The Old Red Cow in City of London, Westminster

First impressions were not good, the bar area was rather featureless and uninviting. There was a large choice of draught ales, lagers and ciders. We had arranged to have a lunch in the upstairs dining room, again rather featureless, but the food did not disappoint. I think we were fortunate, as we were the only diners, our food was cooked to order.

Really good beer and really good price for the area

It was one of the worst roasts I've ever had. Too much on a small plate, stodgy undercooked potatoes. Chewy/tough beef. Waitress with the short silver hair was incredibly rude. Telling us what to do, bringing the wrong drinks, no smile, no apology, dropped the bill on the table after no check back and the table was only half cleared because she 'needed the table back' when the restaurant was half empty. I asked to remove the service charge as I felt that it wasn't deserved, which seemed to upset her even more. She then snatched dirty napkins from the table spilling food on my wife and a friend. Would not recommend.

Delicious fish and chips! Small and local place. Very nice!

Visited on Saturday night on the 28th September. The rudest bar staff I have ever experienced in London.

Lamb shank was good, very big portion.

Genuinely one of the worst roasts I've ever had. Definitely the worst roast I've ever been asked to pay for. Meat was so overcooked, potatoes barely roasted, all veg was pretty raw and had no flavour whatsoever. The disparity between what was described and what was actually given to us was almost unbelievable. Not to mention we waited about 45 mins for our food but honestly that was the least of our concerns once the food actually arrived. The staff handled our complaints well and offered us a refund as they could also recognise that the food was really not acceptable. Drinks were great but left very very hungry and disappointed.

Nice busines lunch with attentive staff that really looked after us. Would happily visit again when in town.

Nice busines lunch with attentive staff that really looked after us. Would happily visit again when in town.

Genuinely one of the worst roasts I've ever had. Definitely the worst roast I've ever been asked to pay for. Meat was so overcooked, potatoes barely roasted, all veg was pretty raw and had no flavour whatsoever. The disparity between what was described and what was actually given to us was almost unbelievable. Not to mention we waited about 45 mins for our food but honestly that was the least of our concerns once the food actually arrived. The staff handled our complaints well and offered us a refund as they could also recognise that the food was really not acceptable. Drinks were great but left very very hungry and disappointed.

Horrific food but nice pub. Sausage roll was worse than from a Greggs, but we yet were in Smithfield! Sarnies ok. Beer good, food a disaster.

Fish and chips was pretty good, though served with salad and garden peas rather than mushy. Barmaid was friendly but didn't know what 'cask ale' meant. That said their cask ale was good. Further star reduction for playing loud pop music.

Another great historical London Pub, quirky decor and layout. Food is great too, goes well with a beer

Great pub. First visit. Neck oil on draft. Fantastic lamb shank. Outstanding service. Looking forward to going again and trying everything else😋 Highly recommended.

Would give zero stars if I could. Service lady with the green/silver short hair on the top floor was very rude to us. Instead of offering assistance, she was telling us off for not sitting where she wants us to sit. Not coming back here and would not recommend. Sorry not sorry.

Amazing Sunday lunch menu. One of the best roast I’ve had in London and a very good price

Good selection of beers and service was great. Food was tasty and reasonably priced. Thank you

Very nice pub with a good selection of beers. The staff is great - always friendly and polite service

Cozy outdoor space , great service, atmosphere and selection of beers ! And lovely warm pork crackling!

I was doing some family history research in and around St. Bartholomew's Church so tried the Hand and Shears but they never sold food and recommended the Old Red Cow. I'm glad they did! As we entered the small bar, four adults and three kids under ten, we thought we would have a struggle sitting anywhere until the barman (very friendly and helpful) advised us to go upstairs. We did and were very grateful we did. I had a pint of a beer I had never heard of before - Purity UBU from Warwickshire) - and glad I did. It's now in my top beers to hunt for in London! Staff were friendly and brought our lunches up to us. As a Londoner living in New Orleans, I had the Bangers and Mash (FAB!!) and my wife had the Fish and Chips (also FAB!). The kids were all happy with whatever they had and it made a great finish to my research in the area. I am sure my ancestors would have drunk in there in the mid.19th century as it would have been easy staggering distance home for them, although there was a selection of pubs close by (all to be tried!!). We will see you next August for another pint of UBU. Cheers!!

Sausage Roll was good. Old Red Crow and UBU Ale. Liam.

A small busy pub with a decent selection of beer.

