London Bar Roundup 1
The Jugged Hare
The Jugged Hare in Barbican is worth a stop in just to check out the vast array of taxidermied animals displayed around the bar. A huge stag head is visible from the street where it hangs on the wall. But inside there are a dozen or so hare heads mounted on wood between the bar and the restaurant where most meats were sourced with a 12 gauge are served so be careful of the shot in the main dishes. Above the bar, a glass case displays a mink, ducks, fox, fish and other curiosities. The service is mediocre. The bar tender poured my drink and took my money but didn’t give me my drink from the tap, but it’s worth a wander in for a pint.
Youngs
It’s not every day that a brewery turned 188 years old, or in this case young. Youngs brewery has been turning out lagers and mild stouts since 1831. Craig and I passed a bar that was celebrating the birthday with balloons, a piñata and a free pint of Youngs for everyone who downloaded the Youngs on Tap app, so that’s just want we did. You can’t compete with free. The Fox and Anchor is one of over 50 pubs that serve Youngs in London, so you’ll have your pick when their 189th birthday party rolls around next September.
The Artful Dodger
The Artful Dodger in on Royal Mint St. in Shadwell. It’s a classic spit and sawdust boozer, painted green to match the name of the street and sits across from a tube tunnel where trains submerge and re-emerge above ground. When I walked in to meet Craig’s friend Sam, who was also working in London for the day, I was the only woman in the bar. I had a half pint of cider for £2 which seemed like a good price by London standards. A dart league plays there and there’s free wifi, and a patio. Not a bad place for a cheap drink at all.
The Craft Beer Co.
On the other end of the pay scale is The Craft Beer Co., which, like the name suggests is a craft ale house. Craig and I got sours that ran us £8 and £7 respectively. His was a delicious lemonade sour and mine was coconut. Astroturf and bunting decorate the patio, which is strewn with half kegs as end tables. A fun splurge for one, but you wouldn’t want to make a session out of it.
The Eagle
The Eagle is a gastro pub in Farringdon with mismatched furniture, an ever changing menu and a great selecting of craft and traditional ales on tap. Somehow for the second day in a row the beer I wanted was out and they had to change the keg, but the service was speedy getting me a drink in their promised 2 minutes. I’d go back for food.
