We are staying here at the counting house, but this review is about our dinner. We had dinner at the counting house for the last night of our London leg of our trip. I just have to say in general, everyone at this hotel and pub are just extraordinarily friendly and helpful. I'm not that familiar with pub culture and apparently the way it works is that you have to go up to the bar to order your food. I asked the hostess about it and she said that if we want a waitress there is an added service charge. We were on three walking tours that day and we're exhausted so I didn't care about paying the service charge. We started off with Yorkshire, puddings and gravy. I'm from the US. I don't usually get to have a Yorkshire pudding so I wanted to try it. It's kind of like a popover with gravy. The Yorkshire pudding was okay but the gravy was delicious. I saved the gravy and used it for the next part of my meal. We both had fish and chips. Unlike the US when I ask for malt vinegar, they know what it was and had it right away. I can't tell you how often in the US I'm giving red vinegar. The the fish and chips were spectacular. The fish was crispy even after sprinkling on the vinegar. The fries were very nice. Not as good as blacklock but very nice. And I am fry snob. My wife ordered sticky toffee pudding for dessert. I couldn't even finish my fries, so I passed. Overall a very nice meal and perfect for us as we were exhausted from walking all day and only had to go upstairs to our room afterwards. read more

The Counting House - Fish and Chips - Awesome. About 1/2 eaten. - British Near Me - London, XGL

Beautiful pub. Great Service and innovative, varied menu suited for all dietary requirements. Have been here a few times and always enjoy the food. Its definitely worth making a reservation in advance as space upstairs for tables of more than 2 is limited. There is space downstairs but without table service and often has 4 tops taken by smaller parties. read more

The Counting House - British Near Me - London, XGL

We have stayed here several times and while there are sometimes some small negative points, we have always found it to be an excellent hotel and pub. The main pub/restaurant area is grand, and outstanding renovation of an old banking house. Rooms are mostly modern but very nice, with excellent touches and details, including great shower facilities, night lights near the floor in the bathroom, nice decor, plenty of outlets ans USB ports, nice lighting, etc. One room we stayed in had an original old firecplace sitll intact adding some character. They are always clean and in excellent condition. Overall, hotel staff are excellent, helpful, and friendly. It is a Fuller's hotel and pub so the pub focuses on Fuller's beers, including outstanding cask ales. They have seasonal ones but only once, in December, did they actually have the outstanding ESB,one of Fuller's most iconic beers. Food at breakfast is excellent, although sometimes some my wife's order tends to get mixed up. Food otherwise is consistently good as at Fuller's pubs in general. I have been a little less pleased with the condition of the cask ale here than at other Fuller's pubs, however: in summer it tends to be a touch too warm and in winter a touch too cold, so I think that they are less careful about maintaining a proper cellar temperature than it other Fuller's pubs I have been to. The location on Cornhill in The City has some great points. It is usually quiet in the evening and especially weekends, and it is a close walk to both several important sites, as well as key tube stations. One negative, though, is that almost everything in the area tends to shut down early and also be closed on the weekends because this is primarily a financial and business area. However, places to go are not really all that far away especially by tube. Somehow, despite having stayed here several times, I never managed to get a picture of our rooms, only the front and the pub/restaurant area. read more

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Very beautiful restored old pub in the City with excellent bar food at reasonable prices on the ground floor and a restaurant upstairs. Highly recommend! read more

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this is definitely a very nice find! It's got lots of Space inside. When we went, there was a way to book a meal at a fancy restaurant upstairs attached to their hotel. However, that restaurant was closed so we ended up eating down at the bar. It was festive during Christmas. There's plenty of places to sit with different types of seating. Obviously it's a bar so it's great for groups but it's also a cute place for dates. They have lots of beer on tap and plenty of food options quite honestly, including pies. They were out of some things, but overall the menu was extensive. It was very fun place and very clean. Lots of people came there after work to grab drinks and it didn't seem super touristy either. Overall, it was good! I would say the food was average, but the service was great and the ambience was amazing. read more

The Counting House - dessert - British Near Me - London, XGL

We were touring London and wanted good fish and chips after shopping at LV. Just around the corner and Saw this nice restaurant/ bar. It was already past lunch hours and we had 8 people. The manager was very nice, told us the kitchen just closed but the chef decided to make fish and chips for us. Even set us in a private room. Great fish and beer. Really appreciated what the manager and chef did for us. read more

