The Cheshire Cheese (Crutched Friars) City of London, darts in City of London

Photo: CAMRA / WhatPub

The Cheshire Cheese (Crutched Friars) City of London: Darts

3 boardsWalk-inLeague pubSports & dartsFree entry

48 Crutched Friars, City of London, London · EC3N 2AP · Mo-Fr 11:00-23:00; Sa 12:00-22:00; Su 12:00-20:00

The Cheshire Cheese is a City of London sports pub on Crutched Friars, a two minute walk from Tower Hill and right by Fenchurch Street. It is the easy choice when you want darts after work without trekking far from the office. The pub kitted out a proper darts room with three Blade 6 boards, laser oches and electronic scoring, so you get tournament-grade kit in a normal boozer rather than a members' club. The most useful thing to know: you can book a board online or by phone, but plenty of people just turn up and play. Around the darts you get a full sports-bar setup with multiple screens showing Sky and BT, plus cask ale and food running until 10pm. Good for a casual game or a small group night out.

The darts setup

Three Blade 6 boards sit in a dedicated darts room, all with lighting surrounds, laser oches and electronic scoreboards, so the throwing line is marked properly and you are not chalking by hand. The boards are spread across the pub's two floors, which means a group can spill over without crowding one corner. Blade 6 is the standard competition bristle board, so the surface holds up to serious throwing rather than the soft-tip machines you sometimes find in chain bars. You can reserve a board online through the pub or ring ahead, which is worth doing on busy City evenings, though the boards are open for walk-up play when they are free.

Good to know

This is a working City sports pub first, with the darts as one of its draws. There are TVs and a big projector screen showing Sky Sports and BT Sport, so football, cricket and golf are usually on around your game. Food runs until 10pm, leaning on burgers and grills, and the bar pours cask ale (three regulars plus three rotating) alongside the usual lagers, wines and spirits. The licence runs late, to around 12:30am, so an after-work session can stretch on. It is dog friendly too. Best time for a relaxed throw is mid-afternoon or early evening before the post-work crowd fills the room.

The darts scene here

The Cheshire Cheese is a known name on the City darts circuit and is listed by the Capital Arrows league, having hosted league teams over the years. That history is why the kit is taken seriously: proper boards, marked oches and electronic scoring rather than a single token board in a back room. You do not need to be a league player to use it, but if you want a pub where regulars actually throw and the setup is built for matches, this fits. Crutched Friars sits in the cluster of City pubs that the cityoflondondarts directory tracks, so it is a reliable stop on a Square Mile darts crawl.

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Common questions

What is the Cheshire Cheese on Crutched Friars?
It is a City of London sports pub at 48 Crutched Friars, EC3N 2AP, near Tower Hill. Alongside its bar, big screens and food, it has a dedicated darts room with three Blade 6 boards.
Is darts free to play at the Cheshire Cheese?
It is an ordinary pub board, so you can play for free, and the boards can be reserved online or by phone. An older £5 per hour charge was reported but was no longer being applied. There is no entry fee for the pub.
Do you need to book a dartboard or can you just walk in?
Both work. You can book a board online or by phone, which is sensible on busy City evenings, but the boards are open for walk-up play whenever they are free.
How many dartboards does the Cheshire Cheese have?
Three. They are Blade 6 boards with lighting surrounds, laser oches and electronic scoring, set in a bespoke darts room across the pub's two floors.
What are the Cheshire Cheese opening hours?
Monday to Friday 11:00 to 23:00, Saturday 12:00 to 22:00, and Sunday 12:00 to 20:00. The licence runs later, to around 12:30am.
What is the nearest station to the Cheshire Cheese?
Tower Hill (Underground and DLR) is about a two minute walk, and London Fenchurch Street is roughly 50 metres away.

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