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Image posted by Will Larter
Submitted on Monday, 15^th January 2024
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Fox & Anchor, Smithfield, EC1

115 Charterhouse Street
EC1
EC1M 6AA

Phone: 02072501300

Correct details

Served areas

Smithfield

Reviews of Fox & Anchor (Average Rating: 7 of 10) Add Review see review guidelines

Strongers . left this review about Fox & Anchor

The Fox & Anchor has a long and thin bar with a long chunky wooden serving counter that faces banquettes up the right-hand wall either side of the stairs down to the toilets below. The gent’s toilet consists of two toilet cubicles, one with a toilet and the other a urinal, so I imagine there’s a queue when the pub is busy. Back up in the bar there’s a door in the rear wall that opens to lots of snugs, something I don’t recall seeing before so it’s worth having a nose around. Premium keg was available from the counter that supports six hand pumps and being a Youngs pub the options were 2x Special and 2x Ordinary alongside two guests, Wimbledon Brewery’s Common Ale and TT Landlord, although the latter was off. The barmaid was polite during my recent midweek afternoon visit, but the only other customer was doing his tax returns in the rear, probably, and the background music was very slow, so I wasn’t upset when it was time to leave.

On 12^th May 2026 - rating: 6
[User has posted 6673 recommendations about 6635 pubs]

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

Will Larter left this review about Fox & Anchor

A narrow pub in a lovely listed building with - as described on Camra's heritage listing - a gorgeous Art Nouveau ceramic frontage and entrance. The bar counter is pewter-topped, and the bar back is thought to be original; the wall opposite is well covered with pictures. There are six hand pumps (see photo) and I went for Twickenham Red Sky, which was in very good condition (NBSS 3.5) but a little pricey at £6.30/pint.

Date of visit: 1st March 2023

On 15^th January 2024 - rating: 7
[User has posted 4803 recommendations about 4399 pubs]

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

Blackthorn _ left this review about Fox & Anchor

A traditional looking pub located just around the corner from Smithfield Market, it was almost deserted on our recent bank holiday Monday visit, but I imagine can get very busy at other times when the market is open.

Internally, the main bar at the front of the pub is quite long and narrow with a long bar counter on the left and wooden boards on the floor. It had quite an elegant feel to it with black flock wallpaper on the upper part of the walls and dark wood panelling down below. There were plenty of pictures on the walls and some wooden partitions with mirrored glazing. Padded bench seating ran all along the right hand side. At the rear was a much cosier dining room with black tiling on the floor, and black wood panelling covering the walls. There were many more pictures here including old black and white photographs of the market and various livestock. A small tiled fireplace was off to one side, but this looked to be disused. Further private dining rooms were at the rear, with one having etched glass in the doors and being known as the Fox’s Lair.

The menu offered a decent enough selection of “pub grub” dishes and our gypsy eggs with a ham hock and chorizo stew as well as a cheese and tomato sandwich with chips both went down well.

Beers on tap were Sam Brook’s Wandle, Young’s Special, Young’s Bitter, Doom Bar, Proper Job and Redemption Big Chief. After that lot, cider choice was very disappointing with only Aspall’s on tap, and even that had run out. Overall, despite the lack of any cider, I thought this was a nice, traditional old pub and would happily return if in the area.

On 8^th May 2019 - rating: 7
[User has posted 2123 recommendations about 2019 pubs]

View more reviews of Fox & Anchor (19)

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