I've been here twice recently with friends. Service is great, staff are friendly and the food is good too, and reasonably priced for this area.

We watched the FA cup there it was very busy but the service was very good. Great atmosphere and beers

Really friendly pup. Staff great and food was good.

The Sunday roast looks better than it tastes unfortunately. Tried to fit too much on the small plate. The potatoes were rubbery, veg was watery and everything was under seasoned. Even the beef was tough. Only decent part was the Yorkshire pudding. Really disappointed for 20 quid.

Good beer selection, decent atmosphere.

Nice pub with decent beer choice. Good sounding Sunday Lunch menu but I didn't eat.

Lovely staff, great beers to choose from

Was coming here regularly for lunch. But something changed today. The food was less than half the size it usually was and the quality was terrible in comparison to a few weeks ago. I can only assume cost saving or different chef. Most seemed not fresh and out the freezer. Not what we come to expect. Took over 1hr to get food and we were the only ones that ordered it so was not busy at all, then only half the party got food, other half had to wait another 20 minutes. Very disappointed

do not ever come here for food... dirty + waited over 1hr for food that's worse than reheated ready meals

Very buzzy busy pub but should stick to drinks as chips were from a frozen counter and when I asked about the delivery of order as we’d waited for ages I was scoffed at with a reply that the food was ready in the food lift? No politeness at all but a quick dismissal. We often eat burgers this was definitely on the pricey side with no flair.

Really good choice for a traditional pub in Farringdon. Lots of options of drinks on tap. The pies and burgers on the dinner menu were really good as well.

Ordered 2 beers sausage with mashed potatoes and vegetables 22 pounds very tasty good service.

On Tuesday 27th Feb 24 we all ended up in the Old Red Cow after an event at work. Got there just after lunch and wasn’t planning to stop long but ended up there until 7pm. I ate there twice having lunch, then further food later. Excellent food, excellent booze. The Rhurbarb and Ginger gin may of needing replacing. The only reason I gave a 4 star is because the bar man in the late afternoon had the crack of his bum showing when bending down behind the bar. Not a sight I want to see

Very nice pub. Very nice atmosphere and great location ( next to Farringdon Station) I'm definitely recommending this place r a drink.

Only popped in for a single drink for lunch, but there was a reasonable selection of beers on offer and a friendly barman. On the smaller side, at least at street level (I believe there were stairs heading up to an upper section, but I didn't investigate), but a nice spot for a drink nonetheless - one of the better watering holes in the area by my standards.

Decent pub near Barbican Elizabeth Line exit (Farringdon). Popular pub as landlord always keeps a decent pint. Guinness was good and we managed to get a table but can get crowded so reserve a space if you can. Loads of pubs around the market area but this one is always worth a visit.

Nice but not exceptional sunday roast. The kitchen was still open at 8 pm on a sunday which was nice for us.

Cosy little pub just outside the tube station. Had a chilled, friendly vibe and the staff were nice. Good selection of beers and ales. Will pop in again.

An excellent venue for fans of alcohol

Small, busy pub, with a good cask selection and a nice outside standing area because pedestrian traffic comes through

Lovely London boozer, friendly staff and punters

Great little place. Staff could be a bit friendlier but where else would you come across a lawyer and a priest sitting in a darkened corner.....

Top place to drink and chill with friends. Staff are brilliant and have a fantastic choice of beers. When we are back down here, we will 💯 be back to sample more 🙌 😎 😀 🙏 👌

Excellent pub, excellent beers, excellent burgers and excellent service.

Good pub with chilled atmosphere and a decent selection of craft beers but some more cask options would be good. Friendly service.

We came here for a Sunday roast. I can honestly say it was the worst roast I have ever had. The meat was inedible the parnips were burnt, and the potatoes were undercooked. Really disappointed as I came here with friends expecting it to be good as I visited this pub about 4 years ago and the food was really good then. To be charged £30 for a roast of such poor quality is scandalous. Absolute waste of money. To be avoided

Bald bartender was more drunk/under influence than any other people in the bar. 5 times we repeat the order still missing a pint 🫣

Good portions of their food. It came out hot and the service was great too! We went on a weekday for a pub lunch. It was not busy at all!

Considering this place is right opposite Faringdon Lizzy line station, it's a little gem. The food is spot on and clearly cooked fres (can recommend the steak and ale pie), the beer is well kept, and the staff are amazing. This boozer has gone into the saved list for next time I'm in that part of the world.

