The Holy Tavern Reviews Summary

Atmosphere & Character

Pros:

• "Simply exceptional. The ideal boozer."
• "One of London's top 10 pubs for character sans doubt!!"
• "A very old pub, but a lovely place to come for a drink, very atmospheric."
• "A fantastic watering hole, atmospheric and substantially as it was opened back in the early 18th century."
• "The joy of this pub is if you're looking for a decent conversation with friends. No blaring music and a good chilled atmosphere."
• "Wonderfully atmospheric boozer housed in an 18th-century coffee shop."
• "The Jerusalem Tavern is like stepping back in time, we visited yesterday lunchtime and it was an oasis of tranquility in an otherwise hectic London."

Cons:

• "I really don't care for this place."
• "Awful for big groups - don't rage if 5 of you come at 7 on a Friday."
• "Warning it is very narrow so not great for a big group. Be prepared to squeeze past bankers."
• "Closed on the weekends btw."
• "Nice beer, but seemed to lack a bit of atmosphere compared with previous visits."
• "The pub has a great cosy/dark atmosphere, but it absolutely stunk of rancid cooking oil."
• "Charming place but a bit cold upon my visit."

Beer Selection & Quality

Pros:

• "The barman was very knowledgable and recommended excellent beers."
• "You'll find fruit beer, organic, gluten free, smoky, etc."
• "A gem of a pub in the middle of London. They had a good range of St Peters real ales."
• "Great beer and food accompanied by entertaining staff, this is by far my favourite pub in London."
• "Serves ales from St Peter's brewery, and they are all very nice."
• "Delicious fresh tasting beer, and the steak frites was excellent, as was the fish and chips."
• "The fine selection of craft beers."

Cons:

• "I was disappointed by the choice of only 2 white wines."
• "The beer however is expensive even for London."
• "For the posher flip tap stout you are talking close to £6.50 - 7 which is too much really."
• "£7.50 a pint!! There are much better pubs in central London at much, much cheaper prices than this."
• "Only two real ales on out of a possible five (or maybe six) which was disappointing."
• "Beer choice could be expanded."
• "Some of the guys were saying that maybe the beer wasn't carbonated as well as they should have been."

Service & Staff

Pros:

• "Hendrik is the most fantastic host."
• "Very friendly and chatty staff, great ale and atmosphere."
• "The staff is friendly and reasonably helpful."
• "Everybody smiling and keen to have a chat."
• "A really lovely atmosphere, stemming from the warm welcome the team behind the bar give everyone."
• "The staff are friendly and service moves along quickly, despite the bar area being rather compact."
• "The staff are so welcoming and work on a first name basis."

Cons:

• "Shocking sarcastic waiter serving expired food."
• "The long haired gimp that served me was not being paid enough to be interested."
• "Incredibly rude man behind the bar."
• "When asked for advice which beer to take the waitress wasn't able to get further then cider for the fruity flavours and beer for the bitter flavours."
• "Came all the way from Bexleyheath for the famous St. Peters lager... 'Sorry, its off' came the reply."
• "The two guys behind the bar this evening were absolutely fantastic."
• "A friendly smile could top it off."

Location & Accessibility

Pros:

• "It's so central but tucked away and feels as though you're in a village in the country."
• "A real hidden away gem, though close to Smithfield Market/Fabric, so you've probably passed nearby without knowing it was there."
• "In an architecturally absorbing street."
• "Less than 10 minutes walk from Farringdon Station."
• "This is the nearest pub to where I work in London."
• "A very cosy friendly lovely pub."
• "It's a bar divided into several smaller rooms which also gives it a more intimate feeling."

Cons:

• "And thanks to the winding passages prevalent in this area, it was incredibly difficult to find."
• "Justifiably popular but limited space and frontage means that finding a 'perch' is usually very tricky."
• "The pub door was jammed open and couldn’t be shut, I sat there in my coat and scarf for the whole night."
• "Am only giving a one star as went this Friday evening to discover from a guy outside the pub that it is now closed and will be for a few nights as under new management!"
• "Like lots of old pubs in the area, Jerusalem Tavern is small and narrow."
• "Very small though, so getting inside the place is difficult ... let alone finding a table!"
• "Old pub but it's hard to tell if it's actually old or if it's meant to feel that way."

Value for Money

Pros:

• "Food is served between 12-3pm for under £10! But the best part is, the pints are under £4!"
• "It’s very cheap for London less than £4.50 a pint."
• "They do very good scotch eggs, make sure to get there early as this place gets amazingly busy."
• "A marvellous place to drink a pint of the best beers in the area! Time stopped here in early 18th century."
• "If you want to experience England and London, this out of the way pub is highly recommended!"
• "Something nice about the unpretentiousness of it in that area is refreshing and honest!"
• "Great unpretentious cosy pub, usually packed but frees up after 7."

Cons:

• "The beer however is expensive even for London."
• "For the posher flip tap stout you are talking close to £6.50 - 7 which is too much really."
• "£7.50 a pint!! There are much better pubs in central London at much, much cheaper prices than this."
• "Pity the prices have to somewhere in the near future - £10.15 for two halves and a packet of crisps."
• "Not cheap and I was very surprised to see a 12.5% service charge added to my bill."
• "The beer is good enough, but the acoustics inside seem to make every voice boom."
• "As far as I'm aware the features are not original."