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VERSION:2.1
N:The Bear
FN:The Bear
TEL;WORK;VOICE:020 7608 2117
ADR;WORK:;;2 St John's Square;EC1M 4DE
URL:
NOTE:St Johns Square is a quiet enclave off busy Clerkenwell Road. A castellated gatehouse spans the south side of the square and houses the Museum of the Order of St John. Restored period properties look in from the eastern side of the square, while the western side is dominated by the pub. The Bear is housed within a brick and glass box and sticks out like a sore thumb. Tables spill out onto the square in a continental fashion but fail to recreate the ambiance of an Italian piazza because a) Half the square is being dug up and b) a gigantic and entirely unnecessary 4x4 vehicle is parked outside. When not parked one imagines its owner taking it for an off road spin on Clerkenwell Green. A team of interior designers have been let loose on the pub itself: enormous brightly coloured lanterns hang from the ceiling like a pair of swollen testicles, retro 1970s purple curtains and psychedelic patterns abound. There are pointless murals on opposing walls in the upstairs bar. One resembles an Eastern Bloc watchtower and the other looks like a radio transmitter. Are we supposed to think this is cool? Oh and there is a large American style pool table. The main attraction of this place is its gorgeous Eastern European bar staff, but they are merely part of a grand plan to lure unsuspecting young men into the establishment. Like moths to a naked flame they are doomed to pay over the odds for crap beer (only Carlsberg, Stella and Guinness were on tap) and be served food portions designed for anorexic ants. The lack of a TV screen on a night when England were playing an important World Cup qualifier against Poland was another disappointment. Rubbish.
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