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Lancaster crawl 17th July 2026 with sheffield hatter
on the Pub Forum
Detail Pages
The Castle, EC1
EC1
EC1M 6DB
Pub Type
Castle (Mitchells & Butlers)Reviews (Current Rating Average: 5½ of 10) see review guidelines
Strongers . left this review about The Castle
The Castle is a wooden floored pub with high tables under the leaded windows either side of the central entrance. The green painted serving counter on the right-hand wall matches the colour of the walls and supporting pillars, and the ceiling above. Up the left and in the centre of the pub are more high tables and in the right rear corner is a door with a step up to a small seating area with a tables and a couple of banquettes across the rear. An advertised upstairs lounge and bar wasn’t visited on this occasion. The three hand pumps on the counter were drawing TT Landlord, Landlord Dark and Boltmaker, and a premium keg selection was available alongside Jubel and Neck Oil. The pub was comfortably busy on a recent sunny midweek afternoon visit while some upbeat music created some atmosphere. I thought the service was polite and the Boltmaker was decent, so I see no reason not to return if passing.
On 6th May 2026
- rating: 6
[User has posted 6673 recommendations about 6635 pubs]
David Walton left this review about The Castle
Visited 10/09/25. Visited previously 03/12/18.
Cask was Bass and two pumps dispensing TT LL. Keg was Guinness, Camden Pale Ale, Camden Hells, Neck Oil, Peroni, Madri, Asahi, Roadie IPA from Signature Brew, something called Centro Session IPA from Forward Thinking, Stone Wood Pacific ale, Lucky Saint, Jubel Peach, Aspall.
Super busy pub near the entrance / exit to Farringdon station. Bar counter in this bare boarded venue is along the right-hand wall in the front to middle part of the venue. Bare brick walls with a red leather studded banquette fitted around the front and the left-hand wall serving regular tables. Some tall tables in the middle of the floor space and a small seating area beyond the rear of the front floor space with regular tables and comfy chairs. Standing outside was popular on my visit and there is apparently an upstairs bar and seating area that I did not trek to on this visit. Loud and brash attendance, they can't be this animated over the quality of the beer choices, albeit I was pretty excited to see the Bass handpump and to find it was in excellent nick.
On 13th April 2026
- rating: 5
[User has posted 1770 recommendations about 1743 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about The Castle
I was on my way to a match in Luton and had a gap in my schedule before getting my train from Farringdon station so went in the nearest pub. It was about 5:30pm, evidently a busy period for a pub close to the station. There were three hand pumps, with Timothy Taylor Landlord, Dark Star Hophead and a rugby special from Black Sheep. I asked for a pint of Hophead and the lass behind the bar asked me for £5.90. I said, aren't you going to pour it first? She said that she always asks for the money first, but I've heard this one before so I observed her serving other people and she always started to pour the drinks first, so she must have thought I looked particularly disreputable. Did she really think I was going to grab the drink and run off with it without paying? (Or sup it and run? I'm neither a quick drinker nor quick on my feet.) In fact I didn't even pick the glass up until she had responded to my request to top it up - the head was well over 10% of the height of the glass. My notes tell me that the beer was in very good condition (NBSS 3.5) but I have very little recall of this visit other than the way I was served. I don't intend to return to refresh my memory.
Date of visit: 28th February 2023
On 15th January 2024
- rating: 4
[User has posted 4803 recommendations about 4399 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Danny O'Revey left this review about The Castle
Interesting pub on the street round & near Farrindon station. Now good beer guide listed
On 14th November 2023
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1611 recommendations about 1588 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about The Castle
Large roomed traditionl style pub with plenty of dark wood in evidence,four handpumps with two beers on, Timmy Taylors Landlord and Northern Monk Eternal, coming soon was Doom Bar (cant wait) and something from Brew York, the Eternal was hellishly expensive at £6.00 a pint. There are better pubs not too far away, I probably won't be back in this one.
On 3rd April 2022
- rating: 5
[User has posted 2331 recommendations about 2295 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Delboy 20 left this review about The Castle
Decent pub and very handy for the train or tube. If you have time to kill whilst waiting you could do a lot worse. A choice of beers on and kept well.
