The Distillers Pub

This is our London office’s bar of choice for happy hour.
The ambiance is a slightly classier affair from the average pub in London. There are about 8 beers on tap, including Tiger, which is a rarity in the States. Bar is decently stocked and also has a number of red and white wines. A bottle of wine goes for about £17. The service at the bar is quite quick.
On nice days, which it has been the last few days, most everyone stands outside. There are about 3 tables out to the side. You get to watch all the lawyers that work in the area, show off their expensive cars cruising down Long Lane, accelerating to 40mph and breaking hard in a span of 2 seconds. Kewl dudes!
I’m bumping this sucker up to a 4-​star if they are able to find my lost eyeglasses today.

Well I have visited this Bar on many occasions both for Lunch & in the evening after work. Wow what a great pub all the staff are very warm and friendly, and take time to talk to you, even the manager Scott has a smile on his face sometimes!!!
As a regular we are always looked after even when they have private parties, and also even when holding large functions, i.e. sporting events on the TV they are always there tending to our needs.
The range of beers and wines are very good, however the bitter sometimes needs a little more care!!!
Food is very good — Especially the mixed meat platters mmmmmm
I will and have recommended this Bar to all my friends both around work and at home.

The Distillers Smithfield is one of the many local pubs/​bars around my office, but is always my first choice when it comes to a drink or two after work.
Its a very grand and beautiful old building, but at the same time is very cosy. They have a good selection of beers, wines and cocktails and the food is also pretty good (The party platters are my favourite).
The staff are all lovely and although they often have private parties, they never forget their regulars.
Definitely worth a visit or two!

On both occasions that I’ve visited the Distillers, it has been for a private party. They certainly seem market themselves for those wanting to hire out part or all of the venue, rather than for passing trade.
Anyway, the venue is quite ornate and rather pleasing on the eye. The staff are friendly and attentive, and the food (‘finger food’ on the occasions that I’ve visited) is well executed.
Unfortunately, on both visits I have found the beer to be very poorly kept indeed. The three real ales on pump were murky and insipid, and really didn’t taste as they should. Half of the draught lagers were off. Even the Murphys managed to taste ropey, somehow. Beer-​drinkers (such as myself) would be better advised to try out any of the other pubs in the area.
Update: June 2011…
My my. How odd. Since I left my mildly disparaging review of this pub, there has been a slew of glowing 5-​star reviews, largely at odds with my experience.
And here’s another thing, all of these new glowing reviews seem to have been left by people who have reviewed nothing else on Qype. It’s almost as if they loved this pub so much that they just had to register with Qype solely to share their love for this place.
And isn’t it odd that they seem to know so much about how the pub is run? I wonder what that could possibly mean…