Latest reviews for Bars & Pubs in Old Street, London, United Kingdom

Foundry - hmmm by abcjess

abcjess — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 23:07:34 +0000

Review by abcjess

Rating: 3.00

Phone: 020 7739 6900

When it comes to the foundry, it really does depend on the experience, Iâ¬"m not sure where I stand with it. Iâ¬"ve had enjoyable times there and recently, less enjoyable times there. It depends on the crowd and who youâ¬"re with. The toilets and graffiti are pretty but that feature can be found anywhere in the area really. I have heard good things about their art installations and live events and did enjoy one, but I found the noise from upstairs invasive.

The bar is quite small and can get very crowded, which can be hard for someone a bit smaller (like myself) to get served â¬ but once served, drinks come fast. It has a nice outside atmosphere, and I find people are much more friendly outside.

When it comes to the foundry, it really does depend on the experience, Iâ¬"m not sure where I stand with it. Iâ¬"ve had enjoyable times there and recently, less enjoyable times there. It depends on the crowd and who youâ¬"re with. The toilets and graffiti are pretty but that feature can be found anywhere in the area really. I have heard good things about their art installations and live events and did enjoy one, but I found the noise from upstairs invasive.

The bar is quite small and can get very crowded, which can be hard for someone a bit smaller (like myself) to get served â¬ but once served, drinks come fast. It has a nice outside atmosphere, and I find people are much more friendly outside.

Bar Music Hall - biscuits! by abcjess

abcjess — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 14:38:53 +0000

Review by abcjess

Rating: 3.00

Phone: 020 7613 5951

Website: http://www.barmusichall.com

Tags: live music, relaxed, cool

I am aware this place transforms at night into a more intense establishment but during the day its quite and nice to just order a tea or coffee and do some work on the laptop with their free WiFi. The layout is very spacious but I find the bar is unusually high, Iâ¬"m 5â¬"3â¬

Casita - by Niamheen

Niamheen — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:26:38 +0000

Review by Niamheen

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 7729 7230

Website: http://www.casitabar.com/

Happened upon this gorgeous little bar last week and I am so glad I did - I love it. Super friendly, great cocktails and lovely wine, I can't wait to go back.Happened upon this gorgeous little bar last week and I am so glad I did - I love it. Super friendly, great cocktails and lovely wine, I can't wait to go back.

Bar Aquarium - this bar has it all by glenburg1

glenburg1 — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 11:48:22 +0000

Review by glenburg1

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 7253 3558

Website: http://www.clubaquarium.co.uk

Tags: cool, food, relaxed

This is great for food ,drink ,sports ,atmosphere and excelent place to go before a night out what more can you need from a bar.
It is centrally located to old street/the city so easy to get to and home from ,it ajoins the club (aquarium which has apool).
upstairs is great to chill in and whatch the sports on the screens or have a game of pool,it also does food and has a balcony /beer garden.
downstairs they have a dj on fri/sat nights and a great time is had by all.This is great for food ,drink ,sports ,atmosphere and excelent place to go before a night out what more can you need from a bar.
It is centrally located to old street/the city so easy to get to and home from ,it ajoins the club (aquarium which has apool).
upstairs is great to chill in and whatch the sports on the screens or have a game of pool,it also does food and has a balcony /beer garden.
downstairs they have a dj on fri/sat nights and a great time is had by all.

The Litten Tree - great for the footy by glenburg1

glenburg1 — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 11:15:09 +0000

Review by glenburg1

Rating: 3.00

Phone: 020 7336 8310

Website: http://www.sfigroup.co.uk

Tags: food, dj, friendly

This is a great place to watch the footy,or any sport realy ,(loads of big screens)although realy this is a great alround pub.
FRi and Sat nights they have a dj and its full of young kids,in the week its maily city bods.
This pub also does great food and is wonderfull for a chilled lunch on a weekend(before the sport comes on)Loads of choice and nice atmospherThis is a great place to watch the footy,or any sport realy ,(loads of big screens)although realy this is a great alround pub.
FRi and Sat nights they have a dj and its full of young kids,in the week its maily city bods.
This pub also does great food and is wonderfull for a chilled lunch on a weekend(before the sport comes on)Loads of choice and nice atmospher

The Angel - Great Pub by johnCaulfield

johnCaulfield — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 00:36:36 +0000

Review by johnCaulfield

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 7253 3753

Tags: relaxed, trendy, food

One of the last traditional pubs in the area. FRIENDLY staff, pool room good conversation.

