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Detail Pages
The Barley Mow, EC2
EC2
EC2A 3BX
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about The Barley Mow
A tradtional street corner boozer ,much as described accurately by PSM,the only change seems the much reduced real ale offering,just London Pride,while there were listed 8 keg options from some respected brewers but nothing very pokey.My Siren White Session IPA at £5.70 was acceptable.
Traditional wood panelling up to the dado rail was pleasing ,as was the bench seating.There is a drinking shelf outside but you will only be served in a plastic cup if going there.I didn't explore the first floor overspill area.The soundtrack was at a decent volume and good and thankfully the flatscreen was off when nothing is to view.
Shame about the loss of real ale options,but the creatives who work around here and drink here after work don't care about that detail.
On 11th August 2021
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2727 recommendations about 2727 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Barley Mow
Tucked away in the heart of hipster Shoreditch, this is a fairly traditional feeling London boozer that seems to have avoided the follies of gentrification that have afflicted many pubs in this part of town. The pub is quite a compact affair, with a single bare boarded room, dominated by the servery in the front left portion. The bar has a simple wood panelled counter and impressive traditional bar back, given a modern twist by replacing the old ‘Wines’, ‘Spirits’ etc... inserts with period-style Czech beer brands instead. Pew and low stools seating runs around the perimeter, including under the large front windows with modern Fullers and Czech beer branding – the latter seemingly having some sort of stake in this pub. To the rear, a small area beyond the bar has a single table with low stools and a fairly cramped standing area which offers minimal overspill for this easily packed out room. Decor is fairly basic throughout and there were a couple of TV screens which remained turned off during my stay, with a decent music playlist just about audible under the din of a crowded room. The barmaid who greeted me on arrival initially seemed like a typically gruff, abrupt type, but having handed over my pint, she then came out from behind the bar and shuffled some people around so I’d have somewhere to sit, all unprompted, which was a pleasant surprise.
Four hand pumps offered a decent choice between Adnams Ghost Ship, Dark Star Hophead, Fullers London Pride and a real cider. The Hophead was a somewhat hefty £4.70, but was in pretty good shape and I quite enjoyed sitting here reading my paper and watching some of the pub’s characters come and go.
This place doesn’t really do a great deal to stand out, but at least does a lot of the basics fairly well. The beer range is pretty good, the quality seemed to be up to scratch and the place is comfortable and has a lively feel on a week day evening. Proper pubs like this are tricky to find in this part of town, so this one is well worth knowing about.
On 5th March 2019
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
john gray left this review about The Barley Mow
Nice pub with 4 cask beers from Darkstar,Fullers,Butcombe and one other.Good beer.
On 25th January 2018
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1023 recommendations about 1009 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about The Barley Mow
A wonderfully charming little corner pub, just a small single room with wood flooring and walls a mix of wood panel and exposed brick.Bench seating around the walls with small round tables and suitably sized stools. Snack food was available in the form of sausage rolls ,pork pies and hot pork baps. A good selection of four cask beers on the bar were, Gypsy Hill Hepcat, Adnams Mosaic, London Pride and Marble Pint which was good. The beers were on the pricey side at £4.40 upwards but this is the way it is in London unfortunately. The pub itself is a little gem.
On 19th November 2017
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1872 recommendations about 1845 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about The Barley Mow
I can't add much to the reviews below, except that this is not a Fuller's pub. Yes a barmaid needed her ears syringed as she served me with a pint when I clearly asked for a half. Beer, craft, cask, keg and all are advertised on a blackboard with ABV, brewery and price. This is a basic boozer but thankfully is not a locals' pub, which scares off the bearded and checked-shirted hipster crowd - thank God - and all the better for that. Ordinary furniture, some wood panelling and pews are part and parcel for a largely unspoilt traditional boozer with a mixed - and dare I say it - civilised crowd.
However, the lavs are really a bit scummy and could do with some work.
Ales: Fuller's London Pride, Sambrook's Wandle, Dragonfly's 2 0'Clock Ordinary and Hammerton's N1 which was very good, and so it should be at £4.40 a pint.
I will definitely come here again if passing as this is clearly the best pub in EC2 and is light years better than the awful Bricklayers Arms at the end of the street.