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We had the sampler and the fish and chips and it was ELITE. Super great food and was my first time eating pies and I'm very happy it was here read more

The Counting House - Fish and chips and sampler - British Near Me - London, XGL

This was an absolute gem of a find. Can't believe this place was so quiet during out visit but then again with the pandemic an all, we are living in different times. Anyway, wanted to share what a great pub this is . As you know paper notes are out and we were at the Bank of England to exchange them when we decided to find a place to have lunch. Only 5 minutes from the bank, we came across Counting House. From the outside, it had a very low profile exterior and you can easily miss it walking past. But as you enter, you are transported to the glamour of the olden days. With its rich beautiful wooden staircase on the left, which takes you upstairs to the dining area. At the center focal point is a huge oval bar, under a decadent chandelier. We were welcomed with smiles as we walked upstairs. The ambience and decor was that of fine dining. With white table clothes, and fresh flowers on each table. The waitress was very friendly and even chatted with us during our meal. The food came piping hot, as if fresh from the oven. We ordered the tasting board and this was great for sharing as it came with 3 award winning pies with a choice chips (fries) or mash potatoes and also 3 award winning ales plus two sauces for only 20 pounds. The pies were all deliciously prepared, flavorful and just as I imagined. We also ordered the wild boar scotch egg and let me tell ya, the yolk was still runny in a rich orange color, a feast for the eyes. Overall, this is one of my top picks for authentic and traditional tasting pies. They even have afternoon tea and other scrumptious food on the menu which I have yet to try and definitely on my next visit. Pubs have been around for donkey years and each pup has its own rich history. I wish there were some preface on the history of this pub on the menu, as I'm sure it had an interesting past. Do yourself a favor and put this on your list of must visit pubs. Great ambience and beautiful decor, welcoming service, reasonably priced and delicious food, what's not to love about this gorgeous pub. read more

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Great classic pub ambience, with a bit of historic flair. Balcony overlooks bar, so either in the action or observing from above. We came for a classic fish and chips and a beer and Counting House delivered on all fronts. Beautiful crisp piece of fish - a whole filet proudly arrayed on the plate, crisp chips, and some nice minty peas. Great dinner, swift service, and of course a nice Guinness to top it off. Highly recommend. read more

Great drinks, great service! The ambiance is worth the visit! It just looks magical when you walk in! The food is outstanding! I'd you're in the area, drop in! Worth it! read more

Tried steak and ale pie and the duck and cranberry pie. Both were amazing. The 1845 strong ale hit the spot. Really cool ambiance. The staff was great. read more

The Counting House is a Fuller's pub and 4 star London boutique hotel with only a handful of rooms. The rooms were spacious, beautiful, clean, and quiet. The staff was incredibly friendly. The breakfast in the morning is an add on must. The smoked salmon and eggs every morning was something I looked forward too. The price per night was exceptionally reasonable for London. They offered complimentary in-room cider, sparkling water, and beer every day. They also had a Nespresso machine. The hotel was centrally located and within walking distance of local tube stations and buses. The pub on the ground floor is exceptionally stunning. It once was a bank that they converted. The wood paneling is warm and inviting. Their food was actually good. They had a fish dish that melted in my mouth. I never did get a chance to sample the Fuller beer. read more

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Had a great late lunch/early supper here after wandering the City on a weekday. Shockingly enough, it wasn't utterly packed with City suits even though we were there right at post-work-drinks time - possibly because it's so giant? The space is absolutely beautiful, with a domed glass ceiling and lots of gilt everywhere. Lots of beers on tap and a standard British pub food menu. The food was quite tasty, however - we had the fish & chips and a beef pie and they were both sizable and delightful. Prices were a bit on the high side for a pub, but standard for London, and the service was quite a bit friendlier and more attentive than most London pubs. A great meal in a gorgeous setting! read more

The Counting House - Pie and fish & chips. Tasty! - British Near Me - London, XGL