We come from Mouse training around the corner in Worship St and pass three pubs on the way with no characterOne of the last traditional pubs in the area. FRIENDLY staff, pool room good conversation.

We come from Mouse training around the corner in Worship St and pass three pubs on the way with no character

Sosho - Match Point by chrisp

chrisp — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:25:06 +0000

Review by chrisp

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 7920 0701

Website: http://www.matchbar.com

Tags: cool, dj, food

This is the Match for a younger, more energetic crowd. In comparison to the Clarkenwell Road branch, the music here is that much louder, the room that much expansive, and there is a dancefloor open till 2am to work off the frustrations of work. The cocktails are still worth mentioning though - we had a lovely apple and mint martini a couple of weeks ago - and the bar food is just as decent as anywhere else. You can do far worse in this part of town, so you might as well give it a shot.This is the Match for a younger, more energetic crowd. In comparison to the Clarkenwell Road branch, the music here is that much louder, the room that much expansive, and there is a dancefloor open till 2am to work off the frustrations of work. The cocktails are still worth mentioning though - we had a lovely apple and mint martini a couple of weeks ago - and the bar food is just as decent as anywhere else. You can do far worse in this part of town, so you might as well give it a shot.

The Fox Dining Room - Reliable and excellent by chrisp

chrisp — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 13:40:02 +0000

Review by chrisp

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 7729 5708

Tags: food, young professionals, beer garden

I'm not sure whether it's a good or bad thing that The Fox in Shoreditch is a very good place to eat. On the one hand the food is accomplished, the service sprightly and friendly, and the atmosphere is pubby and informal. On the other hand, I work just above it, and being that this is my 5th day in the job and I've already cracked and had a meal there doesn't bode well for my ability to resist repeat journeys throughout the rest of the year. I only hope my body and bank account can cope with it.

Fortunately, thanks to the incredibly reasonably priced lunchtime menu, maybe my bank account will not suffer too much after all. To start, I had a red onion and red wine soup, a bit sweet but otherwise good and served with crispy bread coated with parmesan. Towards the bottom of the bowl I bit down on a whole black peppercorn which was probably a mistake but really improved the flavour of the soup - perhaps it just needed more pepper to balance the sugar from the onions. Otherwise, nicely done.

Then, a herby pork chop, grilled with rosemary and seved on top of "greens" (chard I think) and lentils. The chard was crispy but slightly underseasoned, the lentils were so-so and the pork ever so slightly dry, but the flavour from the fat and the rosemary were brilliant.

The best was to come though - all this good food, served efficiently and with grace, came to less than Â£15. The house bread is worth a mention too, served in a very generous portion considering I was on my own, and with smooth unsalted butter. Good stuff.

I imagine I will be back reasonably soon, if only to try the Lobster and Chips (Â£18) which was begging to be eaten but I couldn't really justify of a random Tuesday lunchtime. That's more of a Friday dish I think. Here's to next Friday...I'm not sure whether it's a good or bad thing that The Fox in Shoreditch is a very good place to eat. On the one hand the food is accomplished, the service sprightly and friendly, and the atmosphere is pubby and informal. On the other hand, I work just above it, and being that this is my 5th day in the job and I've already cracked and had a meal there doesn't bode well for my ability to resist repeat journeys throughout the rest of the year. I only hope my body and bank account can cope with it.