On 7th June 2018
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 1961 recommendations about 1813 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Graham Coombs left this review about The Castle
Fair-sized pub opposite Farringdon station with a bustling feel and a fair range of beers. Large bar at the front with a further room behind and something upstairs but didn't venture there. Like the 3 Compasses opposite, it attracts a large crowd on the road outside in warm weather. Cask Marque accredited.
On 27th May 2018
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3959 recommendations about 3891 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Castle
Traditional-looking pub on a curving corner close by Farringdon station, with a high-ceilinged bar at the front, a rear lounge / dining area up three steps at the back and signage indicating an upstairs bar too. Not a lot of furniture around the counter, so quite a lot of vertical drinking going on in the late afternoon. Efficient staff, though. Not a bad selection from three of the four handpumps in operation, dispensing Hogs Back TEA, Redemption Trinity and the seasonal Thornbridge Wild Holly (£4.50).
On 16th December 2017
- rating: 6
[User has posted 9165 recommendations about 9165 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Castle
One exiting Farringdon station, you can't fail to notice this pub with its grand curved facade and attractive green banded leaded windows. Inside, an unusual fan-shaped main bar area dominates the layout, with the servery located along the right hand wall. The bar has a decent dark wood counter with a contrasting lighter wood bar back topped with casks and other typical pub items. The room is bare boarded throughout and awash with high stool seating serving some big sturdy tables, although there were also some lovely looking padded benches down the left hand wall that must have been pretty comfy given that they were all fully accounted for. The ceiling has a dark lincrusta effect whilst walls are wood panelled and adorned with an enormous portrait of George IV and an equally impressive Bass mirror. Sat in here on a sunny day, the stained glass looked terrific and it was worth battling the high temperatures within to enjoy this sight than standing on the pavement with the usual group of city overspill drinkers. A couple of steps to the rear lead you into a snug with bare boarded floor, lincrusta and bare brick walls and a few pews and standard chairs serving four tables. Strings of fairy lights hang from the end wall but were not turned on and nor was the TV set in the far corner. Some old paintings and more leaded windows rounded out the decor and a staircase to the right leads up to an unexplored first floor lounge. Music played quietly throughout my visit but as is the case during the post-work hours, the hum of conversation overpowered it most of the time.
There were three ales to choose from - Fullers London Pride, Sharps Doom Bar and Moorhouse Stray Cat. The latter was £4.45 for a pint, so I was very careful to ensure I got a full measure, which didn't go down well with the mardy barmaid who'd served me a woefully short effort. As it happens, it was a pretty good drink and the only complaint would be that it warmed up very quickly as a result of the pub being unbearably hot on an unusually warm Autumn evening.
I've walked past this pub countless times and always enjoyed their old pub sign which had an image of a Castle on one side and a cock-fight on the other (now sadly replaced), but I never thought to give it a try. I have to say that whilst it suffers from some of the drawbacks of this kind of stripped out historic London pub, it did still score well in terms of comfort and beer quality and if waiting for a train here again, I'd gladly pop back.
On 12th October 2016
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3387 recommendations about 3387 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Malden man left this review about The Castle
A prominent pub right by Farringdon station, inside there is a square room with a dark boarded floor, green and amber Charrington's leaded windows, a black painted Lincrusta ceiling and papered lower walls, exposed brickwork on the wall opposite the bar The bar is on a side wall with high copper topped tables directly in front, butchers' block versions in the front windows but thankfully regular style elsewhere. There is a small snug-like room to the rear which offers privacy as long as you can put up with fairy lights.
A nice airy feel, some of the front windows fold back, low level music while the tennis was available to view on mute. An old painting has a description beneath explaining that after Royal Patronage and a financially embarrassed king, the pub became a dual licensed house and pawnbrokers.
There were four on, Pride, Doom Bar, Old Dairy Cattle Shed Ale and Salopian Hop Twister (£4.45) dear but not unusual in this part of the world.
I liked it here, nice drop of ale and a convivial feel.
On 8th July 2016
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1711 recommendations about 1684 pubs]