The Seven Stars – Quite Possibly London’s Quirkiest Pub

Located just behind the Royal Courts of Justice in the borough of Westminster (the border to the City runs through Chancery Lane, a stone’s throw away), this tiny little pub, which was built in 1602 as an alehouse, is famous for the case closing celebrations of barristers. However, it’s by no means solely frequented by lawyers and sees its fair share of builders, bankers, office clerks, local residents, and students from nearby King’s College and the London School of Economics, two of the best universities of the country.

  

It’s crammed with people nearly all day every day. We usually just stop by for a quick pint after work. Today was the first time we actually found a table and stayed for a meal. My wife (Ms B) ordered roast chicken and mash (£12), I went for the lamb burger (£12).

The menu is a mix of English, Italian and Middle Eastern, with a lot of lamb. Neither my wife nor I are big on lamb, but this lamb burger was juicy deliciousness. I had had a late lunch and wasn’t able to finish the whole meal, because it was so large (it being large being a very good thing in our book), even though it didn’t come with fries. The roast chicken with mash was also very tasty.

However, you don’t really come to the Seven Stars for the food, it’s the marvellous quirky atmosphere, the crowd, the history, the vibe, and the friendly, relaxed service. A lot of people used to come for the cat, too, we presume. It was a common sight around the pub and definitely the opposite of shy. It enjoyed the attention it was getting (even though it clearly tried hard not to show it) and if anything, you had to be careful, not to accidentally step on it. Today we didn’t see much of it and we hear it’s now taking it easy and sleeping a lot.

We like the fact that the lack of space more or less forces you to interact with fellow guests. It’s also located in a lovely part of town. We would rate our experience tonight 4.5 out of 5 and will make sure to be back regularly.

Looking for more restaurant reviews? Check out our posts about Benares, Pachamama, and Aquavit.

Looking for adventure? Check out our posts about skydiving, our rides on a helicopter, a jetski, two very fast rubber boats (on the Thames and near the North Pole), an amphibian Vietnam War vehicle, a hot air balloon, and a jetlev.

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4 Comments

  1. Mr B,

    Love the Severn Stars. We’ve been in a few times; last time was in January, Friday, late lunch. Like you loved the food, but we love the atmosphere, and a touch of eavesdropping if it’s a little quiet. We had the benefit of three men of law seated at the bar, great conversation to listen in too. It’s also a brilliant little bit of London to discover.

    Thanks for sharing & happy travels.

    Gary

    1. Thanks for your comment, Gary. Yes, overhearing conversations is definitely one of the things to do there. I’m often surprised how openly these men of law talk in public, and they sure as hell work some interesting cases.. We enjoy reading your blog, by the way. Great work, there.

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