Awesome pub! My wife and I were visiting from New York, and are admittedly not the curators of London cuisine, but we had some great food and a great time! This place was awesome. Maybe our favorite pub while in London. It's situated in a business/financial/commerce area and is the site of where the money used to be counted for the stock exchange (thus, the Counting House!). Service was quick and friendly, the prices were average, but we felt the end justified the means. In terms of ambiance, we just loved this place. It has this awesome glass dome up top, a wraparound lofted second floor, and a huge island bar in the middle of the ground floor. We had a great time and everything tasted wonderful. Notes for outsiders (like us!): There is traditionally no wait service at pubs in London (probably everywhere in the UK? I can only speak to London) but there are SOME areas with wait service at this pub. Otherwise, you order and pay at the bar and the food is brought to your table. The ordering and paying also takes place at the same time. Additionally, tipping is a whole different ball game here. What most of the locals and others explained is that tip is not expected but is appreciated and you typically just round off your bill with the tip. For example, if you bill is 27.50 pounds, you can be nice and just give them 30 and call it even. Maybe we're wrong, but that's what everyone seemed to be doing. Now, a vast number of the pubs in London are "Fuller's" pubs. I never really understood this entirely, but it basically means that the menu and beers are extremely similar everywhere you go with slight deviations (a different pie here, a different beer there) but we were a little confused when so many of the pubs (despite having different names) were nigh carbon copies of each other as far as the menu went. We didn't complain, because it was all great and we were having great experiences, but that was definitely noteworthy. read more

The Counting House - We had to try fish and chips from it's homeland at least once! - British Near Me - London, XGL

Food is excellent. Decor is fantastic. Air conditioning is cold. Can charge phone at the table. There should be a line to get in.

The building is amazing. It has tall ceilings and has a really classic feel to it. The beers on tap is plentiful with nothing to complain about there. The food is really delicious. The pie I had was the size of half the plate and the pastry was light and fluffy. I would go back to eat that pie again...mmm pie. I would even go as far to say that the meals there are north american portion sizes. Only downside for me is that it can get really packed and the people who pack that place aren't the friendliest (egotistical ppl who think they run dem tings) so you encounter a bit of attitude. Highly recommended that you make a reservation for a table there if you plan to eat read more

The Counting House - Decent portion sizes! - British Near Me - London, XGL

In town and roaming around we stumbled upon this spot and decided to have lunch. We prefer to sit and eat at the bar, but as we know, not so much in London. None the less, we had a perfect experience. Ordered a round of drinks and lunch at the bar and took a seat in the main hall area around the bar and took in all the building had to offer. The food was really good, (meat pie and fish and chips), drinks were just as good, beer really, and service was just fine -- since you really order and give them your table number. Really good time. Apparently the hotel is suppose to be something else as well, but we obviously did not experience that with our lunch. lol Great spot, will definitely return when we are back to visit. read more

This is without doubt one of the most beautiful places you are ever going to find yourself able to get pissed in. The Counting House, as the title suggests, is a rennovated bank located...in Bank. The high-vaulted sealings, incredible period features and wood-panneled island bar are just some of the visual delights on offer. Due to its location The Counting House is generally populated by local City workers who come here at lunchtime or after a days toil. As such there is a bit of ego floating about the room but thankfully the size of the venue is able to contain it without serious disturbance or annoyance. For a more relaxing time come on the weekend when it's pretty much dead. read more

The Counting House - British Near Me - London, XGL

This huge, impressive and awesome (in the literal sense of the world) pub is incredibly popular with City workers, and those that chance upon Cornhill whilst exploring the City. And it's not difficult to see why. There is masses of seating, both on the lower level and mezzanine. The highlight of the pub is the stunning glass dome in the ceiling that casts an omnipotent light over proceedings. They serve a wonderful selection of British pub grubs; their vast choice of pies are legendary, served swimming in gravy with mash and veg. This is hearty grub, done well. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area. read more

The Counting House - British Near Me - London, XGL

Great evening meal! Wonderful service by several polite staff. A bit loud in the main bar area but was cozy in one of the dinning rooms. The wife and I had a nice red pepper hummus to start. I ordered the Steak & London Pride pie, which was delicious with the gravy-sauce. She had the Rigatoni Pasta, which she enjoyed but seemed to miss something to make the flavors more savory. The wine (her's) and beer (mine) was so good after a long day of travel and sightseeing. Overall, we had a very good dinner and felt we got our money's worth of the experience. Oh, disappointedly, the restaurant's WIFI wouldn't connect with our US phones. read more

