Old Street pubs

This small pub has just re-opened and is now under new management. In fact, it has re-opened so recently that they were carrying out some finishing touches to the joinery as we were supping our pints. The whole pub is a lot more light and airy than it used to be and feels more like a café, which might not be to everybody’s taste. On the positive side it still does a mean pint of Adnams. It also seems to be attracting some customers which is a good start. It is certainly worth calling in if you happen to be thirsty on the trip between Barbican and the giant hula hoop that is the Old Street roundabout. As we headed away from the tube towards Shoreditch, we passed a collection of late night kebab shops before arriving at a pub that appeared to have resisted any attempts at gentrification. Its nasty looking 60s council estate exterior almost put us off, but spying some sane-looking people inside we decided to go in. The pub was split into two halves. The first half boasting a pool table, music channel on full volume and a bar. The second half contained a cluster of tables. The latter was slightly quieter with Sky Sports News babbling away in the background and offered Thai food from an opening at the far end. Back at the bar, they offered four ales which, rather bizarrely, were dispensed from just two taps. Ignoring this BAD SIGN, I foolishly opted for a pint of Black Sheep while my companions chose the safer option of Guinness. My pint, whilst looking OK, tasted like old socks. Reviewers on other websites have had similar problems with the ale here so it is best avoided. As pubs go, this place has little to recommend it other than the fact that it has stuck to its roots rather than jumping on the trendy Shoreditch bandwagon. This ropey-looking boozer on a gloomy side street off City Road looks like it should feature in a Brit gangster film. We had to glance over our shoulders for the heavy mob before we decided it was safe enough to go in. On entering, we found ourselves in a deceptively large pub with a food servery, a small bar on the left and another larger bar further back that stretched as far as the back door on the next street. We realised we had also stepped back into 1974, at least that’s when it was probably last decorated. We like this retro look and think it makes the pub feel rather cosy. They even have a fish tank. As we approached the bar we realised we had entered pub-heaven as there was a superb range of ales including London Pride, Summer Lightening and the delicious Red Squirrel Mild. The barman knew his beer and even remembered our order when we returned to the bar for a second pint. The rather fantastic Tavern Snacks crisps were available and in our humble opinion these are the best crisps you can find in pubs. For those with more of an appetite, traditional pub food is available at certain times of the day. A real gem of a pub and a great place to drink ale among friends. Darts.

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