Entertainment For Lively Minds
London Taverns
Just returned from another trip to the smoke. Alongside seeing Australia and Pakistan at Lords,popping into Sister Ray's record shop in Soho and doing lots and lots of walking,I found time to visit one of my favourite taverns in London; The Glasshouse Stores. As it's a Samuel Smiths pub, a cheap night was had by all,my friend a Londoner wasn't even aware of it, but he'll be back no doubt.
My other favourite London Taverns include The Princess Louise in Holburn. It's Victorian interior makes it one of the most beautiful pubs in London. Also looked in at The Cheshire Cheese and The Coal Hole on The Strand, the latter nearly managed to serve a pint of Timouthy Taylors with a head.Glad it stayed open till midnight on Friday night.
The beer in The Sherlock Homes was very poor, but we did better in The Market Porter in Borough Market. Any other recommendations for my next visit in three weeks?
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No suggestions
But that looks a great pub from the outside. Long may places like that thrive. Let's firebomb Yate's.
Pop In
It's lovely inside too and there's another bar downstairs as well. It's a TARDIS type pub. lot's more on the inside than the outside. Agree re Yates and all it's cousins.
Samuel Smiths pubs in London are a joy
Cheap quality beer and always in nice historic old buildings with loads of character
My 2 fave Sam Smiths in London are The Bricklayers Arms in Fitzrovia and The Dover Castle - a gorgeous tiny little pub tucked away in a charming Marleybone mews close to Regents Park
Drinks At The Deep End
They both sound charming, will try and pay a visit, thanks for the pointers. Samuel Smiths pubs are wonderful. The beer is organic too and one seldom has a hangover has after visiting them. The Kings Arms on the banks of the River Ouse in York is also delightful and has been flooded many times.
The Salisbury in St Martins Lane
One of my regulars on the increasingly rare occasions I make it to London. Wonderful interior and you can sit at the same table as Marianne Faithfull in thatpicture
Also The Mason's Arms in Maddox St, Mayfair. A dark and gloomy respite from the sun on a hot day.
London crawling
Centre:
Dog and Duck, Soho
Calthorpe Arms, Bloomsbury
Star Tavern, Belgravia
North:
Compton Arms, Islington
Holly Bush/Flask - Hampstead
West:
Red Lion, Ealing
East:
Traveller's Friend, Woodford Green
The Royal Oak
On Tabard street, a short stroll down from London Bridge is a lovely spot, good beer as well.
Also quite fond of the Cask and Glass near Victoria Station (Palace Street), but it's weeny, so it's best to go on a nice day and stand on the pavement.
And the Edgar Wallace just off the Strand near Fleet Street (on Essex Street) isn't a bad shout.
A few faves are
The Hand and Shears (near Barbican)
The Antelope (near Sloane Square)
The Churchill Arms (Kensington)
The French House, Soho
It's tiny, but tres bohemian. Great Bloody Marys and champagne by the glass
For lunch
The Peasant next to City University Islington, great set of posters on the walls too. And for irascible staff but well-kept ales the Artillery Arms City/Barbican.
For lunch
The Peasant next to City University Islington, great set of posters on the walls too. And for irascible staff but well-kept ales the Artillery Arms City/Barbican.
Hmm. I don't get up to The Smoke much now, but..
The Swimmer in Holloway is worth a visit. Good jukebox and obscure Czech beers on tap. The Captain Kidd in Wapping is an atmospheric Sam Smiths juicer as well.
Churchill Arms..
Sheev's right...great pub with fabulous Thai food or at least it used to. The Windsor Castle just up the road is also good.
Fox & Pheasant (just behind Stamford Bridge)
Nag's Head and The Grenadier (both near Hyde Park Corner)
London Pubs
for decent pint of Land lord: try
the coach and horses in shoreditch (behind old guardian building)
in that area the Mitre is good too (other end of leather lane best during the week)
If you like sam smiths try the Champions just north of oxford st.
Other wise Lamb & Flag in soho. The rake in borough market (pricey but great beer)
south: Dog and bell in Deptford and prince albert. Or the if you're in greenwich the union or the (new!)old brewery for meantime beer (try the hospital porter if you can it's fantastic) or the richard 1 or trafalgar.
Oh and you'll have to get use to headless beer there's no telling the natives and try some London pride or Youngs special london ale if you not before.
I can recommend
Bridge House south side of Tower Bridge
The Cock Tavern underneath Smithfield market (in case you want to start early). There's plenty of interesting pubs round there, but mostly open weekdays.
echo above comments on the Royal Oak, Salisbury and Grenadier.
I paid £4.60 for a pint in a central London pub the other week so worth investigating the fringes....
Another vote for The Royal Oak in Borough
It used to by my local a few years ago, how I miss it.
Other favourites include:
The Jerusalem Tavern, Farringdon
The Charles Lamb, Islington
The Calthorpe Arms, Bloomsbury
De Hems, Soho
Captain Kidd, Wapping
A few that are a bit unusual - still fine pubs
Don't miss living in London - which I did for a long time- but do miss London pubs
The Lamb - Lamb's Conduit St WC1 - absolutely lovely Edwardian pub
Sir Richard Steele - Belsize Park NW - profoundly eccentric decor and chalked-up mottos with citations e.g. - "If I had all the money I've spent on drink, I'd spend it on drink" (Sir Henry at Rawlinson End).
Prince Of Wales - The Pavement Clapham SW4 - similar eccentric decor and a nice place to pass time
Cross Keys Endell Street Covent Garden used to be a nice local pub - ditto the Crown right on Seven Dials just up the road
Red Lion - tiny old pub in Crown Passage Pall Mall - takes a little finding but worth it! Ditto the Old Mitre Ely Court off Farringdon road - both of these will make you feel like you've cracked some sort of secret
Absolutely agree re: De Hems and one last offering - the Cheshire Cheese on Fleet St, not as nice as it was before it got extended (and a bit close to Goldman Sachs for those like me of a leftie disposition) but a lovely and very old pub
Have fun!
The Champion
Central London, behind the flagship HMV in Oxford Street is a Sam Smith's called 'The Champion' which has stained glassed windows depicting various heroes and heroines of the 19th/early 20th Century......and a pint of best bitter is under £2.
Also, the wonderful 'Princess Louise', as previously mentioned also a Sam Smith's pub, was one of the prime skiffle venues in the 50s.