please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Went for the 'Fish Friday' offer advertised as being available until 11pm. Sold out at ten past seven! Complained to managaress who said it was 'subject to availabilty'. In other words she couldn't have cared less. Won't be going back.
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Its not often I feel sorry for weatherspoons (in fact this is the first time) but they have recently had to pay £24000 to a bunch of pikeys who they refused entry to this pub. The manager refused their entry because he assumed that they would either start to steal stuff or start a fight (or probably both).
Well every pikey I have encountered has been either stealing or fighting or both, so for once I do feel sorry for Weatherspoons, Its not Tim Martin (who can well afford the money) so much as the pikeys getting so much money (without stealing it)
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Being a 'Spoons pub it attracts it's fair share of "characters" who appear to have spent the entire day in the place.
Many Wetherspoons pubs used to be something else and this one is a converted cinema.
I was very impressed with the range and quality of the beers available. The staff seemed friendly enough too.
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A huge 'spoons, converted cinema, on Holloway Road so best to judge it for what it is. Range of beers very impressive and reasonably priced and place perfectly clean and friendly. But attracts some dodgy characters, 10am alcoholics etc, and not the kind of place you'd come to sit around taking in the atmosphere.
Not bad for a spoons is the kindest I can say.
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Pleasantly busy but comfortable and welcoming between 7-8pm on a Friday evening. Spotlessly clean. Decent Thatchers Gold, good range of ales including Twickenham Brewery.
Liked it and will visit again.
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Nice big boozer, good choice ales and ciders, ok food. Does the job well before and after the football at Arsenal...however , they tweak the drinks prices up on match days on their standard beers !!
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Stopped in last weekend for a quick pint after visiting the area for the day with family. We usually can find something decent in a JDW in the ales category but this wasn't one on the day. Settled for Deuchars IPA which was o.k. Decor is what you would expect from a place that was originally a theater that has a pub shoved into it.
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An absolutely pitiful waste of space! Will happily bypass this hole for the rest of my life!
wll76 - 31 Oct 2012 18:32 |
I lived round the corner and went here when it was a cinema. Then I watched it renovated. I went once. Not really worth going again as there were nicer, corner pubs within staggering distance. I live in another town now. And Spoons have just bought the old cinema. Having tried Wetherspoons up and down I still can't make my mind up about them. Fairly good beer. Reasonably clean facilities. Fair value uninspiring food. But, that's it. Always TOO big. A McDonalds of the beer trade.
Doggo - 24 May 2012 18:09 |
Until Wetherspoons change their attitude towards the Traveller Community,
I for one will not go in. Nice pub, but we are in the 21st century, and the UK is a country that welcomes people from all backgrounds, etc.
Unless anyone causes trouble within a pub they should be welcome, whoever they are.
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Cracking pub, they keep out the riff-raff. If anyone doesn't like it they can always try Dale Farm. Are you having that? I sure am!
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This pub featured on the BBC London News tonight. It appears that JDW employed bouncers when the Society of Irish Travellers held their agm next door. It is alleged that damage was caused some time back and the company did not want a repetition of this. Some of those barred were policemen, solicitors and a barrister!!
The case is now going to court on discrimination grounds. JDW have said they will vigorously defend the action.
I always thought that it was absolute legal right for any landlord to refuse to serve a customers without necessarily having to give a reason.
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Known locally as 'God's Waiting Room', this does tend to atract some of the stereotypical Wetherspoons crowd but I still feel this is a great place to get a drink. Being a converted cinema it is a large space and some interesting themed decor that doesn't get too trite. Also of course the drinks are wide ranging and affordable compared to the area's usual prices. I would say anyone out drinking in Holloway should stop by.
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Generally this is one of the better wetherspoons, with a selection of well kept guest ales, loads of space even when Arsenal play at home, food and cleanliness above average for the chain.
Ive no problem with the 11pm closing.
However on the last four occasions I visited the hassle to leave starts with fury and intensity as soon as the pub clock strikes 11pm (usually about 10:58pm real time) and gets increasingly aggressive until everyone is out of the door at 11:15.
Until they start paying the staff for an extra 15 minutes at the end of the day or whatever i would advise against any drinks purchase after 10:45 on the pub clock (usually 10:43) unless you want to neck your drink.
