Mabel's Tavern, Euston

The beer is excellent, with a good range, albeit not exactly cheap. But the interior is a bit grotty. Its still in early 1980's cheap wood panelling, with scuffed carpet and poor lighting. The toilets certainly need an upgrade!

It could be that the students who make up much of the trade don't really care, but they could make it really good, for relatively little effort. I don't want to sit in what looks like a past-its-best student union bar (done that), and the location and product deserve better.

27 Apr 2008 15:58

The Princess Louise, Holborn

Visited a little while ago, after the refurbishment. They have done a fantastic job, and it should be the standard for every brewery. They have reinstalled the partitions exactly as they would have been, and the famous toilets have been restored very well. Its true that its more difficult to move around, but its worth it. Very pleased to see what they have done with the upstairs, which was a pretty dingy 1970's orange before - now its very welcoming and smart.

The beer is as good and as reasonably priced as ever, with the wheat beer being particularly good. The food was standard pub grub, like pie and chips, etc, but well done, for a good price and lots of it.

Why can't all pubs be like this?

27 Apr 2008 15:50

The Crown, Chelsea

I used to work in the hospital opposite, and was shocked when I went for a leaving drink there. Not a pub at all, its all for (very expensive) food (cheese on toast!). The Otter beer is good for the area, but the decor is really horrible, and the place has the air con full blast (in November). Not a place you would want to linger, although the number of NHS staff there before the refit suggestes that you used to be able to.

6 Jan 2006 18:17