Rising Sun

I am giving 5 stars to the toilets and 3 stars to the girls behind the bar who don’t drink beer but did manage to pour us a pint after we blindly chose a couple. Fun little corner and almost all local.

Stopped here for a couple of drinks last Saturday before heading upstairs to have dinner at The fat Bear.
The place is VERY quiet. Especially for a Saturday night in Central London. The whole area is very quiet to be honest, but it was a bit alienating. It was empty.
The lady at the counter seemed a bit listless, and when we ordered our drinks she didn’t seem to understand what we were saying, which was a bit awkward (all we ordered was a beer and a pimm’s & lemonade, to which she replied she didn’t have any, until I pointed the bottle to her and she said ‘oh that, yes. No fruits etc. though’).
I feel like this place has a lot of potential. There is a real fireplace and we spotted an array of classic board games to play. There was a football match projected on a screen, and somehow the two things confused me. Probably because I don’t feel like a scrabble-​playing-​in front-of-the.fireplace clientèle is similar to one that likes to go to a pub to watch a football match.
I’m obviously only speaking about the sort of people a pub wants to appeal to, not judging or anything.
After our dinner at the restaurant above (it was about 8pm) we noticed that the pub was already closed.
At 8pm. On a Saturday. In Central London.
All a bit meh, and also a tad weird.

This place sucked! Came here and had a round of drinks with friends. I had a bit of food with me and wanted to finish it off before it went bad. As soon as I started eating some guy who was working there comes up and says, «You can’t eat that here, cover it up or go outside and eat it there.» And I was like, «Ok, no problem.» And then he adds, «It’s rude.»
I get it, jerk! You’re the one who’s rude — you could have just said «We don’t allow outside food» instead of berating me.
So I pack up the food and put it off to the side. Then that guy comes back again and takes my fork from the table, just to make sure I can’t do anymore eating I guess. Um, ok? Probably the rudest service I’ve ever gotten anywhere. Seriously, think twice about going to a place that would treat paying customers this way.

I’m a sucker for the city. Until late, I’ve rarely had the chance to spend much time there. So when I’m squirrelled down an old alley in the shadows of St Pauls in what feels like a large front room with a bar in it, I feel a little bit smug, that maybe I’m one of few that know about this place.
Of course those that work in the area are au fait with all this, and I’m a bit of an idiot — but still, that’s why this review is a little blighted.
Clean, tasteful, chilled out clientele and a friendly atmosphere — I enjoyed my two pints here. I’ll try and get back although the urge to explore the rest of the winding streets might keep me away longer than hoped!
Good for the footy, as we found out.

I really like this place – not pretentious, not a pub but a bar – almost has a feel of a dive bar and an American bar feel to it. Great jukebox, unpretentious despite being in St. Pauls. Totally random crowd. Hard to tell if it gets a lot of suits as I went there at an odd time… but if I go again and I like the vibe, I’ll be upgrading the status.

Can’t remember how many nights I have come here after work and leave until closing. It’s the perfect end of the week after work pub tucked away from all the commercial centers near St Pauls. Perfect beginning before you go big on a Friday night!