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    Dirty Dicks

    3.7 (59 reviews)
    ModeratePubs
    Closed 10:00 am - 3:00 AM (Next day)

    Dirty Dicks Photos

    DIRTY DICKS ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    DJ
    Live music

    Recommended Reviews - Dirty Dicks

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    200 year old pub at across the street from Liverpool Station. Fun place, nice bartenders. The Steak Pies were excellent! Don't let the 'dive bar' look fool you.

    Matthew U.

    Deciding to discover London on your own means one thing, you have no one to tell you what to do, where to go, and when to do it. Being so, out of all the pubs in London, I chose Dirty Dicks to be my first pub experience. You always remember your first. This was right around where I was staying, so it was actually really convenient. I didn't have to worry about the travel back to my room and if I wanted I could get some food (which I did not). I must of hit this place at the right time, because there were many nights where I would walk by and it would be loaded with people, but not the night I went. I was able to walk in and find a table. I sat down, looked over the list of beverages and made my way to the bar to order a pint. I chose a London Pale Ale. Not too heavy for me, but just enough kick to hit me. When I went to go back to the table I was at, it was taken, bullocks. So I decided to stand at the post that had a shelf around it. I sipped my beer and took in the surroundings. To me it felt like an old time space. Maybe this is what a pub was to look like in olden times, dim lit, nooks and crannies with tables; or maybe the beer was hitting me hard. I started to get a buzz early. I made my way back to the bar to get myself another pint after I finished my first. Between pints the place started to fill up with other patrons and while I was standing at the bar a lively bunch came in. The bartender came over to where I was now joined by this lively group and was about to take their order. But they said for me to go first and I was much obliged. I thanked them and had myself another. I can safely say that two were enough for me that night. After finishing off the second I made my way around the block back to my room and had myself a nice night's sleep. Oh, yeah, I also got a chuckle out of the name of this place like many other's did. One of a kind place to have found.

    Chicken Pot Pie
    Igor Z.

    One of the gems in the city. The food is delicious, the atmosphere is welcoming and staff are friendly. The chicken pot pie is a must to try. Hearty and savory. Overall a great place to sit down and enjoy a pint with some great food.

    Robert H.

    We stopped here for a Sunday lunch on a cold and snowy weekend in January. The restaurant upstairs is very nicely decorated and feels welcoming and cosy. Service is friendly and efficient. Now onto the food! The Sunday lunch is genuinely very good. I had the pork belly and it was cooked perfectly, was flavourful and was just the right portion size. Price wise, it's slightly pricier than I'm used to, although this is probably just London prices and still good value.

    Fish and chips
    Louie-Mae B.

    Have to say a really decent all rounder! The bar staff are all really friendly and efficient which means you never have to wait long for your drinks to be served. The food was served quickly and the prices are very decent considering the location. The standard was good too. There is a follow up with a waiter to make sure all is okay, which for such a busy place that is equally as stand up and drink or sit and eat is quite unusual. The toilets were keep clean and tidy throughout a Saturday evening, which is no mean feat in a central London pub with this much footfall. It's narrow and long, and has nooks and crannies but all in all, always happy to stop in here for a couple of drinks or eat sausage and mash or the fish and chips!

    Chris B.

    So you are faced with a seven hour layover at the Liverpool Street train station, and it is your first time ever in London (or overseas, for that matter). What should be the first thing done? Find the closest pub, of course! We found this place by walking out of the train station, looking straight ahead, and crossing the street. It is that convienent. They were gearing up for their 250 year anniversary when we got there. Let that sink in for a moment, 250 years! The United States as a country isn't even that old! It blew my mind. So they had a 250 year celebatory ale they had specially brewed, and that is what we drank during our time here. They probably had at least 10 beers of tap, making for a good selection, in addition to a fully stocked bar of liquor. To go along with our delicious pub beers, we also decided to try out their food menu. I only went for the soup, knowing I had a full meal to look forward to in a couple of hours. I want to say it was a tomato bisque, which was enjoyable and had subtle differences than what I am used to in the states. Naturally, my lady ordered the fish and chips (we were in a English pub, after all) and her father had a burger. Both were satisfied with their food, and there was actually a small amount of leftovers that we wrapped up and took on the train.

