Rising Sun in City of London, Westminster

Met old friend for lunch and chat. Great for chat as very quiet. But no draught beer! Decor took us back 50 years, in good condition not run down. "Small plates" for lunch were mostly something fried with a dip. No chance of balancing a meal (the padrona pepoers were off).

I seldom give one star ratings but the food at this pub is so ridiculously bad and over-priced that it’s a cheek! The only edible thing at our table was the burger and chips but you will find something better for the price anywhere else. Do not order food at this pub!

Went on a Sunday for a roast but they did not have any even though it was on their website menu. Food and service were terrible. No dressing on salad and other ingredients missing, poor quantity, staff just dropping the cutlery on the table, apparently not aware of what the food should look like. And expensive price on top of that with a £17 fish and chips. Disappointing considering it’s a Sam Smith and the area.

Really old atmospheric public house

I do have mixed feelings about Sam Smith pubs. Like a lot of their pubs this has character, wood panelling is plentiful and it has an old fashioned vibe about it. The problem is their limited drink selection, three lagers on tap and one cask ale (in addition to cider and stout). They do have a large selection off bottled beers which tend to be quite expensive. They also have a very limited selection of spirits so I opted for an Old Brewery bitter at a very reasonable £5.10. They have an upstairs dining room which was going to open at 5pm (I was here at 4pm and it was very quiet). The stairs are quite steep and given that the toilets are upstairs there could be difficulties for the less mobile. In summary, a good pub for a quick pint but not one I would spend all evening in.

We came in for a quick pint before going to a restaurant. The bitter was quite cheap at £5.10. We also had very nice quality crisps and my wife had a tonic. This is a very old school pub - nothing fancy.

Amazing little gem , atmosphere was amazing and staff vero friendly. Food was also nice!

Sour beer, landlady refused to change it. Pub empty while the Hand & Shears up the road was busy. Not surprising.

5 people ordered dinner at 6.50 pm on a Friday night. An hour later, only 3 meals had arrived-a burnt pie & lukewarm mash & gravy without the vegetables promised on the menu, lukewarm sausages & mash without the extra slaw ordered, and a burger which was too hot to eat. I asked for a refund for the other meals, and was told they had a new cook. Really disappointing, do not recommend!! Restaurant wasn’t particularly busy, the bulk of people were just drinking.

Thank you for beautiful service after a long trip yesterday, love the dart board too. Like the old east london feel to it without tv's and music.

The ambience was really good and i and my friend had great time playing Darts and chilling with best beers by Samuel smiths it was nice and staff treated me very well special thanks to the guy pietro he was really engaging with customers and beautiful pub and will be revisiting soon.

The ambience was really good and i and my friend had great time playing Darts and chilling with best beers by Samuel smiths it was nice and staff treated me very well special thanks to the guy pietro he was really engaging with customers and beautiful pub and will be revisiting soon.

All the tap bitters/ales were off. Barman had no clue what was in the fridge so after we had talked him through the contents of his fridge we settled for a bottle of stout and a bottle of IPA. £13.40 for two small bottles of beer. The first glass we were given was filthy. Really poor show all round.

All the tap bitters/ales were off. Barman had no clue what was in the fridge so after we had talked him through the contents of his fridge we settled for a bottle of stout and a bottle of IPA. £13.40 for two small bottles of beer. The first glass we were given was filthy. Really poor show all round.

Sold us some “cashews” for nearly £5 which were in fact laced with peanuts

Little hidden gem in a great location. Very friendly staff and cheap drinks! Great if you're around Farringdon

If you Like Traditional pubs pay this pub a Visit.

Very nice quiet friendly pub,good food and nice cider,will definitely be back 🙂

Very friendly staff, wonderful and cosy atmosphere, good beer and food (and cheep for the area) will definitely be come back!

Beer was good. Their stout is better than Guinness, but on a Saturday evening we were the only two customers

Lovely trad pub tucked away in the medieval alleys behind St Bartholomew

Lovely little pub. Very welcoming and peaceful.

Didn't eat but had beers , lovely Olde pub , nice beers and amazing prices for Central London. Friendly helpful staff. Great location .

I don’t know how they managed but their tap beer was literally warm (and not tasty at all). Sorry :( girl at the bar could use a smile lol

I've had a blast here on a quiet Sunday! Bar staff are really nice to talk to as someone from out of town. Beer's good, Cider's good and a proper old pub aesthetic. It is quiet on Sunday but I like that kind of thing. I'll come here during a week day when I'm next down and will update the review!

