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Detail Pages
The Tipperary, Fleet Street, EC4
EC4
EC4Y 1HT
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
David Walton left this review about The Tipperary
Definitely a high score in my books based on the experience of being in this wonderful old City institution again. It is what it is in terms of being jostled and barged but they do have the outside area out the back that I didn’t have need to resort to the last time I was here in May 2018 on a quiet Monday evening. I didn’t then record pub visits on here so with its re-opening have now been to all currently open venues on PG in the EC postcodes so felt like a fitting place to chalk up that event. What else for me but a pint of Guinness here. Enjoyed reading the piece in the April/May 2024 edition of London Drinker on the re-opening of this pub.
On 4th April 2024
- rating: 7
[User has posted 99 recommendations about 99 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about The Tipperary
A tall, narrow building, the bar area is in effect a drinking corridor with a tessellated floor featuring a restrained shamrock pattern. Despite being an Irish pub there are hand pumps serving English beers - five pumps, two of them unclipped and one with the clip reversed, leaving two beers on from Nelson brewery in Chatham, Kent. I went for the Cat o'nine tails 4% rather than the Friggin in the riggin 4.5%, but my half was so far short of the brim that I innocently asked whether this was a lined glass; let me top that up for you, quoth the helpful server, going on to say that she always topped the beer up once it had settled. Diplomatically ignoring this half truth, I took a sip and was fairly happy with the beer's condition; the price of £2.25 was quite reasonable for London, I thought.
I didn't explore further than the ground floor bar, which has wood panelling and brewery mirrors on the walls, plus an old, varnished board advertising Suffolk Ales: "IPA, Abbot and BBA" (boring brown ale, anyone?). I overheard someone ordering a whiskey off the list to the left of the bar, who was told that not all of those listed were available. This was a pleasant bar with not many people in at the time of my visit - perhaps they work past five in this part of town? Not sure I'd be in a hurry to be back, but it makes an interesting part of a crawl of the ancient pubs hereabouts (Old Bell, Cheshire Cheese, Punch, Hoop & Grapes, for example).
On 30th January 2019
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3740 recommendations about 3477 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about The Tipperary
A small and narrow Irish themed bar with friendly service, good mosaic tiling incorporating shamrocks and impressive mirrors opposite the long bar.Seating consists of a single table before the bar,and another in the alcove to the stairs up to the loos.Bar stools are the only real option to avoid vertical drinking.Many Irish artifacts hang on the walls and there is a good collection of Irish Whiskey water jugs and an impressive list of Irish Whiskeys.
There is a restaurant on the first floor,but this pub does have a boozer feel and a lot of punters will be drinking Guiness.There are a few handpumps offering on my trip Nelson's Trafalgar Bitter and Friggin' in the Riggin' with the other pulls unused.
It will get busy at peak times and given it's small size and limited ale options,I can't see a revisit likely despite this being one of the older pubs in The City.
On 26th January 2019
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2727 recommendations about 2727 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about The Tipperary
This is a wonderful must-visit pub with a fantastic ornate interior well described below. It is indeed very narrow and can be extremely cramped so a long stay may not be possible.
Great Guinness of course and a very friendly barmaid complete the ensemble.
However, this place is laced with a good measure of Blarney: the pub was owned by pubco and not brewer Mooney's and upon acquisition in 1895 became known as Mooney's Irish House. It was Mooney's fourth Irish House in London so neither the first Irish bar in England nor the first to serve Guinness; the current name was adopted after 1950.
On 14th September 2018
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1985 recommendations about 1951 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
hondo . left this review about The Tipperary
Quite a small narrow interior. 4 real ale taps(3 on).
