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London’s Best Beer, Pubs and Bars updates
Central London: Westminster, Victoria and Pimlico
 Red Lion, Duke of York Street, London W1. Pic: Fuller's. Traditional pub (Fuller’s) National heritage pub
2 Duke of York Street SW1Y 6JP
T 020 7321 0782 w www.fullers.co.uk
Open 1130-2300 (closed Sun).
Cask beer 5-6 (Fuller’s) Cask Marque, Other beer 1 keg (Fuller’s).
Food Enhanced pub grub lunchtimes, Wifi.
This miraculous heritage survivor, just round the corner from the celebrated Christopher Wren church of St James’s Piccadilly, is one of London’s prettiest pubs, and a lot more besides. The site has hosted a pub since 1788 but has been rebuilt and refitted several times since – the current handsome façade went up in 1871. Literally dazzling is the late Victorian interior, with two whole walls clad in original etched glass mirrors, complementing carved and polished wood and a richly decorated ceiling. The effect is intensified by the compact dimensions, with two small areas largely dedicated to vertical drinking fore and aft of a central bar – space would be even more restricted if the pub retained the original screens that subdivided these further. Visitors who find the pub through listings in various tourist guide books are often astonished by the small size.
Yet the pub retains the friendly atmosphere of a proper local, boosted by the lack of gaming machines and recorded music. It’s one of several famous London pubs acquired b Fuller’s in recent years, but they’ve made few changes other than introducing their excellent beers, including Chiswick at a deliberately low price, plus Bengal Lancer, ESB, London Pride, Seafarers and a seasonal or guest. Honeydew is on keg but sadly space precludes stocking a bottled range. Lunchtime food is solid pub grub like shepherd’s pie, fish and chips or squash and spinach risotto. Visit at quieter times to appreciate its splendour to the full.
Underground Piccadilly Circus Cycling LCN+ 50 Walking Link to Royal Parks paths
London’s Best Beer, Pubs and Bars updates
Central London: Westminster, Victoria and Pimlico
 Le Gavroche, London W1 Restaurant (Independent)
43 Upper Brook Street W1K 7QR
T 020 7408 0881 w www.le-gavroche.co.uk
Open 1200-1400 (Not Sat-Sun), 1830-2300 (Closed Sun).
Cask beer None, Other beer 9 (Fuller’s, international), Also World class wine list, specialist whiskies and brandies
Food Haute cuisine. No disabled toilet but access via lift in adjoining hotel.
Given that Michel Roux’s double Michelin starred Mayfair restaurant boasts an astonishing wine list with over a thousand entries, including top Bordeaux and Burgundy vintages at four figure prices, it seems like being thankful for small mercies to dwell on the beer offerings that makes up the last page of the substantial volume that thuds onto your table. But Le Gavroche makes an effort that so few establishments in its bracket bother with, and the list does include some serious choices like Fuller’s Vintage and Rochefort 8 as well as the likes of Duvel and Innis & Gunn.
Food is top class inventive French cooking that’s still reckoned to be among the best in London; a potentially challenging cellar space has been rendered charmingly attractive with fresh flowers and sparkling utensils; staff are polite but warm and attentive. Of course you’ll pay for the privilege – the dinner tasting menu clocks in at £100 and the beer sells for at least twice the price you’d pay in a pub. And it was especially disappointing to overhear a waiter respond to an enquiry about the beers on offer by suggesting Kronenbourg – I doubt they’d suggest branded Chardonnay as a first choice wine. If a place like this can manage a beer list, surely others further down the gastronomic pecking order should see the opportunity, as this is one area where it wouldn’t take much to better M Roux.
Underground Marble Arch Cycling LCN+ 5 50, Hyde Park cycle routes Walking Hyde Park links to Jubilee Greenway, Princess Diana Walk
London’s Best Beer, Pubs and Bars updates
Central London: Shoreditch and Hoxton
 White Horse, Hoxton, London N1 Contemporary pub (Independent, small group)
153 Hoxton Street N1 6PJ
T 020 7729 8512 w www.hoxtonwhitehorse.com f whitehorsehoxton tw hoxwhitehorse
Open 1700 (1300 Sat-Sun)-2400 (0200 Fri, 0100 Sat). Children welcome until 1830.