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Went in here yesterday as it was fairly. Food was OK (typical 'spoons fare) and the service was fairly fast. Good choice of ales. Friends and family I was with were impressed with the interuor as they remamber what it was like about 20 years ago.
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This is cheap but that's probably because nobody cleans the toilets. On matchdays it's impossible to have a dump because one cubicle always has the toilet roll on the floor soaking up the piss hecause there is not and never has been a holder for it, one is always blocked and filled to the top with piss, turds and used paper and the other has piss all over the seat.
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Visited after an Arsenal/West Ham derby game, aim being to let the queues for public transport work themselves out.
Had to show proof that we had been to the Emirates to three large bouncers on the door but they were friendly enough.
Massive in size but plenty of staff on duty and got served immediately. Got a table within 5 minutes of entering. A typical Wetherspoons, but I'm not complaining!
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This Wetherspoons is much larger than normal and has a really impressive interior, thanks to its former use as a cinema. Old film pictures line the walls. The range was also much better than the White Swan at the other end of Holloway Road. Beers available on my Saturday morning visit were Ruddles Best, Summerskills Ninja Beer, Cairngorm Black Gold, Greene King Abbot Ale, Elgoods Greyhound, Marstons Pedigree, Nethergate Mary's Ruby Mild, Naylors Black & Tan and Otter Bright. The cider was Westons Marcle Hill. The building is so large, it echoes somewhat and lacks a little atmosphere when empty. Although I can imagine that on an Arsenal home match day it is anything but! An above average spoons.
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Went in there for the first time last weekend and found it to have a wonderful atmosphere and the beer was good, will go there again definitely.
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Used to like this place but not anymore. After asking for my pint to be topped up, the barman told me it was fine. I replied that he was breaking the law, and I would like a full pint please. He got very stroppy and now wont serve me at all. I've got news for you mr stroppy, if I never see you again it will be to soon. Your job is to serve a PINT of beer, try remembering that the next time you try and con your next customer. And a nice try at shortchanging me too, a really cute touch. Maybe a complaint to head office is in order.
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The kind of place that my mum likes, not bad for a 'spoons' but a bit like drinking in a cinema!
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The best Wetherspoons i have been too.The staff are quick and efficient.Unlike other Wetherspoon pubs.I agree that it can seem a bit empty even when there are a good few people in there.Thats because it is such a massive pub.
i really like it
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I was barred from here last year. For no reason. I complained to Wetherspoone Head office who told me there's nothing they can do because it's a local matter, and they have no jurisdiction over local pub manager's decisions. Since when has walking into a pub as a single female, being polite to everybody, ordering food and a pint of lager then sitting down and drinking quietly and reading a book been a barring offence. The only good Wetherspoon near there is White Swan, Higbhury and Isilngton.
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As usual this pub had all 12 pumps serving festival ales , i have yet to try them all the polish plum beer is absolutely fab , look forward to a visit on monday when i intend to try the perry . Dave and Dan are to be congratulated on their grand job as always.
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Dont like this pub at all.The pub is clean and tidy,but the building is too big to be a pub.No atmosphere.When its quiet,it feels like you are in a library,even when its busy,it still seems empty.Its a shame as the staff do a god job,but I still feel deflated when I come out.
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Massive, interesting pub. Very nice bar staff and as you expect a ridiculously good array of beers.
Spent all day there and had a great time chatting. Nothing special but would definitely return if in the area.
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I'll start off with the minuses first; the gent's loo, some tables are well rickety, not very nice when trying to balance food on them, and they had a serious problem with a leaky roof last time I visited.
Do not visit when there's an Arsenal home game on, unless you are clearly and visibly an Arsenal fan.
That said, this is a gem of a pub. A very, very friendly staff, well-kept real ale, ice cold lager and cider, generous servings of all drinks and food... yes I know it's Wetherspoon, yes I know it's Wetherspoon standard food - but there are some very good people working in the kitchen too.
Imagine a Tuesday steak night, when you have two nice sirloins, a bottle of wine, two scrumptuous desserts - all less for what o n e steak (and a cheap rump at that) will cost you in London W1.
And what's really good - there's always room for you to sit down. Many people is commenting that many of the punters will never see their 70th birthday again... yes, that may be so, but I prefer some jolly old geezers talking about the rationing and how they walloped the krauts, to just-turned 18ns getting pissed on alcopops...