Fortunately, thanks to the incredibly reasonably priced lunchtime menu, maybe my bank account will not suffer too much after all. To start, I had a red onion and red wine soup, a bit sweet but otherwise good and served with crispy bread coated with parmesan. Towards the bottom of the bowl I bit down on a whole black peppercorn which was probably a mistake but really improved the flavour of the soup - perhaps it just needed more pepper to balance the sugar from the onions. Otherwise, nicely done.

Then, a herby pork chop, grilled with rosemary and seved on top of "greens" (chard I think) and lentils. The chard was crispy but slightly underseasoned, the lentils were so-so and the pork ever so slightly dry, but the flavour from the fat and the rosemary were brilliant.

The best was to come though - all this good food, served efficiently and with grace, came to less than Â£15. The house bread is worth a mention too, served in a very generous portion considering I was on my own, and with smooth unsalted butter. Good stuff.

I imagine I will be back reasonably soon, if only to try the Lobster and Chips (Â£18) which was begging to be eaten but I couldn't really justify of a random Tuesday lunchtime. That's more of a Friday dish I think. Here's to next Friday...

The Princess - Worth a visit by chrisp

chrisp — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 13:18:47 +0000

Review by chrisp

Rating: 4.00

Tags: relaxed, cool & smart, young professionals

What's better than a lovely meal at a good gastropub? That's right, a lovely FREE meal at a good gastropub. My new employers yesterday kindly treated me to a boozy lunchtime at The Princess, just up the road from the Fox on Paul Street. We had a good meal and the service was excellent, but before I come to that, let me just go off on a little rant to explain why I hadn't been back to the Princess, good food notwithstanding, since a disastrous first visit some time in 2004.

It was mid-December, and had booked a table at the Princess with a group of fellow foodies. We turned up slightly early and after a couple of drinks downstairs to peruse what we thought was the food menu, we climbed the rickety spiral staircase to the dining room, where we were somewhat surprised to be presented with the same menu, only Â£5 more expensive and with "Special Christmas menu" printed on the top. Oh no, we said, we're not on an office party, we'll just have the normal menu please.

But apparently this wasn't possible. For the "privilege" of booking ahead and for guaranteeing the Princess a table for 6 on a Tuesday night, we would be charged Â£5 extra per head for exactly the same food as if we'd just wandered in off the street. It was completely bonkers. Even more incredibly, once we had called the manager over to complain, he didn't budge an inch, his argument being that there is a high demand for tables at the Princess for office parties and he was more or less doing us a favour letting us eat there at all!

It was a ridiculous situation. "Just suppose," I ventured, "that we all got up now and left, and immediately came in again and asked for a table for 6. Would you be able to serve us the normal menu?".

"Well, we'd have let your table go to a different group of diners."

"What, in the ten seconds we were stood outside waiting for you to clear the christmas crackers from our table? People are hardly queuing to get in."

But all we got out of our attempts to make the management see sense was a free bottle or two of house wine. It was a breathtaking example of opportunism by a restaurant blatantly attempting to squeeze seasonal expense account diners and by doing so forcing the rest of us to pay through our noses. So that is why I have not been back to the Princess until yesterday.

Which is a shame because the food at the Princess is really rather good. My starter of shredded pork belly was simple but tasty and came with pickled gerkins which I love. The main of breaded ox cheeks (again, that foodie instinct to order the oddest thing on the menu kicking in) were interesting but didn't really taste of a great deal, although the accompanying boiled cabbage was very nice, flavoured with cloves I think. Finally everyone enjoyed the raspberry pannacotta for dessert - not very seasonal I don't think but I suppose you're allowed to freeze raspberries if you're just going to make compote with them.

So out of the Christmas season I can really recommend the Princess. However I will be keeping a very close eye on the place this year to see if they try their "special Christmas menu" trick again - and I urge anyone reading this to fight the injustice of seasonal ripoff menus wherever you see them!What's better than a lovely meal at a good gastropub? That's right, a lovely FREE meal at a good gastropub. My new employers yesterday kindly treated me to a boozy lunchtime at The Princess, just up the road from the Fox on Paul Street. We had a good meal and the service was excellent, but before I come to that, let me just go off on a little rant to explain why I hadn't been back to the Princess, good food notwithstanding, since a disastrous first visit some time in 2004.

