Why The Seven Stars Is Worth Seeking Out
You may have come looking for The Seven Stars because it appears on lists of London’s great historic pubs, or perhaps you spotted it while exploring the streets around the Royal Courts of Justice.
For anyone who enjoys discovering London’s smaller, independent pubs, The Seven Stars is well worth seeking out. This tiny Carey Street drinking house has a wonderfully eccentric personality, from its unusual legal memorabilia and resident pub cat to the barristers and court workers who still gather here.
Know Before You Go — Expect crowds during weekday lunch hours and after work, when finding a seat can be difficult. There aren’t many tables, and seating is first come, first served, with no reservations. If you spot an available seat, it’s worth settling in rather than expecting to find a quieter corner elsewhere.
Step Inside: Yes, It Really Is That Small
Step through the door and you’re immediately in the middle of things. The Seven Stars has one of those wonderfully compact pub interiors where the bar, tables, walls and assorted curiosities all seem to be competing for the same few feet of space.
Dark wood gives way to theatrical prints and legal memorabilia; the front windows are crowded with odd little displays, while checked tablecloths and old advertising mirrors add another layer to a room that already has plenty going on.
What’s the Pint Pick?
Order a pint of Adnams Broadside if it’s available. This rich, malty bitter is a classic English cask ale and a fitting choice for this tiny historic pub.
Order your pint or half-pint at the bar and pay when you order. If the card machine prompts you for a tip, you can press skip. Digital prompts are increasingly common these days, but tipping is still not customary when buying drinks at a London pub bar counter.
What’s Cooking? The Seven Stars’ Blackboard Menu
Staying for a meal? Look for the blackboard showing what the kitchen is cooking that day. The Seven Stars is known for its changing menu of hearty dishes rather than a large, fixed selection of traditional pub classics.
Much of the pub’s distinctive personality comes from its longtime landlady, Roxy Beaujolais, who took over in 2001 and helped turn this tiny historic drinking house into something of a London institution. Her influence extends from the food to the wonderfully eccentric atmosphere you’ll discover around the pub.
The Wig Box and The General
Look beside the main bar for the tiny adjoining space known as the Wig Box. It once belonged to a separate legal wig shop, which explains the bewigged heads still staring down from the shelves. The connection feels particularly appropriate here, with the Royal Courts of Justice just across the way.
The Seven Stars also has a long tradition of resident pub cats. Today that role belongs to a black cat known as The General, who can sometimes be spotted wandering through the pub wearing an Elizabethan-style ruff.
The General apparently keeps his own schedule.
How Old Is The Seven Stars, Really?
So, is The Seven Stars really more than 400 years old? The pub proudly displays the date 1602, but historians aren’t entirely convinced. Some believe the surviving building dates closer to the 1680s.
Look around and you’ll find plenty of genuine history, including Victorian bar fittings and old advertising mirrors. The pub even retains etched-glass panels marked “Private Counter” and “General Counter,” reminders of a time when drinkers were served in separate areas.
Eventually, You’re Going to Find the Stairs
If you need the loo, your Seven Stars experience gets one final twist. Head behind the bar and up the remarkably narrow, steep staircase tucked into the old building.
Coming back down is where things get particularly interesting. There’s a rail to grab as you duck your head—and a wonderfully dry warning reminding you that while holding onto the bar is encouraged, swinging from it is not.
Address: 53 Carey Street, London WC2A 2JB
Nearest Station: Holborn or Chancery Lane
Website: The Seven Stars
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