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Beer of the Week (w/e 17th March 2024) with Mobyduck on the Pub Forum

The Crosse Keys (JD Wetherspoon), Leadenhall, EC3

9 Gracechurch Street
EC3
EC3V 0DR
Phone: 02076234824

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Pub Type

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


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Blue Scrumpy left this review about The Crosse Keys (JD Wetherspoon)

This branch of Wetherspoon's and former bank is a fairly cavernous affair which on a weekday night can be heaving. My only previous visit was on a weekend afternoon in 2014 for one of their festivals. At that time, there were just a few people rattling around. On this Thursday evening visit, it was packed, with tables very hard to come by. However, after much wandering around, we finally grabbed one, leaving just 40 minutes for us to order drinks and food and to exit, as we had our son in tow. Food finally arrived after 30 minutes, leaving us 10 minutes to eat. By this time, the crowds were starting to thin a little and the bouncers seemed a little more relaxed and were happy for us to stay to finish our meals without rushing.

The high ceilings here make it all quite raucous. Whilst not a typical City pub, it does attract a few City types, along with others that you would more closely associate with a Wetherspoon's.

The real ale and cider selection is listed on TV screens around the bar. There are 4 regular beers here, namely Sharp's Doom Bar, Greene King Abbot & IPA & Fuller's London Pride. On our visit, the 7 guest beers were Bowman Wallops Wood, Cairngorm Wildcat, Pheasantry Black Pheasant, Salopian Darwin's Origin, Dorset Brewing Company Jurassic, Fire Island Buffalo & Exmoor Wildcat. The cider was Old Rosie. At £4.19 a pint, my pint of Black Pheasant wasn't as cheap as I'd normally expect for a 'spoon's. Although, in comparison with other local pubs, that's probably quite reasonable. I couldn't use my CAMRA voucher, as presumably the combination of food and drinks we ordered was cheaper without the voucher, as the pint would have been included with a meal.

With a good range of beers, this is an above average branch of Wetherspoon's. However, I'd probably try to return at a weekend when it is a bit quieter and more relaxed.

On 18th February 2023 - rating: 6
[User has posted 2442 recommendations about 2441 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Rob Hunter left this review about The Crosse Keys (JD Wetherspoon)

Pretty much unchanged since last year, except now of course you are free to find your own table. Ordering via the app still seems to be the preferred method, and sections of the bar are roped off and used for staff to take orders to tables.

London Pride was available on this visit, as was Divine by Bishop Nick (which in my opinion was the better of the two ales). Still a rather paltry selection for a Wetherspoons.

Again, no issues with the food, drinks or service, and the pub is in a grand old building, but it seems the chain is still struggling to get as many guest ales on the pumps as they did pre-COVID.

On 23rd August 2021 - rating: 7
[User has posted 750 recommendations about 598 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Rob Hunter left this review about The Crosse Keys (JD Wetherspoon)

Several hand pulls at the bar but only one bank was clipped, offering Doom Bar (x2 clipped), Greene King IPA, Fullers London Pride, Brains SA and Rosie's Pig Cloudy Cider. I assume the London Pride may be a permanent fixture and the Brains SA was a guest. Sadly the London Pride was off, so I went for the Brains SA, which was a decent pint in good nick. We stayed for food and on perusing the menu on the app, found that Portobello Star was available on bottles, so went for this with my meal and found it to be very pleasant.

In terms of COVID, they were having some issues with the app so reverting to leaving your details the old fashioned way on a slip of paper. You can still order at the bar, but you are encouraged to use the app. I didn't do this for the first lot of drinks as not all the cask ales were listed on the app. There are screens between the booths, and tables are distanced with markers on the floor.

No issues with the beer, food or service, and I am assuming the lack of guest ales was due to low anticipated turnover or supply chain issues following lockdown (or both).

This is a big grand building, apparently the former HQ for HSBC, with a very impressive interior which has been well described by previous reviewers. One thing that did intrigue me was the presence of what seemed to be a disabled cubicle in the gents toilets - nothing unusual in that perhaps except that the toilets are downstairs with no sign of a lift.

If there had been more beer choice it probably would be an 8/10 for me, but based on this visit it's a 7/10.

On 19th August 2020 - rating: 7
[User has posted 750 recommendations about 598 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Ian Mapp left this review about The Crosse Keys (JD Wetherspoon)

former HQ of HSBC and now a Wetherspoons GBG 2020 entry.

The building - if you look up - is stunning. all marble columns and huge lighting rigs in a cavernously airy room.

If you look down, you'll see the usual JDW sticky tables covered in spent glasses and "interesting" carpet.

Beer Choice is beyond comprehension - 24 hand pulls advertised on TV Screens. If you use the app, you can only select the regulars. London Pride was in poor condition.

