Marquis of Cornwallis, Bloomsbury

A reasonable selection of beers. Poor quality but friendly staff: Expect to ask for top-ups. Good (not cheap) food and the menu is as slippery as an eel so don't expect to be able to order what's listed, or get exactly what you order. There seems to be a bit of thieving going on in this pub so watch your bags (that said this is the big smoke so I may have just observed 2 bad nights).

This is quite a negative review of what is a good pub. Overall its slightly less then the sum of its parts and it just disappoints me because of that...

6 Mar 2007 13:30

Callaghans, Russell Square

Average in nearly every way. It has one of those big screens for football if that's what your looking for and plenty of those picnic type tables outside on a quiet-ish bit of street.

Its the antithesis of Camera pubs and is devoid of any soul. The Marquis (nee Goose) across the road is slightly nicer and certainly has better (cheaper/nicer/more satisfying) food and real(er) ales and a larger lager selection so go there instead.

6 Mar 2007 13:19

The Skinners Arms, Kings Cross

It's an old fashioned good quality pub... In London Town... Well kept beers of all styles (love that Abbot). Cheap pub grub: Scampi & Chips et al. House spirits with deals on doubles. Grand staff...

Only problem is every other bugger knows all this. Get in early if you want a seat... or wait until summer and sit outside.

6 Mar 2007 13:07

The Harrison, St Pancras / Kings Cross

I kinda like this place. Definitely the bar end of the pub-bar spectrum; all light wood and leather. Nice and airy.

I suggest erring towards lager rather then your ale/bitter types. As has been pointed out below the larger is generally 'premium'. Staff are generally helpful and friendly. My experience of the food is generally positive. Again its more bar styled then pub-grub: better ingredients, smaller portions, higher prices.

The music is generally quiet and inoffensive. Say Air or one of those types. They tend to have a copy of the Guardian on the bar. Whilst this may not seem relevant to a pub review I'd say there is probably a loose correlation between the level of disdain one feels for the Guardian and the level of disdain one feels the Harrisons. I kinda like the Gruaniad.

It does close quite randomly for parties or some such things. So its worth having a backup plan.

6 Mar 2007 12:56

The Porterhouse, Covent Garden

Its a bit of a below average pub. The door staff are your standard west-end rottweilers; rude but not thorough. We booked a table for 16 but got a table for 12. The basic lager is pale, flat and flavourless. I'm informed by one of the party that the stout was pretty good and I liked the irish red. The night we were in (Wednesday) it was quiet empty. Despite that it felt like it was understaffed. But friendly. Prices = same as anywhere else in Town.

It had that nightclub-esque feel that large pubs often have. Better then O'Neils or Waxy's but not by much.

6 Mar 2007 12:32