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Detail Pages
The George, Temple, WC2
WC2
WC2R 1AP
Pub Type
Metropolitan Pub Co (Greene King)Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about The George
Absolutely rammed with the afterwork crowd when I rocked up just before 6.00PM yesterday, so I didn’t get much further than the long thin main bar room. The impressive row of nine ale pumps is still in situ on the bar but the beer choice available pre covid is now long gone. So of these, six were unused and Sambrook Wandel and GK IPA were the only beers available with a third pump being pulled through. The Wandel was a decent pint but I didn’t linger long enough to see what went on the third one in use, as the Edgar Wallace just around the corner awaited. The local workers crowd, presumably from the Law courts opposite, seemed to like it, but it didn’t have any great USP’s for me.
On 24th March 2023
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2109 recommendations about 1991 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about The George
Situated opposite the Royal Courts of Justice, this makes a great stop for anyone awaiting the outcome of their appeal; will they be there at drinking-up time? Or doing time?
I came here once before about 20 years ago. It’s a good example of brewers’ Tudor, dating from a rebuild of 1898. The interior has obviously been done up to include compulsory Farrow & Ball colour schemes, Victorian lighting, high and low conventional furniture; all a bit predictable, apart from the multiple air-conditioning boxes fixed to the ceiling. Customers seem to be barristers’ clerks, squawking women, whilst journalists use the place during the day. The most interesting item is the ornate bar back with its carved Corinthian capitals. Food is served, much of it to be found on my table. The women’s lavs were out of order, so one of the squawking women decided it would be fun to use the gent’s, which is definitely out of order.
The ale choice was thin, with five unused pumps, then GK IPA, Landlord (reversed) and Old Speckled Hen at £2.45 a half and ok.
This was never a great pub, though it’s better than I recall, but with the lame – and ultimately predictable – ale choice, food remains on tables, loud customers and women in the loo, it’ll be at least another 20 years before I return. In any event, the fabulous Seven Stars is on the north side of the RCJ.
On 3rd November 2021
- rating: 4
[User has posted 1982 recommendations about 1949 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
hondo . left this review about The George
Handy for the Royal Courts of Justice. Quite a long narrow interior with a restaurant upstairs. 9 real ales and "craft keg" served.
On 26th October 2017
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 2883 recommendations about 2820 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The George
Unexpected revisit found 9 ales on and a decent spread. My Portobello Market Porter wasn’t much to write home about though, perhaps it was toward the end of the barrel and I was unlucky.
June 2014
Situated opposite the Royal Courts of Justice, this is an attractive Tudor style frontage that’s probably somewhat more modern in construction. A long narrow bar inside, knocked-through but a decent little rear area with a nice fireplace looked inviting though it was too packed to find a seat. Dark, lots of leaded windows and mock Tudor innards. A morass of pumps but half were off, leaving a small selection of Portobello brewery ales. My Porter was in decent shape. A lot of punters tend to spill out into the long side alley adjacent which is where we ended up. Not a bad little stop and with the Edgar Wallace situated at the end of the aforementioned alleyway you can do a good double-header for very little effort. Rated 7
On 2nd April 2016
- rating: 7
[User has posted 5072 recommendations about 5055 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about The George
A decent pub with friendly and helpful staff. Nine ales to choose from, so we went for the ABC Pacific Gold and the Hogs Back Golden Ale, both were well kept. The pub attracts well mannered customers and the atmosphere is relaxed and chilled out.
On 30th July 2015
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Malden man left this review about The George
An attractive looking mock Tudor frontage which no doubt has bewitched many a tourist, once inside the ceiling maintains the image being black and white beamed, as are areas of the inside walls. Leaded front windows have small stained glass shield inserts. A framed history tells us that the present pub is actually late Victorian but that a pub sat on the site previously, originally as a coffee house. The pub apparently took a hit from the Luftwaffe in 1941 and required a degree of restoration. Inside there is a long and fairly narrow room with the bar on a side wall towards the front, side seating opposite the bar divided by wood and glass screens, the high tables kick in towards the rear, beyond the bar. The far end has a nice semi-separated area through an arch with a central feature fireplace which would be a good spot to secure for a large group.
Décor includes the Royal Coat of Arms, old local photos, a Bass mirror, legal caricatures and beer mats around the bar area.
A decent beer range with the focus on local beers, nine handpumps, Pride, GK IPA, rebadged George Best Bitter (likely to be GK), Mauldon's Suffolk Pride, three from Portobello, Portobello Bitter, Market Porter and Carnival Ale and Three from Twickenham, Naked Ladies, Redhead and Mosaic (reverse clipped). Prices ok for Central London, Carnival was £3.90.