Cask beer 1 (Everards/Trumans), Other beer 4 keg (Camden Town, Meantime), 10+ bottles (mainly London), Also Bottled ciders, specialist spirits
Food Popup street food, Outdoor Rear beer garden in development, Wifi.
Thu-Sat DJs, occasional quizzes, film nights, themed events, functions, pinball, board games.
Reopened late in 2011 and still a work in progress, this former East End boozer on Hoxton Market has been reincarnated as an arty but casual and relaxed haunt with something of the vibe of a 1980s community centre. The smallish single bar has bare brick and jigsaws of wooden panelling in various colours, old film and advertising posters, vintage kitchen chairs and stools, and a foodie corner that hosts a rota of guest pop-up chefs with different specialities: gyoza one day, pizzas the next, then hot dogs and so on. Downstairs is a clubby space with its own bar, and a rear yard with artificial grass is due to open later in 2012. Admirably, the beer policy pursues a London theme: Truman’s Runner on cask; lagers, wheat beers and stouts from Camden Town and Meantime; and bottles from London Fields and Redchurch, both within walking distance. The bottles are set to expand still further with the ambition of stocking beers from at least a dozen London brewers. A range of imaginative events includes ‘flaps nights’ with free manicures.
Visitor note. The pub is a short step from the Geffrye Museum, one of London’s most intriguing collections which recreates the history of English domestic interiors within a terrace of 18th century almshouses set among elegant gardens.
National Rail Underground Old Street Overground Hoxton Cycling LCN+ 10, links to 9 16 and Regents Canal towpath Walking Link to Jubilee Greenway
London’s Best Beer, Pubs and Bars updates
Central London: Southbank
 Crown, Blackfriars Road, London SE1 Contemporary pub (Independent)
108 Blackfriars Road SE1 8HW
T 020 7261 9524 w www.thecrownpubandgrill.com
Open 1200-2300 (2400 Fri, Closed Sat-Sun). Children welcome until early evening.
Cask beer 3 (often unusual guests), Other beer 4 keg, 10 bottles (mainly US and New Zealand), Also 28 wines, specialist whiskies.
Food Pub grub and Tex Mex, Outdoor Front terrace, rear sheltered courtyard, Wifi.
Occasional quiz, occasional big screen sport.
This smallish pub run by friendly New Zealanders is just that little bit too far from the newly lively area of the Cut around Southwark station, but as its loyal customers – largely local workers – will attest, it’s well worth the extra step. Inside is smart and stylish but relaxed, with a single downstairs bar, an overspill area and function room upstairs, and a garden at the back with a big marquee. The big screen TV sound is only turned up for major sporting events, and you’ll find an attractive snug tucked round the back.
Besides a regularly changing trio of cask beers – Brewsters, Crouch Vale, Dark Star, Redemption, Triple fff and Windsor & Eton are among the favoured suppliers – there’s keg Brooklyn Lager and Budvar Dark, and a small but well chosen selection of imported bottles: Anchor, Odell, Victory and Sierra Nevada, for example, with deals on buckets of four bottles. The transatlantic theme also permeates the food menu, where quesadillas, Santa Fé chilli and jambalaya line up alongside fish and chips and sausage and mash. Note the weekend closure.
National Rail Waterloo Underground Southwark River Bankside Cycling NCN 4, LCN+ 3 7 Walking Link to Jubilee Greenway, Jubilee Walkway, Thames Path
London’s Best Beer, Pubs and Bars updates
Central London: Clerkenwell and Smithfield
 Exmouth Arms, London EC1 Contemporary pub (Barworks)
23 Exmouth Market EC1R 4QL
T 020 3551 4772 w www.exmoutharms.com f ExmouthArms tw exmoutharms
Open 1000 (1200 Sat-Sun)-2400 (0130 Fri-Sat, 2230 Sun). Children welcome until 2100.
