McGlynn's, 1-5 Whidborne St, Kings Cross

McGlynn's, 1-5 Whidborne St, Kings Cross, WC1H 8ET

McGlynn’s, 1-5 Whidborne St, Kings Cross, London, WC1H 8ET – Kings Cross Set back in the little warren of streets just south of St Pancras station, McGlynn’s should always have attracted me but, during the era of fake Irish pubs, the name rather put me off. Now that chain Irish pubs have gone the way of MPs claiming expenses for duck islands, it’s time to survey the wreckage. McGlynn’s always looked small from the outside, although it in fact is rather cavernous within, even boasting some kind of dining room at the far side of the bar. In terms of presentation it’s no great shakes, but neither is there any ill-advised sentimentality or trip down fake-memory lane; this not being an Irish pub with added designer Irishness, but a proper pub owned and run by an Irish landlord. There’s a couple of real ales, all the other standard booze, a big screen for the football and that’s pretty much yer lot – just like the regulars want it. Cheerful and straightforward, it makes for a good option should the Lord John Russell be far too crowded. McGlynn’s has survived the Irish chain pub purge, and rightfully so.

Reviewed by Fred Flange, June 2009

Telephone: 020 7916 9816

Nearby pubs: The Big Chill House, 257-259 Pentonville Road (300 metres), The Boot, 116 Cromer Street (110 metres), The Norfolk Arms, 28 Leigh St (240 metres), The Lucas Arms, 245a Gray's Inn Rd (250 metres), The Dolphin, 47 Tonbridge St (100 metres), The Harrison, 28 Harrison Street (250 metres)

Nearest station: Kings Cross St. Pancras, Zone 1 (210 metres)