please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Second visit in four months and still as good as ever. I'm sure the owner has seen the local market change with the new inhabitants of the Hoxton area nut unlike a lot of the pubs it hasnt forgotten about the rest of us. Nice without being exclusive. Here it wouldnt matter if you were called Hugo or Dave.
Quality establishment.
Beer was spot on too.
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A great pub visited on a recent pub crawl.
Good selection of ales - six if memory serves.
Good atmosphere. Good cheerful service.
Would love it has my local.
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A quality local boozer. Good beers, really friendly staff and a great atmosphere, especially when the football is on. The landlord is an Villa fan as well so that helps. Food is good quality pub grub that is very filling and the Sunday roasts are huge and delicious. Ideal for a relaxing evening having a pint with the mrs.
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I don't usually review bars or pubs but as I recently moved to N1 I looked up this site and found good reviews about this place so I've popping in of late. I think this pub is superb.
Really friendly, welcoming staff; comfort food especially the steak pie; quality beers with 4 ales on at last visit and a comfortable and lucky place to watch the football -Arsenal have never lost when I've watched us there. There is an interesting quiz with top 10 lists a great discussion and argument starter and a funny cryptic round that I haven't quite fully understood yet - fortunately other quiz team members have and we finished 3rd last week. I'm working my way to joining the early evening crossword crew but I think I won't be accepted until I've become more of a regular, which I intend to do.Why aren't there more pubs like this one?
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Corner pub with a modern feel and a reasonable selection of ales - Hogsback Tea, Timothy Taylor Landlord, Shepherd Neame Spitfire & Franklins Santa's Nuts. They also have a real cider - Westons Old Rosie. Rugby was showing on the TV and some of the tables next to the TV were reserved apparently for viewers of the X Factor! The Santa's Nuts was decent enough and the Baring proved a good stop en route to the Howl at the Moon (not listed on here, but a nice bar on Hoxton Street also serving 4 ales and a couple of real ciders) and the Wenlock.
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Decided to give this pub a try having glimpsed it many times from the buses passing nearby. It�s a smallish space downstairs (there�s also an upstairs area with dartboard and pool table, which I didn�t see). At one time this must have been a very traditional back street pub a la Wenlock Arms etc., but it feels like it�s been revamped into something that is somewhat modern but with almost a whiff of a 1980s wine bar about it. On hand pump were Spitfire, Timothy Taylor Landlord, Harvey's Sussex Bitter (guest) and Brain's Reverend James (guest), plus one other resident beer that I've forgotten. I opted for Harvey's and the beer proved good, although a tad expensive at �3.50. (I suppose one can't complain too much -- the people running the pub have to make a living and times are hard.) The service was efficient and friendly so no complaints there, either. What let the place down for me was the noise. It has wooden floors, wooden chairs and tables, plus large plain glass windows, which is a recipe for unwanted reverberation. On top of that, there was rock/pop music playing at moderate to loud volume. Of course, people want to talk to each other, so they are forced to raise their voices to be heard above the music. Combine music with a number of rather loud, sometimes over-exuberant male voices, all in a clattery acoustic environment, and you have quite a lot of noise, which I didn�t find terribly relaxing. It seemed to me that a fair few of the customers were regulars, and they appeared to be having a great time, and, as I�ve already mentioned, the staff were also very friendly. It�s just I could do without the dreary likes of Oasis, Pulp, and The Bangles on repeat play, and the overall noise levels.
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A good pub that has been getting better and better over the 4-5 years I have been coming here. Landlord is a top bloke too!
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Very friendly place with a fun quiz. We like to watch the football here and have a roast which is really good. Has a pub cricket team which my boyfriend has tried to join but gets no joy whenever he asks about it which is annoying. Really nice pub despite this
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They had four ales on when we visited and I tried the Doom which was ok. My friends who had the Wadworth 6x said it was excellent. It was friendly enough and I would say it was moving towards trendy rather than traditional. The food looked good and the Landlord was happy to offer a customer a meal from the kitchen that was not on the menu.
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Good pub, good selection of ales, friendly staff and convenient for work nearby.
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Went here for the first time recently , was pleasantly suprised by the quality of the ales on offer and the lovely welcome . It's not actually in the back end of nowhere and is easily accessed by the 271 bus . will return .
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We've been going to their pub quiz on Thursday for a long time, but went on Sunday for roast and it's really good. Will be going on Fridays now as well as we've heard that loads of celebs guest sing for their band - sadie frost last week. This place is getting a bit of a reputation now, so becoming very busy, but worth it once you find it!
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A whole collection of games boxes in this pub (trivia, etc..)
but this pub is not really a typical british, inside it's a very "cold atmosphere" without spirit.
There's not a large choice of beers.
Food is expensive and can't expect to be satiated.
Staff in a bad mood this day.
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This is definitely my favourite pub in the area - and probably London.
The problem with the food is what to have - everything is soo good.... on ocassion we have had two meals and shared becuase we couldn't choose.
