The Viaduct Tavern
The Viaduct Tavern
4.5
10:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 11:00 PM
About
Friendly and welcoming atmosphere at The Viaduct Tavern with free wifi. We're right in the heart of London, near St Paul's, surrounded by some its most historic landmarks. We are a traditional Gin Palace with an ever increasing variety of Gins.
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The area
Address
Neighborhood: City of London
From its ancient past as a Roman trading outpost to its 21st century status as the wealthiest square mile in the world, the financial district known simply as “The City” is one of London's most historic and fascinating neighborhoods. Here high rise office towers such as Norman Foster’s Gherkin mingle with Roman ruins and architectural marvels from virtually every era in between, including Christopher Wren's glorious St.Paul's Cathedral, and John Soane's dauntingly classicist Bank of England. This neighborhood is also home to some of the finest restaurants and plushest hotels in Europe, in addition to an assortment of watering holes, upscale shops, and Tube stations. During the week, the City is abuzz with white collar workers going about their business; the weekend sees this area turn into a quiet haven for sightseers.
How to get there
- St. Paul's • 5 min walk
- Farringdon • 7 min walk
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
122 reviews
Excellent
67
Very good
43
Average
6
Poor
3
Terrible
3
Alyssa K
2 contributions
Sep 2020
This place is fantastic. I was visiting my girlfriend from America and had heard things about this gin palace before and wanted to check it out. This is a lot of history here, the atmosphere is lovely, and the staff are so kind and welcoming. We came back a second time and were greeted as though we'd been there a hundred times before. Didn't catch their names but a male server with glasses and a black-haired, female server with glasses were both very kind to us. We're an openly gay couple and were treated with the utmost respect and with nothing but friendly, sweet attitudes. The drinks and food were delicious, especially the hummus; it's easily the best hummus and bread I have ever had in my life. I could have spent hours here every single day. If you're looking for a laid back atmosphere, great staff and awesome food and drinks, check this place out!
Written September 25, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Vazbo
Stirling, UK1,510 contributions
Sep 2020 • Couples
My husband and I came here for a few drinks whilst walking around London.
Traditional Victorian pub with traditional decor and a good selection of beers/ales. Good atmosphere, friendly bar staff and reasonably priced. Asked for a tour of the cellars to see the resident ghost but no-one was available on this occasion. Perhaps the next time!
Traditional Victorian pub with traditional decor and a good selection of beers/ales. Good atmosphere, friendly bar staff and reasonably priced. Asked for a tour of the cellars to see the resident ghost but no-one was available on this occasion. Perhaps the next time!
Written September 14, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Snowdrop683
Norwich, UK128 contributions
Sep 2022 • Friends
I visited the pub with friends and had a quick pint before dinner. The decor of the place is great and has a good selection of drinks. It wasn't too busy and we were able to get a table easily enough. The staff were really pleasant and were kind enough to show my American colleague the cells downstairs which really made her evening.
Written September 27, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Slee
Huntingdon, UK110 contributions
Mar 2022 • Friends
A lovely pub visit in London. A great selection of beers and gin and the staff were great and welcoming. Expressed a interest in some of the stuff on tap and was given a free sample to try. The bar staff were knowledgeable on the drinks. Enjoyed the vibe and decor of the pub and the toastie menu looked lovely. Would definitely come back to this bar on future trips to London.
Written March 20, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Travel574
Cypress, TX149 contributions
Jul 2023
Classic old Pub in London with a haunted past. I didn't start seeing Ghosts until I had my third Guinness. . . . Just kidding. Beautiful place to kick back and enjoy a good brew after a long day exploring the City. The Wife and I went here as the locals were getting off work. Pub's are a way of life in London - We got some Pub food to go along with the beer. I ordered a "Ham and Cheese Toastie" which I would call a Grilled Ham and Cheese in the States. It was actually very good. Service was over the top good - It was all good. I would put this right at the top if you want atmosphere and history to go along with that beer.
