If you like old pubs, Ye Olde Mitre Tavern may be the best pub in London. It is a late 18th century building sited on an old historical site; it’s small, vaguely shabby, no music, has a great atmosphere and seems to attract English and American eccentrics. It’s cosily tucked away in a little alleyway, and must have one of the smallest snug bars in England. Sometimes it gets very crowded but not always. It’s brilliant.

Excellent old pub 5 minutes from Chancery Lane and Faringdon Tube. Great beer and atmosphere and the hto sausage rolls and toasted sandwiches are superb! The pub appears in the start of the film Snatch too.

Said to have been founded in 1546, the current building dates from 1772, and feels like it. That's if you can find it, that is, for never can a pub have been so well hidden: Ely Place is a tiny side-passage off Hatton Garden, just up from the junction with Holborn Viaduct. (At the moment, (6/7/07) scaffolding on the street frontage makes it even harder to find).

It was built supposedly to serve the staff of the Bishop of Ely, who had his London residence adjacent. The residence was the setting for all sorts of history (it features in Shakespear several times), including a five-day banquet for Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon in1531, at which gargantuan quantities of food were consumed.

The residence is long since gone, but the pub thankfully survives. It has several small rooms (including a small snug), wood panelled and covered with prints and pictures. An alleyway snakes around the building, which now provides space for the smokers. It's very cosy in winter, and very atmospheric. Its location means that it less frequented by tourists than many other historic pubs, although immediately after work it does get very full with City folk. It also featured in the 2000 film 'Snatch' by Guy Ritchie, starring Brad Pitt.

The beers include guest ales alongside Adnams (Broadside) and Deuchars IPA - one of my favourites, and generally in good form here. They do very traditional pub food - scotch eggs, sausage rolls, pork pies and pickled eggs, alongside simple toasties (amazing value at £1.50) and nuts, but (oddly) they do not sell crisps. The staff are friendly and helpful, and know their beer - they host occasional beer festivals.

Overall, a great place for a pint.