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Artful Critic @ Holiday Inn London Bloomsbury, Bloomsbury, WC1
WC1
WC1N 1HT
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 4½ of 10) see review guidelines
David Walton left this review about Artful Critic @ Holiday Inn London Bloomsbury
Visited 28/07/25. Turned out it was the opening day for the new bar area after a big refurb! Visited previously as Callaghans at the hotel of the same name on 11/10/21.
No cask. Keg offering of Mahou, Camden Hells, Stella, Amstel, Neck Oil, Guinness and two from Brewpoint, their own Artful Critic branded lager and the Foghorn Hazy Session IPA.
There is an astroturfed seating area out the front of the hotel with regular tables and chairs and lots of plastic hedge plants. Inside the bar counter is on the rear wall opposite the separate entrance to the bar area or to the left of the main hotel entrance. The area is a mixture of modern boarded and ceramic tiled, and seating is a mixture of regular tables and chairs and around the L shaped internal area. The bar counter is attractive and modern but surprisingly given the space they missed the trick of adding stools along the length of the bar counter. Didn't spot the TV options as I recall Callaghans used to be an OK hotel bar to watch the evening footy if in the area when some of the nearby traditional pubs were packed (eg for England games). Again, nothing wrong with the place as a hotel bar but lacking in beer options to deserve anything other than a slightly below average score.
On 1st August 2025
- rating: 4
[User has posted 777 recommendations about 774 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Philip Carter left this review about Callaghans
Large(ish) bar attached to the hotel. No real ale, but the Guinness is £2.50 as opposed to £3.00 or so across the road. sells food all day and has disable access. Families welcome, as far as I can tell and if you have one too many, you could stay in the hotel. Update. Went in there, looks like they have had a refurb. Doesn't seem to be all the decorations have gone. Now bare brick everywhere. And to clinch it, the Guinness is now £5.25 a pint. Rating down. Not visiting again.
On 15th December 2018
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 759 recommendations about 721 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Strongers . left this review about Callaghans
This place has plasma screens and a projector for showing Sky Sports and Setanta and is the sort of place you end up in when you have run out of ideas of where to watch the match.
There is only a selection of basic draught available and there was also an overpowering smell of fat whilst I was there making my first and last visit very brief.
On 7th April 2009
- rating: 4
[User has posted 6168 recommendations about 6131 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Clive Thompson left this review about Callaghans
I use Callaghans now and again, usually when there's a test match on and I want to check progress. They almost always have the big screen on showing sport and it doesn't seem to get as packed as other places. Not a place you'd want to spend a lot of time in but a convenient bolthole if you're in the area - a little like The London Pub in that respect. There are no real ales here, standard keg offering and Staropramen. Haven't eaten there myself but it provides a good menu for guests and tourists.
On 3rd April 2009
- rating: 5
[User has posted 780 recommendations about 697 pubs]