please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Avoid like the plague. Having been to the Barbican after work, we stumbled across this and decided to risk it for some dinner. We ended up ordering food at the bar, and the barmaid looked like we'd thrown up on her shoes by suggesting we'd like to eat there.
Having waited 40 minutes for food, I went and spoke to the bar staff again, and another 20 minutes later, half of our food arrived with no sign of the other half. Having (unsuccessfully) tried to get a refund from an increasingly annoyed barmaid (not as annoyed as me having not been fed!) I ended up having to speak to the manager to get my money back and went home hungry.
They were serving Doom Bar, hence they get a 1 rating, but steer clear if you have any sense at all.
steej - 29 Apr 2010 16:20 |
As I approached the bar the lone barmaid walked off leaving me standing there like a plum - I turned around and walked out again.
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Cannot offer one reason to go here and I work right above it.
So many things wrong with it, but if I had to pick one, overriding reason why you should avoid the place like the plague it would be the service, which is consistently awful. Not only are the staff unfriendly, incompetent and unhelpful, for some reason the management have decided to enforce table service for both food and drink when they clearly have neither the quantity or quality of staff to perform it. You can wait anything up to 20 minutes for a drink you order, and when you finally get fed up and just go to the bar to order / pay and collect your drink (as the traditional bar has operated for hundreds of years), you are told such a transaction is impossible. Why this has been done is beyond me, its like the place has an identity crisis over whether or not it should be a restaurant. Sadly you only have to take one look at the food to see that it couldn't be a restaurant if it tried...
In addition it is overpriced and whilst I am a lager drinker, even I can see that the lack of decent ales or wine would be a problem to city types. Staff have on a number of occasions forgotten drink and food orders, and at busy times food takes ages (and I mean ages) to appear, not that it is worth the wait because it is bland and overpriced
Souless atmosphere and even if you do decide to brave it you will be joining a load of smug suits almost constantly boasting about their recent trades and deals.
Avoid, whilst there aren't many decent alternatives in the area this is most certainly the worst of a bad bunch.
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Lunch in here last week was good (as per usual for AB1) but for the drinker - appalling
They seem to have taken it upon themselves to insist on tale service - had I been asked I would not have been able to nominate a way for AB1 to become less attractive to drinkers - they have managed to do it though.
Just become a restaurant chain and leave the pub stuff alone - there'll be a better chance of surviving Gordon's recession.
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This pub offers a good variety of beer. I felt the atmosphere was good. However, I was not impressed when I had to wait 15 minutes to be served as only one person was working behind the bar while two other bar staff were just chatting.
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This All Bar One is aweful. The service was dire and was only further let down by their inability to show some manners. I frequently visit the one near Liverpool St but had the mishap of venturing over to Moorgate. I was not seated, and was then told by the waitress that she would serve me in 10 minutes because she was busy - the whole of London is busy!! Having waited 5 minutes for someone else to serve us, our drinks came a little while later. I asked for some sugar with my coffee and by the time it came, it wouldn't even dissolve. The food was mediocre, and when I tried to ask for the bill - NONE of the waiters/waitresses wanted to know about it. Stay clear of this one as it is seriously mis-managed!!
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Somebody needs to teach All Bar One that bitter should not be treated as a lager. My pint of London Pride was so called I got frost bite holding the glass.
I'd come for lunch and ordered a "chicken burger with pesto and sweet peppers". The "sweet peppers" consisted of a single two inch piece of pepper.
My meal was not so much served to me as thrown across the table very nearly ending up in my lap. The service was abysmal. The waitress seemed to have the memory of a goldfish as she couldn't remember what we'd ordered, whether we had cutlery or what condiments we wanted.
Very poor. Very poor indeed.
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Always a good choice for an after work beer. Even on a fri if early enough can get a seat. Not bad furnishing staff quite friendly stairs to toilets precarious after a few vodka's.food over priced and not up to much. Feels a bit funny tucking in when no other people seem to be eating and are just propping up the bar.....good for booze near the station dont bother eating there
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If you continue up the road for about 100 yards you come to the Master Gunner - a fairly jolly Young's place offering a nicer atmosphere, better value food and far better drinks (unless you are an idiot who loves big bar chains).
anonymous - 14 Feb 2006 12:32 |
Always good for a sip or 10 after work with the lads before heading home. Get past the upmarket types and snag a brown leather couch by the back windows and you can easily settle in for a cosy session. Big and spacious, not bad service for a city pub though it does get rammed most weekdays.
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This one isn't that bad given it's ABO.
Big non smoking area and good airconditioning help. Pleasant helpful staff when I was in there for lunch last week.
Guinness was very cold - which I happen to like.
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never thought id say it but "not bad" as All bar ones go,...........2/10
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this bar is great!!!
been here lots of times with my mates, we always have a laugh and love the service i rate this pub 10/10
ming - 13 Oct 2004 14:35 |
This bar is great. There certainly is an atmosphere considering the brand. A great place to meet and would recommend it too all my friends
john - 27 Aug 2004 16:31 |
Beware - As well as being souless, overpriced and with terrible service. I have twice paid for an evening meal in this pub only to discover later that the unfriendly and unhelpful waiter has added his own "exaggerated" tip to my bill without my knowledge.
angela taylor - 23 Jul 2004 11:11 |
The atmostsphere is not good because there isn't one. All Bar Atmostsphere/good beer as I have just decided it should be called. Have some self respect, don't drink here. Go here instead Angel, The
73 City Road.
Dan - 14 May 2004 10:44 |
The atmosphere is good but if you want food - the waiter service is terrible. They walk around with tunnel vision and don't come to you. Waited 20 minutes for a menu then another 15 to order food!!
BS - 12 May 2004 11:50 |
recently refurbished this bar really impressed me..the decor is really smart, the staff helpful and the new menu is worhty of any top end gastro pub! definitely worth a try!
SL - 24 Oct 2003 08:53 |
Bit noisy but great range of ice cold european beers which can prove dangerous. Food was fresh and quick.
Diana - 3 Aug 2003 21:20 |
Soul-less gastro-pub, not quite attaining the level it aspires to. Average food, slightly overpriced for what it is, atmosphere is lacking, acoustics are terrible - very noisey indeed for such a vast area. A chain pub trying to be independent!!!
Rebecca - 16 May 2003 10:18 |
Over-inflated prices and the atmosphere and appearance of a school dining hall. Truly awful.
Alice - 29 Apr 2003 13:34 |
Not bad as these places go; soulless, pricey and the bitter's icy cold, but the food's nice and, heck, it aint that bad. Just so long as you know what to expect.
ElDickster - 12 Mar 2003 09:48 |
On my way from work to the station - lethal!!!
Has really good 'mash' and of course wine.
Tx - 6 Dec 2002 16:20 |
