Probably one of the best pubs I have ever been in. Dark and gloomy inside, it was destroyed by the great fire in 1666 and rebuilt shortly after. Awsome atmosphere

I think you could call this the best pub in London, although it may be a little modern for some tastes, being rebuilt in 1667. I might be a few years off. As you can imagine, this pub is straight out of an episode of Blackadder or the pages of Dickens, who I’m sure drank here since all the writers did, including, famously, Dr Johnson.

This is a Samuel Smiths pub, so the beer is the cheapest and best in London. Their cheapest pint is £1.80 (yorkshire bitter)and the most expensive bottle is £3.50 (oatmeal stout i think). There is brilliant food served in every bar (steak and kidney pud will finish you off) and if you can manage to get a seat in the tiny restaurant (no bookings) you can enjoy pheasant for a tenner! Mind you don’t chomp on a bit of shot though. Smiths make their own spirits, so their shorts and mixers are cheap as well.

The upstairs bits are reserved for private bookings, and are very nice indeed, and the fantastic cellar bar is closed on the weekends, but after a couple of pints, which should cost less than a fiver (in central London!) you won’t care. Particularly if you’re sat next to the real coal fire.

Wood chippings. On the floor. The first thing you can imagine as you enter the unassuming door in the side alley off Fleet Street, is that this is a very traditional pub, with one excellent facet to it.

However - if that’s all you imagine, you’re aiming too low. This pub has so many facets it’s a veritable engagement rock. The key to this pub is that there is an element to satisfy nearly all types of pub clientele. There is a small snug to the right of the entrance that feels like it was designed for village regulars. To the left, there is a pub restaurant area. Straight ahead, and it’s a standard pub - mostly standing room only, long bar running along one wall.

But it doesn’t stop there. Upstairs there is a cosy boothed restaurant area that puts you in mind of Noel Coward’s “Still Life” (latterly the movie “Brief Encounter”). Each booth has coat hooks on the outside, and you could almost imagine yourself conducting an illicit liaison on the Orient Express.

Downstairs and you are back in time again, as the Cheese has converted some of it’s old cellars into more seating area - with low, arched ceilings and warm lighting. Descend further and you are in the lowest bar, with long benches, stone flooring and whitewashed walls.

I’m a big fan of Sam Smiths - and while I haven’t had any issues with short pints - I can’t recall the bar staff being particularly friendly or attentive. In fact, on one occasion it felt like I was being ignored.

That aside - it is a lovely pub - and the staff problems are all fixable. I’ll give this place 4 stars - only to encourage folk to visit here at least once. It’s a bit of history, and an awesome place to be able to tell folk “Yup - I know that pub.”.

Dark and dingy, this place is perfect for a few after work drinks…. just be careful not to hit your head on your way down the stairs.

The drinks are made by a private brewer, so this means they are cheap. There are loads of little nooks and crannies where you can find somewhere to set up camp, and the staff are generally friendly and the service is good. They do look like they are being strangled by their bow ties though.

A super pub.
Approached through a narrow alleyway (Wine Office Court) the Cheese beckons you into a bygone world. By the entrance a board lists the reigns of the 15 monarchs through which this grand old pub has survived. The dark wooden interior is an enchanting warren of narrow corridors and staircases, leading to numerous bars and dining rooms. There are so many, even regulars get confused. On the ground floor are two rooms. The smaller is a very dark panelled bar with a large open fireplace and high mantle.

This pub was built in 1667. It goes down for what feels miles below the surface of London. And its probably the most fun place you'll ever drink.

The cosy layout of this pub, with snugs, mini-bars and myriad tiny rooms, allow for intimate meetings and nice, friendly get-togethers. I have enjoyed multiple university parties in here, and many more quiet pints with a friend.

The clientele are both Fleet Street workers, and King's College students, along with a smattering of regulars who look like they've been coming in since the pub was built. Staff are friendly and efficient, and the Alpine beer is exactly what you'd expect: Cheap and refreshing.

The food isn't all that, just your typical pub fare, fish and chips and some pies; but the atmosphere is so snug and happy that although you come for the cheer, you will stay for the food.

Pint of Alpine £1.98; Fish and chips about £7.

Hiding in a tiny alleyway half way down Fleet Street, Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese is a rare treat. It's cheap, being Sammy Smith's and all, and you feel like you're in a little miniature world. I suppose, back in the day, everyone was smaller, so pubs only needed to be this big. These days, it's a tight squeeze, but get your elbows in, and find a place at one of the bars, and you'll get served soon enough.

When you get sick of the being hemmed in/too hot, walk down to The Old Bank of England, a Fuller's ale and pie house a short hop from here and get yourself a pint of Discovery to freshen up.

Well, I was going to write something wonderful about the history of this place, but seems I've been beaten to it. Just three stars from me too, but not because of the pouring technique of the staff (who I also found very friendly, but could do with a little more bar-queue awareness.

As mentioned the original burnt down in the great fire of London, however I suspect the only room to survive was the gents toilet - that's the only reason I can come up with to explain the stench..

Otherwise, a nice enough place with a bit of a barn feel to it..

This justifies the 'Olde' in its name, as there has been a pub at this location since the 13th Century, although the present building dates from 1667. The date gives a clue why: the original was a victim of the Great Fire of London in 1666. Mark Twain and Dickens certainly drank here, and Samuel Johnson lived close by, so he probably did too.

The building is a wonderful warren of small, wood-panelled interconnecting rooms, all on different levels. It's tourist heaven, but it gets a mixed clientele of lawyers and office workers as well. There are two bar areas, with the main entrance, on one of Fleet Street's little side lanes, adding to the sense of atmosphere. The pub is tied to Yorkshire brewery Sam Smiths, and when I went recently they only had Best Bitter on tap, though it seemed well kept..

It ought to get four or five stars. But they really need to train their staff better: I was served pints with the largest heads I've ever seen (over two inches). This was largely because the sparklers on the pump were too tight (even though Yorkshire beer is normally served through fairly tight sparklers).

When a friend (who is a head brewer at a different brewery) pointed this out, the barmaid said, 'what's a sparkler?'. That said, the staff were very willing to top the pints up to a reasonable level, when asked, and were generally very friendly. But an unknowing tourist would have received two very short pints.

Sorting this out would deliver four stars, which it really ought to be able to earn, on account of its history.