Smithy’s

Visited for the last time Friday 5^th February 2015. It is due to shut down and have offices replace it.
Here is a short poem.
Goodby Smithy’s
So Smithy’s you are going to close
To be replaced by an office block
Many small businesses are shutting down
So it don’t come as a shock
So goodbye to a successful bar
And hello to offices instead
When the workers leave on Friday night
This area will be dead
Why would tourists want to come here
To an area of office blocks
With empty windows and lights turned out
And all their doors locked
Sorry Smithy’s I haven’t been
As often as I could
I will miss your uneven cobbled floor
And the abundant dark stained wood.

I love Smithy’s! One of my favorite wine bars in London. The interior is very cozy — I think it may be a converted chapel or something, judging by the exposed rafters? Not sure. They have a nice selection of wines and beers.
It gets busy around 7 PM with the after-​work crowd. Never too busy that it feels claustrophobic or anything — people seem happy to spill out onto the street. However, it does close pretty early, so don’t plan your whole night around Smithy’s!

I recently came here with a friend who found a free meal on the City Hawk app. The location is hard to find, but its cool because its like a secret pub off the beaten path in King’s Cross. I really like the interior.
Our waiter had NO CLUE about anything. It was his first day, bless him, but it was like he literally walked in off the street. He didn’t know anything about any of the dishes on the menu.
I had the asparagus and kale soup and the burger. Wasn’t overly impressed with the soup, it was a bit bland. I asked the more knowledgable server what specifically came on the burger, to which I was told what the menu says, «tomato relish, lettuce and tomato» which it did come with. It also came with mayo which is what the menu and the server never said. Why is mayo never listed on menus but included with everything?! I cannot stand mayonnaise (I know so many others who hate mayo too), which is why I asked in the first place. Apart from the mayo, the burger was okay not great, as I think they could put better toppings or at least let you choose. I really felt the relish was boring. Tip: Order the hand cut chips, not the French fries. The French fries are processed, the chips are homemade the way my mom makes them. :) My friend ordered the fishcake, which she enjoyed but found a bone in. Overall, we enjoyed the food.
During our meal, we got caught umbrellaless in a torrential downpour of rain, so we ordered tea to wait it out. Our tea came so much later after ordering. I didn’t understand why I was seeing buckets being carried through the restaurant. The tea ended up being complimentary, because the kitchen flooded during the rain.
I think overall our experience wasn’t great or outstanding, it was a solid ‘good’, which is what I equate to three stars.

My favorite place for solid pub food. I’ve had their salmon, their chocolate cake, and their fish & chips: all delicious. The place itself is beautiful (think classy pub) and there’s a really nice mix of people here!

Smithy’s offers a lovely space and staff who are both reasonably attentive and pleasant. Why only three stars then? Well, the food was well presented, but I thought it was a wee bit bland. It didn’t strike me as being as excellent as the surroundings.
All in all, Smithy’s was a pleasant surprise.

A quick update…
I had a delicious game burger from the a la carte menu the other day. It’s not cheap, about £16, but it was great.
And recently from the £8 lunch menu I had a chicken ciabatta sarnie and chips which was fine. I think the sausage and mash is the best thing on that menu though.
It’s still a really nice place, with a cellar feel to it, in an interesting part of town. Great for a quick lunch and the lunch menu is good value

This is a great place in Kings X to share some drinks with friends. The atmosphere is by far my favorite in an area where it’s tough to find a nice place to hang out. It’s off of the main streets so it is never massively crowded and the beer/​wine selection is good. There are also bar snacks, which gets more points with me than it probably should.
I’ve never tried the food, but everything is clean and nice here so wouldn’t hesitate to!

Quite a nice place, however service has lots of room to improve.

We visited this bar as we believed judging by the website it was more of a gastropub. It in reality is more of a pub that serves good food. The décor is minimal, inside it feels like an old industrial unit with exposed brick and iron beams and rough uneven cobbled floor.
The service is good, very friendly. Food is nice and full of taste but not refined in terms of presentation however there are some nice wines on offer.
The location is 5 minutes from kings cross station so very easy to find and feels miles away from any hustle and bustle so well worth seeking out as the atmosphere and welcome is very good.

It was my last day in London before returning to Chicago, and I had eaten just about enough chips and sausages to feed a small herd of cattle. I’d had enough.
Walking down the street, I hap’d upon this lovely little place that boasted a pasta special on the sign. I was immediately sold.
Great atmosphere, good pints, and the pasta (a ravioli dish) was a welcome treat for this American’s palate.
Will definitely return when I’m back in London!

Kings Cross. Hub of tube connections. Full of young creative types. Ridiculously small number of decent bars. Thank Unilocal for Smithys.
Ye Olde vibe, great red wines, hidden away from the hustle and bustle. In one word: lovely.
Having gone for after work drinks with my ex-​bosses, I’m very lucky to say that I rarely bought a round here. It was only when I went back to my old drinking haunt that I realised why the red wine was so great — it was bloody expensive.
Full of suit-​y types, it’s perfect for after work drinks/​tipsy drink-​fuelled meetings. It’s filled with office banter and water-​cooler conversation, so I wouldn’t neccessarily go with friends.
Just a saunter down Leeke Street will make you forget that you’re in the arse end of Kings Cross.