Popped in for lunch today (midweek). Greeted by the most depressing barmaid downstairs. The one upstairs, Bless her, not surewhat she had has done to deserved working there. Food menu severely reduced, no sausages, no fish, just burgers, steak and ale pie, or scampi. I had burger which was delivered to table after 20 mins and 5 mins ahead for husband steak and ale pie. Portions for such high price were ridiculously small. Know should have queried when meal presented, but no onions or coleslaw with burger. Was told when queried, sorry we have run out of both. But was not told when ordered or offered price reduction in good faith. Burger Bun was so obviously defrosted in microwave and definitely not toasted, being both hard to cut or bite. Presentation of meal certainly needs addressing- just dropped on plate. Would not recommend this establishment.

Odd place, like stepping back in time 20 years. Nice to have somewhere that's a bit different.

What has happened to this formerly welcoming, vibrant pub? Last visited 6 months ago and the difference is tangible. Poor, lack luster service. Customers asking about history of pub fell on ignorant/ indifferent ears. Worse than the living dead atmosphere wise. Sam Smith. Shame.

We came for the Smithfield’s 150 year celebrations approx 6 years ago, but instead spent a lovely afternoon sheltering from the rain in this (then) delightful, friendly little pub. Excellent beers – we’ll be back. HOWEVER, I popped in on 19.05.24 and the place is like a morgue! I was served by a disinterested, lacklustre member of staff who gave the distinct vibe that she didn't want to be there. It was a great little pub, a real gem, but now it's just not worth a visit. Buck your ideas up Sam!

A hidden gem of peaceful heritage old city tavern. London alleyway pub in the Old trade ways of Smithfield. A quiet escape away from the nearby overloads. Set on a alley crossroad opposite a 12th century church, a great corner door and an alcoves entry open into a spacious, calm space with patterned papered ceiling and 60's fabric covered walls. Decoratively edged, large original dimpled glass windows provide a light interior hidden from the streets. The alcove entrance features a graceful semi circular window. Vintage glass droplet lamps lights a range of seating from heritage wood dining chairs and a long bench seat to high stools and tables. The central semi oval original bar with elegant pillars connects through an arch with prop space to separate the hall. An incredible, ornately decorated, stately archway crosses the tavern. Historic images connect the great history of this bar and there's an original fireplace and darts. No TVs or music to distract you from the calming, quiet of mainly single drinkers, readers, workers and old friends. A superb selection of draught beers from the ever impressive Samuel Smiths. This is a classic secret gem for a peaceful taste of Smithfield, London beveraging.

Not quite what we expected. No ice. No choice of rose wine.

Basic pub but friendly staff make a visit worthwhile

Always a must go when I'm in London. If there's any credence to the ghost walkers takes, Ben Crouch used to dope peopel in here, strangle them in alleys, and sell their corpses to anatomists. One of his presents though was the daughter of a medical students landlady. Hung drawn quartered.

Popped in for a drink late afternoon. Great old classic pub!

Visited here for the first time with my two adult children. Looks like a good London pub but…..they had three bitter pumps, all of which were ‘off’! A London pub on a Tuesday night with no bitter? Barman thought this was vaguely amusing and suggested I try a bottle of brown ale. Avoid.

Never been to a Sam Smith pub before and loved it! The fact that there's no mobile phones, no music, no TV really added to the place. It was not until about 15 to 20 minutes of being there that I realised this and looked around me to everyone in the pub talking.... just talking to each other in their groups or to strangers in the pub, to the table next to them..... not a mobile phone in sight! A great night out and I'll definitely be going to another Sam Smith pub again

A calm architectural gem in a calm part of London. Extra Stout and Alpine Lager both excellent.

Shockingly bad pub since the new team took over. Toilets all blocked in Gents and they ran out of wine glasses last night and had no lager for over an hour (not sure why they couldn’t change a barrel) Sam Smith has no idea what he is doing and the place is a shambles. Shame, it used to be great.

This pub has the potential to be so much better. Clearly hygiene should be a priority. Given the condition of the toilets also dead flies in an empty vase we decided not to stay for lunch.

This pub will not be the same without Paul and Jackie, I'll be taking my business elsewhere - from someone who has been a regular since mid 1990s. Shame on you Sam Smith's, you'll regret this decision. To all the regulars please drink & eat elsewhere from next week, don't give your money anymore to the nasty management at SS. The soul has been ripped out of the Rising Sun. Thank you Paul and Jackie for your years of service.

Proper pub in the heart of London

A great little "hidden gem". Really good to find a proper pub that still exists in the City of London that hasn't been modernised and taken over by "suits"

Truly an amazing pub. Cheap prices and great service. Allison is always there being friendly and serving a great drink. Chris is a great new addition and incredibly helpful

Lovely small pub next to Smithfield Market. Great choice of beers. It was very quiet when I visited but would still recommend.

