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Picture of Old Fountain
Image posted by Will Larter
Submitted on Tuesday, 9th August 2022
With picture contributions to 11516 other pubs
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Old Fountain, Old Street, EC1

3 Baldwin Street
EC1
EC1V 9NU
Phone: 02072532970
Correct details

Served areas

Tweets by Old Fountain
Old Fountain Old Fountain We’re looking for some great chefs to join our lovely little team https://t.co/GeCdPmki8K 7:19 PM Feb 6th 2023 from Twitter for iPhone
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Reviews of Old Fountain (Average Rating: 8 of 10) Add Review see review guidelines

Quinno _ left this review about Old Fountain

Been a surprisingly long time since I darkened its doors, so made a point of including this one on a Sunday post-Xmas crawl with a couple of pals. Unlike the Wenlock, this actually opened when it said it would on Sunday afternoon; on mentioning the not-open Wenlock the barman pulled a face which told us all we needed to know. Four cask on, 2x Kent, Vocation and Oakam Citra. Excellent quality, managed to work through three of the four (NBSS 4, 3.5, 3.5). One downside was that almost all the tables were reserved for food consumption, though the friendly barman made sure we had somewhere to sit, even if it was an awkward alcove in the corner underneath the dart board. On leaving I realised that in all these years I’ve never remembered to look at the roof terrace! Next time.

October 2017
It’s all gone a little upmarket here – new white & gold exterior signage, removal of carpet and slightly more eclectic grub. There’s also an upstairs roof terrace which I forgot to check out, having come in during a biblical downpour. However the range and quality of the ales remain. £4.10 for my Oakham Citra which, when served as well as this one was, is quite acceptable for London. Still one of Zone 1’s premier beer destinations. Rated 9

June 2013
Recent revisits have found the Old Fountain to be thriving - an excellent array of ales on the go. The interior has had a little spruce-up. Good food is offered and I’ve sampled both the pork bap and pizzas which are really good and wallet-pleasingly cheap. The overhauled gents are a plus and there's now some interesting stuff on keg like Magic Rock (which happily also makes it regularly onto handpump). Its fame has spread and there’s often no spare tables after chucking out time from the nearby offices later in the week. It’s now also open Saturdays too. Beware that food starts after 5. Also a dart board but I've never seen it used. Rated 9

May 2009
Had walked past a couple of times thinking that this place was a classic rough Hoxton boozer, so was shocked when I finally went in to find a whole host of interesting and eight well-kept beers. These are mostly from microbreweries bar the London Pride, which I gather is the house beer. In my half-a-dozen visits I have thoroughly enjoyed my beers and the standards are very high. Paulaner and Bitburger lagers are also available, but it’s sadly lacking a decent cider. TARDIS-like inside, there are two carpeted bars on split levels and the pub has an entrance in the streets on each side. The interior decoration is a bit staid, bar the comedy fish tank…think the Wenlock with more space and a carpet that still retains the carpet element. There’s a food servery, with a selection of doorstep wedge sarnies, pizzas etc at reasonable prices (only available after 5 weeekdays, all-day Saturday). The clientèle are a good mixed bunch, though it can be a little quiet during the daytime before the nearby offices chuck out. It's well worth stopping for and highly recommended to ale fans. Beware that it’s only open 11-11 weekdays. Rated 9

On 20th February 2024 - rating: 8
[User has posted 5050 recommendations about 5033 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Blue Scrumpy left this review about Old Fountain

Backstreet pub with entrances from both Baldwin Street and Peerless Street. Entering from Baldwin Street, you find yourself in the lower room, where the bar has 2 or 3 handpulls. Some were clipped on my visit, but service is from the upper bar where thirsty drinkers were queueing 2 or 3 deep on Wednesday evening.

