Three Cranes — Restaurant in London

🚇 Mansion House 🍺 £6.50 Guinness

The Three Cranes is located in the City of London close to one of Sir Christopher Wren's most distinctive works, St James Garlickhythe church. The nearest Tube is Mansion House.

This pub was formerly known as The Hatchet, built in 1773. The pub was originally situated on Little Trinity Lane just around the corner. The Hatchet was named after the Hatchet Trading Co. who were fur traders based nearby.

The pub is now named after Three Cranes stairs, one of the Thames stairs to the south of the pub. The Three Cranes comes from the three cranes along the river near the stairs, used for moving cargo between ship and shore.

This is a small one bar pub that has a cosy traditional feel. As you enter, the servery is located opposite and is topped with a marble counter. Just to the left of the servery is an intimate seating area with a curved leather banquette. The decor consists of blue panelled walls, a parquet floor, Irish road signs and a nice collection of Guinness memorabilia and historical prints. Upstairs is the Khanoon Thai restaurant which is tastefully decorated.

The beer selection is a line up of familiar favourites and included one cask ale. As this is an Irish pub, I had to try the Guinness, my pint was great, price point was just above average. As mentioned, the food option is Thai, there is a three course set menu available for £29.95.

I arrived just after 3pm on a wet Thursday afternoon in February. I was joined by fellow pub enthusiast @pintandanotherone for a couple of pints. The atmosphere was relaxed with a convivial feel around the pub. Not long after we arrived, the pub started filling up with a few local office workers in for a post work pint. The service was excellent, I had a nice chat with the Guv’nor who was welcoming and friendly.

I have always enjoyed visiting City of London pubs due to the atmospheric locations and historical surroundings. @thethreecranelondon is a fantastic independent Irish owned Freehouse that tick all the City of London pub boxes. This is a lovely little boozer that is well worth a visit.

📅 20th February 2025

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What appears to be a traditional boozer made up of friendly staff is actually a front to rip you off. I have been going to this pub with work for a while and always felt it is more expensive than others in the area. I recently took some clients to this pub, bought a round at the bar and got a recipient to expense. To my surprise I discovered that 20% service charge was added. I was standing at the bar, ordered the drinks there and carried them away once paid for. Not really worthy of 20% service and I haven’t seen this done at other pubs in London. I went back and asked if the service charge was a mistake, and the staff said that it is policy set by the management to charge service without asking or making the payer aware. I have been back recently and asked the staff to take the service charge off my order before payment and was met with an icy reaction and on one occasion abuse from a young man behind the bar. Absolute disgrace, Three Cranes....

What a wonderful gem of a pub tucked away in an alley next to Mansion House Station. Loved it! It is a tiny pub downstairs but there is also a restaurant on the first floor + a function room above, them rooms to stay (after a bit of indulgence on the ground floor) above that. The staff behind the bar are lovely and happy to help make your stay memorable. A lovely nook to sit in behind the main bar room. Beers lovely with a great pint of Stiegl. Timothy Taylor's landlord on for the cask enthusiasts. This is a thoroughly pleasant place to pop into for food or drinks, recommended! My only caveat is to be aware that the pub does not open over...