Royal Clayton’s

So sad they’re leaving this location. I’ve always marveled at the space. I’m a sucker for high ceilings and wood floors. Wait. So, if Royal Clayton’s is moving, the space is empty now, right? Great! I’M MOVING IN! :-]
Can’t wait for the next incarnation, RC! Hope it’s as good, or better than before! The Arts District misses you!

Total Bummer that this place is closed. I can’t wait until they re-​open in a better spot downtown. It was a total diamond in the rough within Downtown. I enjoyed the pizza and beer here. Mmmm Pizza and Beer.
Til Next year!

Update again — that sale fell through. Who knows?
Just a note that RC is now closed. The business has been bought by the owner of Church and State across the street. Apparently it will stay a pub. No word yet on whether it will reopen under same name or a new one.

Royal Clayton’s is closed :(
I’m so sad. This was my favorite neighborhood bar.
I hear they will re-​open next year in another spot downtown.
Sad loss for the Arts District.

A slightly sketch ball area of town, good interior design, okay selection of beer, and a trivia night with formidable opponents — sign me up!
I liked the food we got, but it was nothing over-​the-​top special. I would not mind going here again anyway if it were convenient. 3 stars (2.5 but I’ll round up because during my one experience my trivia team won. zing.)

Thought the interior design was pretty well put together.
But also thought they can expand or redo the happy hour menu a little.
Tip: get beer! I don’t have high hopes for the cocktails after trying the über-​sweet margarita. And, nothing else too appealing (at least not for this miss lady).
Also played pool and was almost hitting people with the stick because it might be too close to some of the seats. But it’s free so whatev.
I might still be goin back and give this place another chance. Really starting to like this area of Downtown. ;)

You can most definitely count me a fan of this pub in downtown LA. They pretty much won me over the day my friend moved into the Toy Factory Lofts, which reside in the upper stories of the same building.
Apparently, my friend had locked herself out of her apartment on moving day and wandered shoeless into the pub for a drink while she waited for the locksmith. She didn’t have her wallet but promised to pay them back when she did.
Later that night, I came over to see her pad, and she and I hit up Royal Clayton’s for more drinks and food. I ordered the chips and salsa and was won over on the spot. They were SO GOOD. The perfect amount of salty and crispy, yet the chips didn’t taste as though they’d been fried in oil. They were most definitely fresh (not store bought, ew). The salsa was amazing too. I was surprised to get such a giant basket of chips, since they only cost $ 4.
I was also pleasantly surprised by the beer selection and the warm décor of the bar. The bar is dimly lit, but not too dark and something about it just feels like home (maybe the super friendly bar tenders?). On tap, there is a wide selection of good beers.
At the end of the night, my friend recounted her story to the bartender about how she owed them money for the drink she bought while shoeless and locked out. They told her not to worry about it– the drink was on them.
Welcome to the neighborhood.

Delightful. Love the décor. The drinks are a little on the pricey side but the food is great. We order the Tower of London (aka onions rings and fries). I have the shepherd’s pie (upload the picture) lunch special for $ 9.99, which was usually $ 15. They seem to be updating Unilocal with their meal specials, so keep an eye out for them if you want to try the place. Wasn’t too impressed with my friend’s order, which was some sotra of tuna wrap but she loved it.
Service: It started out good, but after we got our meal, then waitress vanished and we didn’t get any more refills. She told us that she seating us next to the table of cute guys, she was waiting one, as a excuse to go visit them. Funny, when they left, so did she.
Parking: Street Parking but limited.
Overall: I would go back again. Next time, I’m getting the Tower of London again, then spitting a meal so I can try some of their desserts. A tip from our waitress: The milk and cookies, the cookies takes 20 min to bake.