Nice sharing Platter and lovely draught cider

Old Red Cow to klasyczna angielska knajpa emanująca urokiem i autentycznością. Od swojej czerwonej ceglanej elewacji po ciepłą, przytulną atmosferę wewnątrz, oddaje esencję tradycyjnej brytyjskiej kultury pubu. Bogate drewniane wnętrza i przygaszone światło tworzą przytulną atmosferę, idealną do delektowania się jednym czy dwoma kuflami z przyjaciółmi. Bogaty wybór piw i ale prezentuje mieszankę lokalnych trunków i znanych ulubieńców. Wiedza obsługi dodaje do doświadczenia, udzielając rekomendacji i obsługując z autentycznym entuzjazmem dla oferowanych napojów. Pub oferuje również menu z sycącymi potrawami w stylu pubu, prezentując klasyczne dania, które doskonale komponują się z bogatym wyborem napojów. Czy jesteś mieszkańcem poszukującym znajomego miejsca czy odwiedzającym, pragnącym autentycznego doświadczenia pubu, Old Red Cow spełnia obie oczekiwania. To ponadczasowe miejsce, gdzie dźwięk łykanych kufli i szum żywych rozmów tworzą atmosferę, która zdaje się być przesiąknięta historią. W sercu Londynu Old Red Cow stanowi dowód na trwałe przyciąganie tradycyjnych angielskich pubów.

One of our stops during our pub crawl. Very nice pub that works little bit later that other pubs. Good selection of draft and cask beers. Nice service. Recommend to visit ;)

Great array of keg beers and ciders and a couple of cask ales. They are clearly proud of the local breweries as there was a sign on the bar saying 1.2 miles to Fourpure (with a couple of their beers on tap). Friendly, knowledgeable service and decent food. Will definitely be back.

Was in the area waiting for someone so detoured past - beer selection was average (used to be interesting a few years ago) and after ordering the barman coughed all over my beer. Grim.

Super nice pub right by Farringdon tube. Really nice bars and seating upstairs. 2 bars made it easier to get beers quickly. Would recommend for post work beers 100%.

Food was shocking. This is the remnants of the ‘club sandwich’, which consisted of 3 chicken frozen chicken nuggets, warburton’s bread (not even toasted) and probably frozen chips. Don’t even know what to say about the ‘nachos’… see for yourself. Rank, avoid!

Beer good food bad. Nothing like the pictures at all. Ordered club sandwich and the chicken was literally like a breaded goujon from Iceland, chips frozen too and nachos rubbish. Pints were nice got neck oil. Not expensive but not good at all. More disappointing as the pictures look so nice. Won’t return but the man behind the bar was fit.

Cozy two floor pub with very friendly staff. Close to Farringdon station yet slightly removed from the crazy crowds. We arrived at 1pm for Sunday Roast and sat upstairs. Both the Beef and the pork meals were filling, good tasting and large sized. The extra gravy was a nice bonus. Meals £19ea Excellent choice of guest brews on tap. Recommended

The Sunday roast dinner is insane. Huge, delicious, fresh and with a side gravy boat just in case the gravy already there wasn’t enough. Goes down lovely with all their tap beers. What a gem

Great food and vibe. Good choice of beer

The red cow is a fabulous little pub with a magnificent restaurant. The bar is small but go upstairs, where you can eat or just have a drink. They have a good selection of craft beers and wines. 6 of us stayed for Sunday lunch . We all had a roast dinner and it was great value and the food was outstanding. The staff are really pleasant and all in all we had a lovely Sunday afternoon there.

Fantastic little pub with an eating area upstairs. Lovely food, delightful setting and really cheerful and helpful staff

Quite a good pie, and friendly bartender

The staff are so lovely. We had an order mix up on our own behalf and the staff were happy to resolve it at no additional cost. The best tasting lamb shank we’ve had in our lives, full of flavour and cooked to perfection. Was definitely worth the visit. Desert was amazing too. Very wide variety of alcohol, definitely something for everyone.

Great pub. Food was disappointing though.

Myself plus two mates visited this wonderful little bar last night (August 31st) and we had so much fun. The staff are absolutely brilliant, very friendly, a good laugh and very attentive too. The beer selection is one of the best you'll find around Clerkenwell and the food excellent too. I'd walked passed it so many times over the last few years and so when one of my friends asked if I knew a pub on the way to a party in another pub we were due to visit I suggested we try The Old Red Cow... fair to say this will be our starter and destination pub in the future! There's a nice little area upstairs too but the atmosphere downstairs was hard to leave so we just sat at the bar. I highly recommend a visit if you're in Clerkenwell and even if you're not make a special detour! Keep up the great work and I hope we can visit again very soon.

