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Butchers Hook & Cleaver, Smithfield, EC1
EC1
EC1A 9DY
Pub Type
Fuller'sReviews (Current Rating Average: 6½ of 10) see review guidelines
Blackthorn _ left this review about Butchers Hook & Cleaver
A traditional looking and substantial street corner pub located just across the road from Smithfield Market, the signage outside describes it as a Fuller’s Ale & Pie House so presumably there is some emphasis on the food, although on my sunny Tuesday evening visit there were probably more people stood drinking on the pavement outside than there were inside.
Internally it’s a good size, and is quite elegant in style, perhaps it could even be described as grand. There was much elaborate cornice work on the ceiling with much of the inset panelling being painted a deep shade of maroon. Elsewhere was a pleasant mid-green paintwork, both on the walls and further parts of the ceiling. The flooring was predominantly wood strip with some chequered black and white tiling around the wood panelled bar counter. A mezzanine floor was off to the right, with wrought iron balustrade overlooking the lower part of the pub. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling and there were some large stencilled cartoon style drawings on one wall. Wood partitioning with etched glass inserts broke up the space a little, and in a nod to the pubs name, both a butcher’s hook and a cleaver were displayed in a glass case.
Despite being described as a pie house, there was only one pie option on the menu as far as I could see, with other choices including a burger, fish & chips, chicken Kiev, scampi and so on, with most of the main courses being somewhere around £15 - £20. My broccoli, squash and tomato linguine was a decent enough dish, although did seem a little expensive at £14.95 given the portion size and the lack of any meat or fish.
Beers on tap were London pride, Seafarer’s Ale, Dark Star Hophead and Coronation King’s Ale. The solitary cider meanwhile was Sanford Orchards. Overall, I thought this was a decent enough pub, and certainly worth checking out if in the area.
On 26th May 2023
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1950 recommendations about 1863 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about Butchers Hook & Cleaver
A fairly attractive Fullers pub with the expected Fullers beer range. Very busy on a lunchtime so I didn't hang around too long.Not really my kind of place but certainly worth a look,
On 28th April 2023
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1875 recommendations about 1848 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Ian Mapp left this review about Butchers Hook & Cleaver
Fullers Pie and Ale barn of a place. Friday night and overrun by those that hadn't yet gone from from work and those that were making a night of being drunk and lairy.
The bar staff couldn't cope - poor service at bar, tables all dirty.
Like a Wetherspoons, really.
On 1st March 2020
- rating: 4
[User has posted 1344 recommendations about 1330 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about Butchers Hook & Cleaver
Just over the road from Smithfield’s Market, this is a rather appropriately named Fuller’s Pie and Ale House. You enter to a nice tiled floor main bar area with the servery directly opposite the front door. The bar has a nice counter with a marble-effect top and smart, arched bar back. The entrance is flanked by a series of attractive art deco style mirrors and modern partitioning screens. A bare boarded seating area to the left offers a selection of standard tables and chairs under some enlarged Hogarth images, a few regular sized paintings and a set of folding doors which open out onto the small pavement drinking area outside. The room has a high ceiling studded with some decorative roses and crazy chandeliers. To the right, there is a second seating area in a much gloomier space, broken midway through by a spiral staircase. Here, the walls are wood panelled and decorated with many small picture frames. The ceiling here is much lower, as the staircase leads up to a mezzanine area with plenty more seating aimed more notably towards diners. The balcony has a nice decorative rail and attractive frieze and gives good views down to the front of the pub. Music was playing away in the background, but was for the most part lost under the constant wash of noise from a decent post-work crowd.
The usual Fuller’s ale range was evident here, with London Pride, ESB, Oliver’s Island and Bengal Lancer supplemented by Dark Star Hophead. These five beers were duplicated across a great many hand pulls, making it look at first glance like there would be a very extensive ale range. My pint of Bengal Lancer cost an eye-watering £5.10, but was in pretty good shape and the bar staff were all very friendly and remarkably attentive.
I quite liked this place, especially the left hand side of the room and the various interesting decorative features. It was let down a little by over the top pricing and the dingy right hand area, but there was enough here to make me consider calling in again in passing.
On 22nd January 2019
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Danny O'Revey left this review about Butchers Hook & Cleaver
Grand pub with limited opening hours, sadly the beer quality is poor
On 1st October 2018
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1456 recommendations about 1434 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about Butchers Hook & Cleaver
Founded in 1999 from the amalgamation of a meat wholesalers shop and branch of the Midland Bank, this is one of Fuller's City barn-like pie houses, similar to the Counting House and Bank of England. The interior's very imperious, designed to look like a grand Edwardian hotel. There's a mezzanine and lots of varnished and stained wood. It's all a bit soulless and corporate (everyone in here seems to work in the City) so can't really see myself coming again, the vastly superior Hand & Shears is just around the corner.
Ales: Fuller's range with their Oliver's Island and Gale's branded ales, with ESB weighing in at a very hefty £4.60 a pint.
On 9th April 2016
- rating: 5
[User has posted 1993 recommendations about 1959 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about Butchers Hook & Cleaver
Fittingly, given its location on the south side of Smithfield Market, this is a Fuller's Ale & Pie house. Furbished in an alehouse style which suits its location, it offers no surprises but is a pleasant spot in which to enjoy a pint. The only disappointment on this visit was that only three real ales were available from a total of 12 handpumps on various parts of the counter: Pride, Oliver's Island and ESB (£4.40).
On 16th January 2016
- rating: 7
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about Butchers Hook & Cleaver
On approach I thought I was looking at two separate pubs in front of us. Once through the doors it was evident this was one large Fullers pub. The interior was bright and spacious. The service was good and so was my Chiswick ale. The pub had a good atmosphere and would pop in again when passing.
On 10th January 2014
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
john gray left this review about Butchers Hook & Cleaver
Large Fullers pub with the full range of beers.Very similar design as the Barrowboy and Banker.Okay but lots of good pubs in the area.
On 13th October 2013
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1023 recommendations about 1009 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about Butchers Hook & Cleaver
An aptly named Fullers Ale and Pie house, being that it is located just to the north of Smithfield Market.
It has a large floor space with the bar in front of you as you enter, the left hand section then set up just for drinking with high tables and stools and then the right hand side of the pub is the dining area. This comprises of the downstairs section but then also the double level mezzanine floor area reached by the spiral metal staircase mentioned by Rex below. Both the dining sections are table service.
Rex is correct in his comment that this is not an intimate traditional pub, but if you’re after somewhere decent to grab a lunch and a nice kept pint of Fullers then The Butchers is usually reliable and we always manage to get a table on the mezzanine floor, even on busy lunchtimes.
The usual Fullers Ales on and the Discovery and Chiswick which were tried on this occasion was perfectly fine. And both our pies could not be faulted either.
And we noticed that The Vic from the St. Barts church around the corner popped in for a quick pint of Pride in one of the window seats. So if a pint of Fullers is good enough for one of God’s disciples, then it’s good enough for me.
On 31st July 2010
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2121 recommendations about 2000 pubs]