Great place, great staff; great night out and well worth the money, quite cheap for London.

Was impressed with the service, very pleasant young bartender

Great little pub. Nice to visit somewhere with different beer and a cosy old school pub feel. Definitely worth going somewhere like this instead of those larger chains!

Lovely food, very friendly staff and superb atmosphere, will be back

Very nice pub, simple and cheerful, unlike other Sam smiths. Good stop on the Farringdon pub crawl

Yet another interesting easily accessible friendly watering hole.

Dreary, cold and un-inviting. Used to drink here 30 years ago when I worked in Long Lane and it has definitely changed. Staff not very engaging but still £6.40 for a bottle of Pale Ale. Won’t be returning.

Wonderful pub and the barman was really friendly. The food was good and reasonably priced. Would definitely recommend.

Not had the food - but I'm sure it would be great! Love the atmosphere here, a real classic pub. Also a breath of fresh air that you can get two pints for less than a tenner (two pints of sovereign). Brilliant pub - would recommend to anyone

Attracted to the pub due to its spooky history but disappointed but the poor selection of drinks and grumpy customer service. A classic Samuel Smith I suppose. The star of the pub was the resident dog, what a cutie!

Good quiet Sam Smith’s pub for a weekend afternoon. No frills.

Great decor. Blissfully free of piped music. Staff great. Decent simple unpretentious pub grub - the way it should be. Portions plenty large enough without being a challenge. A comfortable oasis.

Would have thought going to a pub at 1pm on a Sunday it would be freshly cooked. Sadly not , it's out of a fridge. Miserly 2 potatoes were cooked a few days earlier along with everything else,I've had leftovers before . Yorkshire was cold in middle. Poor...very poor.

Good people running the bar and friendly nice talking to them about pub game and how it has changed

Wonderful old English public house in the heart of a wonderful historical area of Central London

Nice quiet Samuel Smith's pub, very friendly bar lady there aswell.

WORST Sunday lunch ever! Only choice of 3 dishes. No other food or menu available at all. Beef was overcooked and tough as boots and costed £17.50 for 2 slices of thin beef. I spent nearly £70 for two people and we only had 2 roast lunches, two glasses of wine and 2 puddings. NEVER AGAIN. No prices for the food either, waiter was an incompetent person who lied to us and told us the beef would be pink...it was almost burnt! BE WARNED FOLKS.

WORST Sunday lunch ever! Only choice of 3 dishes. No other food or menu available at all. Beef was overcooked and tough as boots and costed £17.50 for 2 slices of thin beef. I spent nearly £70 for two people and we only had 2 roast lunches, two glasses of wine and 2 puddings. NEVER AGAIN. No prices for the food either, waiter was an incompetent person who lied to us and told us the beef would be pink...it was almost burnt! BE WARNED FOLKS.

It's a lovely quite little pub in the city. Nice stout and a nice atmosphere, with great old-fashioned interior.

Expected a traditional london pub. However most ales were not available. Not a pleasant experience

The best pub in the City!!! 😁👍

Lovely quiet pub, Sunday lunch was absolutely delicious as was the beer, nice genuine and friendly staff, couldn't ask for better service..

Drink prices were sky high. A glass of House wine was £9 and a small bottle of cider was £6 50! Upstairs was dark and dank won't be going there again

They make a really nice Sunday roast.

Brilliant. Handpulled Sam Smiths and sweet potato chips, upstairs with a fabulous view of St Bartholomew The Great. I had been warmly welcomed to join the bellringers at their practice night. The Rising Sun is a standing item on the bellringing practice agenda. Loved it.

Didn't realise bartenders (female) were allowed to vape indoors. 26 April 2023.

Sam Smith's pub. Great beers and great service as expected. Looks classy and traditional and that's how I love it. Really friendly people behind the bar and food was good too. Location is slightly hidden but it gets crowded after work like most other places around here. Go for it.

Nice pub. Not your usual pints but with a bit of help frlm the staff and locals U will find a good tasting pint.

SS's pubs we're tolerable when cheap, now far too expensive. Beer quality seems to be worsening with every visit (if that's possible). Some interesting old pictures of the area on the walls, the rest of the pub is a mock-up from the eighties made to look old.

We were out for the day and came across this pub quite by chance whilst looking for somewhere to eat and we had a Sunday roast which was absolutely delicious. The pub had a nice atmosphere and friendly staff too. Very nice visit.

