The Lexington

Visiting this pub/venue for a concert upstairs, my companion and I found ourselves with ample time to eat and imbibe a few drinks before the music started.

Upon arrival I found the ground floor bar to be spacious and lively. The boho-Americana decor was definitely not overdone and the tone of the establishment was amusingly jarring in comparison to the largely indie kid clientele that night.

I was most definitely pleasantly surprised to find that I had indeed stumbled into a bourbon bar and had to restrain myself from ordering some of the rarer and more fiscally damaging offerings.. However, the wide selection allowed me to sample some bourbons I'd been meaning to for a while and allow me to get a etter idea of investing in bottles of them in the future.. (The Heaven Hill was a definite surprise.. and Pappy Van Winkle 12 y.o.. well, what can be said.. phenomenal and mellow to boot.. )

In keeping with the American theme, the beer offering too is dominated by American craft beers.. I decided to stick to Goose Island IPA for the night and was pleasantly surprised on finding it had a decent 5.9% vol kick without tasting that strong..

Regarding the food, I opted for the Jerk Chicken, my companion the Sausages and Mash.. We also shared the bread and pate starter, which consisted of a pot of pate large enough for two despite the bar man insisting it was more for one.. (was he more used to American-sized portions!?!?).. All in, the food was a 7/10 in my view. It did the job and wasn't overly showy.. (my peas and rice were a touch dry, but I'm a serious rice cooker/consumer so I am way fussy with that..) However, for the price - around £7.50 per course - there were no complaints given the portion size and the quality.. The jerk chicken was very moreish and I could definitely have had another piece.. or two... or...

So in short, I'd definitely come back to this bar if in the area and wanting a decent drink or food. Like I said, it appears to be a bit of an indie stalwart these days but the atmosphere was pretty chilled and the staff nice.. (Though why have Rock and Rye in the upstairs bar if you don't make Old Fashioneds upstairs?!?! That's just teasing and then some! )

I have no qualms in recommending The Lexington and am glad to have found a bourbon bar sans snob value or 'rawk' attitude (The Crobar being the case for the latter, great bourbon range but a touch too metal at times..).

Here's to some future imbibing there! ;)
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Darryl Scot-Walker
8 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, March 01, 2011

Sad to read that the reviewer below was disappointed. I would agree that The Lexington's not a destination venue, though it has never claimed to be. It's just the only pub in Kings Cross with a decent jukebox and a huge range of bourbons. Cocktails (from a short list of about 6) are great and the bar staff will sometimes bring them over so you don't have to stand at the bar while they take their time over them.

We visited this week and, funnily enough, also ordered the ribs. While not the best we've had, they were tasty and we didn't find them overly fatty. The burger was pretty good - well seasoned, piping hot and much better than you'd usually get in a pub. It's worth noting that they've just hired a new chef so presumably they're still settling in. Still, with everything under a tenner, I don't think you can go wrong here if you just want to drink, eat and leave. You can certainly pay a lot more for a lot worse in Kings Cross, especially in the over-priced gastro joints closer to the station. Don't go expecting gourmet grub and you won't be disappointed.
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-K- - View all reviews by this user
8 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Friday, January 08, 2010

Sought this place out after reading favourable reviews on this site and others. The place certainly has a shabby charm and the staff were friendly and helpful. The set up is similar to Barfly in Camden - bar downstairs, small live music venue upstairs.

However, main reason of visit was to try the ribs and I was very disappointed - pork was tender but the meat was overly fatty and the rack hadn't been trimmed correctly (cartilage across the top prevented individual ribs being cut out of the rack). I was left with a very greasy and unpleasant aftertaste. Also the ribs were served without any sauce whatsoever, BBQ or otherwise, and no sides of coleslaw/beans were available. On a positive, the fries were seasoned well and good quality. American beers available by bottle (Goose Island a favourite of mine) but draught selection was bland and boring. Toilets also need a good clean.

Its a place that you'd be happy to have as a local but it didn't strike me as a destination venue and certainly not for ribs.
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Jonathan Davies
6 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 5
Wednesday, January 06, 2010

Visited recently after spotting the london-eating review. I don't often walk up Pentonville Road so would never have found this place otherwise. It's mid-way between Kings Cross and Angel, probably closer to Angel station but there's a bus stop right outside. Handy after work, quieter than pubs nearer St Pancras.

Food was surprisingly good. There are a few decent pubs in Kings X / Islington now doing proper food (The Compass, The Fellow, etc) but this is the only one to my knowledge that does American stuff like burgers, onion rings and ribs. There's actually a lot of veggie options too, which pleased my meat-free gf. Burger was great, properly cooked and tasty, not like some of the mass-produced meat pucks you get in London. Good chips, great onions rings. Didn't have time for pud sadly. As the review mentions, their bourbon range is huge and it's a shame more of their customers don't make the most of it. Nice to see Bulleit on offer, not seen it in London much.

Can't complain about anything really because it does what it says on the tin. Good food, nice vibe, nothing fussy or pretentious. Shame about the bands they put on though, far too indie-schmindie for me!
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Ben
8 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Thursday, October 29, 2009