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This place is the usual Spoons affair with standard draught and a good selection of ales. Surprisingly the staff seem to know what they are doing, although the bar area wasn't very busy.
Unsurprisingly the building is so big that there is no atmosphere, but it is worth walking up to the back of the pub, where the rear exit is opened up for the smokers, to get the full scale of this old cinema.
Now that I have seen it I see no need to return.
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Had a good meal and drink here today, served by an ever attentive staff, especially Dan.
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i used to work in this pub back in 1997 to 1999, we had ALOT of great times there and many customers still ask me if i'll ever go back and work there, tim martin used to pop in every once in a while and all the regulars would flock around him saying that they had known "tim weatherspoon" from day dot! hehehe
it was and still is an old man's style pub but has a friendly atmosphere even if you can see the grim reaper hovering over some of the customers!
the beer was good when i worked there and still is today. the food is as expected of a good standered and the bar staff look happy enough, i still have fond memorys of the place and the partys we used to have in there when every one else had gone home.
a great pub, and well wearth a look in for a few beers!
orest, george, nicky, andy and marko, you are all sorly missed from this place!
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great news , real ale is now just �1.79 a pint , with Sailor Jerry at �2.29 for a double plus ginger ale , this is the pub to be in Dont forget the next festival it starts on the 15th of April..
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This is the place to be right now, 12 pumps , 10 of them serving festival ales at �1.69 a pint . A great atmosphere fantastic staff all of whom speak english , great management team , groovy Dave , Trendy Dan, gorgeous Jane and big Matt. The only spoon in North London worth visiting if you are a real ale drinker, you'rel lucky if you can find 5 festival ales in some of the others. Get there before Nov 16 , dont miss out.
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Enormous Wetherspoons obviously a cinema conversion, not a great range of ales though the dark beer we had was good. Popular with students from the nearby uni, but they seem to be more the well behaved variety.
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Wetherspoons have just increased most of their prices, real ale is now �1.99 a pint , can anyone remember when all pubs charged this . The Oakham ales are now finished it's back to the current guest list Loddon Ferryman's Gold is the first one with more great beers to follow , go there this weekend and enjoy. By the way Mr Finsbury James , Wenger is Arsenal not Tottenham.
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Gosh Isnt this a nice pub?
ok so perhaps its not a heaving young vibe of a place. more of a massive shed full of all sorts enjoying cheap beer.
The real ale has always been fantastic when ive been there and a beer festival is ending tomorrow with some very tasty beer.
There is even a pint called Wenger for all you tottenham fans out there.
also you can always find a place to sit execept after matches at ashburton grove when it is packed.
if you are taking your entertainment, like real ale and the cheapest prices of any pub i know of this is the place.
the only downside being that it closes at 11
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I was back in The Coronet recently, and as usual, I had a good time.
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I always pay a visit to Thw Coronet when I am down in London from Darlington. My favourite boozer in the capital, thanks to the cheap prices and friendly atmosphere.
I must get back down soon.
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without a doubt the best spoon in north london, the beer festival was a fabulous success , all of the beers were superb as was the food . A pint of polish plum beer plus roast pork ,apple sauce , roast potatoes , carrots, peas, brocoli and gravy for �5.99 , need i say more.
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Great spoons pub beer always in good nick when I go in and usually plenty of choice. No problem being served. Well done Dave
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The Wetherspoons real ale festival is happening right now with 11 of the 12 pumps serving festival ales .The 3 glasses for the price of a pint is a good deal. The Polish plum beer is very moorish as is the german St Georgen Brau,the staff are to be congratulated for the handling of the event.
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Beer and a burger now cost �4.49 still great value. They are just finishing another Oakham beer festival , this one included the fab Black hole porter rarely seen plus the new Delirium, oblivion, the Duchess , inferno and Attila. This is the best spoon in north london an entry in the GBG , autumn pub of the season 2007 and real ale at �1.79 a pint.
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Cheap booze, cheap food, beautiful interior. The high ceilings (it used to be a cinema) sometimes lead to a lack of atmosphere, but very much in the Wetherspoon mould - an interesting building converted sympathetically. Beer and a burger for �4.25 in London? Can't go wrong!
