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The Baring, De Beauvoir Town, N1

55 Baring Street
N1
N1 3DS

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


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Tris C left this review about The Baring

Date of visit: 19th October 2016 – rating: 3

I came here once about six years ago and found the place to be a little lacklustre. A return this evening and if anything, it's now even more dull; the promises of fun made on the pub's website don't exactly stack up once you're inside the place. The Boring perhaps?
Curved yes, and not that large with an insipid pale grey colour scheme throughout, spartan, bare boarded with conventional mixed furniture though really quite tatty. The main focal point is the TV over the former fireplace showing football to a rather down-at-heel local yet minimal (five-person?) local crowd, who, you guessed it, devoted their time to swearing at the referee/linesman every time a call didn't go their way.
Ales: four redundant pumps, thereafter just Meantime's Yakima Red craft, cold, and £2.40 a half!
A return visit? No chance, not least because the vastly superior Rosemary Branch is about 10 feet up the road from here, serves real ale, is a lot cheaper and isn't depressing.
I wouldn't be surprised if this place gets converted to residential use in the near future...

-------------------------

A return a couple of nights ago to a pub which dates from the 1840s and despite the width, the interior is quite shallow.
This reopened in July with the original name partially reinstated, but it’s still a farewell to arms.
Suffice to say, not one molecule of the original interior remains, the whole now looking much more like a restaurant/ wine bar. Gone are the TVs, but now there’s a modern boarded floor, a white ceiling and white walls, some of which are distressed bare brick, the bar is dark smoky blue field panelled with a modern pale wood top, the bar back is just very simple grey matchboard with just two basic shelves, the whole clearly geared towards cocktails. Lighting comes in the form of Anglepoise sconces with white painted exposed metal trunking, then hanging white translucent teardrop shaded lamps over the bar; jazz mood music played over the stereo. Furniture is now modern wooden stuff, with dark vinyl fluted banquettes. Customers are now the more prosperous incomers who have contributed to the area’s gentrification and very mixed in age too.
There were two pumps, one unclipped the other delivering Sussex Best at a painful £2.75 a half but in very good nick, served by professional staff.
This isn’t a bad place for what it is, but I don’t think that it can be described as a pub anymore and in any event, the far superior Rosemary Branch is next door. However, this place was full last Saturday night, me bagging the last table. When you consider that this place was dead in its former incarnation, it’s funny what gets the punters in.

On 5th September 2022 - rating: 4
[User has posted 1956 recommendations about 1923 pubs]


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Bucking Fastard left this review about The Baring

An elegant exterior curving gracefully,the interior is sparse but not oppressive with traditional circular wooden tables,chairs and a wooden floor.The dark green wall covering goes well and the small bar contains 3 handpumps for on my visit a real cider,TT Landlord (Served southern style without a tight sparkler so NBSS 2.5,£5.70) and the third pump clip reversed.The craft keg selection is modest featuring some Beavertown among others.Food is served although I didn't inspect the menu.
There are sun trap benches on the front pavement well used by locals,while there is also a charming walled beer garden at the rear built on decking ,elegantly covered by an awning and with space heaters and ornate candle holders at each table.No doubt atmospheric if threating your partner to an evening meal.
The welcome was friendly and chatty,the muzak hip but not too loud and although not much to get the pulse racing from a real ale perspective it does seem to serve it's community well,laid back and cool.

On 11th August 2021 - rating: 6
[User has posted 2709 recommendations about 2709 pubs]


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

Corner pub with a slightly curved frontage, located on a side street near the Regent's Canal. Renamed from The Baring since my previous visit nearly four years ago, and although now self-described as a 'wine bar and gin parlour' little actually seems to have changed inside the wide but mostly narrow bar with plain furniture and limited decor, with a rear alcove to one side. Pride, Landlord and Five Points Pale (£4.70) available from what is now just three handpumps. Very quiet early on Christmas Eve, but at least it was open (unlike many other pubs I walked past that afternoon).