Beers are listed on a blackboard next to the bar. There is a good range of both real ales and craft beer, along with a real cider too. Ales were Utopian Bow English IPA, Drop Project Choppy, Sambrook's Drop Kick, Oakham Citra & Thornbridge Lord Marples. The cider was Oliver's Dry, whilst craft beers were Brew York Fizzy Watermelons & Nightmare of Brew York 2022, Brew York/SALT Hopbusters, Hackney Boogie Van, Polly's Floret, a beer from The Kernel (which said check with bar staff to discover which!), Yeastie Boys/Utopian New Zealand IPA, Iron Pier Cast Iron Stout, Siren Suspended In Eldorado & Howling Hops Top Crop.

When quiet, it's a nice, relaxing place to visit. This time, it was much busier and I headed upstairs to the roof terrace, where our group had a table booked. Patio heaters make sure you're still kept warm in the winter and there was much more space for us.

Still one of the best, if not the best real ale pubs in the City and worth seeking out if you don't know about it.

On 3rd March 2023 - rating: 7
[User has posted 2442 recommendations about 2441 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Will Larter left this review about Old Fountain

This pub off Old Street is bigger than suspected, with a back room at a slightly different height from the lower room at the front. The bar is on the left, with five hand pumps - one real cider and four real ales. An unusual choice of beers from Hobsons, Moor, Siren and the comparatively local Anspach & Hobday. I went for the latter's Golden Bitter, although their habit of using a definite article with each of their beers - The Golden Bitter - is a little annoying. Like nobody else brews a golden bitter? It was in very good condition, though. I enjoyed my beer while taking in the surroundings: bare floorboards, a dark wood bar with hooks and foot-rail, some very nice windows (see photos). Also the service was friendly and welcoming, so altogether a very good pub experience.

Date of visit: 10th February 2022

On 9th August 2022 - rating: 8
[User has posted 3700 recommendations about 3439 pubs]


View more reviews of Old Fountain (27)
This pub features in the following crawls:
Gillhalfpint by train man
London crawl - March 2010 by Gill Smith
External web links for Old Fountain

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Pub location see interactive map of local area
Map location corrected by Steve C
Old Street, 0.16 miles, 3 min walk (show)
Moorgate, 0.69 miles, 13 min walk (show)
Hoxton, 0.82 miles, 15 min walk (show)
Latest updates View all updates for Old Fountain, EC1
20th Feb 2024, 10:51
Review submitted by Quinno _ amended by Quinno _
 
7th Feb 2024, 17:04
Picture submitted by Quinno _ approved

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 20 February 2024 by Quinno _
  • Bar Billiards : No last updated 20 February 2024 by Quinno _
  • Beer Festivals : No last updated 20 February 2024 by Quinno _
  • Beer Garden : Yes - Roof garden - last updated 20 February 2024 by Quinno _
  • CAMRA Discount : No last updated 20 February 2024 by Quinno _
  • Car Park : No last updated 20 February 2024 by Quinno _
  • Child Friendly : Yes last updated 20 February 2024 by Quinno _
  • Darts : Yes last updated 20 February 2024 by Quinno _
  • Dog Friendly : Yes last updated 20 February 2024 by Quinno _
  • Function Room : No last updated 20 February 2024 by Quinno _
  • Hot Food : Yes last updated 20 February 2024 by Quinno _
  • Jukebox : No last updated 20 February 2024 by Quinno _
  • Karaoke : No last updated 20 February 2024 by Quinno _
  • Live Music : No last updated 20 February 2024 by Quinno _
  • Live TV Sports : No last updated 20 February 2024 by Quinno _
  • Micropub : No last updated 20 February 2024 by Quinno _
  • Pinball : No last updated 20 February 2024 by Quinno _
  • Pool Table : No last updated 20 February 2024 by Quinno _
  • Quiz Night : No last updated 03 June 2018 by Tris C
  • Real Ale : Yes last updated 20 February 2024 by Quinno _
  • Real Cider : Yes last updated 20 February 2024 by Quinno _
  • Wheelchair Access : No last updated 20 February 2024 by Quinno _
  • WiFi : Yes last updated 20 February 2024 by Quinno _
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