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Haven't been in this pub for a few years but went back to-day. I really enjoy this place. Good selection of real ales including 'Coronet' brewed by Oakham especially for the pub. Although only 4% abv, it was a really good beer. Other beers included Ringwood 'Thumper'. Fairly quick service both with the drinks and beers. I would feel the only drawback would be when Arsenal were playing at home and the pub is probably over-run then. There were two minor drawbacks. The seating, in the alcoves and the settees, was on the low side. The gents' toilets needed a good clean out as many of the users were incapable of aiming straight when at the urinals. I would most certainly visit again.
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Good pub before Arsenal home games.Reasonable quality ales borne out by GBG inclusion
anonymous - 14 Aug 2007 22:43 |
A typical JDW with the usual fault (taking ages to clear empty glasses/plates and then failing to mop up the spilt beer etc) and the usual plus, a pint for less than �2. In this case a pretty good Top Dog from Spinning Dog. I didn't think the pub was as bad as the average rating of 4.9 seems to indicate but I've only been there once.
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This is the best spoon in north london, a new entry in the 2007 GBG and i am told it will be in the 2008 guide, camra recently voted it the pub of the season. There is tobe a beer festival starting on the 23rd of july. So be there then for an oakham event.
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Big pub with big drinkers
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I'm not too sure about the Cask Marque accreditation here. The ales are all served via swan neck and sparkler so if you want a proper beer, ask them to take the sparkler off. I did and had some Badgers Tanglefoot which was ok, but the tall skinny guy with the ponytail who took the sparkler off to serve my first pint then served me again later on needs some manners. He tells you the price, no "please" or anything, then drops the change in your hand without looking at you, with no "thank you" afterwards either.
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Cripes, this one exemplifies exactly what is wrong with Spoons place. Yes, the interior is initially impressive, but the murky half-light and the miserable scenes at ground level do more than cancel that out. These places are always filled with the remnants of ropey, half-eaten meals which weren't enjoyed, empty bottles of cheap imported lager and apple-juice-concentrate cider, along with the ubiquitous and unattractive menu cards on each and every table. Horrible, horrible, horrible.
stonch.blogspot.com
anonymous - 15 Jan 2007 19:53 |
yNow is a good time to visit as the sale is still on,at the moment you can get a pint of real ale plus a great burger and fries for �3.49. Hurry the sale ends on wednesday
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Best beer on my trip round N1 and a lovely pub, and a real mix of customers ! Also beer and coffee about a third of the price of one other pub not far away. We'll miss Spoons when Tim Martin goes.
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One Of The Best Spoons I've Discovered In Some Time, Amazing Building, 9/10
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What a WASTE.
Quite insulting really, a beautiful old Cinema converted into a regular rubbish 'spoons.
The decoration inside is really something else and is undoubtedly one of the best looking Wetherspoons i've ever visited, it's just a shame that the stunning interior has to share the same space as the bog standard food and service. Still, they sell Koppaberg like all Wetherspoons, so there's one bonus for you.
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Tried it out Pre-Match....even though it was very full got served pretty quickly, which for a JDW is amazing....Try the Swan at Highbury Corner...they think Service is just something that starts a game of Tennis off...
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went in there last nite and it was worse than usualashtrays were over flowing,tables filthy and full of glasses!ok it is normally a bit skanky but it was dreadful last night - beware u have been warned.
anonymous - 29 May 2006 00:20 |
To set the record straight. it's a JDW pub on the A1, catering to Cockneys/Irish & Students from the nearby Uni. It's an oasis on Holloway Road serving cheap booze in a uniquely spaced out atmosphere, whenever I'm in North London I'll always head to this outlet.
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Went in on Easter Monday to be greeted by the gloomy interior.
Once my eyes had adjusted to the very low levels of light I was able to make out table upon table of old men sitting in ones or twos - virtually no wmen, virtually no one under 70 apart from the odd person with mental health problems. Very depressing.
anonymous - 17 Apr 2006 23:20 |
This is one of Wetherspoons better showcases, a former ABC cinema now largely patronised by the usual Wetherspoon's �1-a-pint fogeys. The pub's interior has an almost chilled out air to it, that you'd forget that you're on that alfresco madhouse called Holloway Road.
anonymous - 7 Mar 2006 22:59 |
My favourite drinking hole in London . Cheap and friendly , and worth the travel from Darlington via Kings Cross .
