The Old Fountain, Old Street

I paid a couple of visits to the Fountain last week, and I am pleased to report that the beer is as good as ever. I decided to visit soon after opening as, in my experience, the pub can get crowded as lunchtime approaches. The Kent Porter was in excellent condition and very drinkable.

The a couple of other plus points to note. Firstly, the salt beef sandwiches are excellent and the other food available looks well-prepared rather than the generic boil in the bag/microwave stuffed served in many gastropubs. Secondly, the bar staff were excellent and paid close attention to their customer's orders.

All in all, a must-visit pub.

20 Feb 2014 21:52

The Wenlock Arms, Hoxton

I have been a regular, if intermittent, visitor to the Wenlock Arms over the years which, I hope, gives me the required objectivity to post an unbiased review.

The 'new' Wenlock Arms is very much like the 'old' in many respects . The range of Ales is still excellent, the customers are still the same mix of beer tickers and locals, the atmosphere of the pub is unchanged.

The new managers have mended various things, cleaned the place up and there are new toilets in the basement. At the moment there is only one cubicle for the men, which is hardly adequate, but there are plans for new toilets on the ground floor.

All in all, the pub has ditched many of the bad things, but retains nearly all that is excellent about the Wenlock. The bar staff are a little callow, but friendly and polite nonetheless, but the excellent Sue appears now longer to work at the Wenlock. The salt beef sandwedges (sic) have obviously been subject to 'portion control' and are not as substantial as Sue used to make them. This is only a minor quibble however.

All in all, the Wenlock is a must visit for all real Ale lovers and the new managers deserve every encouragement and support for all the hard work they have put in.

27 Jun 2013 21:40

The Wenlock Arms, Hoxton

I popped into the Wenlock in midweek and it is open for business as usual - what is more, the salt beef sandwiches are back! The new manageress seems a likeable young woman and she is obviously trying to keep the best bits of the Wenlock whilst making improvements where necessary.

The beer range was perhaps not as good as usual due to a predominance of 'session bitters' rather than the usual Wenlock range of strong ales, stout, bitter etc. However, the new cellar team are probably still getting the orders sorted out so this can be excused.

All in all, the Wenlock is on the up after several months in the doldrums.

27 Apr 2012 18:06