    Dirty Dicks in 1950 with sawdust floor..was like this a long time
    Qype User (Templa…)

    My parents and I often went to Dirty Dicks, after a Sunday stroll, for a quiet drink. It has lost its character now but this is the history. Dirty Dick's was established in 1745 and is steeped in history; it is thought that its namesake was Dicken's inspiration for Miss Haversham. Ironmonger Nathaniel Bentley owned his shop in Leadenhall Street, Bishops Gate. On the eve of his wedding, tragedy struck and his bride to be died. He was so distraught that he locked up the room in which he had prepared the wedding feast, never to enter it again. A broken man, he neither washed or changed his clothes and he had been a dandy. When his cats died he just left them where they fell. The English love an eccentric and his notoriety meant his business flourished. When Nathaniel retired in 1804, the landlord of the Old Port Wine Shop in Bishopsgate bought the contents lock, stock and dead cats where he put them on display at 'Dirty Dick's'. The pub that perpetuates the name and legend was described thus in 1866: A small public house or rather a tap of a wholesale wine and spirit business...a warehouse or barn without floorboards; a low ceiling, with cobwebs festoons dangling from the black rafters; a pewter, bar battered and dirty, floating with beer, numberless gas pipes tied anyhow along the struts and posts to conduct the spirits from the barrels to the taps; sample phials and labelled bottles of wine and spirits on shelves- everything covered with virgin dust and cobwebs. In 1870 the pub was rebuilt from ground level, the wine vaults are part of the original building. The 'dirty' contents were carefully relocated in the new pub. Sadly it was decided in the mid nineteen-eighties that a clean up was in order and the dirty artefacts were cleared away. For years it kept the cobwebs, dead cats and other disgusting things in the cellar bar, but these have now been tidied into a glass display case.spoilt the fun really. Young's cask ales as well as Wells Bombardier and a selection of lagers and speciality beers plus extensive wine list.

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    11 months ago

    friendly people, fantastic service. 10/10! will definitely come back to set the girls night off right.

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    Cool bar. Classic Pub. Legendary pub of Bishopsgate. Plenty of beer choices and pub food.

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    Page 1 of 2

    Review Highlights - Dirty Dicks

    It's situated right on the corner of Bishopsgate and Middlesex Street -- an easy find.

    Mentioned in 6 reviews

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    The Carpenters Arms

    The Carpenters Arms

    4.4(51 reviews)
    0.7 miShoreditch, Bethnal Green
    ££

    Popped in for some food. As a few other have said - it's a…read moregood mix between a more modern food menu and the good/cheap beer and look of an older London pub. I got the bangers and mash while by wife got the cottage pie. I think I got the better meal as the sausages were really tasty and the whole grain mustard in the potatoes was a great way to elevate the potatoes. Her cottage pie was fine but didn't have a ton of flavor. Food came out surprisingly quickly, but we also had an order of chips which was crazy slow to come out of the kitchen. The chips were quite good but we'd both finished our entire meals and most of our beers by the time we got them. Beer options were solid, some good German choices. Beer was cheap too.

    Though it is located just a short walk from the many attractions of Brick Lane, The Carpenters Arms…read moreretains a very local feel. This place is not trying to play up on an image like many of the bars in this areas and sticks instead to the important business of being a damn fine pub. Being quite small there is a naturally cosy feel to the place and this is complimented by the decor wuth lots of wood panelling and comfy seats. The bar has a great selection of draft and bottled beers and, for the summer months, there is an excellent beer garden. I've yet to try the food but they do serve traditional pub grub between 12 and 5 Tuesday through Sunday. With a great atmosphere, warm and friendly bar staff and an excellent range of drinks, The Carpenters Arms is a brilliant place for a relaxing evening or a great stop-in after a hard days shop.