What’s not to like? The downtown surroundings reminds me a little of my night time escapades through Dumbo in NYC. In the middle of this warehouse district are well some apportioned establishments like Royal Clayton’s. Unless you live in the hood, it’s not someplace you stumble upon — you make it a point to visit.
I can’t speak much for the food other than having ordered some crispy fries. I did look around and see quite a few people actually eating full on meals close to 11pm so the food’s gotta be pretty decent. Beer pours are generous — pus they have Smithwick’s on tap! All around, quite a decent pub. The oil paintings of English nobility, random coat of arms, and the occasional knight statue in armor lend it some street cred as an English pub. It’s the kind of place Harry Potter and his fellow Gryffindors would hang out once they graduated from Hogwarts. Seriously though, after a couple of pints at Royal Clayton’s you may well believe you can summon a patronus with your car keys… er, your wand that is.

Pretty cool bar if you happen to be in the outskirts of downtown in the middle of nowhere really.
Good selection of beers and reasonably priced. Really big menu but I didn’t have anything to eat. Might not end up hear again until after I feel like grabbing a drink after going to Church and State.

What a grand place to visit. A real pub hidden in the industrial area of downtown. A perfect place to get a pint and have some good bar food with your buddies without any pretentiousness. No dress code. Easy parking and access. Good food. Decent prices.
I had to smile when I asked the bartender what I should have: «Fish and chips? or the Shepherd’s Pie»
She didn’t take a split second to answer: You have to have the fish.
I marvelled at the size of the dish. The chips were perfect nicely. Not greasy at all. Seasoned nicely with kosher salt.
The fish filets were huge. I think you might have gotten a whole fish. The meat inside the Bass ale batter was cooked perfectly. The batter is slightly greasy, but what do you really expect from something that is fried? the oil is easily cut with some malt vinegar. It was a real treat to have a plate of real fish and chips, the way you think of fish and chips.
Great bar.

Ok, when I do happy hours or bars, beers are beers, drinks are drinks. Well, maybe not for the last one, but sometimes its a spin of the wheel right? Get the right bartender anywhere, from high class joint to dive bar, and your day is golden. So often times what I look for in a spot is atmosphere, charisma, character, style, flash, flair.
Royal Clayton’s got character indeed. This place is an English Pub and looks like an english pub. Paintings of British royalty; queens, kings, prince, princesses, a giant suit of armor, a coat of arms, its enough to make you say, «Bloody hell, you wank!»
Definitely a damn cool place, but its also the way out there by Church and State, so again, I’m not sure if I can get back there anytime soon. But still english pub that looks like an english pub, in downtown in the industrial district of all places!
Oh, and they have a great quote, «Beauty is in the eye of the beerholder.» Indeed!

Anne Bolyn was quite musically talented. In addition to a lovely singing voice, this charismatic Queen of England could play the lute, the harp, and the recorder. Her portrait is one of several royals that hang on the walls of Royal Claytons, an excellent English pub in the heart of the Arts Colony in Downtown Los Angeles. Her grumpy husband and other famous historical figures watch with envy as commoners enjoy a fresh brew. My noble palette has had several opportunites to dine here, and below are some of my favorites:
Bloody Mary — Flavorful and spicy as a King’s Mistress, this decadence is outstanding. Heavily garnished with olives, lemons, and celery, I usually get two of these.
Kunde Cabernet — Their house cab, tasty and classic
Calamari — Bronzed baubles of squid served with two delicious sauces and shredded vegetables. Very savory.
Tower of London — Deadly and overpowering, this creation begins with a mound of soft, delicious fries and then an obelisk of beer-​battered onion rings rising up from the potatoe’d mound. Impressive as the Tower of Babel. I love it.
Pepperoni Pizza — Cheese and pepperoni coalesce into an arranged marriage atop a kingdon of threadlike crust. The marinara sauce used is wellborn of delicious seasonings and tomatoes.
Sheppard’s Pie — Not to be confused with the Benjamin Barker varieties, this pastry is a true delight, filled with vegetables, mashed potatoes and tender Angus beef. It also comes with a small salad. I tried dipping French Fries into it, and the mix was truly impressive. Good to share, or take half of it home.
Located in the Biscuit Lofts Buidling not far from XRT and Tony’s, the pub also has a great pool table and Trivia (with prizes) every Monday Night. Their Happy Hour is also seven days a week! Street parking is prevalent on the surrounding avenues. I will be returning to this fine sovereignty sometime very soon!

