please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
OK for watching football and a warm atmosphere......but better pubs in the vicinity
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Nothing to recommend it although staff are perfectly pleasant.
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Not the greatest looking pub from outside, and it doesn't get much better inside but overall, a pint of Harveys here, passed without incident, although the beer itself was in my opinion, not in great condition.
The place is a little run down inside, and comprises one open and long room, but the locals were okay, perhaps it could just do with a bit of decorating and care.
Very little choice of drink on the bar which could be greatly improved.
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In through the out door.
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Seems to attract people from local hostels. This does lend itself to encouraging locals or office workers to use the pub. Could do with a good clean up and refurb to bring it up to decent standard
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My mate & I spent 4-9pmish in here yesterday.
I used to work around the corner in Marsham Street back in 1975, & drank in The Barley Mow, Buckingham Arms & other places; but I don't think I ever tried The Strutton!
I found the barstaff quick, very efficient & friendly enough, & there was no bother from any 'types' despite the football being on on a large screen.
It was not crowded, but had just about the right amount of people to make it sociable. We settled at a table not far from the bar, & had plenty of room around us to relax in.
The beer was fine: good condition & cheap, £3.10 a pint for a dark-ruby ale whose name & brewer's name escape me now!
There was an overall nice atmosphere & vibe, & we had a pretty-enjoyable time of it. Half a dozen pints & some whiskies, plus witty chat & banter, helped this somewhat, of course!
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Gay prejudice! Blonde polish waitress thinks it is okay not to serve a gay couple in a pub in a country where same sex marriage is legal. AND bar manager seems to agree that this acceptable behaviour....this s not British and I a, disgusted
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Do not drink at this pub. We didn't but that was only because the barman refused to serve us (a group of professional people just leaving work) because we were in his mind drunk. At the same time he was so pissed he could barely stand up. Possibly the rudest barman I have ever had the misfortune to encounter.
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Place you don't go back. Rude and agressive duty manager approached us and told us to go because we hadn't ordered for a while (though we already had few pints there). Really unpleasant end of the good evening.
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What is that awful smell, I can't stand it. Was in here a few weeks ago and what a pong. Otherwise on other occasions it was it is and I have found it to be okay.
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Not too bad - very football-ish pub - lots of "geezers" shouting at the tv - but cheapest place Ive found a pint of Leffe on tap! �4! Not bad.
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I highly recommend you look for another place to have a drink or meal.
I've been to this pub to drink a pint with some friends, then we decided to order some food and I have never been treated the way I've been treated in this place.
As I've ordered a pasta and tomato dish I thought if i didn't want any cheese in my pasta i should double check and make clear to whoever was going to bring my order that i didn't want any addition to my order, so i went to talk to the first employee that didn't seem busy and asked him if it was possible to avoid this.
He replied that there would probably be some cheese and some white sauce and there's nothing i could do about it now (i had just paid); i showed him the menu on which it was written "tomato pasta" and asked him if he could tell the cook not to add cheese since it was not mentionned on the menu, he sent me back to my sit with the ruddest and aggressive manners, so I asked to make a complaint. He proudly showed me his badge on which "MANAGER" was written and asked me to make my complaint now...
i decided i'd better make it online.
He then followed me to my table, sat down on an empty sit and told me I should have read the menu better, i asked him to leave me and my friends alone as he was really rude and aggressive and he was sat on my friend's sit and she was coming back from the bathroom; he didn't leave and insisted that i had not read the menu properly and that he had never been rude. a few minutes later my friend's orders arrived and mine as well, brought by the manager, smiling with the most suspicious and unfriendly way, as if he would get any satisfaction seeing me eating what he was bringing to me. my friends suggested i avoid eating wathever this man was bringing me with this more than scary smile and I didn't get to eat what I had paid for...
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Ordinary sort of Central London pub, with a narrow frontage giving a somewhat cramped layout inside. Having the bar on one side and several alcoves on the other, there is just enough room to squeeze in some small, high tables in between (apart from the area at the front which is a bit wider). Six handpumps, but these are doubled-up, so the real ale offering was Greene King IPA, Directors and Spitfire (a full pint, served in the correct glass, and good value at �2.50). Mostly notable for pointlessly having two front doors just a couple of metres apart.
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A fairly mediocre city pub - nothing much to say about it, good or bad. The pint of London Pride I had was good. The Speaker, just round the corner would probably be a better bet if seeking a pub with a bit of character and some excellent ales.
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Grim - nothing good to say about this place. No worse than many of the other hell-holes in the district...
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Although the pub has a narrow frontage it is quite deep although not very well laid out. There are a lot of beams and tables in the central part of the pub making it a little difficult to move about and get a decent spot to watch the football. One nice touch is a series of alcoves on the right hand side each of which have a small TV mounted in them. Food was pretty cheap and looked good (although I didn't eat myself).
