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Detail Pages
The Castle, EC1
EC1
EC1M 6DB
Pub Type
Castle (Mitchells & Butlers)Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6 of 10) see review guidelines
Will Larter left this review about The Castle
I was on my way to a match in Luton and had a gap in my schedule before getting my train from Farringdon station so went in the nearest pub. It was about 5:30pm, evidently a busy period for a pub close to the station. There were three hand pumps, with Timothy Taylor Landlord, Dark Star Hophead and a rugby special from Black Sheep. I asked for a pint of Hophead and the lass behind the bar asked me for £5.90. I said, aren't you going to pour it first? She said that she always asks for the money first, but I've heard this one before so I observed her serving other people and she always started to pour the drinks first, so she must have thought I looked particularly disreputable. Did she really think I was going to grab the drink and run off with it without paying? (Or sup it and run? I'm neither a quick drinker nor quick on my feet.) In fact I didn't even pick the glass up until she had responded to my request to top it up - the head was well over 10% of the height of the glass. My notes tell me that the beer was in very good condition (NBSS 3.5) but I have very little recall of this visit other than the way I was served. I don't intend to return to refresh my memory.
Date of visit: 28th February 2023
On 15th January 2024
- rating: 4
[User has posted 3724 recommendations about 3461 pubs]
Danny O'Revey left this review about The Castle
Interesting pub on the street round & near Farrindon station. Now good beer guide listed
On 14th November 2023
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1456 recommendations about 1434 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about The Castle
Large roomed traditionl style pub with plenty of dark wood in evidence,four handpumps with two beers on, Timmy Taylors Landlord and Northern Monk Eternal, coming soon was Doom Bar (cant wait) and something from Brew York, the Eternal was hellishly expensive at £6.00 a pint. There are better pubs not too far away, I probably won't be back in this one.
On 3rd April 2022
- rating: 5
[User has posted 1871 recommendations about 1844 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Delboy 20 left this review about The Castle
Decent pub and very handy for the train or tube. If you have time to kill whilst waiting you could do a lot worse. A choice of beers on and kept well.
On 7th June 2018
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 1656 recommendations about 1556 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Graham Coombs left this review about The Castle
Fair-sized pub opposite Farringdon station with a bustling feel and a fair range of beers. Large bar at the front with a further room behind and something upstairs but didn't venture there. Like the 3 Compasses opposite, it attracts a large crowd on the road outside in warm weather. Cask Marque accredited.
On 27th May 2018
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3339 recommendations about 3276 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Castle
Traditional-looking pub on a curving corner close by Farringdon station, with a high-ceilinged bar at the front, a rear lounge / dining area up three steps at the back and signage indicating an upstairs bar too. Not a lot of furniture around the counter, so quite a lot of vertical drinking going on in the late afternoon. Efficient staff, though. Not a bad selection from three of the four handpumps in operation, dispensing Hogs Back TEA, Redemption Trinity and the seasonal Thornbridge Wild Holly (£4.50).
On 16th December 2017
- rating: 6
[User has posted 8086 recommendations about 8086 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Castle
One exiting Farringdon station, you can't fail to notice this pub with its grand curved facade and attractive green banded leaded windows. Inside, an unusual fan-shaped main bar area dominates the layout, with the servery located along the right hand wall. The bar has a decent dark wood counter with a contrasting lighter wood bar back topped with casks and other typical pub items. The room is bare boarded throughout and awash with high stool seating serving some big sturdy tables, although there were also some lovely looking padded benches down the left hand wall that must have been pretty comfy given that they were all fully accounted for. The ceiling has a dark lincrusta effect whilst walls are wood panelled and adorned with an enormous portrait of George IV and an equally impressive Bass mirror. Sat in here on a sunny day, the stained glass looked terrific and it was worth battling the high temperatures within to enjoy this sight than standing on the pavement with the usual group of city overspill drinkers. A couple of steps to the rear lead you into a snug with bare boarded floor, lincrusta and bare brick walls and a few pews and standard chairs serving four tables. Strings of fairy lights hang from the end wall but were not turned on and nor was the TV set in the far corner. Some old paintings and more leaded windows rounded out the decor and a staircase to the right leads up to an unexplored first floor lounge. Music played quietly throughout my visit but as is the case during the post-work hours, the hum of conversation overpowered it most of the time.