The staff are always cheerful and helpful.
The beer is excellent ...
..... and as for the quiz it has to be the best pub quiz I've ever been to (and I have been to quite a few)
dGriz - 15 Oct 2008 10:52 |
Really great pub. Didn't even know that it existed until last week. We were there for the quiz on Thursday and had a fab time. Went back on Sunday for lunch and listened to the live blues band. The only down side is that they don't make cocktails but still the best pub near us by far.
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Great pub - good value all round. Matt makes a really welcoming place - and has done great stuff with big screens and a pool table upstairs and the new beer garden out the back. Really pleasant and helpful staff - and a great food menu with a top notch Sunday roast.
Best pub in the area by a distance - it's the complete opposite of a big corporate unfriendly pub, with no soul.
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Went here on Sunday on a suggestion from a friend and we thought it was lovely. Good value and reasonable roast and really pleasant bar staff - very rare for this area. Ended up staying all day to watch the footie and played board games and pool. Our new local!
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In response to the last comment by an anonymous user, I am also a resident in the street and find the Baring to be a very welcoming place. Last night there was trouble for the first time under the new management (I cannot understand how you can say there is regular trouble?) This occured outside the Pub and was caused by Travellers who would not leave when asked to (what would you do in this instance?). This disturbance kept me awake as well but as I choose to live near a pub I do expect the odd bit of noise once in while!!!!
The Landlord is one of the politest, nicest people I have met and everybody who frequents the pub likes the laidback, friendly atmosphere. The pub is getting very popular with old and young alike and has recently received a great review by the Evening Standard. I have lived by the Baring my entire life and this the best run it has ever been, you should like me and the vast majority of neighbours previlaged to have such a nice place to meet on your doorstep.
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We used to be regulars at this place pre-Xmas 05. Since new management took over early 2006 we have stayed well clear. The food is very amateur-ish and unexciting, as is the decor. Since introducing big screen football, darts and cheap beer and curry nights, the pub has lost it's stylish essence and has become a bit rough with regular trouble. I am a resident in the street, and it's been sad to see this change. Last night there were 10 police cars and 2 police vans dealing with an incident in the pub which kept me awake until 2am with kids running riot in the street until 1am. A tragic shame.
anonymous - 19 Jun 2006 10:11 |
Nice enough pub, went for the quiz on Thursday night which was quite fun. Not much seating when it gets busy though.
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The 'old Baring' (pre Xmas 2005) was fantastic: a cosy, funky extention of your own living room. The food was also very good. Unfortunately the new owners seem to have stripped it of all its "baringness" and the new Baring is pretty bland and uninspiring. Maybe it is fine if you didn't know the old place, but to me it isn't worth going back to: I was heart-broken on my most recent visit.
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An absolute gem tucked away in Hoxton, and far from the madding crowd of Old Street and Islington. Great for a few quiet drinks or to get tanked up before a night in busier areas.
I just hope not too many people find this place!
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Lively attractive place but a warning to real ale drinkers - this is a strictly wine-and-lager bar.
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It may not be the biggest pub in the world, or the easiest to find, but this place more than makes up for it in character, style and atmosphere. I recently had my birthday party here, and all my guests loved it! Great food, good music and the best open fireplace in Islington.
anonymous - 27 Jan 2005 13:15 |
Wow!! What a gem!! This place is great, excellent refurb good food and friendly staff, what more could you want!! Oh yeah, a DJ that kicks arse on a Friday night!! You aint gonna get me out of this place it's just too good.
Nia - 9 Sep 2004 13:46 |
The Baring, newly opened has now begun its big friday nights. With up and coming resident dj Mayhem, cocktails, great beer and freindly service I would recomend the Baring to any all who love to party before going out to the Hoxton Shoreditch club scene.
Rob - 1 Sep 2004 20:50 |
The transformation of the Baring has turned this pub from a train station caf look-alike into a beautifully designed bar with comfy leather sofas and chilled music. This is truly a local to escape to.
Yella - 1 Sep 2004 19:15 |
Bob and Rob have a done a great job of turning this old dingy pub into one of the nicest bars in the area. Really nice chilled out atmosphere. Went there on a Thursday night and was nice and quite, not too busy.
Theo Auding - 14 Aug 2004 17:47 |
I love this place - it just looks & feels stunning! Great food, nice staff and a really relaxed atmosphere. It can be a bit hard to find, but once you get there you'll understand why it's definitely worth the hunt!
Tammy - 12 Jul 2004 21:04 |
Came in here on opening night and, although it was really quite, the new re-furb is spot on and looks really nice. Alot nicer than the previous bar it was! A really nice local pub. Go here!
Sophie Parmin - 5 Jul 2004 00:38 |
The management has completely refurbished the old Baring Arms pub to create a really nice place to drink, eat and lounge. This is very cool local to have, and is great for drinking before heading out to Hoxton.
Bobby Rayit - 28 Jun 2004 17:28 |