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Very nice indeed. I had an hour to kill, so popped in here for a pint of O&L (honest, it really was). A great atmosphere and a lovely old building. The staff were very friendly and the only other punters were a few stragglers from lunchtime/early leavers downing a couple of pints. Compared to some of the zoos around this area, I would thoroughly recommend a visit. read more

The Counting House - British Near Me - London, XGL

Loved this historical hotel! Great location- Breakfast was included with our stay, had comfortable bed, staff was fantastic. Agnus helped us print out luggage tags & assistant helped us with Espresso machine in our room. Pub downstairs was busy every night & for lunch also. Would highly recommend. read more

It is a pub with a great history where the bankers used to count money at the end of the trading day. It has been beautifully converted into a vibrant watering whole in the financial district (a.k.a. the City). Be warned though, it's packed and loud! read more

Quick glance: + fantastic interior decor + cider on tap available + tasty pies + roomy and spacious, great for catch ups - pricey drinks, but no more so than other city bars / pubs A colleague brought me here for lunch once and I was really pleasantly surprised. I have passed by the establisment dozens of time, completely bypassing the unassuming door. The pub, however, was converted from an old bank (Prescott's Bank built in 1893) and the interior is very grand indeed. It is worth going in for a drink just to see what a bank looked like 100 years ago. The pub is now part of Fuller's, but there is nothing "corporate" about the atmosphere. They serve one type of cider on tap, which is hard to find in London! And their pies are simply delicious and come in generous serving - highly recommended. The venue is a lot bigger than it appears on the outside, although it does get very packed at lunch with city bankers. I recently went after work for a drink and had no trouble locating a table and getting serviced. Their tables are well spaced so you don't feel like sardines in a tin. They don't have loud music blaring in the background so it is a great pub if you want to have a nice drink and decent chat. Overall, I highly recommend this place lunch (please try their pies!) or a meet up with friend(s) over drink(s). read more

First dinner here in London . The ale tasting flights with 3 different types of pot pies were interesting but very good . But I wasn't too impressed with the Mac and cheese croquettes. I find them a little too dry . But maybe if I had like a little sauce on the side , like a marinara sauce or sweet and sour sauce , it might have helped . I , also , was not impressed with the Apple crumble. The taste was mediocre , but perhaps , with a better dessert presentation , I may have given it a little bit more review considerations ;) read more

A busy city pub within a really beautiful space. The Counting House makes great use of its namesake bank building. The bar running down the center of the groundfloor is stunning and the upstairs is cozy and a great place to sit and chat with friend while sipping drinks. The nachos are tasty. The drinks aren't the strongest, but pass muster! I've been twice and would be content to go again. read more

Had lunch here as part of a tour group. We sat upstairs, in what felt like more of a living room than anything else. Had the bangers and mash. Excellent spuds but mediocre sausages. Go for the steak pie--it was huge and looked delicious. read more

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I really enjoyed my visit here. Okay, I came late (after 9PM), so the place wasn't as busy as some of the reviews have mentioned, and the bartenders were very friendly and helpful. They even gave me a few tasters of the different Fullers brews (brewed just 8 miles away). I enjoyed the old bank ambience of the 2-story place with lots of tables. Late night people seem to hang and talk about things just like a nice traditional pub. All and all a good place with locally brewed fresh brews... I will definitely come back when visiting the City. read more

A solid 4 stars from me! I was really really impressed. A belter of a city pub. The interiors and the design of the place is incredible - something interesting everywhere you look and the ceiling is something to behold. You could be supping your pint somwhere much dingier in the City, that's for sure. It's a Fullers pub, and smack in the middle of where the wealthiest people in the country go to work, so the drinks aren't exactly cheap! That said, it's not crazy extortionate. It loses a star for the Hooray Henrys you're forced to squeeze in with and the slightly shirty bar staff. Ideal location to meet for a chat over a few pints - and to wow those who haven't been here before. Go on, impress someone. read more

An award winning restoration of an old city banking hall, thoroughly impressive architecturally and Fullers beer on tap. Join the bustle in the bar, watch it all from the quieter gallery above or mooch off to one of the rooms at the back for a more relaxed chat. This place is very reminiscent of the Old Bank of England on Fleet Street, they are both Peter Greenaway movie set beautiful. read more

