All Bar One

We stopped at all bar one on are way out for mine and my husbands day out to celebrate our wedding anniversary, we turned up at the bar and I sat down whilst my husband went to get drinks, what can I say, when my husband returned with our drinks he was not impressed, the barman greeted him with a cold attitude and a complete lack of service, he didn’t direct him when he wanted him to move tills, he barely spoke to him and you could forget about any type of smile, we decided to finish our drinks and not bother about spending any time or money here, what a disappointment and uncomfortable start to are day, luckily other establishments where more than welcoming to have us, if I could select no stars I would.

Stopped here on a whim searching for lunch on a Saturday afternoon. The food was fine, but nothing to write home about, nor worth making the effort to return. It was clean and well designed with a lot of natural light and tall ceilings, and the staff was friendly and accommodating.
Fans of real ales will be disappointed, but they do offer a good selection of lagers, and an extensive wine selection, and apparently you can even buy bottles for takeaway!
One word of warning, my wife is on a gluten-​free kick and went for the nachos. Beware the tortilla chips are made from flour tortillas and not the more typical corn tortilla, so the nachos are in fact, not gluten-​free. Still tasty, though.

I really enjoy All Bar One. Yes, it is a chain but with a variety of beers & wine and a fabulous 2 for 1 happy hour most days of the week. This one in particular is smartly structured with an upstairs overlooking the bar with extra seating and toilets. Table service is quite good and efficient. I would come back again!

Stop #12: Cannon Street
Once again, the internet let me down and my first choice, the Bell, was closed on Saturdays. As a bit of info, there is also a bar called the London Stone around here which is very… interesting. Recommend checking it out just for the experience.
Anyways, to the point. All Bar One is conveniently just a few steps down Cannon St and in true massive chain pub form it is always open. This is fairly large one with a unique horseshoe design. What this basically means is that the bar staff have a lot more bar to cover and more frustratingly, for the customer, is that you can often see a bartender free but be unable to get his/​her attention as they are on the other side.
Anyways, not much to say about it. It’s a pub, you’ve all been in one of these before, but overall one to keep in mind as there is literally nothing else in the area on the weekend!
Drink of choice: Back on the Guinness.

I’ve been to this location twice now (both for work lunches) and both times the service has been mediocre. The food is fine but drinks are a bit expensive. I’ll probably continue to visit for work lunches due to location (right across the street) but doubt I’d continue if presented with another option.

I sometimes pop in here while waiting for a train at Cannon Street (just across the road), and it’s perfectly adequate/​bland as London bars/​pubs go — lots of lagers (not much if you’re a bitter fan, though) and wines, and a decent looking menu, with a choice of seating — including some tables for two — and an upstairs seating area.
On the downside, it can get crowded at weekday lunchtimes and early evenings (OK mid afternoon), and — as some parts of the bar can be booked for events — you sometimes find that areas are roped off and unavailable.
But despite its convenience for the station, all you working commuters, don’t rely on being able to plug on your laptop and catch up with a bit of work. The downstairs power points take round-​pin plugs so you can’t plug in any normal laptop power supply. How unhelpful is that!

All Bar One is a chain of modern pubs spread across London.
Which is a good idea really, after all the menu is varied and the range of drinks served is quite extensive.
Unfortunately, I found the food a bit pricey for a pub. While portions are opulent, it makes you wonder whether you really want to eat that much? Wouldn’t a smaller portion at a lower price do as well?
One more star is lost due to the poor state of the toilets and the bad ventilation which left me smelling of pub for hours afterwards — a clear nono for a lunch place in the City.

‘Soulless but reliable’. Not my words, but my friend’s, who I accompanied to lunch at All Bar One today. It’s a perfect way to describe this chain though. A terrible name for the chain too… the food was not bad!
Between the three of us at lunch today, we split five tapas plates (calamari, meatballs, asparagus & parma ham, chorizo, and duck quesadillas) and I had a small green salad as well. While that may not sound like anything exciting or fun, it was a pretty good meal, considering my low expectations and the fact that it is predominantly a BAR.
As expected, the place is packed for lunch and happy hour, but is a nice safe bet when you’re not particularly keen on trying something new and exotic that day.