On 22nd November 2016
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 2883 recommendations about 2820 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Tipperary
Originally know as the Boar's Head, this classic Victorian corridor pub lays claim to being the first Irish bar in the capital, having come into Irish ownership in 1895. The pub probably hasn't changed much over the years, with its basic, narrow layout not offering much scope for alterations. The place is designed for vertical drinking, with the servery running down the left hand wall and a few bar stools providing the only seating options The right hand wall has some large brewery and pub mirrors which help to give the illusion of a bit more space and the ornate bar back also has some complex and attractive glasswork as well as several whiskey jugs, ceramics and rugby balls. The floor boasts a nice mosaic tile pattern with numerous shamrocks. There is a small snug to the front, inside an etched glass, dark wood panelled space with basic seating. There is also another table in the stairwell area at the rear of the pub, where a collection of Irish coins has been put on display alongside numerous posters of Irish musician. The stairs lead up to the Boar's Head room which was closed on my visit but is presumably pretty compact as well. The pub has a typical pub grub menu with most of the mains coming in at around £8.50, which seems pretty reasonable for Central London.
The pub was previously tied to Greene King but appears to now be operating as a freehouse, allowing them to showcase beers from the Upham Brewery of Hampshire on this visit. Three Upham beers - Tipster, Punter and Stakes - were available, with a fourth pump left unclipped. I tried the Tipster which was in pretty good shape and a decent session ale. The staff seemed very friendly and they were enjoying some good banter with a few of their regulars, with much uproarious laughter ensuing.
This is another fine Fleet Street pub and a good example of a well preserved Victorian vertical drinking establishment. The possibility of finding some interesting beers makes the pub worth a look when on a crawl in the area and although the environment isn't perhaps conducive to an extended session, it remains a solid option in an area blessed with plenty of good pubs.
On 13th September 2015
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about The Tipperary
An interesting note from Roger B about the pub, being the first Irish theme pub and to be one of the first to serve Guinness outside Ireland. The manager was very welcoming on our visit and the other customers were friendly and chatty. Enjoyed doing a bit of vertical drinking in here. There were four ales on hand pump, I went for the London Pride.
On 12th January 2014
- rating: 7
[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 The Tipperary
Narrow Irish pub, with tiled shamrocks around the edge of the floor. Precious little room around the bar, with just a couple of tables at each end. Upstairs bar (roped off). Just one of the three handpumps was working, offering a decent pint of Pride (£3.60), with a reveersed Brakspear clip also visble. Overall, not a bad place, and one of the few in the area open on Sundays.
On 13th February 2012
- rating: 7
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Old Blue left this review about The Tipperary
I've found this historic and authentic Irish pub (ignoring the pubs.com sticker in the window declaring it a 'recommended traditional English Inn') to be a very good boozer, obviously serving lots of Guinness and with three ale pumps serving as at this week Doombar and Directors at £3.50 and with a reversed Young's Ordinary clip on the third. As other reviewers have said the main ground floor bar is very narrow and designed mainly for vertical drinking. The upstairs Boars Head Bar has a smaller bar and more seating, but is very much still a pub area (so if you are in a group who want to sit down you would probably go upstairs, and you would just be in a different part of the pub, not in a restaurant area where you'd be expected to eat). I have eaten here, from the fairly basic, wholesome pub menu from which sandwiches are £4 and pub grub mains from £6.50 to £8, and have not been disappointed. But mainly I'd come here for a pint at the bar, which most of the customers evidently frequent and at which good, friendly service can be expected in the sort of real pub atmosphere which few places locally still provide.
On 17th September 2011
- rating: 7
[User has posted 271 recommendations about 270 pubs]
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Malden man left this review about The Tipperary
Originally a pub called The Boars Head, now the name of the upstairs bar, this pub was built in 1605 and was a rare survivor of The Great Fire, being of masonry construction rather than timber framed. The main bar on the ground floor is a long and narrow room, with a mosiac floor, edged and dotted with shamrocks. Regarded as the first Irish pub in England, dating from around 1700, when it was acquired by SG Mooney and Sons of Dublin. The pub name changed to The Tipperary following the first Great War.
There is limited seating, just a couple of tables at recesses each end of the bar, plus a handful of stools.
Lots of fine dark wood panelling, two large framed boards advertising the authenticity of the stout and Irish whiskey, stone jars over the bar and of course the replica of the once stolen clock.
This pub shows up the current plethora of plastic Irish bars for what they are, here the beer choice obviously is centered on Guinness but also in these GK days Abbot plus Courage Best. Good value food on the chalkboard, all listed as home cooked.
On 30th March 2011
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1708 recommendations about 1681 pubs]