The Lyttelton Arms — Restaurant in London

🚇 Mornington Crescent 🍺 £6.30 Pravha

A Refreshed Camden Local.

The Lyttelton Arms is located on Camden High Street opposite Koko in Camden Town. The nearest Tube is Mornington Crescent which is just across the road.

This pub was established in 1797 as The Southampton Arms. It was renamed The Lyttelton Arms in 2010 in honour of jazz musician and broadcaster Humphrey Lyttelton. I used to frequent this pub in the late 80’s/early 90’s.

The pub has recently been refurbished to give it a new lease of life. This is a good size one bar pub that is stylish and modern. The pub is divided into four sections which have their own distinctive identities. The main bar area is spacious and has a sweeping servery with a burnished copper counter. At the back of the main bar is a raised area with a leather banquette and matching booths. The adjoining area feels more traditional with a tiled floor and exposed brickwork. The section at the back is low lit and feels like a swanky cocktail bar complete with a Joanna.

The beer line up is a good mix of mainstream favourites plus a decent choice of craft beers from London breweries. I decided on a Pravha, my pint was excellent, price point is a smidge above average. The food menu is American inspired comfort food, there is a range of burgers, bites and subs, Fish & Chips is available at £16.00.

I was kindly invited along to the relaunch night to check out the refurb and see what’s new. The pub was packed by 6pm with a buzzing upbeat atmosphere. The DJ was superb, he played soulful funky jazzy tunes which set a nice tone. The staff were very friendly and welcoming and seemed to be proud to be part of this revamped boozer. I had a good catch up with pub aficionados @booze_house_tales and @thelostpintproject who are always great company.

The @lytteltonarms refresh is well thought out and hit with me. The new decor is stylish and appealing and felt like a nice environment to spend time in. The beer selection covers all the bases and the food menu is on trend. The staff are great and you’ll be well looked after.

Bravo 👏

ℹ️ Info correct on...

Nice pub with TVs and a projector, so popular with sports fans. Friendly bar staff, reasonable food, and a good selection of beers and wines. Opposite Mornington Crescent underground station (more of which later). Well worth a visit if you are in the area.

It's apparently named 'The Lyttelton Arms' after English jazz musician Humphrey Lyttelton, who, from 1972 until just before his death in 2008, hosted the comedy panel game I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue on BBC Radio 4.

I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue included a game called 'Mornington Crescent', hence the Lyttelton connection.

Apparently, according to and uncorroborated item on the web, the game of 'Mornington Crescent' "was originally invented in the late nineteenth century by the drivers of Hackney carriages as a serious attempt to design a one-way system around the increasingly busy area of Euston in London. It is variously credited to Arthur Mowe, a Cockney, and Horstmann Ure, a second generation Silesian immigrant."

The article goes on the claim that "A simple, but profitable, variation on the game is still apparently played by London taxi drivers, because their motto is "He was a stranger, and I took him in". Cabbies try to include Mornington Crescent in every journey. This helps to maximise fares for journeys which would not naturally contain a diversion via the Euston district." However, this is probably just a myth, put about by someone with a dislike for the great London Cabbie.

Whether there is any connection between the original Hackney carriage drivers game and the BBC panel game...

Went here to catch up with an old friend and it was spot on. They have enough bar staff so that you get served straight away and a very good selection of drinks and local ales to chose from. The decor is rather cool too and there is an abundance of seating available - Big oak farmhouse style tables or little old man pub type wing backed chairs. There is a further "area" to the rear of the pub, which looks like you can go here with a large group of friends and it would suit well. There is food available, we only had the sliders as we weren't that hungry, but for what they were they are fine and arrived quickly. If you want to meet up with someone that doesn't know the area, then this is an ideal location as it is bang opposite the Mornington Crescent tube station. Outside there is just the pathway, that is it, one small table and 2 chairs. So not somewhere to go and watch the World go by. If you are waiting to meet friends you can sit towards the end of the bar as you then have good clear vision of who is coming in both doors. Toilets were immaculate too. I was a bit meh when I ordered a bottle of wine, it was just plonked in front of me and there was not bucket or cooling device given - this in a really busy pub I can fully understand, but when I ordered it there were only about 3 groups of people in there. So, all in all, a positive experience and one I will definitely use when meeting up with friends in small or...