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Detail Pages
Old Fountain, Old Street, EC1
EC1
EC1V 9NU
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 8 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Aqualung . left this review about Old Fountain
This was a Whitbread pub which I used to work literally next door to. I remember being dragged kicking and screaming here one lunchtime for a work drink and noted them selling just boring London Pride or some Flower's rubbish. It didn't happen again.
Today it is aiming itself squarely at the Real Ale / Craft market, although the boring London Pride remains!
Despite the "craft" aspirations there is no predictable Battleship Grey colours in use at all and the way the place is currently done out using a cream and brown colour scheme with the top bar carpetted gives the feel of a two bar traditional pub.
There were eight handpumps and ignoring one unused plus the London Pride, there was Dark Star Hophead And American Pale Ale, Mallinson's Small Straw and Amarillo, Burning Sky Plateau and Five Points Hook Island Red.
I went for the locally brewed Hook Island Red (£4.00) which was nothing short of superb. Four quid a pint seems a lot but this is Central London and it is a 6% ABV beer. I've been charged more for a run of the mill Pale Ale in grotty Clapton.
If I still worked next door I would gladly come in here a lot. It's now one of a small number of Central London pubs on my "visit again" list.
On 15th March 2014
- rating: 9
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
john gray left this review about Old Fountain
Although I have used this pub for the last 5 years I have never reviewed it.Well described by others.I have never felt it is a comfortable pub and a bit dated but the beer range is very good.The craft keg beers are well priced and imo the selection gets better every visit.Friendly landlord and his son always have time to chat if the pub is quiet but at night that's rare.Its nice see a pub get better and busier.
On 4th January 2014
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1023 recommendations about 1009 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about Old Fountain
It's taken me several visits since my first ,some three years or so ago, to really warm to this pub,I had really high expectations back then given it was being hyped up at the time,admittedly it was early in the day mid week so fairly empty ,but I didn't get that ,this is a real pub feel , you get when you walk into a new pub ,empty or busy.I also found the beer OK without being anything special quality wise. However I have persevered several times since ,the last being a busy Saturday evening in June 2013 and I have to say I enjoyed every minute of it.There was a good feel about it , good beers in very good condition,My pint of Oakham Citra was stunningly good. So nowadays its a given to visit along with the revitalized Wenlock Arms just up the road.
On 20th June 2013
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1872 recommendations about 1845 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Roger Button left this review about Old Fountain
The Old Fountain probably started life as a refreshments house catering for people who came to take the medicinal waters from the nearby springs. These days the open fields are a little more populated by urban sprawl and office buildings with the current pub tucked away in a side street near Moorfield's Eye Hospital,
The building itself is of no great architectural or decorative merits, a straight forward 2 room pub with the dividing wall mostly removed but still retaining a front/back bar scenario. The front section has more of a public bar feel with bare patterned floors, plain décor and dart board. There is also a basic kitchen area and a food counter taking up half the length of the bar. The rear is more of a traditional lounge bar and also a separate entrance to the street behind. There are a few old pictures dotted about, blackboards displaying various offers including an ale list and , in the rear bar a small aquarium and a fine Whitbread mirror reflecting (bad pun) the pub’s past history as a Whitbread house. There was once a small patio beer garden adjacent to the pub but this has now been built upon. By way of compensation there is now a new roof garden to cater for those who wish to brave the weather and drink al-fresco.
The pub is rightly regarded as one of London’s premier pubs for real ales and has numerous justified accolades to this end. They are generally have around 8 ales available mostly rotating micros although London Pride seems to be a mainstay. Prices are quite reasonable. There are regular beer festivals which are immensely popular and well worth keeping an eye out for but you need to get there early if you wish to bag a table.
The customer base is a mix of local office workers and a stream of beer enthusiast who return on a regular basis. Service is generally very good despite its popularity meaning that the place is regularly packed. One of the minor gripes was that the pub was closed at weekends but this has now been addressed and the pub is now open all day everyday. A programme of occasional live music has also been introduced at weekends.
The Old Fountain is a consistently fine place for beers and with the equally respected Wenlock Arms a short stroll away, a double session makes this area of London well worth visiting for beer fans.
On 1st March 2013
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1239 recommendations about 1233 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
ROB Camra left this review about Old Fountain
This is a cracking pub, a regular haunt of mine when working in London. Exhaustive reviews mean that I have very little to add except that the beer is always excellent and the company is usually pretty good as well. Some are even happy to talk to a Northerner! :-))
On 12th January 2013
- rating: 9
[User has posted 3224 recommendations about 3135 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
John Bonser left this review about Old Fountain
Update - December 2012
This pub is now open weekends
Original Review - May 2011
Located down a quiet side street close to Old Street tube station and Moorfields Eye Hospital is The Old Fountain, a welcoming, real ale orientated free house.
It’s a split level single room pub with, unusually, separate entrances on two parallel side streets. The Baldwin Street entrance leads to the lower bar. Steps lead up to the larger upper bar which can also be directly accessed from Peerless Street.
It’s a cosy comfortable, carpeted pub with traditional furniture – no silly sofas or uncomfortable high perches here. Mahogany bar backs and counters together with brass footrails and leaded frosted patterned windows help create a traditional, slightly old fashioned atmosphere and surroundings.
