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Quinns, NW1
NW1
NW1 8NY
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 5½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about Quinns
A large lump of a corner pub that looks half derilict from the outside, a very long single room that seemed very empty with just one other punter in sat at the bar. The long bartop boasted eight handpumps, unfortunately all naked, a sign of the times. I settled for a Guinness despite a reasonable looking selection of Belgian beers in the fridge.The place could do with a total revamp, I fear thats very unlikely though.
On 20th December 2021
- rating: 4
[User has posted 1872 recommendations about 1845 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about Quinns
A first for the two of us the other night in what was originally the Moreton Arms. Situated in one of Camden's most unprepossessing locations is Quinn's, an Irish bar run by the same family since 1991. From the outside this pub is so rundown that it looks almost closed, with paint - and more - flaking off and with a hanging sign that displays more rotting wood than paint.
Inside, what has been described as a narrow pub (it isn't, it's just narrow in relation to its great length) has some very interesting décor with china items above the picture rail and booths to side walls. There's also some interesting stained glass - original? - and internally illuminated Tiffany-style capitals to at least one column. There are some interesting wooden details, high stools to drinking ledges and a lino floor. The elderly landlord was very polite as he hovered over eight pumps, all unused or with clips reversed. We opted for two halves of Stella which cost £2.40 each and were fine.
Unfortunately, the seats to the booths were in such bad condition that they had been repaired using gaffer tape. A trip to the lavatory reminded me of a scene from the film Trainspotting - I've never been in such grotty lavs, with cracked tiles, graffiti all over the place, loose taps and bare wiring just covered with insulating tape and a hole in the ceiling where once there was a piece of plasterboard.
One wonders if this place is being deliberately run into the ground? £50k would go a long way towards doing it up, indeed 50 quid would make a difference. No wonder this large pub was almost empty.
On 5th October 2016
- rating: 1
[User has posted 1985 recommendations about 1951 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about Quinns
This long, narrow Irish pub is fairly easy to reach from both Kentish Town and Camden tube stations. The bar runs down the mid-part of the right hand wall, with seating areas either side of it. At the front there is a fairly open area with some partitioned booths, lit in part by red fairy lights, which sounds ghastly, but actually worked fairly well. Opposite the bar, a number of silhouettes of Edwardian scenes fill the windows, which is an unusual and somewhat quirky feature. There are a few high tables and stools here as well as a drinking ledge, before the room opens out once again at the rear, where a curved banquette provides a good deal of seating along with some regular tables and chairs. The servery has some interesting backlit stained glass at the top and there are more examples of this on the staircase leading down to the toilets. The walls have their fair share of clichéd Irish themed pictures, but the pub, which was showing the Real Madrid vs. Barcelona cup tie, could very well have been a Spanish bar, given that all of the clientele except for me were there to cheer on their team. I’m not sure if the pub has a garden, but there was a sizeable space on the pavement fenced off with a number of seats available.
The pub has a reputation for providing a wide range of bottled beers, but I completely forgot to look at the fridges, so I can only point out that there were three hand pumps in operation offering Greene King IPA and Abbot Ale as well as Belhaven Grand Slam (£3.80). I tried the latter which was in good shape, if not a particularly memorable pint.
As Irish pubs go, I thought this was a pretty good one, perhaps reaping the benefits of being run by the same family for the last 20+ years. I’m not sure I’d specifically make a return trip to this pub, but it’s a good option to have and I’m sure it will have been rocking last night for St Patrick’s Day.
On 18th March 2013
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about Quinns
Strange pub, with a rather eccentric selection of memorabilia on the walls (much of it, as you would expect from the name, Irish). The furniture and decor is a bit shabby, and the bar service can be variable (especially if the older members of the Quinn family are on duty). That said, there is plenty of space - including a patio area to one side at the far end of the long bar - and it seems rather more authentic than most Irish-style pubs in the U.K. Quinns is famous for its selection of bottled beers, but appearance of eight handpumps is deceptive. One three of these were clipped - all Greene King offerings - IPA, St Edmunds and Abbot, and only the last of these was actually on (at a pricy £3.60 too). Overall, quite an interesting visit (but I hope there is a better ale selection next time I visit).
On 23rd October 2010
- rating: 7
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about Quinns
This one stands out amongst the generally gauche establishments in Camden due to the interesting stock of foreign (mainly Belgian) bottles in the fridges, the prices of which prices are relatively reasonable given the area.
The inside is odd – long and narrow most of the way down, though by juxtaposition the ‘beer garden’ is a small concrete patio thronged with smokers. The interior has a crass Irish theme going on in places, but thankfully not too in-your-face and can be ignored. There’s usually a decent/eclectic selection of music on the landlord’s ipod. Ale-wise, they seem to have started stocking Greene King beers, usually three of them. The clientèle in here are a bit less tacky than the average Camden pub, though the toilets aren't - they are often in pretty poor condition.
Overall, recommended for a decent pre-gig beer in Camden.
On 5th June 2009
- rating: 7
[User has posted 5099 recommendations about 5082 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about Quinns
It was very quiet in here on Friday evening, with the average age being around 65. All of the other pubs in the area were buzzing with people that had finished work or were beginning their night out in Camden, but not here which made the place depressing. It's a shame as on the surface this appears to be a great venue, with 5 real ales, a wide choice of lagers and a couple of well placed plasma screens.
I found the barman that served me to be pleasant and I'll probably pop my head in again next time I'm in the area to see if it gets any better when busier.
On 17th November 2008
- rating: 6
[User has posted 5252 recommendations about 5220 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Roger Button left this review about Quinns
I have been using this place on occasions over the last couple of years and always thought it a bit overrated. That said, I am not a big fan of Irish styled pubs anyway although, despite the bright façade, Quinns doesn't actually feel like your stereotypical Irish bar. The interior has a contrived and plastic feel about it and lacks any intrinsic warmth or charm. It would however make a terrific bowling alley given its long, narrow layout and low ceiling. There are a few Dublin photos, portraits and bits of illuminated coloured glass dotted around but the cheap posters of Irish “humour” are embarrassingly tacky. Of course what most people rate it for is the beers. Until recently they only had a mundane selection of Green King Ales but in recent months they have introduced some unusual guest beers to complement the extensive selection of continental bottled beers of which so much has already been written. Not being a bottled beer fan I can't comment on the choice but the prices do seem a bit steep. I have never had any real problems with the staff although I have witnessed others on the receiving end of their rudeness. One of the major reasons I come here is because you can generally get a seat and doesn't seem to attract the less desirable of Camden's populace. There is also a small patio at the rear when the weather allows. Overall I am quite happy to while away time here but if the guest beers disappeared, I would probably disappear with them.
On 5th September 2007
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1239 recommendations about 1233 pubs]