Cask beer 4 (unusual often local guests), Other beer 10+ keg, 70 bottles, Also Specialist whiskies.
Food Imaginative tapas-style “sliders”, breakfasts, Outdoor Tables on street, Wifi. Disabled toilet.
Mon quiz, comedy, functions.
The Exmouth Arms presides over semi-pedestrianised Exmouth Market, now one of London’s trendiest shopping streets offering designer clothes, jewellery, fine food and arty books. In fact the street took its name from the pub, which was already established when the street market started in the 1890s. The market itself vanished for a while until being reinstituted in 2006. The pub’s prosperity lagged behind the street’s, until 2011 when it was thoroughly refurbished by the Barworks group, known for venues aimed at more youthful, clubby audience. Barworks has, however, slowly been building an interest in specialist beer, and the reopened Exmouth is now its beer showcase, retaining more of a traditional pub vibe than some of its sister venues, and catering to a truly mixed crowd.
The exterior has been splendidly refurbished, with black cladding stripped away to reveal striking green Courage tiling and stained glass leaded windows. Inside little heritage has survived save an (unused) fireplace, but the dark green and maroon decor, simple wooden furniture, areas of bare brick and diner-style booths create a pleasant ambience, enlivened by some truly bizarre surrealist ‘man-beast’ art that was especially commissioned for the pub. An additional upstairs bar and a generous sun-catching outdoor terrace extend the seating options.
Four handpumps rotate a changing array of interesting cask beers from the likes of Brewsters, Harviestoun, Redemption, Roosters, Thornbridge or Titanic. Keg options also change but likely include several Camden Town beers plus BrewDog, Thornbridge, several German imports, Brooklyn Lager and a US guest tap that might dispense Great Divide, Left Hand or Odell beers. The excellent international bottle selection has no dead weight, with plenty of British stuff from Dark Star, Fyne, Kernel, St Austell, Thornbridge and Williams Brothers alongside European classics (Orval, Schneider Weisse) and some unusual Americans like Bear Republic. Food comes tapas style on “sliders” with good deals on mixed plates including for breakfast, and some unusual choices (quail eggs, teriyaki salmon). A well conceived and very welcome addition to London’s growing number of beer specialists.
National Rail Farringdon Underground Angel, Farringdon Cycling LCN+ 0, 7, 8 Walking Link to New River Path
London’s Best Beer, Pubs and Bars updates
Central London: Kensington, Chelsea and Earls Court
 Antelope, London SW1 Traditional pub (Fuller’s)
22 Eaton Terrace SW1W 8EZ
T 020 7824 8512 w www.fullers.co.uk
Open 1200 (1100 Sun)-2300 (2330 Fri, 1700 Sun). Children welcome until early evening.
Cask beer 5 (4 Fuller’s, 1 guest) Cask Marque, Other beer 4 bottles, 1 keg, Also 30+ wines.
Food Upmarket pub grub/gastro menu, Wifi Yes.
Occasional big screen sport, chess, cricket club, functions.
This determinedly old fashioned boozer a short hop from Sloane Square and the Royal Court Theatre must be one of the loveliest Fuller’s pubs in London. The smallish space around a square bar is simply and traditionally furnished and almost studious, with lots of wood, a real fire and a few armchairs and books towards the back. Upstairs there’s more space in the Eaton Room. The simplicity honours the pub’s origins in 1827 as a facility for servants and workers employed in the big houses of Belgravia, which was then being redeveloped by Thomas Cubitt. Today most customers are rather better off, and the pub boasts a cricket club, founded in 1991, rather than a darts team, but it’s an easy going place and you don’t have to arrive in a Chelsea tractor to be made welcome.
Exquisitely kept cask ales include Discovery, ESB, London Pride and – more unusually – Bengal Lancer, with a guest that might come from the likes of Castle Rock or Brain’s. Bottled beers should include 1845 and examples from the Past Masters series, while Honey Dew is on keg. Food befits the surroundings – game and wild mushroom pie, maple glazed gammon or maybe a vegetarian curry or pasta. The only off note is the recorded music which, though quiet, is superfluous in a place like this.