A pub without music. You can actually enter, relax and TALK with other human beings. Automatically 5 stars ++++++

Lovely little pub tucked away in the back streets. Just popped in for a quick drink, has a nice atmosphere with friendly staff. Not that great a selection of spirits, but good choice of beers.

Cosy pub in Smithfield near to Church of St Bartholomew - serves a good choice of Samuel Smiths beers and lagers and friendly service 👍🍺

Got here too early for food but the friendly manager directed us to another pub just along the road.

Nice pub with the best Sunday roast we've had in a pub. Reasonable prices and gorgeous location

An okay Pub. I'm not sure if it was the time of day that I attended (5 pm Friday), but not a lot was going on. It's based in an area where there are a lot of offices, and I expect that is why it was full, anywhere else, and this Pub may not be pulling in the punters. Really busy. At least we know the ale is fresh. (I don't drink ale, and I don't know if they sell it, but you know what I mean). I have been to so many other Pubs that seem to have so much more to offer.

A friend ordered a beer with the pub bar woman and I ordered two beers with another barman. I asked if I could pay my friends and my order altogether. The response I received from the bitter old Bar lady was disgusting. I very politely asked and I got the rudest response. She was a disgusting human that is in the total wrong sort of industry. I didn't ask for anything elaborate. She hadn't even started pouring my single beer and she seemed so put out by the question as if I was asking for her first born child. Horrible human working in the wrong industry. 16 years of london pubs and she had the worst attitude out of all of them. Also it was the first drink I ordered so was not an annoying, obnoxious drunk. She is a bad human.

Great spot for post theatre pints!

Typical Sam Smith's pub. Probably looked exactly the same 100 years ago.

Fantastic little pub I've been going to for years in and off. Nice atmosphere, good beers and fairly reasonable too as it's a Nicholson pub. Must try their Roast Dinner one weekend as it's only £11.95, bargain!

Brilliant pub run by such lovely and accommodating staff. Held some birthday drinks for 35-40 people in the upstairs bar and we all had a fantastic time. The food is also great here! Can't wait to be back

Good lunch and beers. Comfortable upstairs old fashioned dining room open on Saturdays as well.

Lovely pub, I've gone to quite a lot, it has two bars upstairs and down stairs. I prefer upstairs, better seating and better vibe. Lovely staff and great drinks. My only only complaint is the chips when ordered, for quantity and price ratio, it's not worth it.

Another Samuel Smith's pub with their fabulous beers, and spirits. Good food too as I had the Steak and Ale pie and that was one of the kind. Thanks guys and keep it up!

Super nice and funny Irish-loving Paul

Good place for a quick beer and a chat. Nice atmosphere and nice customer service specially from Andy 😄

TL;DR: Dishonest staff; food was okay. We ordered the sausages with mash **with extra sausage** eat-in and got only two sausages. It was our first visit and we thought it typically comes with only one sausage. We made the same order take away in the same visit. Guess what, there were three sausages in the take away box! (And we were charged for the "extra sausage" for both orders.) We went back to the pub the next day and asked the manager about the situation. She said the staff who worked the day before was not on shift, and just asked us to leave our phone number but never got back to us. Is dishonesty part of the English culture nowadays?

From Austin, TX. Rising Sun is an out of the way tavern on corner of Rising Sun and Cloth Fair. We stayed in a historic flat 50 steps away, within crawling distance. Many pubs, restaurants, and bars near by. Rising Sun easily our favorite; quaint, authentic Victorian/Edwardian feel. Others establishments tended to be crowded, loud, and somewhat trendy. This pub, even when busy, has a low-key, local vibe. Pub keepers very personable and welcoming. Love beer but gotta say my new fav is the Taddy Lager! Food is worth a visit as well. Will definitely return in the future, even as a destination.

Klimatyczny pub z szerokim wyborem alkoholi i przekąsek. Obsługa uprzejma i pomocna. Polecam!

Great traditional old boozer in the heart of the Old city. Nice dining area upstairs where they offered decent Sunday lunch. Good service at a good price

Always a good pint in there!..... friendly staff

Love this pub, old fashioned and charming. Great place for a quiet drink and some grub. The barman, Andy, has great sense of humour too.

Delicious sunday roast and great service. The setting is very nice and quiet. Highly recommend.

very charming pub, lovely mulled cider and friendly staff

Classic Sam Smiths pub on unique Cloth Fair opposite medieval Priory.

Barman was awfully rude and aggressive, our group of 12 left before we even sat down along with the antoher customer due to his aggressive behaviour. On a Wednesday afternoon, terrible behaviour.