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Bit of an old man's pub with no atmosphere and very few females! Better than most Wetherspoons though and very cheap.
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Had a couple of pints in there Saturday lunchtime and they were really good. Top quality beer. Couldn't believe it when the barman said �4.57 for two pints of bitter and a pint of Guinness! The bitter was �1.39 and the Guinness �1.79. The baked spud with tuna was pretty good as well at �2.99. A cavernous boozer, too big really, but the beer was good and what a price!
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Fascinating place to visit, though not to have as a regular. The sympathetic and award winning Wetherspoon conversion may have succeeded only too well in recreating the feel of the original 1940's cinema. Famously (and for some, unfortunately) the client�le are old people who no doubt were around when the ABC was at its height. The old folk are content to spend their twilight days sipping beer in the place where they first discovered love and excitement. The place is redolent with sadness, enhanced by the drab 1940's colour scheme, the dim lighting, the anonymous feel created by the vast space, and the tired (in some cases quite distressed) state of the furniture. With a modern refurbishment this place could be quite cool and buzzing, but then London would have lost something unique and memorable. Go there before that refurbishment takes place.
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borin pub
anonymous - 4 Sep 2005 18:27 |
Great pub for cheap drink
anonymous - 6 Jun 2005 01:39 |
A typical Wetherspoon pub with fairly regular no thrills Wetherspoon food.
The only minus point that I can say about the place is that it is far too large for it's own good!
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Vast former cinema not far from where Mad Joe Meek murdered his landlady before topping himself. Oh, and making bad records on his stairs.
A good pub!
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Some of the best times of my life have been in the Coronet. Unfortunately, so have some of the worst. I have written to Wetherspoons asking them to open up the untapped resource that is the circle of the old cinema auditorium, but to be honest the place is big enough. It would be a nice touch though.
Contrary to Rupert's assertion, The Coronet is probably the best pub to go to on your own without feeling self-conscious; most of the other loyal clientelle are on their own too. And they've all been there since 10am and probably think you've come with your twin sibling anyway...
Ross Palmer - 29 Jul 2004 16:54 |
Pretty much anywhere else in London, this would be an average pub. However, there is a demand for real ale on Holloway Road and very few places that sell it. The Coronet, fortunately, is both very large, very cheap, and has very good beer, as befits a Wetherspoons. It's impossible to overstate how bloody enormous this place is, either. All human life is here...
A.B.R. - 15 Jul 2004 15:07 |
I was at the local uni for three years and found this pub like my second home. Drinks are really good (and cheap) and i think the food is not bad in there (1/4 burger, chips and pint for �3.29). The old building has a lovly look to it inside but its a shame that they allow them old men in there. Its a great place to relax during breaks and is a very good pub. The only problem is the smell in the mens toilets.
Phillip Ashdown - 17 Jun 2004 14:16 |
This is no normal pub, and stands out even by the Holloway Road's mix of the good, the bad and the gets-ugly-around-eleven.
So cavernous you half expect to see flocks of bats pouring out of the entrance at dusk, this pub contains several lost tribes. Coffin dodgers, studes, likely lads, unlikely women and quite possibly a mislaid camera team from National Geographic, all make up the many hundreds of regulars who sup cheap (and good) beer, eat cheap (just cheap) grub and hide from the outside world. It's unique, and surprisingly unscary given some of the clientele. You will always get a table, it's that big. Staff friendly, efficient and unperturbable; service good.
No fun if you're on your own, but for connoisseurs of real London it's unbeatable.
Fun fact: the last film screened before it closed as a cinema was Bladerunner.
Rupert - 30 Mar 2004 18:52 |
its amazingly packed full of old men, food is terrible, no atmosphere, but the cheapest weatherspoons i know!
catherine - 22 Mar 2004 23:07 |
I don't know why I like it so much, but I do. Everyone else I know hates it.
Though it does feel like an airport terminal (much like the White Swan at Highbury & Islington), it maintains a charm all of its own.
Worth a visit, especially for novelty value.
Steve - 5 Mar 2004 11:46 |
An old cinema converted into a Wetherspoons -- massive, almost zero atmosphere, no music, full of old men who arrive at 10am and stumble out at 11.30pm. Strangely, one of the greatest pubs in North London.
james - 19 Jan 2004 11:05 |
