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The Bishops Finger, Smithfield, EC1
EC1
EC1A 9JR
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 5 of 10) see review guidelines
Blackthorn _ left this review about The Bishops Finger
An attractive and traditional looking pub just across the road from Smithfield Market, it’s reasonably compact internally and was pretty much full to capacity on my recent Tuesday evening visit, although I did manage to squeeze in to a small table in the corner.
Décor wise it’s fairly unremarkable, with black wooden boards on the floor that have been polished smooth over the years, white embossed wallpaper on the ceiling and black supporting pillars, whilst the walls were predominately a pale taupe colour, with some deep maroon off to the left. A number of old pictures were on the walls including some of the local market, as well as various brewery related advertising and artefacts. Seating was a mixture of regular tables and chairs, some smaller high tables and a little padded bench seating. A carved wooden backdrop behind the bar was something of a feature, incorporating the pub’s name, a clock and a brewery mirror.
The menu offered a decent selection of pub grub dishes, including a number of sausages which appear to be something of a speciality, with today’s selection chalked up on a blackboard. I opted for the smoked haddock fishcakes and these were perfectly adequate, if nothing spectacular, but for the £12.50 price point I though they were very good value given the area.
Beers on tap were all from Shepherd Neame with their Bishop’s Finger, Spitfire and Whitstable Bay, whilst a fourth pump appeared unused. The solitary cider meanwhile was Orchard View. Overall, whilst nothing particularly made it stand out, the staff were very friendly and the food was good value. I’d be happy to return if in the area.
On 16th May 2023
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1948 recommendations about 1861 pubs]
Moby Duck left this review about The Bishops Finger
A pretty basic and straight forward Shepherd Neame pub, it didn't do a lot for me much like their beers.
On 28th April 2023
- rating: 4
[User has posted 1872 recommendations about 1845 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about The Bishops Finger
As described below, bare boarded with basic furniture, some high tables and chairs and columns; there's also an interesting patterned ceiling. Muted music played and there were no TVs (gain one point!).
Ales on: Spitfire, Whitstable Bay Pale Ale, Bootleg Brewing Co's Speakeasy and no surprise, Bishop's Finger at £4.20 which is fair for the area, and a decent pint.
This is a decent enough place and I'd return, but I'd prefer the short walk to The Hand & Shears.
On 25th March 2016
- rating: 4
[User has posted 1985 recommendations about 1951 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Bishops Finger
Shepherd Neame's Smithfield pub, with a fairly small square-ish bar and an upstairs dining room. Of no particular interest inside, but still a proper pub with traditional furniture and decor. On this visit, I found MasterBrew, Whitstable Bay, Spitfire and (inevitably) Bishops Finger (£4.20) on the four handpumps.
On 16th January 2016
- rating: 7
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rex Rattus left this review about The Bishops Finger
This pub used to be called The Rutland Arms before Shepherd Neame acquired it, along with the nearby Olde Red Cow, some thirty or so years ago. They renamed it The Bishops Finger after their strong ale, which in turn was named after an old type of road sign usually found on the route to Canterbury. This is a late Victorian pub, but as far as I could tell the only thing definitely remaining from that era is the pair of cast iron pillars in the middle of the room, although the ceiling decoration may be an original Lincrusta style design. The place is bare-boarded, has high stools and high tables in a row down the middle of the room, with banquettes, tables and chairs round the sides. Every inch of the walls is covered by prints, and although it has been extensively modernised over the years, you could certainly not accuse this pub of being minimalist in decor. The laptop area (actually a small ledge) was not in use as such during my visit, but the soft padded framed mirror on the wall above the ledge is still in place, presumably as an elf ‘n safety measure to protect the heads of frustrated computer users. I found it to be fairly gloomy inside this pub, not helped by the awning to shelter those using the handful of aluminium tables and chairs in the front of the pub.
It’s still a Shepherd Neame pub, so the usual ales are on offer. I had a reasonable drop of Masterbrew, at £3.10 a pint. I didn’t eat there, but I noticed that mains were at or around the £7.95 mark, and sarnies around £4 - £6. This is another OK pub – there’s nothing special about it, but it is immaculately turned out, and OK for a pint if you’re happy with SN ales.
On 20th April 2010
- rating: 5
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]