traditional pub polite bar staff and very friendly atmosphere.
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We were not impressed by what is essentially a tourist Pub. Poorly kept ales and perhaps understaffed. The food, which is why we dropped in, looked very unappetising. It is a lovely building and could be a great venue, how sad.
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I came here on a Saturday, early evening, as my girlfriend was tired and began demanding booze.
Initial impressions were a of a generic chain-operated faux-authentic pub, and indeed the client�le of this establishment predominantly consisted of foreign tourists looking slightly underwhelmed by their "authentic British pub experience", which is hardly surprising given that this place is entirely devoid of character or warmth. Indeed, despite a large number of wooden fittings, old clocks and quaint brass fixtures, not the faintest whiff of authenticity can be detected here, the entire set-up clearly having been designed to fool unwitting tourists into parting with their cash.
The available beers, predictably uninspired, were Bombardier, Greene King IPA and Abbott Ale, with the usual selection of indentikit lagers + Guinness and Strongbow on the taps. The prices, also predictably, were high.
On the other hand, there isn't anything actively disagreeable about this place (except that the toilets were flooded), it's just that there isn't anything to like either. The staff seemed efficient if not exactly friendly, and there was a buzz of conversation in the air that came close to resembling conviviality.
So, if you find yourself in dire need of refreshments while in the vicinity, or you are a connoisseur of the bland and mundane, you could do worse than to patronise The Albert, but if you have the time and inclination to find somewhere better, I recommend you do so.
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From the outside, this pub looks great, cast adrift in a sea of modern office buildings. But sadly it's a stones throw from parliament sq and the tourists, bless them all, arrive by the coach load. Prices reflect this. The Albert is nearly always busy it sucks up passing trade due to it's position. So it's got a high turnover and consequently all the staff do not care, none of them. It is not interested in it's potential to be anything other than what it is, if you don't like it too bad, this pub is a policy driven machine.
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After a day sitting in a seminar in a not-very-well air-conditioned building I dragged my colleague down to The Albert (been there a few times before and admitedly it does have a nice old pub feel) for a few pints on work expenses before heading home.
After a bit of friendly banter with the bar staff, who poured us two lovely looking pints, I got out my company card. Here's how the conversation went:
Me: Can you put it on my card?
Barwoman: Sorry there's a �10 minimum for cards.
Me: No problem, we'll stay for a couple so I'll start a tab.
Barwoman: Sorry, we don't do tabs.
Me: Okay... well can I pay for four pints and you can pour the other two later?
Barwoman, looking at the manager for confirmation: Sorry, we can't do that.
Me: Right... well make it �10 and I will give you the change back once I get the second round.
Barwoman, looking increasingly annoyed: Sorry, we don't do cash back.
So with them leaving me literally no way of paying for my drink, we left the two pints on the bar and went down the road (The Greencoat Boy - nice wee bar and happy to take my card!). So they lost two pints plus two thirsty customers for the evening.
The whole thing left me rather bemused. I would understand bar staff enforcing what are rather arbitrary rules but the manager was standing right there and was quite happy to stonewall me in this way. At lot of pubs enforce a minimum spend but I've never experienced this before - with a nice dose of attitude thrown in.
We won't be going back.
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