It was mid-December, and had booked a table at the Princess with a group of fellow foodies. We turned up slightly early and after a couple of drinks downstairs to peruse what we thought was the food menu, we climbed the rickety spiral staircase to the dining room, where we were somewhat surprised to be presented with the same menu, only Â£5 more expensive and with "Special Christmas menu" printed on the top. Oh no, we said, we're not on an office party, we'll just have the normal menu please.

But apparently this wasn't possible. For the "privilege" of booking ahead and for guaranteeing the Princess a table for 6 on a Tuesday night, we would be charged Â£5 extra per head for exactly the same food as if we'd just wandered in off the street. It was completely bonkers. Even more incredibly, once we had called the manager over to complain, he didn't budge an inch, his argument being that there is a high demand for tables at the Princess for office parties and he was more or less doing us a favour letting us eat there at all!

It was a ridiculous situation. "Just suppose," I ventured, "that we all got up now and left, and immediately came in again and asked for a table for 6. Would you be able to serve us the normal menu?".

"Well, we'd have let your table go to a different group of diners."

"What, in the ten seconds we were stood outside waiting for you to clear the christmas crackers from our table? People are hardly queuing to get in."

But all we got out of our attempts to make the management see sense was a free bottle or two of house wine. It was a breathtaking example of opportunism by a restaurant blatantly attempting to squeeze seasonal expense account diners and by doing so forcing the rest of us to pay through our noses. So that is why I have not been back to the Princess until yesterday.

Which is a shame because the food at the Princess is really rather good. My starter of shredded pork belly was simple but tasty and came with pickled gerkins which I love. The main of breaded ox cheeks (again, that foodie instinct to order the oddest thing on the menu kicking in) were interesting but didn't really taste of a great deal, although the accompanying boiled cabbage was very nice, flavoured with cloves I think. Finally everyone enjoyed the raspberry pannacotta for dessert - not very seasonal I don't think but I suppose you're allowed to freeze raspberries if you're just going to make compote with them.

So out of the Christmas season I can really recommend the Princess. However I will be keeping a very close eye on the place this year to see if they try their "special Christmas menu" trick again - and I urge anyone reading this to fight the injustice of seasonal ripoff menus wherever you see them!

The Windmill - Disappointing by chrisp

chrisp — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 17:27:08 +0000

Review by chrisp

Rating: 2.00

Phone: 020 7786 9261

Tags: relaxed, different pub food, food

You know those places that you walk past every day of the year and always think "that looks interesting, I'll have to try it one day" and then months pass and you eventually do try it and it turns out to be brilliant, and you hate yourself for having waited so long?

The Windmill isn't one of those places. The Windmill is one of those places you walk past every day of the year and always think "that looks interesting, I'll have to try it one day" and then months pass and you eventually do try it and it turns out to be crap.

I actually remember the Windmill from its previous incarnation as a dodgy East End boozer. It was refurbished a year or so ago in line with Shoreditch's increasing gentrification and now calls itself an Italian gastropub. I never much liked the old Windmill - it had a pool table and places like that tend to attract a certain type of clientele - but I never thought that the New Windmill would be so bad I'd look back on the old place with nostalgia.

I'm still settling back into London restaurants after Spain and France, so sweet, efficient and attentive service is still somewhat of a novelty to me, and fortunately the Windmill at least has this going for it. What it doesn't have is any idea how to cook meat. I ordered the 'Mixed Grill' which consisted of a sausage, a rib-eye steak and a hamburger.