Pretty generic pub in a really nice building. It's 2-stories and the second floor is terraced so it has a really high ceiling. Glass dome on the top and just really nice decor generally. The bar itself is beautiful and really long but with a fairly standard drinks selection and price. We were fortunate enough to grab a low table and some armchairs near the exit to the smoking corner but the main area (at 5 30 on a Friday admittedly) was absolutely rammed and almost exclusively with guys in suits. read more

Ambience: five (5) stars - classy old world pub style Service: five (5) stars - professional, friendly and accommodating Food: five (5) stars. In our group we tried "Steak & London Pride", Spicy Chicken Madras" and "Posh Stargazy" (seafood). All were outstanding. The brown gravy that accompanies the pies is absolutely delicious (secret: lots of butter (according to the chef; we asked). Overall: Five (5) stars!!! read more

The Counting House - British Near Me - London, XGL

Seeing all the good reviews about food in this place, I got the feeling I need to come back ;) On my side, I can say this pub is great for after-work drinks, as it's huge ! However, with such a big counter, I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw so few bartenders, and I had to wait for 10 minutes to get my order, which is slightly too long... read more

It doesn't get more British than this! The Counting House is formerly a bank where they would "count the money" from the nearby London Stock Exchange. We had lunch there on a weekday and the place was packed with local businessmen. Traditional pub food at reasonable prices. We encountered the biggest "chip" on our trip, here. Large pub with plenty of seating both upstairs and down. The ceiling and interior is amazing. Great fun! read more

The Counting House - Quiche with chips for lunch - British Near Me - London, XGL

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I will start this review by saying neither I nor my friend had the the pies which this place is best known for. The main reason for this is that the pies on the menu didn't sound that appetizing to me, I would have liked some more choice. I will say they did look good as they went out to the tables around us however. Another thing that impressed was the decor in there, its definitely a tourist pleaser. After struggling to get the attention of the wait staff, despite the place being almost empty, we both chose to have the duck salad. It was quite good although I would have liked some more plum dressing and the duck could have been crispier. I would go back and try their pies but I'm in no hurry - there are many other great pubs and restaurants in the area that I would choose over this. read more

Terrific interior! After a long day of making heaps of cash, bankers and their colleagues converge upon Counting House in the evenings to throw back a pint or five. When I was invited to pop in for a drink, I didn't think I would feel comfortable since the entire place was populated by suit-wearing bankers... but it was actually a pretty chill experience. The interior really deserves a look. The only downside, in my opinion, is that by like 10pm, perhaps 1030, the manager was running around asking people to leave and go to another pub. Why does this place close so early when they have so many people who clearly just want to stay and get drunk in their bar? read more

I really like this pub. It's one of my favourites in the area. It's big, so it's not too full of suits. The bar is lovely, the staff friendly(ish) and the beer not too expensive. The building is so beautiful (it's the old banking hall), the giant glass dome is just gorgeous. If you're looking for an old pub, that's got enough room to breathe but still has character, this is where you should come. You'll drink too much real ale, get some decent food in you and leave happy. Don't need much more from a pub, do you? read more

Went here on Wednesday night as I thought they would have the football on. They didn't, apparently they don't have sky any more as its too expensive. Was tempted to give them one less star as a result of this but we were able to watch it on Chewy's phone so I let them off. There is a wide range of ale (Honeydew was my favourite), a good outdoor smoking area, and the general ambience was favourable. Have eaten bar snacks (meat platter) here before, very tasty, so all round a good pub. The building is pretty cool, as noted by other reviewers, but this is not of major importance to a pub in my view read more

We found this place on Yelp. Thanks Yelp Community! I am probably the only person in the UK that doesn't like beer. I ordered a gin and tonic and I would suggest following the waiter's suggestion and get a double. The drinks are *NOT* strong...a single seemed like less than the standard 1 1/2 oz and the tonic is in it's own bottle (which you will pay for separately from the gin). I did enjoy the drink though. The place is very big and has lots of ambiance. Staff are very friendly there. The fish and chips we ordered was very good. read more

I needed steak pie and mash for my London experience and we stopped in a bit late perhaps. What do you say about a place that's done it the same way (well) for decades? I enjoyed the interior atmosphere and history...a beer served quickly is all it takes, and they got that. read more