On 18th August 2016
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1985 recommendations about 1951 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Malden man left this review about The Barley Mow
This is a rather pleasant small street corner pub which felt laid back and a bit bohemian on my early afternoon visit. Wood flooring, regular seating at small tables with wooden benches and stools plus a pair of L-shaped pews, one each end. Beige painted ceiling, a bit of exposed brickwork, a red lightbulb in a glass case possibly as a nod to the area's once notoriety as a red-light district, several strip clubs remain nearby.....so I'm told.
A Smith's album was playing at a reasonable volume, possibly aiding the perceived vibe, I didn't see any signs of a TV although there is an upstairs room that I didn't visit. A shelf behind the bar contained a few well used looking board games.
Four handpumps, Sambrook's Wandle, Pride, Seafarers plus new to me, Dragonfly Brewery 2'O Clock Ordinary. This comes from The George and Dragon microbrewery in Acton. Additionally the keg range was eclectic, no Carling or Fosters in here, I spotted Litovel Premium and Classic, Achtung London Weissbier, Brugse Zot Blond, Meantime Yakima Red, Urban Orchard cider and several others. Large 75cl bottles of Cidre Bouche lined the bar top.
Food seemed to be American inspired with a menu offering "Dogs, Burgers, Wings and Salads".
I liked it here quite a lot but couldn't linger as I was embarking upon a walk but it is on the mental list for a return when passing.
On 13th March 2015
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1708 recommendations about 1681 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rex Rattus left this review about The Barley Mow
This is a pub that I've had on my radar for some while, and my visit last week wasn't a disappointment. They had four ales on - London Pride, Gale's Seafarers (£2 a half), Fuller's Black Stout, and Butcombe Haka. There were a couple of menus on the tables, joined with a bulldog clip. The "lunch box" special deal gives you a basic snack meal (e.g. chilli bean burger & chips) plus a soft drink for £6.50. It's probably resonable value, but I dislike meal deals that include a drink that you probably don't want.
But I won't let that minor pub annoyance put me off this pub. It's a very small single-room pub, bare-boarded and furnished with wooden settles, small round wooden stools, and normal metal-framed tables. There are no concessions to luxury here. As you enter, a shelf on the right has loads of leaflets and the like - notably including London Drinker - and with the bar counter on the left. Other points of note were the quiz nights advertised for Tuesdays, and the Cask Marque symbol prominently displayed on the door. I reckon it must also be dog friendly as there was an amicable mutt on the floor chomping biscuits, and with his own water bowl.
This struck me as a real pub with pleny of character, but it wouldn't take many customers to make it very crowded. And four ales on for such a small place is good going. It's definitely worth a visit if you're in the area.
On 18th November 2013
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Alan Winfield left this review about The Barley Mow
The Barley Mow is a small corner pub on the northern edge of EC2.
There was a single narrow room that seemed a bit cluttered but was a decent enough room to have a few drinks in.
There were four real ales on the bar and three were from Fullers but i dont think it is a Fullers house,i had a drink of Ossett Pale Gold and this was a very nice drink the other beers were London Pride, Fullers Discovery and Gales HSB.
I thought this was a decent pub that seemed pretty much unaltered.
On 28th May 2011
- rating: 7
[User has posted 6113 recommendations about 6113 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Barley Mow
Small, single-bar pub with a curious collection of ephemera (and customers). Two Fullers beers (including a nice pint of Hock) and a couple of Gales offerings too. All a bit odd-ball, but not bad at all when compared with some of the hideous bars around here.
On 26th March 2009
- rating: 7
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about The Barley Mow
If you manage to have half as much fun as the staff seem to enjoy you would have had a great night in here. Unfortunately I had to drag the barmaid away from her evening to come and serve me, but she was very nice when she did arrive. Pride, ESB, HSB and Swing Low were all available along with some Czech beers and my pint of Pride was reasonable.
The pub needs a little TLC and the light switch to the gents probably needs moving as no one enjoys peeing in the dark, but apart from that this place has its charm and I would return if passing.
On 18th February 2009
- rating: 6
[User has posted 5250 recommendations about 5218 pubs]