On 2nd January 2020 - rating: 6
[User has posted 8066 recommendations about 8066 pubs]


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Pub SignMan left this review about The Baring

Stumbled across this rather spartan back street pub when looking for refreshment whilst walking along the nearby Regent’s Canal. The pub looks pretty good on approach thanks to an impressive curved facade which takes in the sweep of the bend the pub is situated on. Inside, things are less impressive, with a simple, single room layout set up in, what might best be described as, a minimalist fashion. The room is bare boarded with the servery on the back wall and has been painted a pretty unappealing shade of grey throughout. The bar has a rather basic, low counter and somewhat out of place craft beer style white tiled bar back. Standard tables and chairs run along the front wall, under some very large windows, following the room round into the slightly larger right hand section of the pub. Here you will find a dusty old bookshelf full of tatty looking tomes and there was also a large pile of board games stacked on top of a dresser to the left of the entrance, underneath an unused flatscreen TV. Decor is severely limited, comprising a few interesting art prints and lots of messy blackboards listing wines, shots, special offers and the like. An 80’s pop soundtrack played throughout my stay and I noticed signs promoting live sport and the availability of wifi. I turned up here early on a Saturday evening and there were only two other customers in, both of whom had drained their pints and left by the time I departed.
There were six handpulls on the bar, but three of these were out of action, leaving a couple of ale options – Marstons Pedigree and Adnams Lighthouse – plus Orchard Pig cider. The barmaid was pretty friendly and charged me £4.00 for a fairly average drop of the Pedigree.
I was hoping that I’d uncover a quality boozer, but this place seems to have had the heart and soul ripped out of it, leaving just a shell and a faint glimpse of the pub that it once was. Perhaps the place livens up at other points of the day, but it’s somewhat out of the way location suggests it is likely to be reliant on local trade and this was sorely lacking, even on a Saturday evening, which makes you wonder at this pub’s fate.

On 15th November 2017 - rating: 5
[User has posted 3102 recommendations about 3102 pubs]


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hondo . left this review about The Baring

Curved corner pub with quite a bare interior. 4 real ale taps (2 on during my visit).

On 20th November 2016 - no rating submitted
[User has posted 2883 recommendations about 2820 pubs]


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Rex Rattus left this review about The Baring

This seems to be a reverse TARDIS type of pub. As can be seen from the photographs, it has a long frontage, but inside it doesn't really have any depth. I expected a large pub, but it effectively consisted of a single smallish and narrow room strung along the front of the building. But I still liked it though - small can be beautiful. It's got a bare-boarded floor, and mainly furnished with normal tables and chairs - the latter being a big plus as far as I'm concerned. There were photos and snippets of information all over the place, including photos of the Baring Football Team who seemed to be wearing a strip not dissimilar from the blue and red stripes worn by that South London powerhouse from Selhurst Park! There were also wax encrusted bottles on the tables (presumably for use when darkness descends), plus I spotted a shelf near the fireplace bearing assorted board games. There was a signpost to a garden, but it was too cold to go investigating outside seating.

There was a decent ale selection available, with Timothy Taylor Landlord, ELB Pale Ale, Spitfire, Proper Job, and a draught cider called Orchard Pig Philosopher all on. I had a quick glance at the menu - sarnies are a fiver, and main meals between £8 - £12 (sausage and mash is £9).

I quite liked this pub. It was rather cold in here though, presumably a combination of it being a bitterly cold day, and us arriving just after opening time when it hadn't had time to warm up to a comfortable temperature. I would visit again though.

