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Disappointment of the week with Tris39
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Detail Pages
McGlynn's, WC1
WC1
WC1H 8ET
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Moby Duck left this review about McGlynn's
Inspired to visit by Wills review of just over a year ago, also intrigued as to why this pub and myself have not been aquainted before now. Maybe because its tucked away down a couple of backstreets it's easy to miss. Well attended on my Saturday afternoon visit, it seems a lot of people know where to look for a good honest boozer.
The pub obviously has an Irish leaning but also serves up some very well kept cask ale as a big plus.The three handpumps on the bar had two beers on the go, both from Southwark Brewery, Bermondsey Best and an exemplary Mayflower Session IPA. A good local crowd with a good few fixated on the horse racing on the TV brought back memorys of boozers from yesteryear. Highly recomended and I find myself more aligned with Mr Larters take on the pub than Mr Scrumpys.
On 10th July 2023
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1871 recommendations about 1844 pubs]
Blue Scrumpy left this review about McGlynn's
Hidden away down the backstreets of St Pancras, this is an Irish pub that now serves real ales from the Southwark brewery and has found its way into the Good Beer Guide. On our visit, these were Bermondsey Best & Mayflower Session IPA. Neither were particularly to our tastes.
It was warm inside on our sunny summer's day visit. The interior is carpeted and larger than I first imagined. However, it dors have a fairly worn appearance. Quite a few people had spilled out onto the street, given the warm weather.
A pub that I may well find myself in again, as I'm occasionally in the area. But not really worthy of a special visit.
On 24th June 2023
- rating: 5
[User has posted 2452 recommendations about 2451 pubs]
Graham Coombs left this review about McGlynn's
A good backstreet pub which draws in the Irish - a group from Connemara were present on their first visit to London and didn't seem to want to go any further! According to the barman it gets absolutely wedged of an evening and has "the biggest turnover of Guinness in London", but in the middle of a sunny afternoon it was quite pleasant. The three handpumps still provide ales from Southwark.
On 27th May 2023
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3339 recommendations about 3276 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about McGlynn's
Described by WhatPub and other reviewers here as an Irish pub - and I suppose there's a clue in the name - but it didn't feel at all Irish (never mind Oirish!) when I came across it by accident. I was on my way to watch a football match on the TV in Mabel's Tavern, and returned here after the game. Neither when walking past the pub nor when spending half an hour here later did I see anyone drinking Guinness. There are three hand pumps and the beers were all from Southwark Brewing; my half of Bermondsey Best was in very good condition.
This seems like a pub that would have had three rooms originally, and has been opened out but with the feel of an older pub somehow retained. There is dark wood panelling but the large windows give the interior an airy feel; at least they do at this time of year. It was the day of the snooker world final and plenty of customers were watching Ronnie O'Sullivan (who isn't Irish either) on the TV, and sharing comments and banter. This felt like a friendly locals pub, and I have not only resolved to get back here some time, but have also been telling anyone who will listen that they should visit too.
On 13th May 2022
- rating: 9
[User has posted 3733 recommendations about 3470 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about McGlynn's
Taking a shortcut through the backstreets on my way to the Scala one evening, I happened upon this rather appealing looking Irish pub and decided to pop in for a quick pint. You enter into a vary spacious front bar area with a nice clean carpet and a pleasant dark wood servery on the back wall. The servery has been decorated with all manner of brass items, including jugs, pails and the like plus various farm tools on the canopy and there is a juke box to one side below a selection of horse riding equipment. Pew and chair seating runs along the front wall opposite the bar, under some half panelled walls and windows that are partly obscured by half-height curtains. This part of the pub is also decorated with brassware and has a large floral display, a pub clock, stuffed fish and birds, a rifle, various old pictures and a TV screen showing muted Sky News. High shelves running around much of the room display an excellent collection of ceramics, including lots of Toby jugs. Over to the left there is a small seating area which is also carpeted and has back to back pews under some old paintings and a high shelf crammed with bottles, jugs, scales, lamps and other such bits of bric-a-brac. To the right, the pub runs a fair way to the rear, past a huge Courage mirror, various slot machines, more old pictures and some wall mounted pistols. Back here you'll find standard tables and chairs in a white walled area with a food counter to the left and some plain mirrors and old paintings on the walls. Menus detailed some top notch, no nonsense pub grub at reasonable prices and there was a continuous soundtrack playing at a sensible volume for the duration of my visit.
