The Water Rats, Kings Cross, WC1

Official site of The Water Rats - www.thewaterratsvenue.london

Official site of The Water Rats - www.thewaterratsvenue.london

As mentioned below this now functions as a Theatre, Bar and Restaurant on the ground floor and the headquarters for the Grand order of Water Rats on the floors above. The bar and restaurant are basically the front room and then the theatre / music venue is out back behind double doors with its own section of the bar. Also as stated by others the bar serving the front restaurant section is all fizz and craft stuff but there are three real ale pumps on the section of the bar servicing the theatre, which obviously you would know nothing about if the dividing doors are shut. For our visit only one was going providing a very average Hogs Back T.E.A. with one unclipped and a reversed Pride Clip on the other. We were actually here to have a tour and talk about the Grand Order of Water Rats in their HQ above the pub and this proved significantly more interesting than the downstairs pub itself, especially the society museum which has some classic theatrical memorabilia from former Water Rat members including Charlie Chaplin’s cane, Max Millars Hat, one of Danny La’Rue’s finest dresses but also that horrible green thing that was stuck on Keith Harris’s arm for several years. If you are visiting for an event in the theatre, then the bar section will probably suffice but if you are just after a beer there are many more better proper pub options a short walk away.

Describes itself as a Theatre, Bar & Kitchen, the back-room venue was being set up for live music when I stopped by. The front bar is nearly square, with fairly basic semi-modern furniture and decor. There are also some small tables out on the pavement. No handpumps visible initially, but there are three on the rear counter (albeit only Bombardier, £4.20, on, with the other regular beers normally being Pride and Upham Punter).

Until around 1986 this pub was known as The Pindar of Wakefield, and judging by its current recently reopened incarnation, the reviews below no longer apply. A first time in here and this is not the banging, crusty live music venue we had been led to believe. The rear bar, not obviously open, still seems to be geared towards live music, but the front bar is now a rather chichi attempt at something I know not what. Gastropub? Cocktail bar? For the casual entrant, there's no indication whatsoever that this is a major music venue. It's not shabby at all, rather walls are painted a ubiquitous pale grey, the floor is bare boarded. Tables are either solid block with vases (actually champagne coolers) filled with daffodils, smaller tables are marble-topped with tea lights all round. The large tables feature sea-green leatherette armchairs, the smaller are equipped with uncomfortable metal chairs. The modern metal-topped bar features half-back sea-green leatherette stools. The lavs are very swish and modern, the kind of thing you'd expect to find in an office block. There are a couple of metal columns which hark back to this pub's heyday. Lighting comes courtesy of oh-so-fashionable filament bulbs or rather vulgar chandeliers. A TV was spotted but it was showing the news with the sound down; food seems to be a bigger thing here, a waitress asking customers if they wanted their steak medium or rare; muted mood music played over the stereo. There is real ale here, but it's dispensed from the seemingly out-of-bounds rear bar: you have to go into the rear bar, see what's on offer and return to the main bar and order. Not knowing this I opted for a half of the Whitstable Bay Pale Ale at a steep £2.40 a half which was served in something resembling a wine glass. Naturally, being 'craft' ale, it was freezing cold and tasted of nothing. This all-things-to-all-people cockentrice really isn't my kind of thing at all - it was virtually empty - and had all the atmosphere of a planet at the outer reaches of the solar system. Needless to say, I won't be returning as there are far better pubs in the area.