English pub, in historic district of LA
Inside is dark, but it works
Monday is Trivia night
Prices are fair

3.5
Happy Hour every day! Woohoo, let’s drink to that!
After a show at X Repertory Theatre up the street, we stopped in for the «best bloody marys.» Now, I love a good bloody so I was up for the challenge. It was $ 8 and pretty damn good. But later I switched to Vodka gingers because well drinks are $ 4.
There are some snacks on the HH menu but I ended up ordering the pork sandwich under the specialties. It’s almost like a pulled pork sandwich because of the sweet BBQ sauce but it’s not pulled pork. Oh, those silly English. What’s this? Bangers. As in sausage. Yep, my sandwich was sliced sausage. I asked for salad as my side and it came with a huge salad with cucumber and tomatoes. Yum.
We had a great time and I definitely want to go back. It’s kind of funny though the people who frequent RC are definitely the anti– Church & State people. RC VS CS? Well, it’s no contest. They’re both good in their own ways.

After a great dinner at Church & State, my friends and I headed across the street to Royal Clayton’s for more drinks. Upon entering, I felt like I was on the other side of the planet. The interior design felt very much like an English Pub: a bit dusty, dark and drab, with medieval décor and wooden tables. The highlight of the place was the FREE pool (surprisingly, not coin operated) and the cheap beers on tap. A pint of Stella as well as a Black & Blue (Guinness and Blue Moon) ran for only $ 6 each. Not bad. I was too full from dinner, but I hoped to return for some bangers.

This is an English Pub I really want to like but service has been subpar to nonexistent on more than one occasion. So, what keeps me coming back? The Fish & Chips and Leffe Blonde.
Pros: FISH & CHIPS — A substantial amount of Beer battered Deep
Fried Cod with fries really hits the spot. The best Fish & Chips
I’ve eaten thus far. CALAMARI — It comes with a duo of
dipping sauces and a simple slaw on the side. It too, is very
tasty. LEFFE BLONDE — Royal Clayton’s has one of my
favorite beers on tap as well as a handful of other very good
brews such as Chimay, Guinness, Tetley’s, Bass, Newcastle,
etc. I’ve had a few COCKTAILS here as well. I can’t remember
them too well but they were better than average. Other
favorable items that I consumed were the Baja Shrimp Wraps,
various Pizzas & the Cheshire Cheese Steak Rolls.
Parking — On most nights, you will find free parking on side
streets or you can pay a fee of what I believe is 5 dollars in a lot
adjacent to the Pub.
The Vibe — The feel of the Pub, itself, is ingratiating and the
Pool Table (games free of charge) adds to the charm of the
place. Very «chill» people here that add to the vibe of the Pub.
My favorite time to head here is on a cold rainy night.
Something about this place just seems to warms me up.
Cons: Service — Really disappointing at times. Other times, it is
courteous, helpful and hospitable. Sadly, it has been cold or
non existent, more than a couple of times. I would like to see
extra personnel added as sometimes, I give them the benefit
of the doubt and I attribute the poor service to poor staffing on
nights when they’d be better served with extra servers. But
what do I know — Just that I’ve had mixed results and
unfortunately the bad experiences are the ones that stick in
your mind.
Chips & Salsa — I think I purposely deleted this from my
memory banks. It is just not very good. They should remove
this from the menu immediately. As a matter of fact, someone
should get a petition going!
Sweet Potato Fries — Just plain limp and oily. How ’bout we
crank up the heat on the deep fryer back there guys!
Location — The block itself is cool but a block away in any
which direction and you’ll be in the thick of things (if you know
what I mean).
Indifferences:
The Duke — a pasta dish and the Two Crowns — basically an
open faced tuna melt. Nothing to write home about in either
case.
All in all, I come here for the Fish & Chips and the Leffe Blonde and maybe to play a few games of pool if the table is available. Other than that, I can live with whatever else they decide to serve up. For me, the Fish & Chips and Beer are enough to bring me back. I just wish the service would be more consistent — consistently good that is.

