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Detail Pages
King Charles I, Kings Cross, N1
N1
N1 9BL
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about King Charles I
The King Charles I is a tiny little no frills boozer that has seen better days. During my Monday afternoon visit there was some background music playing off the jukebox and the handful of middle aged men present were glancing at BBC news that was muted, but subtitle, on a flat screen TV. Being quiet I was able to sit at the bar in this pub where there is more standing room than seating space. The opening times for this pub are midday except on Sundays when the doors do not open until 15:00.
Premium draught products were available from the bar that also supports four hand pumps. One of these was unused leaving Hanlon’s Nice Tackle, Truman’s Bold as Brass and Cottage Brewing Company’s Golden Ale as the cask options. Food is not available here.
I found the service to be very friendly and I would pop back in if passing, but this isn’t the sort of place I would take the wife.
On 12th October 2015
- rating: 6
[User has posted 5243 recommendations about 5211 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
hondo . left this review about King Charles I
A dark wooden interior that's a bit rough round the edges but nothing wrong with that. 4 real ales served.
On 1st October 2015
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 2883 recommendations about 2820 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about King Charles I
I thought this pub was going to be a bit of a mecca for some fellow alers, on our Saturday eve visit, only to find one solitary customer drinker lager. Four handpumps with three in use. I went for Cottage Brewery Rib Tickler, a non-descript beer.
On 30th July 2015
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about King Charles I
Smaller than it looks as you approach, with a plain façade at odds with the curiosities within. Once inside, you find a small, old-fashioned bar with dark wood panelling everywhere, sturdy wooden furniture and various oddities (including hunting trophies and tribal masks) on the walls. Other features of interest include a curious stained glass window and a bar billiards table. Some small tables out front. Friendly atmosphere. Usually has a good selection of beers from the four handpumps, with Pale and Altered States (£3.70) from Kent Brewery, Clarence & Frederick's Oat Milk Stout and a Coffee Porter available on this visit. Well worth seeking out if in the area.
On 21st February 2015
- rating: 8
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Danny O'Revey left this review about King Charles I
Very interesting pub near Kings Cross Station, dark inside with various curio wall coverings, like masks and animal heads.
Small inside it has wood benches and is different from a lot of other standard pub decors.
They were having trouble with the beer on my visit & the Bethnal Green bitter went followed by the London Fields, but when a decent pint did appear it was very nice & a chance to try the Brrodie's
On 4th July 2012
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1456 recommendations about 1434 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
John Bonser left this review about King Charles I
Hidden away in a side street a few minutes walk away from the hustle and bustle of Kings Cross / St Pancras station is The King Charles 1st.
As we approach the pub, the dark painted exterior mistakenly leads you to assume it may be a gastro pub, but, you’ll be pleased to hear, it isn’t.
Rather smaller than you might anticipate from outside, it’s a bare boarded room with a small wooden curved bar counter directly in front of you as you enter. Boarded wood panelled walls give the place something of a rather woody ale house feel. Seating is mainly normal wooden tables and chairs with stools at the bar. A lit fire contributed towards a warm and welcoming atmosphere.
It’s decorated with a rather eclectic range of paraphernalia which give the pub a rather crowded and cluttered, but characterful and quirky air. On the walls are a series of African masks. Several stuffed animal heads look down on proceedings, including a ram’s head wearing a Tommy Cooper red fez. Note also the stained glass window featuring a blond haired cherub and an unusual enamelled sign advertising The Leu Family’s Family Iron.
Perhaps unusually, given the limited space, room is found for a bar billiards table just inside the door. Space is tight and, whilst sitting at the bar whilst a game was in progress, I got poked in the ribs several times from the end of the cue, so I took the hint and sat elsewhere. Despite several lamps over the table, the interior is rather dark and this effect is compounded by the dark blinds which, rather oddly, are pulled half down.
No food is served but a prominent old sign exhorts us to “bring your own food or order locally and have it delivered”. Oddly, given this, a blackboard lists what could be regarded as a wide selection of available wines.
The pub appears to attract students and the like. Based on my visit, homeward bound commuters using the nearby station do not frequent the pub in any significant numbers. Occasional folk music sessions are held and the Phil Grispo orchestra perform once a month.
4 beers were on – 3 from Brodies ( Porter, Bethnal Green Bitter and Shoreditch Sunshine ) – plus Caledonian Flying Scotsman, a beer that seems to be cropping up more frequently nowadays. Perhaps wisely, I gave the Porter ( ABV – 7.8% ) a miss, but the other 2 Brodie beers were in good form. The pub is listed in the CAMRA 2012 Good Beer Guide.
