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The Dolphin Tavern, Holborn, WC1

44 Red Lion Street
WC1
WC1R 4PF
Phone: 02078316298

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Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6 of 10) Add Review see review guidelines


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Dolphin Tavern

Decent enough pub, with an attractive, wedge-shaped interior featuring various collections of jugs, flagons, lanterns and other ephemera to look at if you care to gaze upwards. Only has a limited amount of fairly plain seating, but many of the punters are usually standing outside anyway. On this visit, I found Truman's Runner (£4.40) and Adnams Ghost Ship available from the four handpumps, with a reversed Courage Best clip also noted.

On 3rd June 2017 - rating: 7
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Tris C left this review about The Dolphin Tavern

A former Whitbread pub, I came here once, probably in the late 1990s so don't remember it that well, other than that it was a rather dull locals' pub. Well it's still that, but has probably had a clean since Mr Rattus' visit. It's a very basic backstreet boozer, the only concession to modernity being the louvre blinds to the windows. You can clearly see the clock to the rear, but it actually stopped at 10.50, having lost 10 minutes over the last 100 years. There's muted music and a TV, off.
The barman was friendly enough, ales on offer being Timothy Taylor's Landlord, Truman's Runner and Zephyr at £2.20 a half which isn't that bad for the area but is a lot for a pub of this calibre.
I don't really see myself coming here again, not least because the lavish Enterprise is immediately opposite.

On 6th May 2016 - rating: 4
[User has posted 1985 recommendations about 1951 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Real Ale Ray left this review about The Dolphin Tavern

Straight across from the Enterprise and out of the two pubs, this one was the most welcoming. The interior is basic, but comfortable and there was a choice of three ales, TT Landlord, Adnams Broadside and St Austell Tribute. The Tribute was in great shape. There is a wall plaque outside, which reads on the 9th Sept a zeppelin bomb exploded on the premises killing three people. A clock found in the wreckage hangs inside the pub and had stopped at 10.40pm.

On 5th January 2014 - rating: 7
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Steve C left this review about The Dolphin

I wasn't that taken with this small pub as I walked in, but my greeting from the barman was very friendly and my Guinness was very good. The drinks selection of Adnams, Broadside, Amstel, Fosters, Heineken and Aspalls along with the Guinness isn't the most diverse, but the size of the bar dictates and there was another hand pump which was off during my visit.

There was some very low back music playing and the plasma screen was off when a football match was on so I gather that there is no Sky Sports.

There is a ledge running down the outside of the pub on the wide path side so it is possible to escape outside when the pub is busy, but I wouldn't want to be in here when 40+ people are present on a cold evening.

This place is certainly not a destination pub, but I would have no problem with popping back in again if passing.

On 23rd January 2009 - rating: 7
[User has posted 5251 recommendations about 5219 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Rex Rattus left this review about The Dolphin Tavern

This is a very small flat-iron shaped corner pub. It has some of the dirtiest seating that I have ever seen – it would take the George, in d’Arblay St to beat it, unless that pub has had a refurb since last time I was there. Had some real ale on (Adnam’s I think), but nothing out of the ordinary as I recall. I particularly liked the interestingly large windows, split into lots of smaller panes. I actually quite liked this pub in spite of its shortcomings.

On 20th March 2008 - rating: 5
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]