Written July 31, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kevan_12
Sheffield, United Kingdom332 contributions
Apr 2013 • Couples
On getting off the train at St Pancras International there was only one place i was heading for on my way to a weekend in the capital and that was the Viaduct Tavern, Known for its ghostly going ons due to its past history and the fact that it use to be holding cells for prisoners awaiting trial at the old Newgate jail across the road. What brought this haunted watering hole to my attention was the publicity it has recieved on TV,s. Most Haunted. On approaching the building our hearts sank a little as the frontage of the pub is covered in scaffold and sheeting which takes away alot of its attraction that you see from photographs. However once inside you seem to forget whats gone on before you entered. The inside is on one level with a single horse shaped bar stocked with some fine ales. The interior is amazing with all the original decorative covings and pictures alike dating from when it was first built. The beer is good as well and whilst we were drinking a couple of excellent London Prides and chatting in general the inevitable subject was brought up, yes youve guessed it Ghosts and past going ons. Althought the landlady was not on duty one of her barstaff explained that approx six weeks ago he was working alone when for some unknown reason a bottler of gin decide to hurl itself at him, narrowly missing its target and landing on the floor and breaking. We also talked about the holding cells and when kindly asking if we could visit them he gladly agreed. These are located in the cellar and to be honest the steps leading down are quite narrow and steep therefore if you get the opportunity to visit please be aware of this fact. Once down there you can let your imagination run wild. Think about the twenty or so prisoners cramped in an area approx 20 x 8 feet with little or no food or drink no food apart from that which is thrown down a small hole in the cellar roof. Moreover It was quite cold in the cells and had an odour of dampness which added to the visit. The photographs of the cells we took replicate those which are seen in pictures but without the real experience of being there. If you get the opportunity please go and visit if nothing else it is a good story to tell whilst knocking back a few beers.
Written April 8, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ben Weaver
London, UK24 contributions
Jun 2015 • Solo
I was aware of the Viaduct Tavern as one of London's landmark pubs many years before becoming a regular customer there. In my early years as fresh faced Londoner, I would often enjoy the occasional pint at the Viaduct as I had a friend who worked very near to the pub and we would often meet up there to catch-up and enjoy a few after work drinks. With the expansion of London's financial district into the vicinity of St Paul's and Holborn, some very large multi-nationals came to reside on the Viaduct’s door step and it's the ‘after work drinks’ market that the pub now primarily caters for. I recently started working in the St Paul's area myself and once again the Viaduct Tavern has become a favourite pub to go to for post work refreshment. My re-discovery of the Viaduct has instigated a love affair that now runs a lot deeper than seeing the pub as a mere watering hole for Monday to Friday after work drinking! The Viaduct Tavern is quite simply a fantastic pub and deserves to be associated with a history and reputation that predates the herds of corporate suits that seem to fill it today.
In its own right the Viaduct Tavern is a beautiful pub to behold, rich in ornate Victorian décor from floor to ceiling. The pubs toilets are the only areas in fact designed and decorated to a modern standard. The Viaduct Tavern is not only a living example of a true Victorian London pub, it's also one of the very few remaining examples of a Victorian Gin Palace. Although the pub is now owned and run by the famous Fuller’s brewery, a company more associated with draft beer than gin, the Viaduct Tavern remains very faithful to gin and to its Gin Palace heritage. Gin, in all its forms and glory, still rules the roost at the Viaduct Tavern. The pub, quite simply put, is a gin drinkers paradise and it is widely accepted that the Viaduct serves the best G&T in all of London. As a common beer and cider drinker I'm no Gin connoisseur, but the G&Ts I've had at the Viaduct have always been out of this world! Served over freshly chipped block ice in large round shaped gin glasses, each drink is poured with the same love and dedication as they have been for over a 100 years. The Pub offers an extensive range of gins to choose from, each with its own unique quality to distinguish it from the neighbouring bottle on the shelf. Beer and cider drinkers will never feel left out at the Viaduct. The pub sells some exceptionally good pints and the one that stands out for me is the German larger, Veltins. Cider drinkers are also catered for and the pub sells an exceptionally good draft called Cornish Orchard. Real ale drinkers will be more than happy; as they always are in a Fuller’s pub. Fuller’s pubs always offer a good range of ales and IPA’s to keep the beer connoisseurs smiling and their iconic flagship beer, London Pride, unsurprisingly takes centre stage on the bar.
