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Detail Pages
The Devereux, Temple, WC2
The Strand
WC2
WC2R 3JJ
Pub Type
Taylor Walker (Spirit Pubs)Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Devereux
This pub is nicely tucked away in an otherwise unassuming courtyard close to the point where the Stand meets Fleet Street and just a short stroll from Temple tube station. The building stands on the former site of Essex House, home of The Earl of Essex, Robert Devereux, after whom the pub is named. Having traded for many years as the Grecian Coffee House, hosting members of the Royal Society such as Edmond Haley and Isaac Newton, the building was eventually converted to a pub in 1843 and now trades under the Taylor Walker brand. The interior comprises a fairly unremarkable single L shaped room with wooden floorboards and padded bench seating running around the perimeter. The walls have been painted a dark shade of red and there is some fancy wallpaper at the rear of the room, all of which combines with the muted lighting to create a warm and cosy ambiance. There are quite a few old paintings and portraits dotted around the room as well as some black and white photos of the local area above the servery and a pub mirror on the back wall with some book shelves above. In the far rear corner there is a small carpeted area with some standard tables and chairs, perhaps best suited for those wanting food, although no-one was eating on my early evening visit, which might be explained by the pricey and somewhat uninspiring menu (fish and chips for £11.50). Music played quietly throughout my stay and, given that my visit was in late October, there was Halloween related tat everywhere you looked.
Four hand pumps were dispensing Wytchwood Hobgoblin, Orkney Dark Island, Hook Norton Hooky Bitter and Young’s London Gold. The very friendly barmaids were quick to serve me, although they did offer up what I reckon must be the most woefully short measure I’ve ever been given. Thankfully a top up was easily obtained and I was left to enjoy a lovely pint of the Dark Island.
It’s always nice to approach a pub with little or no expectations and leave feeling fully satisfied by the time you spent there, and this was certainly the case with my visit to this pub. It might not be at the top of anyone’s list of ‘must do’ pubs, but it is a pleasant place to spend time over a well kept pint and is worth consideration if you’re visiting some of the higher profile ale houses in this part of the city.
On 22nd November 2012
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3387 recommendations about 3387 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Roger Button left this review about The Devereux
Named after Robert Devereaux, the Earl of Essex and occasional pal of Elizabeth I, whose bust can be found perched high on the exterior wall, the Devereaux dates back to 1676 and was originally a coffee house. The interior sadly offers few reminders of its history and comes across as a rather typical, bland and faceless place. A couple of screens and partitions offer a few intimate areas and there is a widescreen TV for sport but on the whole there is very little that attracts the attention. There is a second bar upstairs bar that I have not been to but seems to be more of a function room.
Since my previous visit, the pub has become part of the resurrected Taylor Walker brand that, for me, generally stands out for being mundane and very run of the mill. The ale range consisted of a corporate selection of Greene King IPA, Doom Bar, Youngs London Gold, Bombardier and Adnams Lighthouse which at £3.50 for a 3.4 beer is quite outrageous even for this prime slot of London Real Estate. A glance at the forthcoming beers (London Pride, Courage Directors, Tribute and Spitfire) suggests that an adventurous ale policy is hardly a major priority. The food was equally predictable with a general pub grub menu, main courses around £8-£10.
Overall, there is nothing particularly wrong with the pub but it feels too much like a place for tourists in a back street that tourists wouldn’t generally venture. Pleasant enough as it is, with 3 or 4 other pubs within close proximity, I generally find myself using the Devereaux as little more than a tick box pub.
On 3rd August 2011
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1239 recommendations about 1233 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Malden man left this review about The Devereux
A fairly large single room with a central bar, the room continues back further on the right hand side. This is undoubtedly an old building but inside little if anything at all remains of the original fittings and fixtures. The room has a wooden floor with carpeted edges where most of the seating is, this being of a variety of types, some traditional but a few high tables; a large heavy looking curtain suggests part of the bar area can be separated off if the need arises. There is another function room elsewhere available for private hire.
As a space it is pretty underwhelming inside, especially considering that there are some good examples of historic pubs in the vicinity, but the beer selection was pretty good, and the service polite and efficient. Five handpumps were serving Well's Banana Bread Beer, Daleside Spring Frenzy, Young's London Gold, Rudgate Viking Bitter and Wharfbank Brewery Slingers Gold.
Not a destination pub but certainly a good inclusion in a crawl of the area and a good beer selection to add to that in the Edgar Wallace next door.
On 1st April 2011
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1710 recommendations about 1683 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about The Devereux
I have a bit of a soft spot for The Devereux, mainly because I usually tend to find that it is one of the queter pubs at this end of The Strand and i usually get a seat. As mentioned by previous reviewers it’s a fairly good looking historic building but nothing really special when you get inside. But there are 5 Hand pumps on the front facing bar which included Youngs Special, Sharps Doombar and a couple of Xmas ales when I visited before Christmas.
The Xmas Ale I had (cannot remember what it was now) was decent enough and once again I managed to bag a seat.
Apparently the upper floor is a restaurant, but I’ve only been here for a quick beer and will continue to pop in when in the area.
On 10th January 2011
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2317 recommendations about 2167 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Strongers . left this review about The Devereux
This is a decent sized L-shaped pub that had Pride, Greene King IPA and Broadside all available during my visit alongside three guest ales. There is also a standard draught range and my Guinness was well served.
There was no background music and the plasma was showing Sky News, which was muted.
I thought that the staff were friendly and that this is a good pub.
On 8th October 2009
- rating: 7
[User has posted 6377 recommendations about 6339 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
ROB Camra left this review about The Devereux
Many years ago (about 1844) this pub was converted from part of the Grecian Coffee House. It's a good looking wood panelled pub, but apart from that there's very little to show its age, although it is Grade II listed. There's a separate restaurant area upstair which is used as a function room. I call in here fairly regularly on my "Get Off At Temple" pub crawl, but it's rare I stay for more than one. The main reason is that the cask ales are usually very mainstream with beers from GK, Marston's and Sharps Doombar featuring regularly. I usually call in for one, have a go on the quiz machine and then head to the next port of call. I quite like the pub though.
On 23rd February 2009
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3324 recommendations about 3234 pubs]