I’m putting this one down for an early revisit
On 29th February 2012
- rating: 8
[User has posted 560 recommendations about 560 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about King Charles I
This characterful little pub has a fantastic location down a quiet side street just a couple of minutes walk from Kings Cross station. The single room is decorated with all manner of unusual items including numerous antlers, horns and animal heads (some still bearing Christmas decorations) and a collection of African style masks. A bank note collection behind the bar, a row of pumpkins on the mantelpiece and a stained glass window with what looked to be an insert of Elvis in the middle (although I may well be wrong on that) all combine to create a rather quirky feel. In spite of all this, the place somehow retains quite a traditional feel, with dark wood floors and wall panels, a lit fireplace with large ornate mirror above and a good mix of seating. I spotted a large TV screen, although I can't imagine much sport gets shown here, as well as a juke box and a plentiful supply of board games.
The pub has ties with Brodie's Brewery and I was looking forward to sampling some of their beers, but unfortunately there were only two on during my Saturday evening visit, and both pretty strong ones at that - Hoxton Special IPA (6.6%) and Dalston Black (7%). The remaining hand pumps had Butcombe Bitter and Gold. I gave the Hoxton Special a try and thought it was a good, strong IPA. There was only one barman on duty, which was a bit of a surprise on a Saturday evening when the place was heaving, and he found himself having to run down to the cellar on several occasion, creating long queues at the bar, which, to his credit, he dealt with rather admirably.
As Quinno mentions, the place is probably best avoided outside peak times (especially if they only put one barman on), but it's now firmly installed as the first place I go when passing through King's Cross.
On 1st February 2012
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Old Boots left this review about King Charles I
A useful pub to know about being one of a very few good pubs in the Kings Cross area and being a good walking distance from St Pancras and Kings Cross stations. Far from the madding crowd but not too far. Definitely a quirky pub, if it used to be darker inside I'm surprised anyone could find the bar, mainly a younger clientele and the Brodies beers were excellent. My thanks to previous reviewers for pointing this one out.
On 3rd October 2011
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3269 recommendations about 2978 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about King Charles I
A recent re-visit found that this place is becoming a victim of its own success - it was quite literally rammed inside and the crowd outside on an early Friday must have numbered at least 50. Unsurprisingly the ales were beginning to run short. So file this one as being a worthwhile visit outside of peak times!
March 2010
Situated up a side-street off Pentonville Road, this feels like a long way away from the bustle of Kings Cross. On entering, you find a deceptively un-spacious, ramshackle interior which is a little on the dark side, giving the African tribal masks on the far wall a bit more of a scare factor. There's a bar billiards table (with house rules) as well as a small selection of literature. A real fire is often lit and there was background music over the general hubbub of conversation. Four ales usually on from Brodies Brewery in the East End, in good condition from the handpump but be careful about the barrel on the bar as it isn't kept cool very well and can turn quickly. Service behind the bar is good - when I nipped into the gents one time and found it was swathed in darkness due to a broken bulb the barman had it fixed within a minute. It's also dead near the Scala so this is a clever place to get a couple of decent beers beforehand, without being squished in the pre-gig crowd on the main road. There's no food available but you are positively encouraged to bring your own (pub will provide cutlery on request, if I recall). One let down are the aforementioned traps - very small, pokey and not in the best state of repair.
All in all, a really good find and my new favourite pub for the area.
On 26th May 2011
- rating: 8
[User has posted 5081 recommendations about 5064 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Roger Button left this review about King Charles I
This place was just called the plain old Charles I when I started working in the area but it then, like most pubs around here it went through an Irish phase and became the Craic House for a few years. Now it has thankfully reverted to its original regal title albeit in a slightly extended format. It’s not the easiest place to find but if you like quirky little pubs, it is well worth the effort to hunt down.
The single room interior is very small with basic and sturdy furnishings. The lighting has been improved so it is no longer resembles the Black Hole of Calcutta like it once did. The dark paneling is battered and worn but fits in nicely with the surroundings and the window sills are littered with candles and a random selection of books. The walls contain a bizarre mix of Voodoo style African masks and stuffed animal heads among the more regular old style adverts and brewery mirrors. Despite the slightly eccentric approach, the pub is quite welcoming and the staff approachable and knowledgable. There is a rather awkwardly placed Bar Billiards table in front of the bar which is sometimes replaced by a pinball machine (it has been bar billards for the last few months).
The 4 hand pumps offer an unpredictable selection although they do now lean quite a lot towards stocking Brodies ales. Occasionally they will also have additional ale in a cask plonked directly on the bar. To the right of the bar are a couple of boards listing the various bottled beers and wines. One disappointing aspect since my last visit is that the prices have increased considerably with ales now around the £3.20 mark. They don’t offer any food but welcome people to bring their own.
There are some benches outside for those who prefer to drink al fresco but the exterior of the pub and its surroundings are a bit glum. The pub is perhaps not to everyone's taste but it has been a favourite of mine for some time and I always try to fit in a visit when I am in the area.
On 30th March 2010
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1239 recommendations about 1233 pubs]