There is no doubt I would come again. So much to discover, if I actually get to the bar.

10 for the building/choice. 4 for the quality.

On 4th November 2019 - rating: 10
[User has posted 1328 recommendations about 1314 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Quinno _ left this review about The Crosse Keys (JD Wetherspoon)

A huge Spoons in a fairly impressive building both inside and out, the former HQ of HSBC and a good amount of the former banking ornateness remains in situ; marble columns, statuettes, rotundas, globe skylights - that sort of thing although the dimness of the interior can make some of it difficult to immediately spot. Absolutely crazily busy on my weekday evening visit, so the oval-shaped island bar in the middle of the place does really help to thin out the queues at the bar. Unfortunately the service was, to put it politely, ‘haphazard’ which meant that when I received a pint of grot it took a fair while to flag down another member of staff to get it replaced (with something that was simply meh rather than actively unpleasant, an NBSS 2). With a maximum of 18 beers potentially on the go at any one time (check the electronic board, if you see it), perhaps my receiving poor ones should not have been too much of a surprise – is anyone there genuinely managing the ale? Unlikely. To get away from the scrum we decided to try and sit upstairs which proved to be a good move as it was far less busy and we managed to bag a seat on the balcony giving us a birds eye view of the whole ground floor. A mixed bag – I’d certainly recommend a visit for the interior but I’d be dubious about ordering ale again.

On 1st April 2019 - rating: 6
[User has posted 5030 recommendations about 5013 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Delboy 20 left this review about The Crosse Keys (JD Wetherspoon)

Impressive building and a larger than usual choice of ales for a Spoons. The one I chose wasn't the best but I may just have been unlucky! I would give it another chance when I am next in the area.

On 7th June 2018 - no rating submitted
[User has posted 1650 recommendations about 1552 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Tris C left this review about The Crosse Keys (JD Wetherspoon)

The Crosse Keys follows Wetherspoon's trend of naming some of their outlets after former local pubs, in this case an ancient Gracechurch Street coaching inn, rebuilt after the Great Fire of 1666 and surviving until at least the mid-19th century.
Opened in 1999, this was the headquarters of the Hong Kong & Shanghai Bank - huge doesn't do the place justice. To paraphrase Obi Wan: "That's no moon. It's a Wetherspoon's". The interior is rather plush, no doubt pandering to what must be the company's wealthiest client base. At centre, there's a large oval bar with seating all around with many customers eating. It's the deep coffered ceiling though that's most impressive. Out of the rear fire escape, and there's access to a small churchyard. The list of ales is impressive and the quality is there, but of course you now have to pay in advance of being served which isn't on, although at least it's cheap - for London - with two pints coming in at £6.90.
The interior may be impressive up to a point, but the noise of chatter and poor acoustics means that it's very noisy in here with little in the way of creature comforts - if you like drinking in a posh airport departure lounge with flashing games machines this may appeal. There's also the advantage that it's open until 11.00 pm on Saturday and 9.00 pm on Sunday, when hardly anything around here is open at all during the weekend.
As far as the ale department goes, this place ticks many boxes but as with virtually all 'spoons, there's nothing for the all-round traditional pub enthusiast.

On 27th April 2018 - rating: 5
[User has posted 1943 recommendations about 1910 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Graham Coombs left this review about The Crosse Keys (JD Wetherspoon)

A vast selection of real ales and craft taps in a huge and splendidly imposing interior but, as mentioned below, the brewery promotion material was very out of place. Possibly because it was a Monday but quite a few of the 18 or so ales were out so ended up with my 4th choice which was at least in good condition. Certainly somewhere you could have a good session.

On 29th January 2018 - rating: 8
[User has posted 3296 recommendations about 3233 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


hondo . left this review about The Crosse Keys (JD Wetherspoon)

A massive former bank that gets more ornate towards the rear but the puggy machines and the drinks promotions detract from the ambience. The central island bar has TV screens listing 24 ales/ciders available. Double it up with the nearby counting house for another impressive interior.

On 24th November 2016 - no rating submitted
[User has posted 2883 recommendations about 2820 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Crosse Keys (JD Wetherspoon)

Huge former banking hall, with a high ceiling and a single oval island bar. There is also a rear room and a balcony area, although the latter is not always open for general use. Always has a fine choice of ales from the 24 handpumps, and these are helpfully listed on TV screens so that you can work out what's on before heading for the counter where you can probably only see six or so clips from any one position. Quality always seems good too, and I enjoyed a pint of Nethergate Harvest Stout (£3.40) on my latest visit. Overall, remains one of the destination pubs in the City (particularly if you can get there at a quieter time).

On 24th September 2016 - rating: 8
[User has posted 8039 recommendations about 8039 pubs]

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