Royal Claytons is an English Pub located in the new trendy industrial area of Downtown Los Angeles. They feature British food in a dark spacious bar. Royal Clayton’s English Pub, the full name, is an excellent destination drinking place for a group of friends.
We stumbled upon Royal Clayton’s by accident. We were suppose to go to Church & State, just across the alley, but we, unfortunately, didn’t make reservations. I admit, I was a bit disappointed…but I was pleasantly surprised about Royal Clayton’s.
One would expect large pints of ale with. And its all true.. . and they have all that and more. Their menu features Shepard’s pie, Banger’s, and, of course, Fish & Chips (which I had to order). The Fish & Chips, though pricey at 15 bucks, had 3 large pieces of deep fried fish with french fries. I think the fish was tender with the batter crispy, but all too greasy. But I guess fried fish is suppose to be greasy when you wash it down with beer. English comfort food or I should say «bar food» is not exactly the best food either. I think English bar food is a bit bland, but filling, and needs its accompanied beer. Next time around, I’ll try the Shepard’s Pie.
This particular night, I had to have Guinness, which is Irish. I guess I could have picked some random English beer. I’m not sure why, but we also had a cheese plate. Nothing special there.. .
Anyways.. .
With no expectations at all — Royal Clayton’s has me wanting to come back a 2^nd time.

Alright. I’ve been meaning to do a review of this place for a long time. Even wrote down some notes last time I was there.
This is a pretty cool place. I first became aware of it before it opened, because I had a business acquaintance nearby. Since I first started coming to the area, it has improved so much.
The place has really high ceilings to make you feel small, painting of old expired English nobility (Henry VIII, I am), and an industrial feel appropriate of an English mill town (yeah, been there). It has kinda a fun house feel. I like their happy hour, though the beer and the appetizer selections are limited. What it really nice is that the sound levels are down to a point where you can actually communicate with the people you are with. Not like going to the yard house or another place where you have to get within 2 inches of your date to hear her.
The wait staff has always been good and attentive. I’ve been here for lunch too and they have some interesting selections. Like the Ploughman’s Lunch. Can’t really describe, so you should check out the menu. Parking is difficult in the area, but I have never had a problem. Usually find parking on Mateo. Avoid trying to park on Industrial.
One last thing. The last time I was there, the water didn’t suck. Usually does…
Black and Tan anybody?

Many thanks to our waitress for letting us still order even though we got there right after last calls for food orders! It was a godsend at midnight after my friends and I’d been at an art show around the corner. Not everything on the menu was available, but appetizers suited us just fine – we got the hummus/​pita plate, chicken wings, and the «Tower of London,» which was a stack of onion rings on a bed of fries. The hummus was good, and the pita was nice and piping hot when it came to us. The chicken wings were a bit on the salty side for me, but not bad at all. I really liked their onion rings that came on the Tower of London; I think the batter may have contained horseradish or something, it had a nice spicy kick that didn’t linger. Kind of overly greasy, but still good. The fries were very meh – probably been sitting around, as they weren’t very hot or fresh-​tasting, but we let it slide.
So the food alone would probably only warrant 3 stars, but I had to bump them up a notch for the exceedingly friendly and professional service (even the bouncer dude), and the cool décor. I remember when this place used to be some kind of a sandwich/​salad place, and I think this is an improvement – especially since they’re open so much later! The place was about half empty, so it was a nice and mellow atmosphere. We had a nice relaxing time here; I recommend it!