The Pride of Spitalfields, Shoreditch

I�m totally smitten with this place. Good, well-kept beers and usually a great mix of friendly folk in there. The coal fire and resident cat sprawled beside it tick more boxes for a cosy pint of a winter evening. The staff are generally very pleasant; look out for the big dark-haired barman who may be a bit short with you but I�m sure he doesn�t mean it and anyway, a pub such as this should have at least one no-nonsense cock-er-nee on the payroll. I went there for a few quiet drinks on my birthday and a big buffet, organised for an earlier party but hardly touched, was lavished on me and my friends. This is a great boozer.

20 Nov 2007 11:44

Spaniards Inn, Hampstead Heath

I can only go with the general consensus on here: this is a wonderful, historic pub in a great location with good food and great beers, but it is let down by woeful levels of service. The bar really is a joke; the staff seem almost wilfully sluggish and rude. Last time I visited, for twenty odd minutes I watched an admittedly over-stretched young barman dash about the bar making no attempt to hide the fact that he was not happy to be working at all. The poor lamb. He then abruptly announced he was going for his break, at which point a very polite lady pointed out that she had been waiting for half an hour at the bar. His indignant reply was, �Yeah? Well I�ve been here all day, so��

Yes mate, I expect you have. You�re doing a job that you chose to do and are getting paid for it.

It�s glaringly obvious what the failings are of this place.

15 Nov 2007 15:54