Dirty Dicks, Bishopsgate, EC2

Dirty Dicks page at the Youngs site - www.youngs.co.uk

Dirty Dicks page at the Youngs site - www.youngs.co.uk

Situated in Bishopsgate, across the road from Liverpool Street Station, is Dirty Dicks, a well known watering hole that came into the Young's portfolio in 1991 following their acquisition of the Finch's pub group. "Dirty Dick" was, as all the pub guides tell us, one Nathaniel Bentley, an 18th Century warehouse owner who stopped washing and cleaning up following the sudden death of his fiancé. The pub was formerly called The Old Jerusalem, but took on the Dirty Dicks name from the former dirty warehouse because of the notoriety it had acquired. The present pub dates back to 1804, although the upper part of the building has since been rebuilt. Nowadays, it's a reasonably attractive city pub spread over three floors. The main bar - at ground level - features low ceilings, much exposed brickwork, oak beams and, despite excessively loud "background" music on my recent late evening visit, a pleasant atmosphere with a wide customer mix, not just restricted to "suits". The upstairs bar houses Hobsons restaurant, but still with a bar and a drinking area. The downstairs vaults - to where I didn't venture - offers regular Stand Up Comedy, Karaoke and other forms of so called entertainment. On my recent visit, the usual Young's range of beers was on, plus Butcombe Bitter as a guest. The London Gold - at a whopping £ 3.55p - was reasonable. Young's Special and Ordinary were priced at £ 3.40p and £ 3.20p respectively. This is a pretty reasonable pub, but the nearby Lord Aberconway, on which I have just posted, is preferable in my book, on the grounds of beer range, quality and price.

I only visited the street level bar on my visit last Tuesday evening, but there is also a cellar bar (Vaults) where live music and comedy nights are regularly held and another bar and a dining room is located upstairs. This is a Young’s house which had Ordinary, Special, Waggle Dance and Bombardier available alongside a limited draught selection. I found the guy behind the bar to be very polite, but the Guinness was a bit pricey rocking in at £2.00 for a half. There was some background music playing and the plasma screen above the entrance was off and I didn’t spot any sport advertisements. The aforementioned cellar and upstairs bar/dining area are both available for hire and food is served all day, although I didn’t see anyone eating. This is an old historical London boozer and the exposed brick and aged wooden interior is great, but I didn’t find the seating arrangement to be the most comfortable. I’m not sure that I would make a point of visiting here again.

Randomness Guide to London - Dirty Dick's entry

Randomness Guide to London - Dirty Dick's entry

Official site of Dirty Dicks, contains menus, beer & wine lists and pub history - www.dirtydicks.co.uk

Official site of Dirty Dicks, contains menus, beer & wine lists and pub history - www.dirtydicks.co.uk