I can't remember when I had a worse pub meal. Had a 'deluxe' chicken burger that was a frozen burger from Iceland with 2 slices of cucumber and a bit of lettuce. My partner had a club sandwich that said it had crispy bacon. It was pale AF, fat was not rendered down at all, just a lump of pale pig with a lump of uncooked fat. Shockingly bad, never again

Honestly, the best burger I've had in a decade. Good selection of beers too.

Excellent place for a quick pint on the way to the station or another bar :-)

A proper pub for a cold pint and a bite to eat. The fish and chips were well done. Very relaxed atmosphere for midday on a weekday.

Good selection of craft beers, with most under 5% ABV. It's small so can get busy after work, but you are able to reserve tables.

Nice classic pub with a very nice vego 'beef' wellington - although the accompanying boiled veggies could have been left out.

Met a friend here for a drink and a meal. Pub quite small but very pleasant. An extensive range of beers but a little disappointing that only two were on handpump. The delightful little restaurant upstairs replicates the bar downstairs and the meals were substantial and well cooked. Very handy for the Barbican Centre.

Sunday evening dinner (and a few beers) with extended family. It's home cooking, cooked really well. Everyone was friendly. Service was superb. Thought it was an excellent place to have a relaxed dinner.

Un buen sitio para tomarte unas pintas o unas copas. Precio normal para la zona, unas 6-7 libras las pintas y en torno a 8-9 las copas. Ambiente agradable, buena música y no muy concurrido.

Good place to grab a late pint and have a jaw.

We had the Sunday Carving. Better come hungry, there's lots. It was very friendly service.

I only had a drink, Friendly bar guy.

My girlfriend and I are staying in London right now and wanted to get some Fish&Chips to take away because we were so tired and wanted to return to the hotel rather than eat out. They said it was no problem! The woman working the counter was incredibly sweet and got me lots of dips and sauces too! The food was so tasty and my girlfriend and I are now lying full and happy in bed! Will definitely go there again if I’m in the area

Mate… for your money I couldn’t ask for more lovely meat chips included it’s all good here

Only nipped in for a couple of pints and to meet up with some old schoolmates for a day out. Nice ale and a pleasant welcome. Very handy for the Elizabeth Line - just across the street.

We thoroughly enjoyed our meal and time at The Old Red Cow. Delightful old building and very pleasant upstairs dining room. The dining room was very busy indeed but the service was friendly and efficient at all times. We would certainly go again. Thank you Liam and your team

Nice and relaxing pub in the heart of Farringdon. I would definitely recommend 👌

Nice easy going pub with some good pub grub. I used to come here often years ago as they had an awesome craft beer selection, unfortunately that's gone a bit downhill now. In my recent visit beers were fairly average, had all the usual pale ales you find everywhere now and nothing more special. If you're looking for some premium craft beer look elsewhere

Good food, goid service, great variety of beers

Wonderfully managed space which will now be the final stop off point of choice from a Great Fire of London Tour. Came in with 30 people and an unflustered staff sorted us out. Small, but lovely and a much appreciated independent in Smithfield......William Wallace was executed near here in 1305. You heard it here first....

Sunday roast was good.. but we were not expecting the 12.5% service charge, as it's not listed on the Sunday roast menu. Perhaps their regular menu has that fee, but with all their prices risen, it seems a bit unfair not to include it.

Classic pub with lots of great ales but not much on the menu for veggies.

An unexpected experience. Very nice pub

Very good food, lovely vibe and wonderful service. It seemed it was a particularly busy night and the place seemed understaffed. Would definitely come back and bring friends.

Super. The sunday Roastbeef was amazing.

Nice pub with good food and friendly staff

great selection of beers always great service

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Great Sunday roast. You need to book

A great pub for drinks, not so much for food (in terms of both the food itself and the service, one of our number waited about an hour)

Lovely lady behind the bar, friendly and helpful. Good seating upstairs. Perfect location across from Farringdon Elizabeth line for a drink before heading home.

This pub is tiny but with a great atmosphere. Very decent pub food and the staff were incredibly friendly and welcoming. A good choice in the bar made for a really good evening with friends.