The pub is a somewhat gloomy and there was a mixed crowd in (probably due to the football). It's ok for a quick one or two but with some of the alternatives in the area not somewhere I would spend an evening in.
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Ghastly place which could be fantastic but is instead a place to avoid... It could be so much, it has real history but has been allowed to wilt under a bland big pub co make over....
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Whilst its neighbour - The Old Monk Exchange - is somewhat camouflaged and unassuming, the facade of The Strutton Arms is traditional and inviting. Famed - as previously reported - by its �Goon Show� comedy connections, within there is unfortunately no obvious clues to its interesting heritage. Dark, dingy and with little natural light, it sets a somber tone. D�cor is rather tatty and basic and although this reviewer has championed such old-school boozers that snub fancy modernization, there can be little doubt that here would benefit greatly from a lick of paint and sprucing up. The interior consists of one long knocked through room, with adequate seating facilities and the odd alcove to shelter couples and the solitary drinker. There are several plasma televisions mounted - showing the expected Sky Sports News during my stay - as well as unobtrusive piped in MOR music. Clientele on my visit consisted of - presumably � nearby residents, market trader-types and the odd shirted office worker. A selection of the regular keg offerings are to be found at the bar, supplemented by three hand pumps: Green King IPA, Speckled Hen and the commonplace London Pride - the latter being priced at a reasonable �2.85 and served in okay condition. A standard pub-grub menu is available for those who like to munch and drink simultaneously and the serving staff were friendly and attentive enough. To conclude: an okay local-style pub, with sadly, little to really commend a specific trip too. Fine, however, for a passing pint-or-two.
HTM69 - 21 Jun 2009 21:42 |
Rather bog standard London pub, decent(ish) pint for an inflated(ish) price.
Long narrow single room, with not a fantastic amount of space.
Not bad for a quick pint, but not a place to go out of your way for.
mrse1 - 28 Mar 2009 19:54 |
Totally agree with publoves comments! I complained to spirit last year about the same guy,and never got a reply,, and went there last night and he is still working there! So mr spirit group bdm, if your reading these comments please take some action!
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Local pub frequented by local louts. Avoid
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I like the small 'booths' along the right hand wall.
I like the 2 meals for �8 which are very good value.
I like the friendly staff.
I like that there could be a group of japanese tourists and american tourists and local workers in there all at the same time, as was the case when I went.
Better on the inside than appears from the outside.
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I think you might be being a little hard on doctordupree here, bradwan. Although the brother does not wish to advertise his disability by using a white stick, etc, it is not necessarily morally reprehensible to mention this fact on a site like this where, of course, he remains anonymous. Bradwan is probably in a better position than you or I to judge whether his brother would mind or not. Also, although the licensee might have the right to refuse to serve whomsoever he chooses (although I�m not certain how our raft of anti-discrimination legislation stacks up against this), it still strikes me as somewhat crass to do so without giving the courtesy of a reason.
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Looking at all the comments this seems like a typically badly managed Spirit Group pub, and I normally urge people who have suffered bad service to complain to the company, but I have to comment on what doctordupree says.
If your brother is too proud to draw attention to his gloucoma I find it morally reprehensible for you to do so here. It is of no relevance. It is also a fact that no reason ever has to be given for refusal to serve anyone in a pub. No one has a right to be served, end of.
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Popped in again the other day, despite the fact that I hate the "revamp". The entire pub smelt of the gents, and its blocked lav. Nice awning for smokers, but otherwise steer clear.
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This pubs Goon show heritage has undergone a bout of Starlinist revisionism, all trace of Sellers, Secombe, Bentine and Milligan had been erased what took it's place is a very bland and tired looking pub,and very dark the only light source seemed to be coming from the fruit machine. We had one drink and left not the sort of place you would go out of your way to go to.
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As the Grafton Arms this place is revered by Goons fans as it was here that the comedy team first met up under the watchful eye of the publican and radio scriptwriter Jimmy Grafton, after whom the pub was named. Spike Milligan apparently even worked behind the bar to make ends meet. In recent years it had a spell as an Irish theme pub called Finnigan�s Wake before reverting back to a more traditional pub. Sadly there is little if any evidence of its previous notoriety and is today a rather ordinary and unassuming hostelry. The interior is fairly narrow and extremely cramped with large pillars and badly positioned tables making it difficult to navigate, especially around the bar area. Down one side are 4 alcoves of varying size and intimacy and each having its own plasma mini screen to compliment the 2 main screens that are themselves obstructed from many areas due the aforementioned pillars. You can see from the extended bar canopy that the bar has at some stage been repositioned and I can only imagine that in days gone by there would have been even less space. The pub has a fairly worn look with thinning carpet, bare brick walls, dark wood paneling and a dark ceiling that makes the interior rather dim especially as there is little natural light to the rear. One is almost grateful for the glow of a few low lux lamps and the fruit machines. The beers are fairly mainstream with Broadside, Green King IPA & Bombardier making up the Ale selection. They seem to do a good trade on food (special offers of 2 meals for �8). Customers these days are more likely to be office workers, residents and market traders. In short, the Strutton Arms has its bit of history but for some reason decides to play it down and there is nothing else of note to lift it up above anything more than average.
