Prince Arthur, NW1

I've never particularly liked this place and at 7:30 on this Saturday night I couldn't re-establish my prejudices as it was closed for a private party.

Prince Arthur official site, contains menu - www.princearthur.co.uk

Prince Arthur official site, contains menu - www.princearthur.co.uk

I visited the Prince Arthur mid-afternoon three years ago and was told by a rude barmaid that the pub was just shutting. I wasn’t very happy, but I decided that I would try again the next time I found myself around Euston Station. It took three years but I finally got a pint on Wednesday afternoon last week. Closing in the daytime seems to have stopped as my visit was once again mid-afternoon. The interior is U shaped and food is heavily advertised with the mains costing between £7 and £13 with the roasts dinners on a Sunday coming in at £11. Pilsner Urquell was available alongside a standard draught selection and the four hand pumps were drawing Landlord, Hobgoblin, Pride and Deuchars. I didn’t spot any TVs, but there was some low random music playing in the background. This place has a traditional feel with dark wood fixtures and fittings, but it was a bit dimly lit for my liking and the wet behind the ears barman was hard work. There was a good sized crowd that ranged from local office staff to students making this one of the busier pubs I visited. I wouldn’t go out of my way to drink here again, but one could do far worse.

There were three ales on – Deuchars IPA, Adnam’s Bitter and Timothy Taylor Landlord, with a Pride clip on a fourth pump reversed. The TTL was £ 1.75 for a half (unusually in a branded half pint glass), so something like £3.50 a pint. Sandwiches were between £5.45 to £6.50, and a burger (presumably with chips although the menu didn’t say so) was £8.95 with other main courses in the same sort of price range. So, par for the course price wise I would say. Inside it’s bare boarded, and like just about every other pub it’s been knocked through into one room with a central horseshoe bar. There’s some nice wood panelling on the walls, from an inter-war fitting by the look of it, and a fireplace on the left. But they’re the only features of interest that I saw. Furnishings were mainly normal tables and chairs, with a smattering of low upholstered benches. Quite a few tables were laid for diners, but I suspect that they had been reserved for Christmas dinners (£18.95 for three courses), as there was a group at one table already tucking into their Christmas lunch when I was in on Tuesday lunchtime. The tables all had a sprig of carnations on them. There are a few bits of modern(ish) art on the walls, but really nothing of note. On the plus side there are no fruit machines or other mechanical devices of that ilk, and the modern jazz being played in the background made a welcome change from the banal pop that usually gets foisted on us. This is a nice enough pub, without being anything very special. I wouldn’t mind dropping in for another beer if I was in the area.