The lower bar has a dartboard, but the seating layout suggests that it’s not in regular use. Close by here, on the wall, a framed print tells us that The Old Fountain takes its name from one of the medicinal springs for which this part of London used to be famous. Also here is a hot food counter, the like of which is becoming an increasing rarity as more and more London pubs switch to cooking food to order. A basic food menu is served at lunchtime and snacks ( including pizzas ) are available in the evening from 5 – 9 pm.
Inside a splendid inn sign depicts a portcullis with a wavy design part superimposed. We learn that, in Victorian times, around 60 London pubs traded under this sign.
The upper bar features a small fish tank and a large Chivas Regal Whisky mirror. There’s also a Whitbread mirror.
On the real ale front, there’s a set of pumps in each bar, but, pleasingly, each beer pump has two clips attached so that the full range of beers available can be seen without having to visit both bars. On my recent Monday evening visit, beers on were London Pride ( which I gather is the one constant regular beer ) plus Adnams Broadside, O’Hanlons Port Stout, one beer from Itchen Valley plus two from Crouch Vale. Another pump was serving real cider – Gwynt Y Ddraig ( Dog Dancer ) at 6.5% ABV. All beers sampled were in excellent condition. The pub has won various local CAMRA branch awards and has been in the last 6 CAMRA Good Beer Guides.
The pub was advertising bottled beers from the nearby Kernel Brewery ( Druid Street, SE1 ) at gravities generally ranging from 6 – 10 %.
This is a splendid pub and you should certainly make the effort to get here. Do bear in mind, however, that, somewhat surprisingly, it doesn’t open weekends at all. I'd be giving this pub a score of 9 if it did
On 20th December 2012
- rating: 8
[User has posted 560 recommendations about 560 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about Old Fountain
ORIGIAL REVIEW Feb 2010.
The ale quality here is absolutely top drawer with great cellar skills much in evidence.8 real ales available which on my visit included Crouch Vale Brewers Gold and Amarillo(fantastic,dangerously quaffable),Twickenham Sundancer and Grandstand Bitter,Dark Star Chesnut and Adnams Explorer.The bar snacks were also high quality ,salt beef sarnies,potato wedges ,fresh pizza all perfect for soaking up the alcohol.Deservedly popular and the bar service is wonderfully efficient and friendly ,so no long waits at the bar .IMHO this place has now overtaken The Wenlock despite being less earthy,and is one of the best in the country.Top marks all round.
November 2011.
Still very reliable on the real ale front,there always seems to be a Crouch Vale brew available and on my latest trip their Astra was top notch.A new feature for me was a couple of very good keg beers,an unfiltered Magic Rock High Wire,dangerous as ever,and Camden Town Pale Ale.
There is also some building work going on to create a roof terrace,which should be a very intersting addition especially in summer.This has resulted in a temporary closure of one of the lavs which can create a queue, a minor inconvenience in the remaining conveniences.
UPDATE
The roof terrace is now open with some seating under a small canopy,popular with smokers but I can imagine this would be a great spot in fine weather.The pub is now also open at weekends.The ale and craft keg selection is still outstanding with leading microbrewers often featuring.Two beers from Magic Rock and Blue Monkey BG Sips were in top nick on my latest visit.There is always a range of styles available,this really is a shining beacon in the London real ale scene,and the pork bap and chunky chips are fabulous.
On 20th December 2012
- rating: 10
[User has posted 2727 recommendations about 2727 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Danny O'Revey left this review about Old Fountain
Bigger than it looks from the outside, its very normal inside, and lookks a little tired. All wood chairs and tables and soft bench seating.
What does appeal here is the friendly, efficient service and the excellent real ales, 6 intersting and well kept.
On 18th September 2011
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1456 recommendations about 1434 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Gill Smith left this review about Old Fountain
We went to The Old Fountain which was very different style to those we had been in. Carpeted on 2 levels with a bar in each displaying the 8 beers available. We found 2 new ones Red Squirrel Springfield IPA and Cottage Between the Posts. Cheapest so far at £2.95. Bar staff friendly and food menu looked good.
The above was March 2010.
Revisited on Friday and found a good selection of well kept ales served in a friendly atmosphere. Chose Salamander Golden Salamander and Saltaire Stateside IPA, while other beers available were from Brodies, Crouch Vale, Ilkley the London Pride and another Saltaire. Consistancy of beer quality and excellent choice of beers makes sure its a pub to go back to.
On 4th September 2011
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1339 recommendations about 1222 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rex Rattus left this review about Old Fountain
There’s always a changing selection of ales available - they had several decent ales on when I was in there at lunchtime earlier this week – Dark Star Old Chestnut; Meantime Pale Ale; Mauldon Simply the Best; something from Otley (at 4.2%) and Pontypridd (at 5.5%), as well as London Pride. The pub doesn’t look like much from the outside if you approach it from the Peerless St entrance; in fact it doesn’t really look open, but once inside it opens up into a fairly large and welcoming pub. The clientele comprised mainly of office workers, as far as I could tell.
There’s an old-fashioned food counter at the back of the lower bar where you can see the food on offer. They specialise in reasonably priced pub grub. I had an excellent ham sandwich at £2.75, and the most expensive thing on offer was Cumberland Sausages, mash and onion gravy at £5.95. There was a TV, but it was not switched on; a fish tank; and carpeted throughout, with only normal tables and chairs. Luckily this pub remains unchanged every time I visit it – which is a very, very good thing. It quite rightly features as one of the capital’s finest real ale pubs. So, a comfortable and welcoming pub with good beer and good food. That’ll do it for me. Highly recommended.
On 16th November 2010
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]