On 26th January 2015 - rating: 7
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]


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Malden man left this review about The Baring

Situated on the smaller bit of Baring Street where it peels off towards Wilton Square, this pub is easy to miss as I did, having to backtrack. The front elevation and hence the building curves with the road line, meaning wherever you sit opposite the bar under the windows you get a view up or down the road. Boarded floor, bar opposite the entrance doors, the single room extends along then returns at the far right hand end to a decent sized recess with more modern furniture and a large photo of the band, Oasis. Apart from a sofa at each end, seating is traditional, mostly under the windows opposite the bar, light walls and ceiling make for an airy light feel although there are a pair of red feature walls. Busy décor, loads of photos of the pub's own cricket and football teams (trophies indicate they have some success) as well as a few sport related newspaper clippings framed, beer clips and mats on various surfaces, a former TV shelf now houses whisky boxes, again, on the far right end there are numerous books, mostly beer and sport related plus an impressive selection of board games.
Beerwise, five handpumps offered Spitfire, Woodforde's Wherry, Timothy Taylor Landlord, Hackney Brewery American Pale Ale (£3.70) plus slightly separated from the main bank, Thatcher's Heritage cider. Food is served, menus on tables plus a chalkboard. steak pie, mash or chips, veg and gravy £12, chilli with rice and bread £9. Sunday roasts between £13-£14, all day Saturday breakfast £8. Thursday hosts a quiz and curry night.
Very busy for a Saturday afternoon, I bagged the last table however the Aintree meet was on TV and I watched the Grand National in here, so that may explain why, although there is good reason for it to be busy, it is a very good pub with decent beer and friendly service.
Apparently there is a beer garden to the rear but I failed to investigate. Certainly worth a visit and I'm sure I'll be back if I walk this stretch of the canal as I surely will.

On 6th April 2014 - rating: 7
[User has posted 1707 recommendations about 1681 pubs]


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Quinno _ left this review about The Baring

Interesting curved building, with the curve also built into the bar area. Interior décor is perhaps a little modern for my tastes, red and white walls with stripped wood flooring. Four pumps featuring Spitfire, TT Landlord, London Fields Pale and Hackney Golden – a decent choice. I plumped for the London Fields and was rewarded with a first class half. Busy and convivial, with 6 Nations rugby being shown on the TV. Board games, papers and books available which always gets an extra mark. A lack of seating in the fairly small interior meant most of our crawlees were standing throughout the visit. There is mention elsewhere of an upstairs area but I spied no evidence of it. I enjoyed my brief stop and would make an effort to return here.

On 25th February 2014 - rating: 7
[User has posted 5050 recommendations about 5033 pubs]


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Steve of N21 left this review about The Baring

I was looking forward to my inaugural visit to this community free house on the border of Islington and Hackney and it did not disappoint. Friendly welcome and a lively Saturday afternoon crowd that we seamlessly added to.
The main bar area is a bit on the small size and wraps around the main serving area with a flat screen at either end, which were muted and showing the Scotland v England Rugby game, but then there is an upstairs section set up as a 'games room' with a pool table, a dartboard and table footy.
Four ales are always on with TT Landlond and Shep Neame Spitfire as the house ales and then weekly changing guests on the other two. For our visit these were HB Golden Ale and London Fields IPA and both of these were in excellent condition.
The pub has a weekly quiz night and runs football, cricket and rounders teams.
I felt at home in this community back street local, which also has the benefit of being a relatively short stroll to and from the Wenlock and the Old Fountain.

On 25th February 2014 - rating: 7
[User has posted 2094 recommendations about 1985 pubs]


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E TA left this review about The Baring

An interesting Georgian freehouse with a good local feel, which has previously obtained a Community Pub award from CAMRA in addition to its GBG listing. The building had to be extensively rebuilt after WW2 due to bomb damage in the Blitz. The plain décor and wooden floors give it a traditional pub feel, and although there is no sawdust, it feels as though there should be. There was tv showing sports and a lively buzz about the place, friendly and welcoming. There were 4 ales on, reasonably priced for the area. I had London Fields Pale Ale which although it was well-kept, I couldn't get too excited about. A good place for a few beers and a useful inclusion on a crawl.

On 22nd February 2014 - rating: 7
[User has posted 3272 recommendations about 3237 pubs]

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