Picture of Somers Town Coffee House, NW1 1HS

Historical version 12 of Somers Town Coffee House, NW1 1HS (view current version)

  • 60 Chalton Street

The Somers Town Coffee House was a gastropub serving French food near Euston Station. It has now closed; as of October 2011 it was shut and there was a sign up saying it had been sold.

The information below is retained for people who want to know what it used to be like.

A gastropub serving French food near Euston Station.

Although the name harks back to the history of many central London drinking places, this is very much a gastropub, and one that offers a selection of French food and wines. And while the neighbourhood itself may remain largely unreconstructed, this establishment is looking firmly towards the businesses along the Euston Road and to its nearby neighbour St Pancras International Station, which thanks to its Eurostar services, already has something of a French theme to it.

The decor is dominated by the luxurious wood panelling that stretches most of the way up all the walls, with complementary furniture, and an attractively restored island bar (toilets can be found down a corridor behind it). There are plenty of tables on both sides of the bar, although one side is laid for service as a dining room. A rather odd area of raised banquette seating can be found behind the bar, with high tables to match. Out the back is a leafy beer garden, and more tables are laid out in front of the pub.

There are four handpulls for ale at the bar, with Wells Bombardier and Eagle IPA (£1.49/half and well-kept), Young's Special, and Courage Directors on tap as of a June 2009 visit. They also have a range of draught lagers, including Kirin and Erdinger, but the focus is unsurprisingly on the French wine list, which is chalked up on either side of the bar, and in some leather-bound wine menus on the bar itself. Half-pints of the ale are served in attractive chunky tumblers, which is a nice touch. In June 2010, Kake's pint of lime and soda was a pleasingly non-exorbitant £1.20.

As of June 2009 food is served noon-3:30pm and 6pm-10pm every day, though the bar menu is available all day. The menu is French-influenced, with, at lunchtime, a notably good selection of salads, as well as omelettes and a few light meals (burgers and the like). A chalkboard lists the specials, including a vegetarian main, presumably changing daily. Ewan's small salad (there are two sizes, the smaller £5.50) was the vegetarian version of their house salad photo, featuring fresh leafy greens with avocado, thin slivers of carrot, and small chunks of orange, topped with a restrained hollandaise. It's a fine salad, as far as they go, and a good size. A small bread roll, fresh and light, was brought out right away after ordering.

Sarah adds: On my last trip in August 2010, a waitress came to take our drinks orders as soon as we sat down - my companion and I were slightly non-plussed as we weren't expecting table service. She returned later when we'd decided, and then a third time to take our food order.

Ewan's verdict: For all its pretensions, this is a pleasant pub for either a drink or for food, at not unreasonable prices. It's not too busy on a Tuesday lunchtime, although after work may be more packed with local office workers.

Accessibility: A step up to get in. Can't remember if there were steps to get to the toilets.

See also:

Last visited by Kake, Sarah, bob, and friends, June 2010. Opening hours and food times taken from website, June 2009.
This is version 12 (as of 2011-10-07 18:31:29). View current version. List all versions.