BITE user comments - simonk
Comments by simonk
The Jerusalem Tavern, Clerkenwell
I'm not sure if this pub really is a tourist trap as other comments have suggested. The immediate area is mostly business premises and I imagine that is where the lion's share of the trade comes from, which is why it is closed at weekends. 'Good Pub Guide' readers may seek it out as it gets a consistently good annual review from that organ, but I'd be surprised if many tourists chanced upon it.
Tiny inside, feels a bit like a coffee house rather than a pub, but good beer and good food.
22 Oct 2010 18:55
Good pub - quiet on most occasions I have visited but not unfriendly and the Hop Back beers are very good.
17 Oct 2010 18:13
Went here for the first time on Saturday, attracted by the microbrewery.
The Weasel beer is indeed excellent and it was good to have a look at the microbrewery itself, encased in a glass box at one end of the bar.
I have some issues with the service. I went to the bar and asked if I could order food, to be told that I could not order at the bar but someone would come over to take our order.
Ten minutes later and nobody had turned up, so we caught the attention of one of the staff to ask if we could make our order. She promptly agreed and then forgot about us, only taking our order after another reminder several minutes afterwards.
The waitress seemed somewhat inexperienced which generously I could put down to her having started recently, but if so she didn't seem to be getting much support from other staff, and the general co-ordination of staff seemed poor with service at the bar also being quite slow.
That said, the food was good. As for the general decor and clientele, it's definitely marketed at the upscale young professional market, perhaps excessively so, which is a shame as it might put off different demographics who would otherwise be attracted by the beer. (I did spot some ale enthusiasts scattered between the trendily trousered youth)
It's interesting to hear people talk about Herne Hill 'gentrifying' as I came here frequently in my youth to visit my grandparents who lived in the area and their street at least was always solidly middle class - maybe a matter of perception.
5 Oct 2009 09:42
This is a fantastic pub, currently surrounded by large building sites. Newcomers might find the location a bit obscure (unless they have come by bus) but it is well worth seeking out.
10 Jun 2008 16:37
Now reopened as The Junction. Decor is very similar to Drift. Food is expensive, took ages to arrive, and tasted awful. Beer not too bad but nothing very unusual/interesting. This might well relaunch/reopen as something else before long.
3 Apr 2008 00:12
Inoffensive but fairly uninspired pub sitting on its own just outside Moseley 'village'. Never very busy, not even on Friday or Saturday nights AFAICT. Not awful but not worth going out of your way for.
3 Apr 2008 00:06
The Exmouth Arms, Exmouth Market
As comments below indicate, this is under new management and has been excellently and faithfully refurbished, and so the overall rating (3.5 as I write) should be ignored for the time being. Four handpumps and a very impressive keg and bottled range. Had a pint of Roosters Leghorn on cask which was very well kept.
Food concentrates on sliders (mini burgers) which are very tasty and good value for this area although it should be said that the beer balances this out somewhat (pints and bottles start at �3.80). With this caveat, this is another great beer venue in EC1.
28 Mar 2012 18:50