Not already a member?
Join our community and
- Rate & review pubs
- Upload pictures
- Add events
JOIN for free NOW
Chat about:
Disappointment of the week with Tris39
on the Pub Forum
Image posted by peter ashworth
Submitted on Thursday, 9th November 2017
With picture contributions to 26844 other pubs
View all this pub's pictures (7 more images)
Detail Pages
Duke of Somerset, Aldgate, E1
E1
E1 8AH
Served areas
Duke of Somerset
I think everyone loves the sun as much as we do, here @ The Duke of Somerset in London. #summerishere #beergarden #lettheweekendbegin
10:23 PM Apr 19th 2018 from Facebook
Reviews of Duke of Somerset (Average Rating: 4 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about Duke of Somerset
Despite the traditional name, this place doesn’t seem to have any antecedent, but dates back to at least 1983, built into the base of an ugly office block on the edge of the City.
The interior is spacious with multiple wall formats: bare brick, planks, dark grey paint, pale grey paint or shiny white tiles to an open kitchen. The floor is either boarded or laid with patterned tiles; furniture is mixed and zoned with menus on the tables advertising a hotchpotch of food styles, lighting is modern and there are seven TVs showing the football with very loud commentary (no-one watching), with further TVs to the outside patio seating. Lighting is modern and décor features prints to the wall, seemingly mocking the aristocracy in ironic ways.
The deafening sound of voices was generated by customers who were many and seemed to be students, unsurprising given the proximity to London Met and the Guildhall; certainly, it felt like drinking in a student union bar. There are also many modern student residential blocks in the vicinity and indeed, the pub’s homepage makes a special point of advertising prizes of tickets to the Isle of Wight Festival 2022; there are Games’ Nights too.
Surprisingly there was some real ale, in the form of Doom and Landlord (£2.45 a half), served by the most clueless barman I’ve ever encountered; he started to pour me a pint of Amstel and when I pointed out his error, he rang up a price of £4.90 which seemed ridiculous, until I saw him pulling a pint. I repeated my request, making the ‘pinch’ symbol with my fingers to emphasise my point. When it finally arrived, it was musty and barely drinkable.
I’ve been in worse, but this is a rather dreadful place, but then I’m no longer a student so I’ll leave them to it.
On 7th May 2022
- rating: 3
[User has posted 1983 recommendations about 1949 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about Duke of Somerset
Elongated rectangular bar with a slightly raised seating area at one end. Semi-modern furniture and decor. Lots of sports TVs, including outside in the front patio beer garden. Standard Stonegate (Great Traditional Pubs) menu. Electronic dart board in use. Music a bit louder than one might expect early on a Friday evening. Three real ales on handpump: Greene King IPA, Youngs Ordinary and Pride (£3.80).
On 8th February 2015
- rating: 6
[User has posted 8086 recommendations about 8086 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about Duke of Somerset
The Duke of Somerset was fairly empty during my late afternoon visit a couple of days before Christmas. The décor and setup of the furniture suggested that I had just missed a large Christmas office party and the state of a few punters suggested that their office was not open on Christmas Eve. There was some background music playing at an inaudible volume and the two plasma screens were showing muted greyhound racing via Sky Sports.
The bar is stocked with standard draught products alongside Peroni and Amstel. There are also three hand pumps that were drawing Greene King’s IPA and Rocking Rudolph alongside St Austell’s Tribute. Food is available throughout the day and the mains are priced around £8. There are also food and drink deals throughout the week. There is a late license until midnight on Fridays when there is a resident DJ and this pub is closed at the weekend, although private hire is available.
Outside the front of the pub is a large patio area that would be a nice retreat from the hustle and bustle of London on a hot summer’s day.
There are much better options in this area so I do not plan to return anytime soon.
On 1st January 2015
- rating: 5
[User has posted 5231 recommendations about 5199 pubs]
View more reviews of Duke of Somerset (5)
Pubs Galore is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
- Official site of Duke of Somerset - www.dukeofsomersetlondon.co.uk
- Facebook - The Duke of Somerset in London
- Twitter - Duke of Somerset
- CAMRA WhatPub :: Duke of Somerset - whatpub.com
London Liverpool Street, 0.54 miles, 10 min walk (show)
Shoreditch High Street, 0.81 miles, 15 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 01 January 2015 by Steve C
- Bar Billiards : No last updated 01 January 2015 by Steve C
- Beer Festivals : No last updated 06 May 2022 by Tris C
- Beer Garden : Yes last updated 01 January 2015 by Steve C
- CAMRA Discount : No last updated 06 May 2022 by Tris C
- Car Park : No last updated 01 January 2015 by Steve C
- Darts : Yes last updated 06 May 2022 by Tris C
- Hot Food : Yes last updated 01 January 2015 by Steve C
- Jukebox : No last updated 06 May 2022 by Tris C
- Karaoke : No last updated 06 May 2022 by Tris C
- Live Music : No last updated 06 May 2022 by Tris C
- Live TV Sports : Yes - Sky Sports/BT Sport. - last updated 06 May 2022 by Tris C
- Micropub : No last updated 06 May 2022 by Tris C
- Pinball : No last updated 01 January 2015 by Steve C
- Pool Table : No last updated 01 January 2015 by Steve C
- Quiz Night : No last updated 06 May 2022 by Tris C
- Real Ale : Yes last updated 29 July 2013 by Dave McNally
- Real Cider : No last updated 01 January 2015 by Steve C
- WiFi : No last updated 06 May 2022 by Tris C
