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The Artillery Arms, Old Street, EC1
EC1
EC1Y 8ND
Pub Type
Fuller'sReviews (Current Rating Average: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Will Larter left this review about The Artillery Arms
A very nice corner pub with six hand pumps on the bar, with four Fullers beers - ESB and London Pride doubled up. I went for the Pride, which was in very good condition (NBSS 4). I had a pint rather than a half, which was £5.40. I spent a pleasant half hour at a table by the window, which looks out across the road to the cemetery. Please don't let that put you off.
Date of visit: 1st March 2023
On 15th January 2024
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3746 recommendations about 3483 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about The Artillery Arms
Situated close the the Honorable Artillery Company barracks which still to this day serves to protect The City of London,this is a very pleasing street corner local tied to Fullers.The interior is small with an island bar and drinking shelves and stools below the windows.There is exposed brickwork to the right side which seems an unnecessary nod to hipsterism,while the back section is cosy with much wood panelling.The upstairs restaurant is called The Barracks.The flatscreens are Sky but strangely not showing the Spurs game,maybe this is the hangout of Gooners.
The 6 handpumps were drawing London Pride (doubled up),HSB,Olivers Island,Seafarers English Ale and ESB (not A1,a bit tired,£2.40 the half).The food looked reasonably priced for a London Fullers outlet with mains £10-15 with light bite options.There is an occasional quiz and it does have a boozer vibe.I know it can get packed afterwork on a Friday and the small company of squaddies may well use it too,but when quiet it has a timeless charm and is worth popping in on any crawl of these parts.
On 11th August 2018
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2728 recommendations about 2728 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about The Artillery Arms
A very attractive quite small bare boarded pub with island bar, charming partitions and stained glass panels; there's also some exposed brick; two TVs frequently showing sport to an animated crowd. Clients were drawn from locals and office workers. Also in evidence, many classical musicians after a night's performance at the nearby Barbican.
There were six ales, mainly Fuller's or from their stable and my half of Seafarers' came in at a very cheap £1.40 a half and was ok; London Pride at £4.50 a pint.
Well worth a visit if in the area, but doesn't warrant a special trip. Can be a little too rowdy if a match is showing.
On 27th November 2017
- rating: 5
[User has posted 1985 recommendations about 1951 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
hondo . left this review about The Artillery Arms
Fuller's pub with a small island bar and original interior.
On 22nd September 2017
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 2883 recommendations about 2820 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Artillery Arms
Splendid little corner pub, with an interesting interior and about the smallest island bar that I have ever seen. A staircase leads up to The Barracks dining room (never visited). Owned by Fuller's, the available ales were Pride, Seafarers and ESB (£4.10) plus Broadside and Wainwright as guests on my latest visit. Well worth seeking out.
On 22nd November 2014
- rating: 8
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Artillery Arms
This reputedly 17th century pub, located opposite the atmospheric Bunhill Cemetery, was originally known as the Blue Anchor, before settling on its present name around 1856. The pub today presents itself as a small, single room establishment with some fairly distinct areas on each side of a central island servery. There is a predominance of dark wood in the wall panelling and floorboards, as well as in the compact servery which has some interesting sliding glass panels which give access to the pint glasses lined along a high shelf. The front of the room has some of the pub’s more attractive features including some etched glass in the windows and doors and a few stained glass inserts in several small partitioning panels, which break up the drinking ledges with high stools that provide the only seating in this part of the pub. On the left hand side of the room, a couple of sturdy padded benches serve a single large table which is positioned in front of a fireplace with book shelves and a TV screen above and cigarette card collections on the flanking walls. It’s a nice spot, but not the most efficient use of space. The other side of the room has bare brick walls with some standard table and chair seating and high tables and stools at the rear. Various military themed pictures line the walls and a large blackboard lists various food options, with mains averaging around a tenner. I didn’t spot anyone eating on my midweek evening visit, but a sign suggested most dining is done in an upstairs room known as ‘The Barracks’.
The pub is operated by Fullers and has appeared in recent editions of the Good Beer Guide, so there were no real surprises at the bar, with London Pride, ESB, Chiswick and Discovery available. My Chiswick was fine and the barmaid served with a smile, which isn’t always a given in this neck of the woods.
This place has a certain charm to it and I quickly warmed to it. There are plenty of pubs around this part of town with more exciting beer ranges, but this place makes up for that with its character and ambiance. Well worth a look.
On 4th June 2013
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Artillery Arms
A Fuller’s tied house opposite Bunhill cemetery (the final resting place of William Blake and Daniel Defoe). It’s quite a compact pub with a very small, ornate, central island bar that has a couple of rooms coming off it. The small size means that drinkers spill out into the street on busy days. Some traditional touches remain inside and the place does have a bit of character. The full Fullers range was on the go on my visit plus a guest (Everards Tiger). My ESB was pedestrian but the Tiger was reported as being much better. Prices are absurdly high – £4.35 change from a tenner for a pint and a half. Food, however, was noticeably cheap for the area so I guess the licensees are being diddled by Fuller’s for their beer.
Overall it’s a decent pub for the area but with the Old Fountain and Wenlock competing for business off Old Street tube, context is everything…
On 30th March 2012
- rating: 7
[User has posted 5099 recommendations about 5082 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Graham Coombs left this review about The Artillery Arms
Excellent, unspoilt, drinkers' pub. Visited on a Friday afternoon and it was positively heaving with scarce room to stand, however the atmosphere remained good, service was fine and by the time I left, all was well with the world. The guest ale was Elgood's Black Dog, which was quite superb. Recommended.
On 2nd February 2012
- rating: 9
[User has posted 3339 recommendations about 3276 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rex Rattus left this review about The Artillery Arms
I paid a long overdue return visit to this pub on Friday, and I’m glad to say that it was just how I left it. There is a very small central island bar, with some attractive leaded light screening, and with some additional such screening at the front by the window separating small drinking areas at the ledge there. I didn’t see any fruit machines or the like, and I didn’t hear any music being played – but it was very busy at Friday lunchtime so I might not have heard it. They had on some of the usual Fullers range (Chiswick, Pride, ESB and Discovery) plus a seasonal stout called Black Cab. The friendly barmaid gave me a taste of the Black Cab, and although I’m not an expert on stouts it tasted OK to me. This remains an excellent pub, and well worth seeking out. From 22 Aug 08: As you would expect, they had the full range of Fuller's ales on – but no guests (I had hoped they might have an Ossett's ale or two on). This is an excellent, comfortable, honest pub with no pretensions or gastrification; I had a doorstep cheese and pickle sarny with chips (not fries). A real pub – highly recommended.
On 4th December 2011
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Chris 87 left this review about The Artillery Arms
A short walk from Old Street station is this sympathetically furnished corner boozer, which mixes traditional dark wood and frosted glass with, on one side, exposed brick. The clientele seemed to be mainly office workers but also students. ESB, HSB, Pride, Chiswick and Discovery were on but no seafarers or seasonal fullers' ales. Chiswick was in decent form at the reasonable price of £3.05. Food is available, a simple mix of sandwiches (around £5) and traditional pubby mains (£8 mark) and I'm sure is pretty decent quality judging by the usual Fullers' standards. Unusually for a pub from this stable, there was a TV on with sky sports and eurosport playing. I liked it here, and can see why it has made GBG listings in the past.
On 21st January 2011
- rating: 7
[User has posted 179 recommendations about 179 pubs]