Carpenters Arms

kittylyst

Amazing Find 16th November 2008

2 found this helpful

We found this pub by accident, after a hard afternoon shopping for tech on Tottenham Court Road.

At 2 on a Sunday it was quiet, with only the downstairs bars in operation. We were easily able to get a sofa in the back room for Sunday lunch.

The decor is dark wood panels, with interesting flock wallpaper in other parts of the pub - a little bit "quirky gastropub", but not jarringly so.

The drinks selection was well above average - 2 different real ales (London Pride and Greene King IPA), and a good wine list - which seems to change regularly given how out of date the board seemed to be.

The staff were extremely helpful, taking time to guide me through what was was and wasn't available from the wine list, and letting me taste any of the wines they had open bottles of.

I was very pleasantly surprised by the quality of the by-the-glass wines - too many pubs seem to regard them as an afterthought at best but here they were well thought through, and I ended up buying a bottle of one of them.

The roast beef arrived promptly and was absolutely superb. Not only was the roast one of the best I've had in a London pub, but it had clearly been prepared by someone who understood the importance of plating to a Sunday roast.

The beef was melting, the potatoes crisp on the outside and floury inside and the 3 different kinds of vegetables (carrots, gorgeous pan-fried French beans and cauliflower cheese) complemented each other very well.

I'll be interested to return during the week, when that part of town is a lot busier, and see how the ambience holds up, but on first visit - 5*.

Jamesarama001

Carpenters Arms - hidden gem 10th September 2008

1 found this helpful

We stumbled across this pub a few weeks ago whilst shopping, and although it was an accident, we're glad we found it. Just off tottenham court road and away from all the hectic shopping, the Carpenters Arms is ideally situated for a relaxed and chilled drink. The range of beers is excellent (I can never find places that do both Peroni and Staropramen) and the bar staff are friendly.
The menu is good, although I'd go for the atmosphere and drink personally. The pub is clean and has recently been refurbished, and for the smokers there is an amazing but small roof terrace area. Board games are also available for those who plan on staying for a long time.