Trip to London, England

G.M. Gillman · Post by **G.M. Gillman** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 11:53 am

There are great pubs in many parts of London, and some excellent recommendations. However, in practice, depending where you are staying, it won't be possible practically speaking to visit many of these. London is difficult to travel in due to density of traffic and it may not pay to cross the city and lose the better part of a day just to visit one pub.

Where will you stay? There are likely some excellent choices near to that point and some likely have been mentioned, but there may be others.

Gary

MattB · Post by **MattB** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 12:19 pm

Gary ... you can get around London quite quickly and efficiently by the Underground. Get a day ticket for unlimited travel in Zones 1&2, which encompass all of Central London and more. For instance, getting from Paddington (where I usually stay) to the Borough Market in Southwark is a matter of 15 - 20 minutes by underground. That way one can visit a great number of pubs in a day.

bufordsbest · Post by **bufordsbest** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 4:15 pm

i've been to London before and found it very easy to get around via the tube. i will be in the city for the day and am staying with friends in central london.

i've mapped out a route, i'll post it when i get a chance and then maybe do a review of it when i get back.

tg

G.M. Gillman · Post by **G.M. Gillman** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 4:41 pm

I am familiar with the tube and used it a lot on my recent trip there. I guess I meant that if you want to see the different sights and have some good beer, I'd choose good pubs near where you stay so you can do other things (museums, shopping, etc.). Because it's easy to go to a pub to Earl's Court from the city centre, say, but it's still a fair distance with loss of time that could be used for other things.

Of course you can do this at the end of a tube trip too, e.g., tour Borough Market and check out a pub on its perimeter. Then go to Soho, say (or a million other places) with a beer at day's end. Personally I wouldn't criss-cross London on the tube for pubs alone due to the tube being very crowded at times, extra time to climb in and out of the stations, and stoppages occasionally, or I'd arrange it anyway that I can combine other good activities with the pubs - after all to maximize the value of the trip.

I'd be happy to suggest places if I knew the area the visitor will be staying, or I can say here I certainly agree with Borough Market pubs because the Market is great; pubs in Soho because that is one of the great parts of London; ditto Covent Garden, Mayfair, Picadilly, Fitzrovia (area near BBC building and Great Portland Road). Also Marlybone. Many other choices too.

I'd focus on the area in other words - where you are staying or what you want to see and then choose a pub in that light.

Gary

bufordsbest · Post by **bufordsbest** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 6:41 pm

i see what you mean. all the pubs are in the same vacinity, (dare i say walking distance) and i basically took 1 or 2 pubs i really wanted to go to and then chose decent ones in the same area.

here's my route: (sorry, don't how to post pic of mapped route)

Lamb & Flag
33 Rose St, City of London, Greater London WC2E 9EB

The Salisbury
90 St Martin's Ln, City of London, Greater London WC2N 4AP

Harp
47 Chandos Pl, London WC2N 4HS,

Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese
145 Fleet St, City of London, Greater London EC4A 2BU

Old Bell Tavern
95 Fleet St, City of London, Greater London EC4Y 1DH

The Crown and Sugar Loaf
26 Bride Ln, London EC4Y 8DT, UK

The Black Friar
174 Queen Victoria St, London EC4V 4EG, UK

tg

JerCraigs · Post by **JerCraigs** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 10:13 pm

My London Map Link

Are you using Google Maps? Click "Link" and it will give you a URL. I didn't actually go to all the places listed. I used the RB places section and fancyapint.com to do research.

Some of my favorite places included:

- Cask Pub and Kitchen (pub meets coffee shop atmosphere in a good way, tons of casks, lots of import bottles)
- Jerusalem Tavern (OLD school pub, sparse and straight out of Victorian times, AWESOME pork sandwich for lunch. St. Peter's beers only though meant we only popped in on the way to the train station)
- Market Porter (Good tap list, lacking a bit in seating)

Missed it, will get to it next trip:
- The Rake, Pembury Tavern, Royal Oak

bufordsbest · Post by **bufordsbest** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 11:01 pm

yeah i would like to hit up cask pub and kitchen but it was a little out of the way and i have a lot more european travel after to london to be carrying bottles around.

there website claims up to 10 beers on cask at anyone time....... just fantastic.

http://www.caskpubandkitchen.com/real-ales/

JerCraigs · Post by **JerCraigs** » Thu Apr 07, 2011 7:52 am

I didn't think they sold bottles to go? It was a relatively short trip on the tube, as were most of the places I found. But as you say, time management is key on a shorter visit.

Bytowner · Post by **Bytowner** » Thu Apr 07, 2011 12:42 pm

Skip the Harvey's at the Market Porter and go straight to Royal Oak just a short walk to the south. Market Porter has a nice selection of odds and ends that you won't find elsewhere in London so stick to the interesting things. Also worth sticking your head into The Rake for a bottle of American or European stuff on your list, but beware the prices. Also note that if you don't like crowds, stay the hell away from Borough, the weather has been glorious and the past few times I've walked past the MP there has been a mass of bodies blocking the doors and the street.

Second The Harp, Ye Old Mitre, Cheese, and would add Citie of Yorke and Jerusalem Tavern (St. Peter's pub). But again, aside from The Harp, these are all City pubs that shut their doors on the weekends, or at least on Sundays. Also, a London Beer Week next week apparently, again not of much use to you.

For a nice range of ales, check out The Coal Hole on the Strand, east of Trafalgar square. You might be perfectly happy trying their range, visiting the Harp and hanging around Trafalgar, St. James, and the shopping streets. Also, Wetherspoon's pubs have a beer fest going on, try The Crosse Keys in the City.

Bytowner · Post by **Bytowner** » Thu Apr 07, 2011 1:04 pm

Oh, also worth keeping your eye out for Royal Wedding brews. Utobeer had Kiss me Kate from Castle Rock this week, if you can make it there early on you might get some, otherwise I suspect the tourists will clean them our pretty quickly! Nice souvenir.

G.M. Gillman · Post by **G.M. Gillman** » Thu Apr 07, 2011 1:45 pm

Excellent list for the City-oriented selection. Blackfriars is probably my favourite of those I've been to.

In nearby Covent Garden, I'd try to visit Porterhouse, the long established porter and stout bar owned by the Dublin headquarters of same. Wrassler's on draft is tops and they often have other interesting beers there.

At any Davy wine bar (the City has many, e.g., City FOB near the Monument) the beer is very good, I believe the Wallop served there may be, under another name, Directors from Courage, one of the best cask beers in England.

On Lamb's Conduit Street in Bloomsbury, you can see if Young's is as good as it was before the purchase and relocation of brewing by Charles Wells. I liked the Ordinary on my recent trip but it seemed somewhat different to the Wandsworth one I remember from years back.

Finally, for real Bass Draught, the Ship in Fitzrovia (so useful for British Museum/Bloomsbury area visit). Not too far east of Portland Road and below the BBC Tower.

Gary