The Blackfriar Reviews Summary

Staff and Service

Pros:

• "Bar staff really friendly even though they were really busy."
• "The staff were efficient and friendly."
• "Service can be a long wait but the staff are good and very well mannered, though one can be a bit forgetful."
• "Really enjoyed myself at this pub. Really friendly staff."
• "Staff were good, fast and efficient."
• "Service was great and staffs here are very polite and attentive."
• "The staff are friendly and efficient to cope with the number of customers."

Cons:

• "Staff looked and served like they would rather be elsewhere."
• "Staff were not wildly kind, but overall it’s a nice venue."
• "This place unfortunately offers only at best half hearted services to customers of non-white backgrounds."
• "Staff including managers unprofessional and rude."
• "The girl seating people seemed like she didn't want to be there."
• "I'm not going to mention the staff as their apathetic attitude seems to be the norm at a lot of places."
• "It was a terrible experience at the Blackfriars."

Food Quality

Pros:

• "The food is very good and the portions are very large!!"
• "Super delicious fish and chips!"
• "Every dish we ordered was just above and beyond yummy. Lentil pie. Steak and ale pie. Beef brisket burger."
• "Food was fantastic, the steak & ale pie was delicious."
• "The food was better than expected and a step up from the general pub offerings."
• "The food is a great accompaniment to your pint."
• "The food - a Steak & Nicholson Pale Ale Pie - was an absolute winner. Very tasty."

Cons:

• "The fish and chips were a little too greasy."
• "The food however was standard but nicely prepared."
• "Wouldn’t necessarily come here for food but the beer and ambience made up for it."
• "Food is okay, staff was very weird - every exchange was bitterly uncomfortable."
• "Food is average."
• "Sos and mash is just a plate of dried onions, wife's chicken dish was cold, lads burger was okay."
• "The food was okay, but nothing out of this world."

Ambience and Decor

Pros:

• "The decor and the atmosphere are charming and unique too."
• "Such a beautiful venue and the service matched it."
• "The interior is simply incredible with so much character."
• "This place has got it all - cool architecture, super friendly staff, and the food is just out of this world."
• "Very interesting, historic interior, decent food and serves London Pride and Nicholsons Pale Ale so I was in dog heaven..."
• "Nice setting any time of year. Cosy interior with interesting features for cold dark nights and sprawling tables and outdoor space for a summers day, a rarity in the square mile."
• "Amazing old pub in the heart of London, good outdoor seating as interior is a little cramped. Really great food, nobody in our party had any complaints."

Cons:

• "An unusual and potentially beautiful pub interior but not very clean, rather dilapidated."
• "I felt it was not very well prepared for Covid. Small secluded spaces, quite tight."
• "The inside kind of smells a bit."
• "The bar was dimly lit, it's small so you invariably end up standing in the street, toilets weren't particularly well decorated or clean."
• "Super…SUPER crowded in the evening."
• "Unfortunately the cramped, loud atmosphere didn't make this a particularly pleasant place to be."
• "The toilets were at the bottom of a very steep stairs so I can only assume it isn’t wheelchair accessible."

Value for Money

Pros:

• "The food was great value for money."
• "Really friendly team, not crazy expensive, no 'London' attitude."
• "Amazing pub. The inside takes you way back in time with beautiful carved maurels on the walls."
• "The food - a Steak & Nicholson Pale Ale Pie - was an absolute winner. Very tasty."
• "Great atmosphere there and stunning architecture with lovely details!"
• "The food was everything I imagined British pub food to be, tasty and hearty comfort food."
• "The food was everything I imagined British pub food to be, tasty and hearty comfort food."

Cons:

• "I'm coeliac I ate at this pub and felt extremely sick afterwards even though I had one of the gluten free options."
• "Very expensive beer, badly poured and presented. Don't bother. Sorry."
• "No sandwiches on Sunday which we were a bit upset about, crisps were very expensive!"
• "I found the outside was littered with trash and refuse bags."
• "If you are considering visiting this pub yet do not fall under the racial majority category, my advise is that spend your time and money elsewhere which truly respects every customer regardless of their cultural and ethnic backgrounds."
• "The mushy pea portion was disappointing."
• "Bit expensive and gets very crowded during busy times."