This is a fantastic place to have lunch if you are in the area. I love the atmosphere — open, industrial feel with exposed brick walls. The sandwiches are tasty and I’m a fan of the fat chips for sure. For £16, I indulged in a steak sandwich, chips and some wine and was quite satisfied. A fun place to catch up with a group as well.

I need to summarise, in case you’re skimming this:
++ Food fantastic for price
++ Atmosphere, one of the best pubs in London (cobble stones!)
++ Location — right near Kings X, central and hidden away (in a great way)
– The staff are SHOCKING.
Went there for the fourth time tonight, so this is not just a one-​off bad night. Twice I’ve refused to pay service as it has been so bad, and tonight, despite paying it, it was not deserved. I know, I know… why go back?!! Well the reasons stated above — it is one of a kind in this area which is a wasteland of ankle tapping wheelie bags and kebab shops.
But, I think tonight was my last. Three conversations to get a mineral water and lime right, two rebuttals to change it, and just a general lack of any «service» from all the staff. This problem is beyond just the odd «new» team member… the apathy reeks.
Bye Smithy’s — it was SO lovely to have visited your chunky wooden tables and walked the cobblestones, but alas your people let you down.

I found this place when a friend who was visiting from Canada and I were investigating the area he was staying in and using Qype to find somewhere to drink.
The day we visited this oddly cobbled bar we were playing tourist so we arrived around 5pm and I had a lovely glas of wine and he had some form of beer which he said he liked :-)
We left before the big crowds and didn’t eat but it looks like had we eaten here instead we could have gotten a great meal.

I’ve been meaning to check out Smithy’s for ages since I work just up the road. The recent acquistion of a Taste London card and the urgent requirement for post-​work food and wine combined to make Smithy’s the perfect destination this very evening.
Smithy’s is a converted stable, and loads of the original features are still there, right down to the cobbles on the floor (warning: don’t wear silly shoes as this could prove to be embarrassing). The atmosphere was really nice and the service was sweet and charming.
The Taste London deal meant we got 50% off our food. If that hadn’t been the case I’d add an extra notch to the price level of this review, as without the discount main courses range from £13 — £20.
I had the lamb steak, which was cooked perfectly and was very tasty. My dining companions also very muched enjoyed their poached salmon and coq au vin dishes.
Highly recommended for any occasion… but worth having a look online for any special offers before booking.

i love the «secret» unassuming location of this pub. my work mates pointed me towards it for a late night nosh. we had just had a few pints at camino’s and rolled over to smithy’s. my coworker told me how it used to be a real stable for horses. i liked the original details, but it didn’t make me feel like i was eating in a stall.
i had the roast pork loin medallions, which was moist due to the lovely apple cider sauce. i was a little disappointed with the chocolate cake that was mediocre. more brownie density, than cake like.
i would still be back for eats and drinks. love the atmosphere too. hee haw!

Good, quiet, hidden away place that is great to hire for a birthday.
Nice ales on, although it has since been usurped as my favourite place to drink around King’s Cross over the last year.
Great place get some space for a chatter and natter with friends you haven’t seen for a while without being completely drowned out by ‘background’ music.
Bar staff were wonderfully helpful when I was there, giving me an impromptu ice pack when I decided to add some colour to the proceedings with a spontaneous nosebleed.

First of all, I went here for a school event which was a completely new experience (this is not something that happens in the states) that put me in a good mood for the night…
The space was great for an event. The room where you walk in has the bar and some booths. Then the back room was filled with tables and the dj who had great mixes of oldies and hits. The bar has a very large and impressive menu of beers and drinks.
My biggest complaint however was that for mixed drinks they charged by the shot. I ordered a cranberry vodka, but did not know how many shots to order or how many would put my drink over the edge/​me on the floor. My friends and I pretty much figured out there was nothing to their measuring system though. We each ordered three shots of vodka and ended up with completely different drinks! However, if you stick to the beer, wine, and cocktail list you’ll be fine!

I don’t find myself in King’s Cross very often — there’s not really very much here, is there?
But, this is a cracking little bar. Tucked away, all secret and special. It was pouring with rain when I was here last week so I think that made us much more grateful to finally arrive, and we probably stayed a little bit longer until it had laid off a little bit.
The design of the place is stunning. A really lovely building. Lots of little cubby holes but with great big tables. Boys would like it here. Toilets are alright too.
Long enough to ‘sample’ two bottles of wine. And then another couple of glasses. Unfortunately the wine we thought was the house wine was £6 a glass which came as a bit of a shock. They’ve got cheaper options though. Still, great night was had by all and be the time we left, the rain had indeed stopped.
Nice place. It might not replace my ‘northern line compromise’ of Angel (I live in South East London so any further up the northern line gives me a bit of a long journey home) but I’d pop back again if I was in the area.

Smithy’s is absolutely great on Sundays, when they get out all the board games and you’ve got the Sunday papers free, sit there doing the crossword and drinking that expensive wheat beer in fancy glasses they do. Lots of lovely soft sofa style chairs to sit on. It’s not so good for food, bit expensive if you ask me, and not good quality. But the beer is great. The Doom Bar bitter is good value, and tasty.
Evenings it can get very crowded, and then it’s horrible, being a little too small to accommodate the office workers who flock here. Try Camino’s if you want somewhere quieter to eat.

This is one of those hard-​to-​find, best-​kept London secrets typle places, which you can impress your friends by taking them to.
Nice décor, good food and drink on offer and in short, a perfect place for a blether with your most lovely companions.