The sausage was flattened out for some reason, but despite this seemed undercooked and suspiciously pink and wobbly in the middle. The hamburger was watery and tasteless, consisting of inferior grey mince cooked to oblivion. But worst of all was the steak, cut so thin and overcooked to such a degree I can only assume one of the chefs was a shoemaker in his day job and accidentally mixed up his materials. Probably the worst steak I've ever been served in London, and not helped by the fact there was no accompanying sauce so even if I had been tempted to eat it (which I wasn't) I would have had to wash each mouthful down with a glass of water. To be fair, the green salad was actually pretty nice - fresh veg (including radishes which I love) and a nice lemony vinegarette, but the 'Italian fries' were flabby and unpleasant, tasting like microwaved potato wedges. Delia Smith would probably have loved them.

I'm not going to write any more about The Windmill because I can feel those horrible wobbly chips repeating on me. Needless to say, I will never eat there again, and neither should you.You know those places that you walk past every day of the year and always think "that looks interesting, I'll have to try it one day" and then months pass and you eventually do try it and it turns out to be brilliant, and you hate yourself for having waited so long?

The Windmill isn't one of those places. The Windmill is one of those places you walk past every day of the year and always think "that looks interesting, I'll have to try it one day" and then months pass and you eventually do try it and it turns out to be crap.

I actually remember the Windmill from its previous incarnation as a dodgy East End boozer. It was refurbished a year or so ago in line with Shoreditch's increasing gentrification and now calls itself an Italian gastropub. I never much liked the old Windmill - it had a pool table and places like that tend to attract a certain type of clientele - but I never thought that the New Windmill would be so bad I'd look back on the old place with nostalgia.

I'm still settling back into London restaurants after Spain and France, so sweet, efficient and attentive service is still somewhat of a novelty to me, and fortunately the Windmill at least has this going for it. What it doesn't have is any idea how to cook meat. I ordered the 'Mixed Grill' which consisted of a sausage, a rib-eye steak and a hamburger.

The sausage was flattened out for some reason, but despite this seemed undercooked and suspiciously pink and wobbly in the middle. The hamburger was watery and tasteless, consisting of inferior grey mince cooked to oblivion. But worst of all was the steak, cut so thin and overcooked to such a degree I can only assume one of the chefs was a shoemaker in his day job and accidentally mixed up his materials. Probably the worst steak I've ever been served in London, and not helped by the fact there was no accompanying sauce so even if I had been tempted to eat it (which I wasn't) I would have had to wash each mouthful down with a glass of water. To be fair, the green salad was actually pretty nice - fresh veg (including radishes which I love) and a nice lemony vinegarette, but the 'Italian fries' were flabby and unpleasant, tasting like microwaved potato wedges. Delia Smith would probably have loved them.

I'm not going to write any more about The Windmill because I can feel those horrible wobbly chips repeating on me. Needless to say, I will never eat there again, and neither should you.

The Papermill - The Papermill by FashioniLIKE

FashioniLIKE — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 09:07:09 +0000

Review by FashioniLIKE

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 7377 1606

Tags: food, sexy, trendy

....

The Hoxton Pony - Souless west end vibe in Hoxton - why bother? by kellytron

kellytron — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:31:32 +0000

Review by kellytron

Rating: 1.00

Phone: 020 7613 2844

Website: http://www.thehoxtonpony.com/

Tags: cool, bar, restaurant

This place didn't appeal to me at all.

Sure it's nice and sleek looking, and the cocktail list was impressive, but I found the whole thing too slick, the crowd fairly dull and the whole thing lacked soul.

It has a real west-end vibe if that's your bag: but there are dozens of better options within a one kilometre radius - including sitting in Hoxton square with drinks from the offie.This place didn't appeal to me at all.

Sure it's nice and sleek looking, and the cocktail list was impressive, but I found the whole thing too slick, the crowd fairly dull and the whole thing lacked soul.

It has a real west-end vibe if that's your bag: but there are dozens of better options within a one kilometre radius - including sitting in Hoxton square with drinks from the offie.

Trafik - Errrr... No! by QueenB

QueenB — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 13:23:58 +0000

Review by QueenB

Rating: 1.00

Phone: 020 7613 0234

Website: http://www.trafikinfo.co.uk/

Tags: bar, dj, food

This place is a dump! Simple.

