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Williamson's Tavern, Mansion House, EC4

1 Groveland Court
EC4
EC4M 9EH
Phone: 02072485750

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Pub Type

Nicholsons (Mitchells & Butlers)

Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7 of 10) Add Review see review guidelines


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Brainy Pool left this review about Williamson's Tavern

an olde worlde corporate London pub by numbers and quiet compared to other pubs nearby. Sadly it did stink of damp and the barmaid seemed worldweary to me. Or she was just having a long day. At least it feels like a proper pub though, in the bar I felt quite cosy. it’s a ‘Nicholsons pie house’ apparently.

On 1st February 2019 - rating: 6
[User has posted 1051 recommendations about 1016 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about Williamson's Tavern

Attractive inn, hidden away on one side of an alleyway. The small bar you first encounter is much as expected, with limited furniture and always quite a scrum around the counter. However, there is a rather larger bar with a good amount of seating beyond. Table service available in Martha's Cellar Dining Room. Traditional decor throughout, as befits a place which claims to hold the oldest excise licence in the City of London. Also has a couple of small tables outside. Usually has a reasonable selection of real ales available if you take the opportunity to check the bank of handpumps in each bar first (with six at the front, five at the back and two more downstairs), ranging from the regular Nicholson's Pale Ale, Pride and Doom Bar to several more unusual guest beers.

On 21st February 2015 - rating: 7
[User has posted 8061 recommendations about 8061 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


hondo . left this review about Williamson's Tavern

Tucked away at the end of a lane interior as described below. 6 real ales and food served.

On 19th November 2013 - no rating submitted
[User has posted 2883 recommendations about 2820 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Bucking Fastard left this review about Williamson's Tavern

ORIGINAL REVIEW Jan 2011.
Very easy to miss this pub as you stroll along Bow Lane,it is situated down a narrow courtyard close to Ye Old Watling.The front bar is more of a drinking area but it is worth checking the back bar as some handpumps here offer different ales from the front bar.There is also much more seating at the rear area,handy if you intend to eat.A traditional interior and a strong emphasis on real ale,my pint of Lancaster Red was in good condition, make this another Nicholsons pub thats well worth visiting if you are in the City.

UPDATE.
Spent a bit more time in here on this visit ,mainly in the back bar.It now seems that all six handpumps in both sections sell the same ale with three regulars (London Pride,Doom Bar,and a Nicholsons branded golden ale) and three rotating guests including a very decent Roosters True Grit on my trip.If descending the impressive staircase to the gents in this part of the pub ,you come across a cellar bar with three handpumps.However this section was closed by my arrival at 8pm on a Friday.This pub is much quieter than Ye Olde Watling,so if you want a seat immediately after work and a decent pint,this pub is worth seeking out.An interesting,authentic interior awaits.

On 3rd June 2012 - rating: 8
[User has posted 2709 recommendations about 2709 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Steve of N21 left this review about Williamson's Tavern

Like the previous reviewer, I made a return visit to the Williamson Tavern the other evening, after a gap of a couple of years. Pleased to find that this is another Nicholson’s establishment where the beer choice has improved. There are now six ale hand pumps on each of the two bars which dispense the same choice of ales.
Fullers London Pride, Sharps Doombar and Brains SA Gold are the three house ales and then the other three pumps support a regularly rotating range of guests. St Austell Proper Job and a couple of dark beers including a porter were on the guest for our visit and all the ones we tried were served in good condition. As usual with Nicholson establishments , the generally hard working bar staff are a mixture of those experienced in how to pull a pint, and those transient staff who need to be reminded that a pint served in a London pub does not have a one inch foam head sitting well below the rim of the glass. But they were all topped up without fuss, so I see n need to change by previous solid rating for the Williamson Tavern and remains a recommended find when in this part of town, especially as the new Fullers pub round the corner was later a huge disappointment.

On 29th March 2012 - no rating submitted
[User has posted 2094 recommendations about 1985 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Rex Rattus left this review about Williamson's Tavern

You wouldn’t think that there is a such a large pub tucked away down this alleyway off Bow Lane. There are now two distinct areas comprising this pub. The first entrance on the left as you enter the courtyard takes you into a fairly small room with some basic furnishings, but if you continue along past the bar counter on the left a doorway takes you into a much larger (and much warmer when I visited) room, with its own bar counter and more comfortable furnishings. There were a dozen or so customers in on Monday afternoon, all in the back room finishing off their lunches. Being the City, nobody (apart from me) was using nasty cash to pay for their drinks and meals – it was all on plastic.
Being a Nicholson pub there was a decent ale selection available, with the usual suspects of London Pride and Doom Bar joined by St Austell Tribute, Harviestoun Ptarmigan, and Thwaite’s Nutty Black. The usual Nicholson menu was available, with some pub grub classics at reasonable prices (for London). It’s been a few years since I’ve visited this pub, and I hope it’s not years until the next time I visit. This remains one of the better City pubs, although to be honest the competition isn’t exactly thick on the ground.

On 23rd November 2011 - rating: 6
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]


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Steve C left this review about Williamson's Tavern

This Nicholsons pub is a two bar affair that was serving up Doom Bar, Reverend James, Pride, Landlord, Thornbridge’s Wild Holly and Kelham Island’s Pale Rider from the twelve hand pumps that are split between both bars. There is also a good range of standard and premium draught products and the Guinness was on good form. Standard pub fayre is available and from what I could see it is served all day, although it should be noted that like many pubs in this area the Williamson’s Tavern is closed on Saturdays and Sundays. I saw a plasma screen that was turned off and there is no Sky Sports, but some background music could just about be heard over the hoards of city workers enjoying their Christmas parties when I visited just before Christmas.

There are a couple of tables outside in the alleyway where this pub is located and a separate door gains access to a function room that is available for hire.

I liked it in here and would have no problem returning, but if possible it is probably best to avoid office kicking out times as it can get very busy.

On 5th January 2011 - rating: 7
[User has posted 5179 recommendations about 5148 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Steve of N21 left this review about Williamson Tavern

The Williamson Tavern is a Nicholson's House hidden away in Bow lane halfway between Cheapside and Mansion House tube. It’s a pub with a bit of history as Lord Mayors of London used to reside here until the mid 1700’s when it was bought by Robert Williamson and turned it into a hotel.
Nowadays it’s a busy pub for the City workers who pack it out at lunchtime and early evenings. It’s a two bar pub with the two bars joined by a thin corridor. The back bar is mainly laid out with tables for dining, so the front bar is the better one for drinking.
Usually does a decent pint of TT Landlord or Fullers London Pride.

On 8th February 2010 - rating: 8
[User has posted 2094 recommendations about 1985 pubs]