Food served, mains £11 to £16.50 for rib-eye, sarnies £6 to £6.75.
Saturday evenings have "The Funny Side", stand up from 7pm. The afternoon entertainment was a choice of test cricket or the Tour de France on TV.
Despite being in a busy location and opposite the courts the pub was reasonably quiet on my early afternoon visit and I had a choice of seats. The beer was of good quality although service-wise I needed a large top up. A decent spot in an area of a few good pubs, worthy of inclusion in a crawl of the Fleet Street, Temple, Blackfriars area.
On 11th July 2014
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1707 recommendations about 1681 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The George
Difficult to know what's authentic and what's not, both inside and out of this Tudor-style edifice. The bar is as narrow as the frontage suggests, but extends back into another formerly separate room with an open fireplace that is a cosy place to sit on a cold winter evening. There is also a 'Carvery & Bar' upstairs (not visited). Now has nine handpumps on the counter (three more than on my last visit two years ago), offering a few usual suspects plus a good choice of slightly more adventurous ales (e.g. Bonobo Beer from the Florence Brewery, £3.90, and in excellent shape). Easy to walk past, but now well worth popping in.
On 1st February 2014
- rating: 8
[User has posted 8086 recommendations about 8086 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about The George
As previous reviewers have mentioned ,this looks like a Victorian recreation of an olde worlde pub ,so although not Tudor,it does have a pleasingly pubby interior.Lots of wood paneling,real fireplaces ,wooden settles and benches in what is a thin room with the bar to the right but extending back to different sections.We arrived at 9pm on a Friday and any afterwork crowd has thinned by then,it was nice and calm.What drove us in was the wide range of real ale advertised on the A board outside.There were 9 handpumps with St Austell Tribute,Sharps Cornish Coaster,Titanic Triple Screw,Buntingford Polar Star,Oakleaf Heart of Gold,Twickenham Yakima,Valley American Brown Ale,Purbeck Solar Power and GK IPA.All ales tried were in very good shape.
The pub looked like a Nicholsons but on enquiring behind the bar ,I was told that it was owned by Greene King ,hence the GK IPA,but I guess leased from GK by someone more enterprising on the ale front.
It merits a revisit and now makes a good double header with the Edgar Wallace,especially if the EW range declines at the end of a Friday session before their weekend closure.
On 29th September 2013
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2727 recommendations about 2727 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Roger Button left this review about The George
The George is one of the most impressive pub buildings from the outside with its medieval appearance however there seems to be much debate over how much is original and how much is mere recreation. According to the placque outside there has been a pub here since 1723 although the much of the current building is thought to be a Victorian rebuild. Either way it is hard not to be drawn in by the apparent Tudor olde worlde charm of its decorative exterior.
Inside you will find a long and fairly narrow pub with the bar half way down on the right hand side. Whilst it is virtually all knocked through into one, there are discernable sections with the semi-screened off area at the rear being of particular interest with its impressively ornate fireplace, portraits and heraldic shields. The pub furnishings match the character with a long table at the end of the bar where one could almost hold a medieval banquet.
Its proximity to the Royal Courts of Justice means the customer base consists largely of lawyers, legal teams, journalists, alleged criminals and alleged criminal’s families alongside the usual local office workers and tourists.
Not too long ago this used to be part of the Nicholson’s chain but is now part of the Capital Pub Company. There were 4 well kept and reasonably priced Ales including Moles Mole Catcher, Mauldon Suffolk Pride, Bank Top Sweeney and Sharps Doom Bar. Old Rosie cider was also available. A number of old pump clips are displayed behind the bar. The food menu was decent enough with separate lunchtime and evening menus as well as a weekday carvery. Prices for main courses were the £8-£12 mark.
It may look a bit touristy but, in conjunction with some of the other excellent pubs in the immediate vicinity, the George is worth a look, just don’t expect huge amounts of authenticity.
On 12th October 2011
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1239 recommendations about 1233 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Old Blue left this review about The George
Had a good pint of Wooden Hand Brewery's Cornish Gribben here last night @ £3.50. There were 5 hand pumps, also serving Purity's Pure Gold, Sharp's Cornish Coaster, Gale's Seafarers Ale, and Hogs Back's Spring Ale. They also had a box of Weston's Country Perry behind the bar @ £3.70/pt. There seemed to be a good mix of customers, and the staff were on very much the ball. Not a 'must visit' pub by any stretch of the imagination, but all in all a very comfortable one with a worthwhile ale selection.
On 7th April 2011
- rating: 7
[User has posted 271 recommendations about 270 pubs]