A couple of us stopped in here for drinks after work on Friday, while we decided where we wanted to go that night.
Never again!

First of the they need English speaking staff - simple drink requests took 10 minutes as we had to point out each spirit on the bar behind the girl.
The sofa's were all ripped and tatty. The bar environment was very dingy and dark - just uninviting really.
Music ranged from rock to hardcore ata very loud level.

I didn't get to experience the dancefloor downstairs as this was still shut - what a shame!

The toilets, you have to walk back to the main door, with access direct from the street for anyone passing, go downstairs in a dimly corridor to be met with 3 dirty cubicle areas that smelt like they hadn't been cleaned in years.

I wouldn't even give this place 1 star, sorry!This place is a dump! Simple.

A couple of us stopped in here for drinks after work on Friday, while we decided where we wanted to go that night.
Never again!

First of the they need English speaking staff - simple drink requests took 10 minutes as we had to point out each spirit on the bar behind the girl.
The sofa's were all ripped and tatty. The bar environment was very dingy and dark - just uninviting really.
Music ranged from rock to hardcore ata very loud level.

I didn't get to experience the dancefloor downstairs as this was still shut - what a shame!

The toilets, you have to walk back to the main door, with access direct from the street for anyone passing, go downstairs in a dimly corridor to be met with 3 dirty cubicle areas that smelt like they hadn't been cleaned in years.

I wouldn't even give this place 1 star, sorry!

Zigfrid - Unfortunately, your typical Hoxton vibe by Sami

Sami — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 21:00:10 +0000

Review by Sami

Rating: 1.00

Phone: 020 7613 1988

Website: http://www.zigfrid.com/

Tags: food, beer garden, dj

Anyone interested in snotty service, disinterested staff, an exceptionally long wait even on a Sunday late morning when the restaurant is empty, and unremarkable food?

Then go here. It's your typical snot-nosed, cooler-than-thou Shoreditch spot, with waiters and bartenders that think they're better than you - although their first clue should be that it's them that's stuck waiting tables for a living.

Its few redeeming factors: a good selection of Sunday papers, a beer garden, and the interior is, admittedly, pretty cool.

Anyone interested in snotty service, disinterested staff, an exceptionally long wait even on a Sunday late morning when the restaurant is empty, and unremarkable food?

Then go here. It's your typical snot-nosed, cooler-than-thou Shoreditch spot, with waiters and bartenders that think they're better than you - although their first clue should be that it's them that's stuck waiting tables for a living.

Its few redeeming factors: a good selection of Sunday papers, a beer garden, and the interior is, admittedly, pretty cool.

Strongroom Bar - Another after work haunt by princessjasmine

princessjasmine — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 16:21:58 +0000

Review by princessjasmine

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 7426 5103

Website: http://www.strongroom.com

Tags: cool, food, relaxed

Great comfy sofas, nice staff - this is another bar to stop off at on the way home, nice garden too.
Try the full english in the morning (they are open from 9) Â£2.60 and all good food! You can't go wrong...Great comfy sofas, nice staff - this is another bar to stop off at on the way home, nice garden too.
Try the full english in the morning (they are open from 9) Â£2.60 and all good food! You can't go wrong...

Bricklayers Arms - Nice for lazy after work drinks by princessjasmine

princessjasmine — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 16:15:09 +0000

Review by princessjasmine

Rating: 3.00

Phone: 020 7739 5245

Tags: relaxed, friendly, food

I often go to the Bricklayers for an after work drink - most likely because it's next door so I have to walk past it on the way through. It's nice for a quick drink - the owner knows my bosses very well so he often lets us dive upstairs to the restaurant for our drinks avoiding the crowds downstairs.
Ate there once - didn't really enjoy, not sure if I would eat there again.I often go to the Bricklayers for an after work drink - most likely because it's next door so I have to walk past it on the way through. It's nice for a quick drink - the owner knows my bosses very well so he often lets us dive upstairs to the restaurant for our drinks avoiding the crowds downstairs.
Ate there once - didn't really enjoy, not sure if I would eat there again.