There were three ales to choose from - Fullers London Pride, Sharps Doom Bar and Moorhouse Stray Cat. The latter was £4.45 for a pint, so I was very careful to ensure I got a full measure, which didn't go down well with the mardy barmaid who'd served me a woefully short effort. As it happens, it was a pretty good drink and the only complaint would be that it warmed up very quickly as a result of the pub being unbearably hot on an unusually warm Autumn evening.
I've walked past this pub countless times and always enjoyed their old pub sign which had an image of a Castle on one side and a cock-fight on the other (now sadly replaced), but I never thought to give it a try. I have to say that whilst it suffers from some of the drawbacks of this kind of stripped out historic London pub, it did still score well in terms of comfort and beer quality and if waiting for a train here again, I'd gladly pop back.
On 12th October 2016
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Malden man left this review about The Castle
A prominent pub right by Farringdon station, inside there is a square room with a dark boarded floor, green and amber Charrington's leaded windows, a black painted Lincrusta ceiling and papered lower walls, exposed brickwork on the wall opposite the bar The bar is on a side wall with high copper topped tables directly in front, butchers' block versions in the front windows but thankfully regular style elsewhere. There is a small snug-like room to the rear which offers privacy as long as you can put up with fairy lights.
A nice airy feel, some of the front windows fold back, low level music while the tennis was available to view on mute. An old painting has a description beneath explaining that after Royal Patronage and a financially embarrassed king, the pub became a dual licensed house and pawnbrokers.
There were four on, Pride, Doom Bar, Old Dairy Cattle Shed Ale and Salopian Hop Twister (£4.45) dear but not unusual in this part of the world.
I liked it here, nice drop of ale and a convivial feel.
On 8th July 2016
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1707 recommendations about 1681 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about The Castle
Quite a commanding pub on a curve which still features its green banded stained glass Charrington's windows.
My first and last visit here was about 15 years ago so I can't really remember it, but I do remember that then as now, it's rammed on weekday evenings, especially Fridays. It's also something of a rarity around here in that it's open at weekends. The interior is fairly conventional and bare boarded; muted music played.
Beers on: Fuller's London Pride, Sharp's Atlantic and Gloom Bore and Ubu's Purity at £4.50 a pint which is a bit steep.
This pub is better than you'd expect and is handy as hardly anything else around here is open on a Saturday let alone a Sunday - worth a visit.
On 26th March 2016
- rating: 5
[User has posted 1982 recommendations about 1949 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rex Rattus left this review about The Castle
I wasn’t going to bother with this pub, as it looked like the sort of typical madeover Central London pub that has lost all its character. However, as we walked past my companion pointed out that there were four handpumps on the bar counter, and that we owed it to ourselves to investigate further. There were indeed four ales on; the ubiquitous Timothy Taylor Landlord, two Thornbridge ales in Kipling and Ashford (this being a brown ale according to the clip), and finally Cropton’s Yorkshire Warrior. The latter was an excellent rich flavoured bitter, and so far is my beer of the week. It was at a pretty standard £3.40 a pint. We were given a choice of dimpled mugs or straight glasses. The food was what you would expect in a modernised pub in this part of the world, with all the nouns on the menu having extra adjectives, at no extra cost, in order to describe fully the food on offer. I didn’t spot any cheese rolls or scotch eggs here. Main courses were around £9.
The exterior is clearly that of a traditional pub, with architecture a 100+ years of age, but there’s nothing original in the interior, perhaps excepting the ceiling. The flooring is varnished bare boards, there’s the usual banquette seating around the sides, some normal tables and chairs, plus some re-cycled butchers’ blocks now doing service as tall tables, coupled with tall benches and stools. Something for everyone then. All the tables had on them tulips in small vases (but no tea lights!). The windows are large, letting in a lot of light, and affording views of the cranes working on the new railway station opposite. They have the trademark green banded leaded light windows, confirming that this was hitherto a Charrington pub. The thing that dominates the decor is a massive (around 10’ by 8’) painting on the back wall, depicting George IV in The Castle of old, handing over a watch to the proprietor as security for a loan. According to a plaque under the painting this led to this pub having the unique distinction of two licences – the usual drinks licence plus a pawnbroker’s licence. Fascinating stuff – or at least the couple of tourists at the corner table thought so.
This pub was a lot better than I expected. It appears to be food based, it’s been made over to the extent that the inside has nothing left of its original pub character, but we got a friendly welcome, and it does do some decent ales at reasonable prices (reasonable for London anyway). I’d visit again, but I have to say that there are better pubs a short walk away.
On 23rd March 2011
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]