Bars & Pubs

If you were to put a branch of All Bar One at one end of the drinking den spectrum, you'd find this pub leering at it with yellowing teeth from the other. Gloriously musty, it's a 16th-century boozer laid out across several floors, and retaining much of the dinginess that is said to have inspired scenes in Dickens' novels. Take away the history, though, and what do you have? A straightforward Samuel Smith pub, with all the usual own-brand simulacra of well-known alcohol types and run-of-the-mill grub.

Time Out Bars, Pubs & Clubs Guide 2008/9