For me the defining crown of the Viaduct Tavern has to be its staff and its high standard of customer service. As a passionate pub lover I have visited pubs and bars across every corner of London as well as the length and breadth of the UK itself. I can easily say however that I've never known bar staff as friendly or as knowledgable on their drinks and pub than those at the Viaduct Tavern. All the staff know their stuff when it comes to the drinks on offer at the pub and will gladly help you make the right decision if you are unsure of what to order. During quieter periods the staff will gladly chat to you and proudly enlighten you on the history of their pub in a manor reminiscent of good museum tour guides! On the subject of museums, don't be afraid to ask for a visit to see the pubs historic and infamously haunted cellars. Subject to some historical debate, the cellars are alleged to predate the pub and were once part of a 18th/19th century debtors prison that used to exist on the site prior to the construction of the pub. London mythology states that the cells that used to exist in the cellar were later used as a part of a punishment wing for the infamous Newgate prison that used to exist across the road from the pub where the Old Bailey Central Criminal Court now stands. If the pub isn't too busy, the bar staff will happily take you down to the cellars and show you the remains of the cells that once held the prisoners of old London Town. Visit them at your own risk though because the Viaduct Tavern is not regarded as the most haunted pub in London for nothing!
In its own right the Viaduct Tavern is a beautiful pub to behold, rich in ornate Victorian décor from floor to ceiling. The pubs toilets are the only areas in fact designed and decorated to a modern standard. The Viaduct Tavern is not only a living example of a true Victorian London pub, it's also one of the very few remaining examples of a Victorian Gin Palace. Although the pub is now owned and run by the famous Fuller’s brewery, a company more associated with draft beer than gin, the Viaduct Tavern remains very faithful to gin and to its Gin Palace heritage. Gin, in all its forms and glory, still rules the roost at the Viaduct Tavern. The pub, quite simply put, is a gin drinkers paradise and it is widely accepted that the Viaduct serves the best G&T in all of London. As a common beer and cider drinker I'm no Gin connoisseur, but the G&Ts I've had at the Viaduct have always been out of this world! Served over freshly chipped block ice in large round shaped gin glasses, each drink is poured with the same love and dedication as they have been for over a 100 years. The Pub offers an extensive range of gins to choose from, each with its own unique quality to distinguish it from the neighbouring bottle on the shelf. Beer and cider drinkers will never feel left out at the Viaduct. The pub sells some exceptionally good pints and the one that stands out for me is the German larger, Veltins. Cider drinkers are also catered for and the pub sells an exceptionally good draft called Cornish Orchard. Real ale drinkers will be more than happy; as they always are in a Fuller’s pub. Fuller’s pubs always offer a good range of ales and IPA’s to keep the beer connoisseurs smiling and their iconic flagship beer, London Pride, unsurprisingly takes centre stage on the bar.
