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Image posted by Tris C
Submitted on Wednesday, 11th July 2018
With picture contributions to 2293 other pubs
View all this pub's pictures (10 more images)
Detail Pages
The Footman, Mayfair, W1
W1
W1J 5DE
Served areas
Reviews of The Footman (Average Rating: 5 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Graham Coombs left this review about The Footman
Situated just off Berkeley Square, this is a posh local for posh locals. It has a very un-publike front door and minimalist interior decor: dark wood to waist level and white paint above. I won't mention the prices - oh, I just did - but don't plan on having a session here. Ales on were TT Landlord, Portobello Star and a house beer of unknown origin but presumably something from Greene King.
On 4th February 2023
- rating: 5
[User has posted 3339 recommendations about 3276 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about The Footman
Dating from 1749, this was originally the Running Footman, named after the footmen who ran in front of coaches to act as some sort of advance warning. Rebuilt in 1937, this has undergone an assortment of footman-themed names since the original: I Am The Only Running Footman, Only Running Footman and now just Footman – may I suggest just Foot for the next round?
It’s a strange-looking building, with five floors and shutters. Now under the Metropolitan Pub Co. banner and visited once around five years ago, I can remember little of the place other than that it was packed due to the small bar area, so my friends and I spent the evening outside.
I don’t recall an enjoyable experience, visiting only as it was a friend’s choice of destination; there are better pubs in Mayfair.
On 16th November 2020
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 1985 recommendations about 1951 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about The Footman
This Mayfair establishment promotes itself as a pub and dining rooms. I just hope the Footman performs better as a restaurant upstairs than it does as a pub downstairs.
The true test of any central London pub is how it performs for drinkers during the busy few after work hours on a Thursday or Friday and this one didn’t.
Firstly as described by others the downstairs bar area is not the biggest space and despite the front section being for vertical drinking the back section is packed with tables to maximise the food trade and whereas it’s probably OK on a quiet early afternoon, with the after work crowd in situ it becomes an uncomfortable and noisy space to try and enjoy a pint.
I can always live with this and turn a blind eye if the ale is good. As previously mentioned this is a Greene King owned house under the Metropolitan pub company with four ale hand pumps on the bar and to walk in a find the two Green King ales of IPA and Abbott not available should have been in hindsight a big clue to what was to follow. Alongside the house Footmans Best was a guest ale of Sambrooks Wandle. This started off OK but by the second round was clearly reaching the end of the barrel resulting in returned pints to be replaced by the Footmans Best, which being another boring GK brew was a bit of an oxymoron on the naming front. Infuriatingly we also experience some shocking short pulling and for the second round of seven pints, five had to be returned to be topped up to a full pint, something you should bloody well get when it’s costing you £5.10 a pint. Then by the time of the next round the Footman’s Best was clearly going off as well, although it continued to be poured by the staff. At this point we cut our losses and headed to the pubs in Shepherds Market. It’s lazy cellar work and lazy bar work like this that gives real ale a bad name.
This pub is famed for its gastro food and I guess those who come here for that don’t care about the state or quantity of the pint served.
On 29th February 2020
- rating: 4
[User has posted 2111 recommendations about 1992 pubs]
View more reviews of The Footman (8)
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- Official site of The Only Running Footman - www.thefootmanmayfair.com
- CAMRA WhatPub :: The Footman - whatpub.com
London Victoria, 1.23 miles, 23 min walk (show)
London Charing Cross, 1.26 miles, 24 min walk (show)
Pub Details
Pub details supplied by members of this site to the best of their knowledge. Please check with pub directly before making a special trip.
- Accommodation : No last updated 08 March 2019 by Bucking Fastard
- Bar Billiards : No last updated 08 March 2019 by Bucking Fastard
- Beer Festivals : No last updated 08 March 2019 by Bucking Fastard
- Beer Garden : No last updated 08 March 2019 by Bucking Fastard
- Car Park : No last updated 08 March 2019 by Bucking Fastard
- Darts : No last updated 08 March 2019 by Bucking Fastard
- Function Room : Yes last updated 08 March 2019 by Bucking Fastard
- Hot Food : Yes last updated 29 July 2013 by Dave McNally
- Jukebox : No last updated 08 March 2019 by Bucking Fastard
- Karaoke : No last updated 08 March 2019 by Bucking Fastard
- Live Music : No last updated 08 March 2019 by Bucking Fastard
- Live TV Sports : No last updated 08 March 2019 by Bucking Fastard
- Micropub : No last updated 08 March 2019 by Bucking Fastard
- Pinball : No last updated 08 March 2019 by Bucking Fastard
- Pool Table : No last updated 08 March 2019 by Bucking Fastard
- Real Ale : Yes last updated 23 November 2009 by hondo .
