Picture of Parcel Yard, N1C 4AH

Parcel Yard, N1C 4AH

A large Fuller's station pub to the rear of the new concourse at King's Cross Station. It is situated on the upper two levels of one of the original station structures (presumably the former parcel office), between platforms 0-8 on the east and platforms 9-11 on the west, and there are views over both sets of platforms from the pub. This replaces an earlier pub (The Duke of York), which was located on the platform level by platform 8, but closed in 2008 when refurbishment work started.

Being set in an older building, there's been a good use of polished old wood surfaces, panelling and exposed brickwork, with sturdy tables and plants positioned attractively. On the entrance level is a large courtyard reaching up through the centre of the building to the roof, with rooms on either side overlooking the respective sets of platforms. On the east side, is a large and very long room (available for private hire), with lower lighting, while the west side (along which people enter to get to the bar) gets busier quicker with smaller rooms and tables.

There is a second floor (also available for private booking), arranged around the western side of the courtyard, which features tables laid out for dining and which has table service. There is a second bar on this level, directly above the first, offering all the same ales and beers.

At the bar, there are 12 handpulls, featuring almost exclusively Fuller's beers (there was one guest on when Ewan visited a week after opening). The ales included Chiswick (£3.55/pint), Pride, Discovery, ESB, Bengal Lancer, Front Row, HSB, Seafarers, and others, all of which had run out within a few hours of a busy Friday evening service (their first since opening). On a Friday visit a few months later, there were no similar problems with beers running out, though many of our pints were not filled to the top (a problem the pub swiftly apologised for via Twitter and promised to correct). All ales are well-kept. They also have several draught keg beer options, including Fuller's London Porter and Honey Dew, Leffe, Kozel and Meantime London Lager.

Even taking into account its prime location, drinks prices here are very expensive. In April 2014, a pint of Peroni cost £5.19, a small glass of lemonade was £2.50 and the standard ales were all over £4/pint.

This is a pleasant drinking environment on the whole, tables were cleared frequently, and service at the bar was not too slow. The only drawback will be for smokers, who need to leave the pub and then exit the station concourse.

When bob visited on a Thursday morning in September 2019 there were a moderate number of customers but still lots of tables free. The full English breakfast (£11) photo was of a high quality, although I'd have preferred the black pudding to have been a bit crispier. The eggs were very well cooked and nicely seasoned. Orange juice (£3) was fine.

Accessibility: It is reached via stairs to the rear of the station concourse (and there are further stairs to a second level), but there is a lift for accessible access to both levels of the pub photo. There is also an accessible toilet on the level of the bar, and no internal steps.

See also:

Last visited by bob, September 2019. Opening hours taken from Fuller's website, April 2014.
OS X co-ord: 530237 OS Y co-ord: 183196 (Latitude: 51.532660 Longitude: -0.123736)
Last edited 2023-09-05 13:32:44 (version 24; diff). List all versions.