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Me and my husband visited London in March, we went there quite often. Beer is good, food is also good. Nice place to wach football and drink beer.
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Spent a good evening here watching Newcastle play...the London Toon Army seem to have migrated here from the now refurbished Barley Mow in Duke St. The beer is okay, the staff are nice, and there are a lot of screens, so it's the perfect place to watch European footy, as the staff will bend over backwards to make sure that as many games as possible can be shown.
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Goons photos now removed. This is like Henry VIII's reformation. Can hardly stand to visit now. Old Spike must be spinning in his Sussex grave.
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Crazy, crazy place!! Called in on a Sunday afternoon to catch the late afternoon football match - Loose was offered a seat on a man's lap. Pretty much set the tone. The most amusing thing was watching the American tourists cope with the brewing punch-up from the seven lagered up English boys. Hey, at least they "took it outside".. for about 2 seconds, before coming back in again. Hmm. Great place to watch sport. Great screens. Comedy action. Just don't wear the wrong shirt (or face).
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Good little boozer for those glory glory European nights.Nice bar staff and there is always a good crowd watching the football. I always go in here to watch the Arsenal after work and will be there again tonight cheering em on!
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Renamed the Strutton Arms, after the market-street at whose north end it stands.
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Tragic that Jimmy Grafton's smoky old theatrical boozer, haunt of the Goons in their heyday, has been unconvincingly Irish-themed. Nothing against Irish theming, mind, but it's like turning Westminster Abbey into a Subway. The spirit of Major Bloodnok, Henry Crun and Jim Spriggs lingers feintly on in one or two framed pictures (Princess Margaret and Tony Snowdon smiling along with Spike and colleagues) in the alcoves, but the spell has been broken. You could visit for lunch and not even realise you were on consecrated ground.
With its central location it's handy for more or less everything urban, including St James's Park tube. Be very careful, mind, if making your way there during the present twitchy times in London. Scotland Yard lies between you and the station and those machine-guns the rozzers outside are holding look real.
By the way, I here once encountered the Speediest Barman in the World, who had everything poured out and your change ready before you'd even finished saying "and one for yourself while you're about it my good man". Where is he now? Possibly themed out of existence. Or shot on suspicion.
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Does need better air con, but this pub will always have a place in my heart. Some of the nicest bar staff I've ever met, and although I don't visit as often as I used to, they still know my name. If you want a Guiness then this is certainly the place to come. Very friendly regulars too.
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In days gone by, this was a great pub. Dark, cosy, great service, fantastic "Dublin Grill" and great Guinness. Refurbs and changes in management have taken their toll - gone is the good fry-up, replaced by some rubbish from the microwave. Not as snug as it was either, just seems to have lost its character. That said, the beer is still good.
bazil - 20 Dec 2004 17:12 |
Affectionately known at work as "the worst pub in the world" because of the lack of ventilation. An evening in Finnegans is the equivalent to consuming a whole packet of Benson and Hedges. Beer is OK. Very popular with the after work crowd, especially on a Friday night.
Andy - 23 Feb 2004 16:20 |
nice and cosy! Good jukebox. Good beer. And no tossers.
Rob - 1 Feb 2004 18:54 |
I can't decide if I like this place or not. Yet I seem to keep coming back. Hmmmm.
Jeff - 8 Oct 2003 00:45 |
Always seems to be open tome, even when we had the recent power cuts in Strutton Ground. Really great friendly Irish bar staff. Nice little nooks and snugs where you can have quiet conversations, assuming they are not already occupied by couples indulging in ilicit office affairs
Greenfingerz - 16 Aug 2003 20:24 |
Its STILL ALWYAYS CLOSED !!!!
Or do they just see me coming ?
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OK, mind you it once was a Goon's pub, say no more!
Richard J - 19 Jun 2003 23:17 |
The third time i tried to visit this place and the THIRD time its been closed !! It looks lovely from the outside, but i'll never know unless they actually open !!
BK - 11 Jun 2003 17:13 |
Lovely little local boozer with genuine regulars and a half decent juke box. Good bar staff - landlord worth his weight in gold. Which is a lot.
Paul - 8 Nov 2002 16:06 |
