recommend a good pub in central London........

What is variety in the context of pubs? If you can sit down and the beer is reasonably cheap, what more do you pub connoisseurs look for?

location obv. but also range/types of beverages (+ food), mood (bright and spacious or dark and cosy?), clientele range (e.g. younger or older crowd?), range of features (jukebox, pool table etc.), sports-orientated or not (football on TV etc.)...

also the other thing you look for apart from beer and a seat is ATMOSPHERE, which can mean as many things as there are pubs. i mean, look at wetherspoons, they usually have spare seats and sell half decent ale, but they are SOULLESS HELLHOLES at best, to me, but clearly their clientele find it acceptable.

Women

Bob Six, I salute you you have encapsulated 5 years of ranting in a single phrase.

which is a GOOD thing obv.

How does this manifest though? Is there a significant difference in the clientele (may well be, can imagine SS range putting certain mindset off due to 'unrecognisable' branding)? Something about the decor? Neither allow music even just as background ambience so I find both lacking atmos somewhat.

My central London pubs are all within 10 minutes' brisk walk of Charing Cross, so anything up CC Road towards Soho is generally fair game. My favourite? Went to an awesome one next to Foley's bookshop quite recently, but have completely forgotten the name. :-( The Cambridge Arms, when not too busy, is pretty good as well.

Though, for me, it's more about a pub *looking* like a pub - dark/rich colours, dark wood, stained or frosted glass, lots of corners and hideyholes. Hence why SS is a cut above Wetherspoons for me.

does this place jagger towers in surrey?

juke boxes are different i guess, and if and only if accompanied by pool table.

ken, you play pool? prepare to be destroyed (if ever I come to a fap)...

correctamundo!

passantino, now you know where to bomb. ;-)

No, Dadismus, that's not it. The one I'm thinking of was more in the Regents Street/Conduit Street area.

William IV, our new local, is an excellent place. I just had some *very* nice cod and chips there.

right so. i'm on the lookout for a pub in the camden area which as a. a decent ale, b. some half-edible scran and c. a pool table.

stipulation b. is optional - a. can feasibly be dealt with using the word "Guinness" but only if option c. is fulfilled in its entirety.

anyone? need it for this sunday! tip your tits off...

Ha, you'd be lucky. Particularly on the pool table front.

How 'Camden area' are we talking, Camden Town or the borough?

Thinking about it, you could try the Grand Union on Highgate road. It's part of small chain, but not too bad, with pretty good burgers and a table in the basement. Not sure about the ale situation.

that's assuming you were using some sort of 'rich-kid' surrey ad hominem. If you meant it in a 'ooh, wicked, I live in Surrey too!' way, or even as an inquisitive guess, then my second sentence is divested of any sarcasm.) :-)
ken, you play pool? prepare to be destroyed (if ever I come to a fap)...

― You've Got Scourage On Your Breath (Haberdager), Friday, 27 October 2006 14:26 (2 years ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

heh

the good mixer has a pool table

Unfortuneately it has the disadvantage of being The Good Mixer.

Not too many pubs with pool tables in Camden

Pembroke Castle near Chalk Farm has pool tables upstairs iirc.

As does the Bull and Gate on Kentish Town Road, but no ales or food.

Bull and Gate not in Camden, bit of a trek to get there

the world's end has a pool table but it's the world's end

as does the camden tup which is slightly nicer.

much nicer, actually

Dean Swift is ace and is really not that far from the steps down to Shad Thames from Tower Bridge. Lafone Street is about 5 cobble-streeted minutes' walk from the steps - I lived there in a garden flat during my first summer in London.

is the garrison the one with the kind of green astro turf in the backyard?

I think that's the Woolpack over the road, which can be okay but can also be hellish, especially on busy nights. Garrison is more laid-back, booking recommended especially if you'll be eating.

ah right - is the garrison like extremely gastro, more a restaurant? i may have eaten there recently enough.

anyone got any pub or bar recommendations around the New Cross Overground station area? Nothing fancy just not awful if possible!

Think I'd head for Beer Rebellion at Queens Road Peckham - 15 minutes' walk away or one Overground stop.

cheers! Ended up at the Royal Albert on New Cross Rd, a perfectly serviceable Antic pub.

That would have been my recommendation as well. I have a soft spot for the Marquis of Granby as well but I can see that's not for everyone.

the Marquis looks a bit more rough and ready right? Antic pubs are ten a penny these days but they do have the considerable virtue of serving good beer well

The Albert is probably the best of all of them, mind. Helps that it opens late and was actually a pub before they took it on, so it has the right look and feel.