Bars & Pubs

London's best riverside pubs and bars.

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North

The Castle
Sunny weekday evenings are the best time to try this stately branch of the Geronimo Inns pub chain. At weekends it’s packed to the brim with Monopoly-pub-crawlers and other boozers who have discovered it despite its location away from the main drag of Upper Street. The roof terrace boasts its own bar and has room for 60 or so punters. Timothy Taylor’s Landlord, Bitburger Premium, Budvar and Aspall’s cider are among the offerings on tap.
The Castle, 54 Pentonville Rd, N1 9HF (020 7713 1858) Angel tube.

Eclipse
One of a small (five-strong) chain, Eclipse is a quietly groovy little joint and serves some of the finest fresh fruit cocktails in the capital. Daytime finds a smart spot with an outdoor terrace spilling drinkers onto buzzy West End Lane. Low-hanging copper lamps and departure lounge-style leather banquettes fill the interior. After sunset, low lighting prevails and funky house tunes keep the extensive range of cocktails, champagne, well-chosen wines and beer (including Baltica and Kronenbourg Blanc on draught) flowing.
Eclipse, 283-285 West End Lane, NW6 1RD (020 7431 1118/www.eclipse-ventures.com) West Hampstead tube/rail. Feature continues

The Flask
With its Doctor Who-meets-Dickens interior, The Flask is a bizarre mixture of olde-worlde cosiness and hip contemporary furnishings – and it’s always dark. No wonder the prime seats are in the front courtyard, which at peak times has its own bar, a fragrant barbecue and a marquee with 14 tables that enjoy full heat and cover – the perfect place to see out a flash downpour that seems to have characterised this season. Strawberry Früli’s a big hit with the local ladies, while Guinness Extra Cold’s the summer refresher of choice for the lads.
The Flask, 77 Highgate West Hill, N6 6BU (020 8348 7346) Archway tube then 143, 210, 214, 271 bus.

Red Lion & Sun
Brighter and less cluttered since its refurb, this place's best feature is the huge patioed front garden with swanky new archway where weekenders drink the decent ales on offer tuck into the delicious spit-roasted pig.
Red Lion & Sun, 25 North Road, Highgate, N6 4BE (020 8340 1780/www.theredlionandsun.com) Highgate tube.

Somerstown Coffee House
A handsome Grade II-listed gastropub with a French accent, the Somerstown Coffee House has ten garden tables, plus five on the front terrace, where you can enjoy real ales such as Eagle IPA, Bombadier and Courage Directors. The wine list is uninspired for a Gallic outfit, but consolation can be found in the excellent bar snacks and restaurant fare. Indeed, it’s such a lovely venue, it’s hard to believe it’s set in the council estate by Euston and King’s Cross railway tracks.
Somerstown Coffee House, 60 Chalton St, NW1 1HS (020 7691 9136) Euston or King’s Cross tube/rail.

Spaniards Inn
This sixteenth-century pub, one of London’s most famous watering holes, has a ‘forever summer’ feel – probably due to its enormous garden. The interior, featuring dim lantern lighting and galleon-style windows, is straight out of ‘Treasure Island’. There’s a fabulous selection of wines, beers and upscale food and there’s even a dog-wash service on-site. Good to visit after a stroll on Hampstead Heath.
Spaniards Inn, Spaniards Rd, NW3 7JJ (020 8731 6571) Hampstead tube or Golders Green tube then 210 bus.

After-work drinks at Torquil's Bar

Torquil’s Bar
The hip architecture, the artsy crowd, the tattooed barstaff, the view of a disused Texaco – this is theatreland, north London style. By one wall is a row of champagne buckets with several bottles on ice. The other bar, where most of the action is, carries decent, cheap house wines from Bibendum and beers such as Kronenbourg, San Miguel and Beck’s. Outside is a crescent-shaped patio with high and low stools, white tables, potted plants and a barbecue. Glamorous if you turn your back to the car-park, and still fun if you don’t; on a sunny evening it looks as though it was lifted straight from an Australian design magazine. Pre-show and interval sees a sudden influx of drinkers, some of whom recline on the steps, then just as suddenly they are gone and Torquil’s becomes a serene spot to overlook the action at Fung Sun Chinese takeaway once more.
Torquil’s Bar, 1st Floor, The Roundhouse, Chalk Farm Rd, NW1 8EH (0870 389 9920) Chalk Farm tube.

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