Acceptable or even GOOD pubs in London city centre?

oh sorry i couldn't parse that shining example of jaded "humour"

you should start a sock account to have these fights with yourself...or just take up yoga. lex i agree it's completely out of order, in fact that's prob the reason people are making dumb jokes about the glasshouse stores and the john snow, because nobody would defend this.

front cover of the guardian!

http://news.sky.com/sky-news/content/StaticFile/jpg/2011/Apr/Week2/15972673.jpg

OMG, dark-haired one on the right has been in a drinking situ with me and Lex! "Financial journalist" would be the pertinent clue re. the connection - dude knows a fair few activists, let's say.

ws white shirt

OMG, dark-haired one on the right has been in a drinking situ with me and Lex! "Financial journalist" would be the pertinent clue re. the connection - dude knows a fair few activists, let's say.

really?! did not recognise at all (and still don't) - we had no twitter follows in common when i checked

Twitter doesn't come into it. Dude in question is a good friend of Hugo's and I'm pretty sure he came to one of my birthday drinks with him.

ah that makes sense, wondered if it was through hugo!

reckon this piece of info can make tomorrow's guardian front page #slownewsdays

Love how the Guardian stopped its liveblog just before the flashmob was due to start.

I know I've mentioned this before but what is the deal with London barstaff? They are a fucking joke. Maybe specific to east, maybe not, but the amount of rank awful bartending, eg you tell them someone else is before you and they then forget to serve you next, or they stand around and don't serve anyone, they talk to their friends, they can't take more than one order at a time, they come back and ask you for the order again etc. Do the owners of these pubs never make an appearance?

I hate this. Another thing is when they are serving someone and it's just you waiting, like, they can see you and there's been some eye contact. Then just as they've finished they get distracted and then go off and do something else. Just say something like "I'll be back" FFS. I'm used to walking out of places if I spot this in advance.

I was at a bar yesterday and some guy asked for a White Russian. The only girl behind the bar didn't know how to make one, so in a 'chat-up mode' he goes "I can show you!". CHOOSE SOMETHING ELSE MAN. She's collecting together the stuff and there's queue building up. Then she doesn't hold the shaker top, gives it a big shake and I'm covered in milk. Nice.

Jesus that's astonishing...

Yeah it's nigh on stopped me wanting to go to the Florist at any busy time, but other places are horrible too, the Spurstowe (don't like this place anyway, full of weird yuppies) is particularly bad.

I feel all Frank Sobotka but even a tiny bit of pride or sense of craft about working in a bar would be nice. When I worked in retail (granted in shops, but it did get incredibly busy at Christmas) I was nice to people and hurried at it because it's a good buzz serving huge volumes of people politely. I feel like some of these people think they're cool because they work in a gentrified pub or something, "you're just not quite in on the vibe of the project of me working here...which involves a lot of staring into space"

You go abroad and even in countries where they're rude at least they're efficient and can take a few orders at once. Or London can surprise you too, but I don't want to have to buy cocktails at the Hawksmoor to deal with friendly barstaff who are a good laugh.

that girl behind the bar sounds hot xpost

I was at the Florist a few Fridays ago. The thing I noticed there was the price for a pint, is it £4.90 or something? I worked in a pub when I was 19. Not knowing who is next or offering hand out for a note without totaling it up in your head just wasn't tolerated. Maybe I'm not cool but working in a pub can be fun, I really enjoyed it. I do think that in some East London places you must have to audition like working in American Apparel or something.

Yeah, she wasn't bad. She tried to talk to me after all that but I was fucking fuming.

The thing I noticed there was the price for a pint, is it £4.90 or something?

What in blue blazes are you doing there then?

Was at the pub/bar at Kings Place a couple of weeks ago and the service was shambolic.

hum the one that has the outside bit by the canal? it was okay when i went (although i was mostly bought beers for free all night tbf) and the last time while i looked for a toilet i stumbled upon a art viewing thing and got some extra free wine (the beer was already free but you can't turn down free booze can you?) while looking at some photos of pj harvey

that's the palm...better service there generally, albeit with weird quirks!

I was at the Florist a few Fridays ago. The thing I noticed there was the price for a pint, is it £4.90 or something? I worked in a pub when I was 19. Not knowing who is next or offering hand out for a note without totaling it up in your head just wasn't tolerated. Maybe I'm not cool but working in a pub can be fun, I really enjoyed it. I do think that in some East London places you must have to audition like working in American Apparel or something.

what were you drinking? think it's about 3.70 a pint, for meantime pale ale anyway, it is expensive i guess, mind you i feel like last 3/4 months almost everywhere has jacked up prices.

