HALF A DOZEN PUBS IN EVERY COUNTY. No. 22 – CENTRAL LONDON.

This is tough.

What even is Central London ? CAMRA keep messing about with it, moving W1 into West London. Where is Soho these days ?

Anyhow, there’s far less in the centre of the greatest city on earth, pubwise, than you’d believe.

I mean, I LOVE London, really love walking it aimlessly, but ask me to name to name the really great pubs and I’ll go, ummmm…

Covent Garden – The Harp

Which is a bit predictable, isn’t it ?

But the Harp is still one of the great pubs,

“For the first time today, I heard some (intelligent) talk about the US Election, which was on a knife-edge, and the Harp seemed a bastion of civility in a world of chaos.”

The other famous London pub, apart from the Dog and Duck and Soho, is the one you haven’t been to in years.

Hatton Garden – Olde Mitre

In truth, I haven’t been to the Mitre since Fullers took it over, but I know it used to be part of the Bishopric of Ely, which entitled anyone from Ely (me, possibly, to unlimited pints of ESB and that’s enough for me.

And I like the fact you can never find it;

You can’t miss my next pub, a GBG perennial since Duncan was in shorts.

St Pancras – Skinners Arms

Pictures from Martin Chuzzlewit in the Gents, Genesis on the stereo, a young Italian couple (it’s always the Italians) ordering two glasses of wine; £8.90 the pair. The pair !

I’ve no idea why it’s in the GBG, and I don’t care.

The next pick had flirted with the Beer Guide over recent years.

Charing Cross – Ship & Shovell

“I’d never noticed it was set on both sides of the road, with two signs, which raised all sorts of ecumenical issues for the GBG ticker. Do I need to visit both to complete the tick ? What happens if the beer is 0.5 NBSS better on the west side than the east ?“

“A glorious melting pot of London life, with young folk drinking in the alley, some German tourists and a group of older mates up in The Smoke for a cultural afternoon bender.”

And finally;

Fitzrovia – Cock

Because Sam Smiths IS central London. Honestly. The Chandos, Cittie of Yorke, Princess Louise. Years ago, they used to be CHEAP. I know, hard to believe.

I met two odd blokes from Reading in the Cock in 2019, where everyone was daring Humphrey to execute them for using their phone.

The OBB was great, the bottles scarily expensive, the pub wonderful.

OK, over to you, please don’t ask me to define central London.

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Published by retiredmartin

Retired NHS, doing long walks around UK and the world to record the great bits. Focused on Good Beer Guide pubs and live music.

14 thoughts on “HALF A DOZEN PUBS IN EVERY COUNTY. No. 22 – CENTRAL LONDON.”

  2. After twenty-one counties where I’m apparently ignorant of the best pubs here’s one where I know the top five, all most recently visited at least once during the past six years ;
    Harp – Jul 18, Jun 19, Nov 19, May 23
    Old Mitre – Nov 19, Mar 20,
    Skinners Arms ( on your recommendation ) – Sep 23
    Ship and Shovell ( first used in 1972 ) – May 23
    Cock – Jun 18.
    I’d expect Humphrey’s tiles, so clearly shown there in the Cock, to last a hundred times longer than Tim’s carpets.

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  3. All good pubs, those. If I had to pick one, I’d probably take the Mitre. It is more of a destination pub than the others, perhaps, and it is closed on Saturdays, Sundays, Bank holidays etc., etc.

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  4. I also don’t quite get London CAMRA’s love of the Skinner’s Arms. I would nominate:
    – The Blue Posts, Berwick Street.
    – The Lamb, Lamb’s Conduit Street.
    – The Lord John Russell, Marchmont Street
    – The Nell Gwynne Tavern, Bull Inn Court.

    But these are as much for the pub itself and the atmosphere, as the cask selection.

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  5. I’ve been in London this week, and these were the only pubs where I found beer at NBSS 4 or 4.5:

    Jackalope, Weymouth Mews, Fitzrovia (Joseph Holt Bitter)
    Golden Eagle, Marylebone Lane, Marylebone Portobello Westway Pale)
    Green Goose, Anglo Road, Bow (Five Points Best Bitter)
    Perseverance, Lamb’s Conduit Street, Bloomsbury (Fauna Brewery Bushy Tail Best Bitter)

    Pubs where I complimented the licensee/server on the beer quality, though it was NBSS 3.5:
    Grapes, Narrow Street, Limehouse (Greene King Kimberley Bitter)
    Rocket, Euston Road, St Pancras (Fullers London Pride)
    Angel in the Fields, Thayer Street, Marylebone (Sam Smiths Old Brewery Bitter)
    Lamb, Lamb’s Conduit Street, Bloomsbury (Youngs Winter Warmer)
    Duke, Roger Street, Bloomsbury (Black Sheep Best Bitter)
    Enterprise, Red Lion Street, Bloomsbury (Sharps Doom Bar)

    Admittedly, not many of them would be called Central London, but I challenge anyone to say these 10 pubs are all bobbins.

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    1. In general I’m not picking my five pubs on the best beer quality or atmosphere, just trying to give a sense of the variety of the places. Central London is tricky now (I think) Soho is in the West London section, and (I think) the Kings Cross/Euston lot are in NW1 ?

      Holt in the Jackalope ? Blimey. I liked that one in 2020.

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