Not already a member?
Join our community and
- Rate & review pubs
- Upload pictures
- Add events
JOIN for free NOW
Chat about:
Random news of the day with Bucking Fastard
on the Pub Forum
Detail Pages
The Admiralty, Whitehall, WC2
WC2
WC2N 5DS
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6½ of 10) 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 Admiralty
Attractive Fuller's Ale & Pie house located in a prime position just at the south-west corner of Trafalgar Square. Nicely-finished, grand interior with a dining area on the 'Quarter Deck' mezzanine floor above the rear part of the ground-floor bar and further dining areas and a smaller bar available on the 'Gun Deck' in the vaults below. Comfortable seating throughout, supplemented by a few patio tables out front. Two banks of four handpumps can be found on the main counter, usually offering Seafarers, Pride, ESB and Oliver's Island with Hophead and the 6.5% Green Hop (£5.80) from Dark Star and Knight of the Garter from Windsor & Eton as a guest available on this visit.
On 20th November 2021
- rating: 7
[User has posted 8086 recommendations about 8086 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Brainy Pool left this review about The Admiralty
very touristy, obviously and also a bit tacky and loud on a Saturday night. a nice quirky interior and 8 real ales but would I return? doubtful to be honest.
On 25th August 2019
- rating: 5
[User has posted 1058 recommendations about 1023 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about The Admiralty
Typical grand Fuller's ale and pie conversion venue in central London, officially the most central pub in the capital.
I didn't have a drink in here as it was full of tourists, nowhere to sit and this type of affair isn't really my thing, being my meet-up group's choice.
Worth a look if you like touristy central London pubs, but otherwise best avoided especially if like me, you don't care much for Fuller's ales.
On 25th July 2019
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 1982 recommendations about 1949 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
hondo . left this review about The Admiralty
Fuller's pub across the road from trafalger square/nelsons column. Lives up to it's name with a navy theme a bit of a tourist trap but does the job. Spread over 3 floors I liked the barrel vaulted basement.
On 25th October 2018
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 2883 recommendations about 2820 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
custodian 42 left this review about The Admiralty
Decent Fuller's pub set on three levels with the toilets downstairs. Just off Trafalgar Square. Good range of ales including ESB. Would return to this place.
On 22nd February 2017
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1693 recommendations about 1691 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about The Admiralty
A very plush Fullers Ale and Pie house and perfectly placed as a tourist trap, I'm not the greatest fan of Fullers beers but agree with Bucking Fastard the Jack Frost was quite pleasant.
On 31st December 2015
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1871 recommendations about 1844 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about The Admiralty
The PSM review needs little embellishment,it's an opulent interior with a good range of Fullers ales with on my visit London Pride,Olivers Island,ESB,Seafarers and a very good Jack Frost.No guest ales on my trip but worth a visit if crawling the area.
On 31st December 2015
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2727 recommendations about 2727 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
E TA left this review about The Admiralty
A pleasant Fullers pub in grand surroundings which are well described by PSM (below). There are bars on two floors, the main bar at ground level and ‘The Gun Deck' in the basement. There is also an upstairs terrace with tables for diners. Five ales on, I had a pint of Red Fox Autumnal, which was in good condition, almost spicy in flavour, and slipped down very nicely. Food was very much overpriced, but that is to be expected given its location. None of the staff were English, they were pleasant enough but not terribly helpful beyond smiling while they served food, which wasn't enjoyable, and drink, which was. I was particularly annoyed at being solicited for a tip, something which seems to be a growing trend in London. Clientele were mainly American tourists, though one or two staff from nearby Whitehall offices were using it as a bolthole. The view out over Trafalgar Square makes this a very pleasant place to while away a few hours over a beer or three, or just for a fleeting visit.
On 22nd December 2015
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3278 recommendations about 3243 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Admiralty
This new Fullers Ale and Pie house has a great location overlooking Trafalgar Square, in a grand Portland stone and red granite building that started life as the Union Bank of London in 1871, before becoming a NatWest bank and latterly a restaurant and bar. Given the pub's location, it is fitting that the designers have styled the whole place on Nelson's flagship - HMS Victory - which gives the pub a very distinctive look and no doubt pleases the numerous tourists who must pass through its doors. The ground floor is home to the main bar, which comprises a large, open space with the servery to the rear left and a good deal of seating around the perimeter. The bar has a high dark wood bar back with an impressive pub mirror and the seating comes in the form of padded benches which have been split by some lovely partitioning screens and run under branded windows and a number of large mirrors. There is a fair bit of nautical memorabilia on show, including a mast flying the Union Jack, various seafaring instruments such as telescopes, and a few old pictures and information boards. Fresh flowers have been arranged in vases around the room, adding some colour to proceedings and there are some huge gold chandeliers suspended from the ceiling. Stairs to the rear lead up to a mezzanine level called the Quarter Deck, which was available for diners only and had plenty of standard tables and chairs. Sadly, its position to the rear of the room means that you don't really get the great view of the Square you might hope for from such an elevated point. Stairs lead down to a room called the Gun Deck, but this was closed on my visit, so I didn't get the chance to explore. Music played quietly throughout our visit but was generally drowned out by the noise from the crowd within and I also noticed a few tables out on the front pavement, which would be a prime people watching spot in warmer weather.
Fullers are clearly keen to offer something close to their full range in a location such as this, with options on hand pump comprising London Pride, ESB, Oliver's Island, Beachcomber, Summer Ale and Seafarers. White Horse Weyland Smithy was the solitary guest ale and there were some rare Fuller's bottles in the fridges. I plumped for the Oliver's Island which turned out to be a bad choice as it was seemingly on its way out and certainly below par for such a high profile Fullers outlet. We ate here as well and found the food pretty good and not as over-priced as I'd feared.
This is a great venue for Fullers to get their hands on and they've done a fine job in creating an interesting space to enjoy a pint whilst escaping the tourist masses outside. It's a good alternative to the chain's other central London venues which are aimed more at the post-work crowd and worth adding to your itinerary the next time you're in the area.
On 20th September 2015
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rex Rattus left this review about The Admiralty
Fuller's seem to be opening pubs all around town, and this one couldn't be much more central, sitting on the tourist attraction of Trafalgar Square. There's not much to add to what others have said. The naval theme is still very evident - as well as all manner of naval paraphernalia (e.g. capstain themed table in the middle; brass bridge telegraph, etc) around the place, there's a large wooden mast-like column on the left with a couple of White Ensigns hanging from it plus a couple of Union Flags masquerading as Union Jacks. The upstairs mezzanine floor is still reserved for diners, and the downstairs Gun Deck is still a less crowded room than the main ground floor bar. The Gun Deck does indeed have its own gun - a 9-pounder, complete with gun carriage, dating from around 1800. You don't see one of those every day.
Long Man Blonde was on when I visited, plus a selection from the Fuller's range. Obviously this place is very food centric, but I didn't get to see a menu. As well on the upstairs Quarter Deck, some of the tables in the main bar area were reserved, and others were laid for diners. Indeed one of the young waiting staff had to check that it was OK for us drinkers to use one of the tables set for diners. I got the impression that we weren't the sort of customers they were looking for - i.e. a bunch of blokes looking for a pint. Nonetheless I quite liked this pub, even though it was the most expensive that we visited during our mini crawl of the Strand area. It's been decorated to a very high standard, even though it obviously doesn't have much in the way of traditional pub character. It's OK, but there are better pubs nearby.
On 26th July 2015
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]