They have

Yeah, just a bit further on from the offices of the Guardian.

So I guess you didn't have to wait too long for the beer to be bought to you, and wonder what happened to the person who was buying. You were lucky. At least we got an apology.

First the person right behind us got served first (I was just talking to the person I was with). Ended up having to wave right in front of the bar guy's face to eventually get service. At the end of that we then just a good 10 min rant to ourselves about the service. Great way to start an evening. xxp

yeah 20p or 30p more most places, dunno, i still mentally compare to dublin so uk has a long way to go to get that bad. 5.50 euro a pint etc...

4.90 makes me so angry

i am curious about that price, not sure they sell anything for 4.90...not ime and i am there often enough.

Some stupid beer in a fancy glass perhaps

i was sold a pint for 4.90 at that place above 'the drop' in stoke newington a while ago and i had to ask the bar guy again to make sure i heard him right

The Drop? Where's that?

xpost I was drinking premium lager. I normally drink Stella, yeah I know. What I've noticed in the last year or so is different, often obscure, European lager brands turning up. The pubs have these nice glasses and promotional bits but because you aren't familiar with them they can whack up the prices. It's like the crisps thing. You used to be able to get a standard packet of crisps in a pub now it's either olives and nuts from a jar or 'premium' crisps which they charge £1+ a packet for.

it's a v. small venue on stoke newington road

The Blind Beggar sells pints of Peroni for £4.50. I mean, crap pub and fairly standard lager for £4.50 is a joke.

hahaha yeah i go to that place sometimes cos my mate lives round the corner. it's *almost* crap in an endearing way. oh god the toilets. oh god the toilets

ugh..jesus. not a fan of peroni either.

mind you i was in spain/france for last 8 days and it's nice to come back and get some decent ale - not endless heinken/san miguel/mahau etc etc.

I hate this, it makes me grumpy out of all proportion and I end up having a big deliberately audible grouse to whoever I'm with and then I'll feel like such a disgusting human for letting it bother me

at one place I always seem to arrive at the bar behind one other party, then the current barman finishes shift immediately after that party and by the time more staff turn up 5 minutes later there's a massive queue and the new barman has no idea who was there first so serves me last

seems like if there is only 1 person waiting when you want to change shift you should do them anyway, but I guess if you do that another arrives, and another...

(not in London but somewhere else where you can easily find yourself paying over 9 quid for two drinks)

Any good boozers nr Fleet Street? I work occasionally at New Street Square and have wondered where'd be good for a post-work bevvy that wouldn't be too awful.

Old Bank is good (Fullers beer) but slightly overpriced, but the George is my favourite- fairly unassuming but well kept beers and good service.

The seven stars, just behind the royal courts (go up bell yard and it's on the left) is lovely. Good food, too.

have found the service at mason & taylor is good and pretty friendly altho not exactly a pub (where service can tend to be more 'casual' i guess)

it's nice to come back and get some decent ale - not endless heinken/san miguel

Mmmmmmmmm......endless Heineken/San Miguel....

nah you can't be serious...ugh. it's rotten.

new pub discovery - the captain kidd in wapping. sam smith's pub with beer garden right by the river! perfect spot for summer afternoon beers.

Are we all not boycotting Sam Smiths while they're being so evil to the gays?

anywhere decent near bond street? i normally use timeout but it is returning no search results...apparently it thinks there are no pubs near bond street.

doesn't have to be too near, just the same question as the title of this thread, somewhere nice, warm, relaxed for an afternoon meeting of minds which of course isn't a date.

It's a bit of a desert really, lots of big plastic off-Oxford Street type boozers.

Further south in Mayfair there are a few cosy little places but not especially atmospheric. Best bet is probably to go up about 10mins into Marylebone where there are some great places. If the Golden Eagle is the pub I'm thinking of it's probably the best. Nice, comfy, warm, doesn't feel like central London at all. Worth checking ahead to see if they're open first though.

Matt otm - I always get a bit stuck round there. Mayfair a bit uncomfortable (The Audley at a push?), so up to Marylebone a good idea. Angel in the Fields a nice Sam Smith's.

Matt's advice is good advice.

@meatliquor?

you have to eat though but i think some of that grog will help with the meeting of minds.

If you go into Mayfair then Ye Grapes on Shepherd's Market is pretty good as well but only if you go at off-peak times, otherwise it'll be full of braying property industry types. Marylebone still probably a better bet.

Anyone got any Old St / Hoxton / Shoreditch recommendations for a quiet catch up drink with an old friend?

Good ale / microbrew selection would be a welcome bonus.