    Photos
    The Carpenters Arms - Outdoor seating / patio

    Outdoor seating / patio

    The Carpenters Arms
    The Carpenters Arms

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    The Birdcage

    The Birdcage

    3.7(35 reviews)
    0.8 miShoreditch, Bethnal Green
    £

    I'm a bit hesitant to write a poor review of this place as the girls here are really hardworking…read moreand as attentive as one can possibly be to hundreds of people in a day. But, the chaos I walked into on a Sunday has ensured that I never walk into a crowded pub like this again. It took almost 15 minutes to flag down one of the servers to ask about getting a table, to which I was told, "If you see a spot, grab it." As soon as I saw a couple get up I threw my stuff down- hoping it wouldn't get stolen- and went to order at the bar. That took another 5 minutes. Given how crowded it was, I ended up having to share my table with 4 other people; which wasn't bad, until I ended up getting my food more than 15 minutes after I'd ordered it, and then realized I was the only one eating at a table full of strangers. The food itself wasn't bad, but for a pub that claims to have the best Sunday Roast in London, it certainly didn't compare to those that don't claim that and are less of a hassle to eat in. And at £17 a pop, you can bet the experience wasn't worth it for some chicken and Yorkshire pudding.

    About a week ago, I made the mistake of ordering some Nachos here. Honestly the saddest plate of…read moreNachos I've ever come across. The best description of it I can make is that it was that someone poured a bag of tortilla chips onto a plate, squeezed some awful American-style runny cheese over it all, then put some ready-made shop-bought guacamole on one end, what looked like ketchup but was salsa on the other end, and then the largest dollop of sour cream (almost tasted like fresh whipped cream somehow) in the middle. There was no attempts to layer anything. It was served on a baking tray which I can't really explain seeing as it was all completely cold. And they cost £12.50 which, tbh, is a disgrace. They were unfortunate to say the least. I should have sent them back but I was so hungry that I tried to make the most of it. Unrelated, but the bar staff were lovely, I'm sorry I had to give a bad review based off the food.

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    The Birdcage
    The Birdcage
    The Birdcage

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    The Salmon and Ball

    The Salmon and Ball

    3.2(17 reviews)
    1.2 miBethnal Green
    £

    This pub is the first place I stumbled into upon arriving in Bethnal Green, instantly outside the…read moreunderground station exit. The place is old and run down, just like almost everywhere in this little pocket of East London, but rather then struggle against this handicap the pub has perservered and shone through as a local boozer where everyone knows one anothers name... and an outsider isn't always welcome. I ignored the alarms going off inside my head as I took my seat, watched beadily by about 10 locals all sitting at the bar swearing at each other. I was in their end now, so I have to be careful... The bartender however could not have been nicer, even when I was just sitting in there to watch the cricket (I came back later for a pint as homage to this good service.) The TV is projected (sports) onto a big screen and Led Zeppelin/David Bowie screams in the background.. awesome. Their are boxing posters all over the wall, looking back to a time when boxing was still a huge part of East End culture. An excellent little boozer.

    So I've stood outside The Salmon & Ball many a time, waiting to meet friends at Bethnal Green…read moreTube Station. Finally, last week, whilst waiting in the arctic London temperatures, I decided it was better for both my body and spirit to wait inside. So into the Salmon & Ball I went. And it was rather pleasant. A traditional East-London boozer with the usual smattering of cool boys and old men that look like they've been glued to their bar stools since the late 60s. Bar staff were really friendly and my pint was ice cold, so no complaints here. A far better alternative than standing on the street!

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    The Salmon and Ball
    The Salmon and Ball
    The Salmon and Ball

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    Dirty Dicks - pubs - Updated May 2026

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