Ye Olde Cock Tavern, Fleet Street, EC4

Greene King pub with a long narrow interior I didn’t visit the upper floors.

Official site of Ye Olde Cock Tavern - www.greeneking-pubs.co.uk

Official site of Ye Olde Cock Tavern - www.greeneking-pubs.co.uk

Great looking exterior but the Greene King signage caused consternation and the full horror was evident once inside.The interior is long and thin with lots of seating to the sides,and a long bar on the left wall.Right at the end there is a one table gallery below which are red leather bench seating and this is the best part of the pub. Muzak was playing far too loud,the food offering was foodservice rubbish and I felt sorry for one couple who ordered lamb shank ,it looked plastic and the prices are very high for pub grub with Fish & Chips £12 and many dishes higher. There is a lounge on the first floor with pleasing leaded windows and a shuffle board. At the bar the choice was GK Abbott,IPA and Yardbird Pale (actually contains hops and bitterness ,a first for GK) Just too corporate ,the name is an accurate review of this place.

This pub dates from 1549 but was rebuilt in its current form in 1887; a Courage cockerel to the first floor window is either just a reference to its name or is an indication that this was once indeed a Courage house. This was something of an office regular for me and my friends but I hadn't been in here since 2002, at which time it wasn't a great place. It's certainly now worse as it's a Taylor Walker outlet with all that entails: loud music, multiple sports TVs, sauce bottles on tables, laminated pictorial menus, games machines and as of 29th September, a Christmas tree of all things. The typical TW floor means that it's part flagstone and part carpeted; the pub is arranged over several floors and there used to be a pool table upstairs but we couldn't face hanging around to explore. Ales: 6 on pump including St. Austell's Tribute at a pricey £2.25 and ok. Under current ownership I will not be coming here again.