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Chat about:
Yet another list with Tris39
on the Pub Forum
Detail Pages
The Black Friar, Blackfriars, EC4
EC4
EC4V 4EG
Pub Type
Nicholsons (Mitchells & Butlers)Reviews (Current Rating Average: 8 of 10) see review guidelines
Peter Forster left this review about The Black Friar
If you are in any way interested in the history of pubs, their architecture and design then this is a must visit if you are in London and have not been here before. It is very well described in several entries below so I won’t bother repeating them other than to say the interior is unique and spectacular. The pub has quite a large outdoor seating area and both this and inside can get quite crowded. I found that service was efficient and the beer quality adequate. To be honest you are not here for the beer. I did it as a last stop on a crawl and then did a ten minute walk to the excellent German Kebab in St John Street, Farringdon. Just visit, pay the price of a beer for admission and spend your time walking around the pub looking at the decor. Recommended and I should probably revisit when not so much in drink.
On 20th May 2026
- rating: 8
[User has posted 72 recommendations about 72 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Delboy 20 left this review about The Black Friar
Stunning pub which is well worth checking out. Incredible architecture and a good choice of beers.
Another must see pub in my opinion.
On 19th June 2023
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 1961 recommendations about 1813 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Black Friar
No real changes here, though the staff on this visit were somewhat perfunctory compared to previous and my half of the Moncana was pedestrian (NBSS 2). Still, it’s a must-visit for the location. 8.5
May 2013
Built in 1875 on the site of a former monastery (the Friars apparently had ‘black habits’!) the pub acquired its splendid Art Nouveau interior in 1906. Threatened with demolition in the 1960s, (and you can see that decade’s appalling legacy as you stand outside and look over to the southern side of the Thames) this is now happily owned by the Nicholsons chain who curate a number of other architecturally significant pubs in the capital. The exterior is striking enough and the interior décor is something that would take too many words to describe here – take a look at the uploaded photos. Suffice to say that, once you have entered through one of the side doors and follow the bar round, your jaw should quite literally drop at what awaits – Italian marble cladding, brass pictures of monks, wooden ceiling, alabaster walls. Carry on forth to the ‘grotto’, which is a small room, separated from the rest of the pub by marble pillars and (if you’re able) take a seat and marvel at the craftsmanship as well as the rumble of passing trains. The front section of the pub is quite light due to the large leaded windows whilst the rear is a dimmer affair. The modern pop music on the speakers somewhat spoils the ambience of the place (why have it on at all??) and also that the fire in the fireplace is not a real one. A potted history of the pub is available in leaflet form at the bar. There’s also a large outside area in which to enjoy your drinks on a sunny day, shaded by a large tree. Being a Nicholsons house, there is plenty of ale in abundance (eight in total) and I’ve yet to have a duff one. My last visit threw up a marvellous Titanic Cappuccino. Due to its prominence and location the pub gets rammed after office chuck-out time, so it’s best sampled on a quiet weekday when you can take in the full splendour. Rated 9
On 1st November 2019
- rating: 8
[User has posted 6166 recommendations about 6146 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Brainy Pool left this review about The Black Friar
a landmark pub and the beautiful interior remains unspoiled. Sadly I can’t really say the same for the pub which feels half arsed and definitely not somewhere that you want to stay for long. The continental style seating outside is far more popular than inside with the local yuppies. Should be so much more.
On 15th May 2019
- rating: 5
[User has posted 1181 recommendations about 1141 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about The Black Friar
Remodelled in the Art Nouveau style in several stages from 1903 to 1925 by the architect Herbert Fuller-Clark with exterior stonework grotesques and interior woodwork by sculptor Nathaniel Hitch, interior copper reliefs by Frederick Callcott and relief work to the small saloon bar by Henry Poole; the modern exterior statue of the Black Friar dates from the early/mid-1980s; saved from demolition by Sir John Betjemen and now Grade II Listed.
Phew - I haven't been in here since my second visit in the spring of 1994 and not surprisingly, nothing has changed as it remains the same as described below - my first visit was back in 1991 when this rather dull area of the City had yet to be enlivened and back then the pub shut at just 9.00 pm. This is still a rather depressing, isolated City backwater with commuters dashing for trains at the newly renovated Blackfriars station.
Externally, there are four probably unique copper Worthington's plaques and inside it's a riot of marble, alabaster and metal; beautiful. In the main, the pub is modern bare boarded with some carpeting to the rear dining area; music played and it was a bit loud, loud enough in fact that it intruded into our conversation outside the pub.