Irish pubs aren't always happy hunting grounds when it comes to ale, but this one had three on the go - Wells Bombardier Burning Gold, Courage Best and Brains Rev James. The Rev James set me back £4.10 for a pint and was in pretty good shape and I enjoyed it whilst watching the good-natured bunch of locals go about their business.
This was very much a 'lucky-dip' visit, but I came away feeling that I'd spent a worthwhile half hour here and discovered a solid but unspectacular local's pub in the heart of the city. The pub's decision to avoid the usual gimmicky tat that plague Irish pubs has helped it to create its own well rounded identity and made this visit an unexpected success.
On 3rd May 2017
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about McGlynn's
An Irish pub, yes, but not as you might expect... Has probably been opened-out at some stage, and now a reasonably-sized single bar in an overall 'L'-shape with slightly old-fashioned furniture and decor. Also has a café-style dining area at the rear, with a sandwich shop-type chilled cabinet. Thankfully, it does serve real ale, with four seasonal ales on the handpumps on this visit: Caledonian Elf Yourself, Wychwood Bah Humbug!, something that might have been called Santa's Big Sack and a decent pint of Camerson's Craft Inglenook chocolate ale (£4.10). Very busy on my pre-Christmas visit, with a good atmosphere.
On 2nd January 2017
- rating: 7
[User has posted 8086 recommendations about 8086 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about McGlynn's
Once The Duke of Wellington, this has for quite some time been McGlynn's with an old-school friendly guvnor. It's an Irish pub but thankfully not Oirish - even the external green colour scheme has been eschewed in favour of a more sober black.
Inside it's much as described below, and probably hasn't had anything done to it since the '70s, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, though the awful net curtains could certainly be ditched at no extra cost.
There's a mix of regulars/locals as well as some students and presumably lost tourists, all of whom contributed to a generally genial atmosphere. There's food but it's quite basic - indeed a bit '70s.
Ales: four pumps including Courage Best and Caledonian's Cold Comfort at an agreeable £2.00 a half and fine.
This isn't a bad pub but could do with a more interesting line-up of ales and is worth a visit if in the area.
On 17th December 2016
- rating: 5
[User has posted 1983 recommendations about 1949 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about McGlynn's
Traditional Irish pub in a pretty mews, quite unexpected for Kings X. Nice little place outside and in. Some traditional features in the L-shaped interior including an old clock in a wooden mounting and a gypsy caravan being pulled by one of those china shirehorse figurines your nan had. Collection of jugs running along the high shelves and lots of copper pans. Carpeted throughout with red padded pew seating, in fact probably unaltered since the 70s. Snooker quietly playing on the TV. Populated exclusively by locals and regulars. Good to see a clearly inebriated and troublesome incomer told to sling his hook (not me, before you start…). Surprised to see four ales on, all mainstream, and perhaps I shouldn't have been shocked to discover that my Rev James was nigh-on undrinkable and at 4 quid a pint, I’m glad I only had a half. As a pub I quite liked it as it’s fairly traditional and unpretentious but stick with keg or bottles if you do pop in. 6.5
On 1st December 2015
- rating: 6
[User has posted 5072 recommendations about 5055 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
hondo . left this review about McGlynn's
Tucked way on a backstreet. L shaped interior with 4 real ale taps(3 on) and food served.
On 29th October 2015
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 2883 recommendations about 2820 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about Mcglynns
Along with the Deuchars and Courage best this pub also sells some standard lagers and Amstel. I found the barman to be very polite and the other punters seemed like a nice lot.
The plasma up in the corner was showing the Fulham v Liverpool match on Setanta.
My Deuchars was good and I liked it in here so would go back if in the area.
On 6th April 2009
- rating: 7
[User has posted 5233 recommendations about 5201 pubs]