Old Blue Last - My last choice by tariqmuman

tariqmuman — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 23:11:52 +0000

Review by tariqmuman

Rating: 2.00

Phone: 020 7739 5793

Tags: food, vegetarian dishes

The Old Blue Last is an old fashioned looking place a short walk away from either Old St or Liverpool St Station, and it has to be said looks pretty out of place among it's counterparts in Hoxton.
While it's true that the Old Blue does play host to many quality bands, that it's usually free to get into, and has a pretty trendy and friendly regular crowd, it oughtn't be anyone's first choice for a night out.
Despite all this The Old Blue on a Friday is a sardine tin, and there's no other way to put it. Expect to wait quite a while for the toilets, stand all night, and not be able to see the band that brought you there, and at Â£3+ a pint don't expect to forget it either.The Old Blue Last is an old fashioned looking place a short walk away from either Old St or Liverpool St Station, and it has to be said looks pretty out of place among it's counterparts in Hoxton.
While it's true that the Old Blue does play host to many quality bands, that it's usually free to get into, and has a pretty trendy and friendly regular crowd, it oughtn't be anyone's first choice for a night out.
Despite all this The Old Blue on a Friday is a sardine tin, and there's no other way to put it. Expect to wait quite a while for the toilets, stand all night, and not be able to see the band that brought you there, and at Â£3+ a pint don't expect to forget it either.

Bavarian Beerhouse - Basic, but entertainingly so by ChrisHarrison

ChrisHarrison — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 11:04:00 +0000

Review by ChrisHarrison

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 7608 0925

Website: http://www.bavarian-beerhouse.co.uk

Tags: relaxed, food, lively

The beer's pretty good, the food is exactly what you want if you're going to be sinking the steins, the waitresses might well be authentically attired, but they'll appeal to the likely male clientele.

It's a fun place, not in the least bit cool and not somewhere for a quite romantic night out, but if you're 16 blokes on bit of a mission (they'll have mostly German sports on the big screens, but they'll turn it over for you if you ask nicely) then this is the perfect option. The beer's pretty good, the food is exactly what you want if you're going to be sinking the steins, the waitresses might well be authentically attired, but they'll appeal to the likely male clientele.

It's a fun place, not in the least bit cool and not somewhere for a quite romantic night out, but if you're 16 blokes on bit of a mission (they'll have mostly German sports on the big screens, but they'll turn it over for you if you ask nicely) then this is the perfect option.

Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen - by yahnyinlondon

yahnyinlondon — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 11:57:39 +0000

Review by yahnyinlondon

Rating: 1.00

Phone: 020 7613 0709

Tags: food, comfy, trendy

Awful awful bar. Overpriced drinks, posing clientele, terrible music. I had the misfortune of going here twice in two weeks. They also have stupid rules for smokers (can't take drinks into smoking area) - Not that I smoke but all my friends were smoking so I went outside to stand with them.. we all had to leave our drinks unattended. That's a drink spiking incident waiting to happen.Awful awful bar. Overpriced drinks, posing clientele, terrible music. I had the misfortune of going here twice in two weeks. They also have stupid rules for smokers (can't take drinks into smoking area) - Not that I smoke but all my friends were smoking so I went outside to stand with them.. we all had to leave our drinks unattended. That's a drink spiking incident waiting to happen.

Dragon - by highburysi

highburysi — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 15:02:59 +0000

Review by highburysi

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 7784 8618

Website: http://www.dragonbar.co.uk

Tags: bar, busy, music

Dragon is one of the best bars in hoxton/shoreditch. Crampt at weekends, and the toilets are terrible but it has a certain NYC coolDragon is one of the best bars in hoxton/shoreditch. Crampt at weekends, and the toilets are terrible but it has a certain NYC cool