As a party of four, we sampled their wares. This pub boasts a collection of 'eclectic ales' and a 'cask master'. Hmmm...it must have been his day off as this is a by-the-numbers Fuller's London Pride, Harvey's Sussex Best, Sharp's Doom Bar and Brain's Rev. James sort of place with a couple of other ales such as Vocation Brewery's Bread & Butter ale and some generic Nicholson's beer (St. Austell). All pretty much tasted the same: flat and a little warm and my pint of Sussex had a soapy twang to it, meaning that the lines hadn't been fully rinsed; I didn't clock the individual prices as we were buying rounds.
Unprepossessing location aside, this is an architectural gem and worth a visit to tick it off. However, along with the loud music, this is not a great place for real ale and hence the seemingly meagre rating. I agree with Mr. Mapp below: pop your head in the door and drink elsewhere!
On 23rd September 2016
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2337 recommendations about 2279 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Ian Mapp left this review about The Black Friar
Saturday lunch is the time to go!
Got a seat - in the most elegant part of the pub.
Fantastic building which makes it worth checking out but shocking beer.
First pint of black sheep - the barmaid wrapped a paper towel around the pump. I took one sip and refused to pay. Utter bilge water.
Replacement pint of doom bar was ever so slightly better.
I would recommend popping your head in the door and drinking elsewhere!
Photos at my walking blog - http://bit.ly/1nVW6J7
On 7th February 2016
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1857 recommendations about 1823 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Blackthorn _ left this review about The Black Friar
An unusual wedge shaped pub just over the road from Blackfriars station, It has a striking appearance with it’s tall, narrow profile and pointed front and it sits somewhat incongruously amongst the larger and more modern buildings all around. There are also a number of picnic benches outside for the warmer weather.
Inside the décor is quite draw dropping and in fact I can think I can safely say that this is the most impressive pub interior I can ever remember seeing. Bronze friezes around the top of the walls and above the bar depict various scenes of monks (friars?) engaged in various activities, whilst a further monk related scene is shown in a stained glass panel at the front of the pub. Elsewhere the large leaded windows let in plenty of light and there is a wood strip floor with wood panelling on the ceiling. A fire-place and copper chimney hood is off to one side, whilst the most remarkable room of all is a smaller area at the rear used as a restaurant. This had marble cladding on the walls and an intricate tiled mosaic ceiling, which was really quite remarkable.
Beers on tap were Harviestoun Old Engine Oil, Doom Bar, Nicholson’s Pale Ale, Moorhouse White Wicth, Acorn Barnsley, Truman’s Runner, California and Boys Topsail. After that lot, the solitary cider was a somewhat disappointing Aspall’s Suffolk.
On 26th January 2016
- rating: 9
[User has posted 2123 recommendations about 2019 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
. Wittenden left this review about The Black Friar
This unique historic pub has been well described by fellow scribes above,but to come upon it after crossing Blackfriars Bridge from the concrete badlands to the south is one of London's finer experiences.
My visit, on a warmish May Saturday morning, was my first in getting on for forty years.Daylight enabled me, briefly, to appreciate the ornate exterior decoration.Inside, the pub was filling up with a mix of predominately middle aged tourists, some enjoying a late breakfast.A tight schedule, and the comparatively early hour allowed me a quick glass of Cameron's 150th Celebration Ale, a beefed up bitter sweet take on Strongarm.
Being part of Nicholson's, there was a good line up of cask beers, but not many from London on my visit.
I'll do my best not to wait another forty years before I return.
On 23rd May 2015
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 296 recommendations about 294 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Black Friar
As noted by many others below, the decoration of this Nicholson's pub really is something special so it is certainly worth a visit just to have a look at the Art Nouveau facades of this wedge-shaped building which are amongst the most striking and memorable of any in the country. The interior is equally spectacular, although the two-part bar has very little space due to the sharply-angled walls. Largish pavement seating area to one side (albeit rather exposed to the wind and traffic). Small table-service dining area beyond the back bar too. Four handpumps on each part of the counter, offering the chain's usual suspects but usually supplemented by several rarer offerings (e.g. Itchen Valley Blackcurrant Mild, £3.80, on my latest visit). A 'must visit'.
On 25th May 2014
- rating: 9
[User has posted 9165 recommendations about 9165 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
hondo . left this review about The Black Friar
Proper ornate traditional interior as you would expect with Nicholson's. Real ale and food served.
On 20th March 2014
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3061 recommendations about 2988 pubs]