For me the defining crown of the Viaduct Tavern has to be its staff and its high standard of customer service. As a passionate pub lover I have visited pubs and bars across every corner of London as well as the length and breadth of the UK itself. I can easily say however that I've never known bar staff as friendly or as knowledgable on their drinks and pub than those at the Viaduct Tavern. All the staff know their stuff when it comes to the drinks on offer at the pub and will gladly help you make the right decision if you are unsure of what to order. During quieter periods the staff will gladly chat to you and proudly enlighten you on the history of their pub in a manor reminiscent of good museum tour guides! On the subject of museums, don't be afraid to ask for a visit to see the pubs historic and infamously haunted cellars. Subject to some historical debate, the cellars are alleged to predate the pub and were once part of a 18th/19th century debtors prison that used to exist on the site prior to the construction of the pub. London mythology states that the cells that used to exist in the cellar were later used as a part of a punishment wing for the infamous Newgate prison that used to exist across the road from the pub where the Old Bailey Central Criminal Court now stands. If the pub isn't too busy, the bar staff will happily take you down to the cellars and show you the remains of the cells that once held the prisoners of old London Town. Visit them at your own risk though because the Viaduct Tavern is not regarded as the most haunted pub in London for nothing!
Written June 10, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gail S
London, UK1,293 contributions
Apr 2018 • Solo
This was unexpectedly open on the Sunday of the London Marathon. It was a great day, with the manager and staff generally open to showing folk around the Newgate Cells downstairs in the basement. Newgate, for the uninitiated, was the prison point, of the six points which marked the sentry positions of the old Roman Londinium. As a prison, it was situated, in various incarnations at the site The Central Criminal Court now occupies on the corner of Newgate Street and The Old Bailey. It was in existence from 1188 to 1901 and some of the cells are still downstairs.
Upstairs there is a cashiers point for the prostitutes who would trade from there and the walls have a canvas bayoneted in the early 19th century. The place just reeks of history and the caretakers, staff and management are more than aware of the importance of the place. Significantly, this tavern, where a tavern has stood for hundreds of years, would be the first watering hole for the condemned on their way to Tyburn - now Marble Arch.
The bar gets busy easily - due in part to its size, but because it is so well loved and appreciated. During the last visit, it was a joy and pleasure to share knowledge with staff and customers alike.
Pitifully, there is no kitchen, however the snacks on offer are really good: the toasties are great and the selections of beers sufficient. Diego and team are well suited, with Diego a seasoned guide of the cells, one of the most literate non-English curators of an historical space.
It is not what can be considered a tourist trap but a must as a place with a hallowed past, still preserved conscientiously. As a British bar it has a truth about it rarely seen in the era of the dreadful theme bar or gastropub.
Upstairs there is a cashiers point for the prostitutes who would trade from there and the walls have a canvas bayoneted in the early 19th century. The place just reeks of history and the caretakers, staff and management are more than aware of the importance of the place. Significantly, this tavern, where a tavern has stood for hundreds of years, would be the first watering hole for the condemned on their way to Tyburn - now Marble Arch.
The bar gets busy easily - due in part to its size, but because it is so well loved and appreciated. During the last visit, it was a joy and pleasure to share knowledge with staff and customers alike.
Pitifully, there is no kitchen, however the snacks on offer are really good: the toasties are great and the selections of beers sufficient. Diego and team are well suited, with Diego a seasoned guide of the cells, one of the most literate non-English curators of an historical space.
It is not what can be considered a tourist trap but a must as a place with a hallowed past, still preserved conscientiously. As a British bar it has a truth about it rarely seen in the era of the dreadful theme bar or gastropub.
Written May 9, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you ever so much for such an honest review Gail.
I hope to welcome you again at The Viaduct Tavern anytime soon.
Regards,
D
Written March 7, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
TeamWard
Nottingham, UK5,690 contributions
Jan 2022 • Couples
The Viaduct Tavern is a splendid gin Palace that's been in London for over 150 years, lovely interior, but best of all ask the bar staff nicely and they will take you on a trip to visit the old Newgate cells under the bar, well worth a pint or two
Written January 21, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mbatezel
Cypress, CA103 contributions
Jun 2019 • Family
This is a gin palace and lives up to the name! It was awesome. We each had different gins and tonic and each was great. The atmosphere was also amazing. I highly recommend this place for anyone who likes a good drink - even if you do not like gin!
Written July 14, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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