Insider tip. Try to grab a seat in the lovely small room to the left, a particularly homely environment.
Underground Sloane Square Cycling LCN+ 5, link to LCN+ 38 Walking Link to Jubilee Greenway
London’s Best Beer, Pubs and Bars updates
Central London: Kensington, Chelsea and Earls Court
 Sporting Page, London SW10 Contemporary pub (Food & Fuel)
6 Camera Place SW10 0BH
T 020 7349 0455 w www.thesportingpagechelsea.co.uk
Open 1100-2300 (2230 Sun). Children welcome until 1900.
Cask beer 5 (Sharp’s, 4 guests) Cask marque, Other beer 2 keg, 6 bottles, Also 2 real ciders, 40 wines.
Food Upmarket pub grub, Outdoor Front terrace, Wifi.
Mon quiz, big screen sport, seasonal events, regular promotions.
This local institution, commanding a fine corner site on a quietish back street between the Kings and Fulham Roads, is a smart but egalitarian place, as likely to attract staff from the numerous nearby hospitals as from the Chelsea Arts Club down the road. The sunny terrace is perfect for people watching, while indoors is dominated by shiny dark wood, mirrors, sporting prints and sparkling glassware. Doom Bar is the regular ask ale while the other handpumps might offer beers from Adnams, Cottage, Loddon, Sambrook’s, Twickenham, Weltons or Westerham. Meantime and Leffe are on keg, and there’s a few classic bottled choices like Anchor Steam, Goose Island Pale and Duvel. Food is hearty fare like home made pies (including a veggie option), haddock and chips and steak. Prices are highish, but offset by numerous deals, including a good value lunch option. If you’re looking for a quiet drink, this particular page might turn out to be a bit sporting on occasions – it lives up to its name when there are major sporting events on.
Insider tip. Sign up through the website to the pub’s “offer club” and you’ll be sent regular vouchers for money-off deals and freebies.
Overground West Brompton Underground Gloucester Road, South Kensington Bus Chelsea & Westminster Hospital (Various Fulham Broadway, South Kensington) Cycling LCN+ 45, link to NCN 4, CS 5 8 Walking Link to Thames Path
London’s Best Beer, Pubs and Bars updates
Central London: Bloomsbury
 Royal Mile Whiskies, London WC1 Shop (Royal Mile Whiskies)
3 Bloomsbury Street WC1B 3QE
T 020 7436 4763 w www.royalmilewhiskies.com f Royal Mile Whiskies tw RMWEdinburgh
Open 1000 (1200 Sun)-1800 (1700 Sun).
Cask beer None, Other beer 100+ bottles (mainly Scottish & London), Also Outstanding range of single malts and international whiskies, specialist spirits, cigars.
In yet another sign of the growing interest in fine beer, the London branch of this Edinburgh-based whisky specialist now boasts a notably expanded and well chosen range of bottled beers to compliment its expansive selection of rare malts. Appropriately, small and independent brewers from north of the border feature heavily, with names otherwise unseen in London like Colonsay, Islay, Knops, Stewart, Tempest and Tryst alongside more familiar producers like Harviestoun and Williams Brothers, and barrel aged specials like Orkney Dark Island Reserve and Fraoch anniversary editions. London brewers like Kernel, Meantime, Redchurch and Sambrook’s make up the remainder, with one or two craft imports. Only a short step from the British Museum, this small, friendly shop does well from the tourist trade, but prices remain reasonable for an independent retailer and London drinkers should appreciate the chance to explore a national brewing culture that currently offers much of interest.
Underground Tottenham Court Road Cycling LCN+ 6 6A 39 Walking Jubilee Walkway
London’s Best Beer, Pubs and Bars updates
Central London: Bloomsbury, Euston and St Pancras
 Adnams Cellar and Kitchen Bloomsbury, London WC1 Shop (Adnams)
30 Store Street WC1E 7QE
T 020 7580 2443 w http://cellarandkitchen.adnams.co.uk/page/bloomsbury-adnams-cellar-and-kitchen-store f AdnamsBloomsbury tw AdnamsBloomsbry
Open 1000 (1200 Sun)-2000 (1800 Sun).
Cask beer None, Other beer 15 bottles (mainly Adnams), mini casks, Also Fine wines, Adnams and other specialist spirits.
Food Confectionery, condiments.
Monthly tastings, corporate events.
Suffolk brewer Adnams opened this and a smaller sister shop in Spitalfields (73 Brushfield Street E1 6AA) in 2011 as part of an impressive programme of expansion and diversification. The brewery is also long established as a wine importer and these and a number of similar stores across the country are primarily a shop window for the wines, alongside kitchenware and miscellaneous foodie treats. But the bottled beers are also comprehensively featured, including special stuff like Sole Bay champagne beer, bottle conditioned barley wine Tally-Ho and new hoppy pale ale Innovation. Gift packs, mini casks and a small handful of standard German beers are available too. It’s a roomy, expansive space with helpful staff, and an atmospheric cellar used for public and private tastings. With its vaulted brick wine cage and Regency chairs, it could almost be the set of a Hammer horror film.
Visitor note. The shop is in attractive Store Street, just along from the Building Centre with its architectural exhibitions.
Underground Goodge Street Cycling LCN+ 0 6 6A Walking Jubilee Walkway
London’s Best Beer, Pubs and Bars updates
Central London: Covent Garden
 The Beer House, London WC2 Bar (SSP)
Charing Cross Station (by platform 1) WC2N 5HS
T 020 7839 7397
Open 1000 (1200 Sun)-2300 (1930 Sun). Children welcome until 2100.
Cask beer None, Other beer 11 keg, 40 bottles (British & international).
Food Pies and cheese plates. Disabled toilet on station.
The Beer House may be London’s first cash-in beer bar. This tiny windowless cabin is owned by international transport catering specialist Select Services Partners, the company behind familiar names like Upper Crust and Costa Coffee. In previous incarnations it was arguably one of the most unloved bars in London but late in 2011 it got a sombre cream and battleship grey makeover, a beer bottle window display and a new identity as a “craft beer bar”. The friendly staff have had special training, including familiarising themselves with the stock, but they don’t get involved in the ordering, which appears to have been done by people who don’t actually know very much about craft beer and/or have been limited to drawing on favourable supply deals.
While there are some decent beers on the list – the Koningshoeven La Trappe brands, Goose Island, Schneider Weisse – they seem to have ended up there by accident, alongside far too many undistinguished exotic lagers like Hue, Lucky Beer and Moosehead. The old handpumps are gone – probably a good thing given the likely challenge of cellaring cask beer successfully in this cramped space – to be replaced by an array of keg taps dispensing some reasonable but not particularly unusual brews at captive audience prices, including two Meantime beers, Brooklyn Lager, Krombacher Dark and draught Innis & Gunn. Taster trays of three thirds sell at £5.
The space is more comfortable than before but it’s certainly not a place to settle down for an evening and of course that’s not really what it’s intended for – most customers are keeping an eye on the live departure screens. The beer list is set to evolve but decisions are likely to be taken on the basis of sales which, as little effort is made to engage drinkers with more unusual choices aside from some “tasting notes” largely comprising marketing guff, I expect it will get less rather than more adventurous. When I called, pints of Heineken seemed the most popular choice. Yet the Beer House is planned as a template for a potential chain of such places, with a bigger venue, the Merchant, already planned for Liverpool Street. While it’s gratifying to know big commercial players are catching on to the resurgence of interest in speciality beer, this really isn’t the way to go about it.
Insider tip. The Beer House doesn’t have its own toilet so you’ll have to use the station one – but ask for a token at the bar first or you’ll end up paying for the privilege.
National Rail Underground Charing Cross River Embankment Cycling LCN+ 6 6A, links to NCN4 Walking Thames Path, Jubilee Greenway, Jubilee Walkway
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London’s Best Beer  The fully updated 3rd edition of my essential award-winning guide to London’s vibrant beer scene is available now from CAMRA Books. Read more here.
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