Decent night out in London - which area?

[MGgeordie]

Right, well I'm off to Wembley for the league cup final in March & will be staying over in London on the Saturday night before the game. I have no experience of socialising in London so where is good a night out & where is to be avoided? We will be getting there just after lunchtime so will be out in the afternoon and the evening.

Criteria is real ale, cosy pubs with decent atmoshpere, some music & a few to go at without having to walk miles inbetween. Prefer somewhere thats fairly busy but not rammed to the hilt.

I'm not interested in namby pamby wine bars that dont sell beer, fun pubs with plastic people in them or anything of that ilk really.

So recommend Me an area............cheers

[z4chris99]

Criteria is real ale, cosy pubs with decent atmoshpere, some music & a few to go at without having to walk miles inbetween

This area doesnt exist. Angel is prob your best bet.

[okgo]

Yeh Angel isn't a bad shout to be fair.

[Thankyou4calling]

MGgeordie said:

Right, well I'm off to Wembley for the league cup final in March & will be staying over in London on the Saturday night before the game. I have no experience of socialising in London so where is good a night out & where is to be avoided? We will be getting there just after lunchtime so will be out in the afternoon and the evening.

Criteria is real ale, cosy pubs with decent atmoshpere, some music & a few to go at without having to walk miles inbetween. Prefer somewhere thats fairly busy but not rammed to the hilt.

I'm not interested in namby pamby wine bars that dont sell beer, fun pubs with plastic people in them or anything of that ilk really.

So recommend Me an area............cheers

Cheltenham.

[Zod]

z4chris99 said:

Criteria is real ale, cosy pubs with decent atmoshpere, some music & a few to go at without having to walk miles inbetween

This area doesnt exist. Angel is prob your best bet.

Hampstead or Highgate.

He'll hate Angel.

[Zod]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Holly Bush, then White Horse, then down Fitzjohn's Avenue and Arkwright Road to Finchley Road Station and on the Tube to Wembley.

[z4chris99]

Zod said:

Hampstead or Highgate.

He'll hate Angel.

hampstead is a good shout, Angel maybe a bit young

[z4chris99]

Zod said:

Hampstead or Highgate.

He'll hate Angel.

hampstead is a good shout, Angel maybe a bit young

[OzzyR1]

Was out with a mate on Monday for lunch and a few pints, thought of the Hollybush as I had a really good rib-eye there a month or two back.

Got there, no rib-eye.

3 pints later, getting hungrier and having set on the idea of a steak ended up cabbing it to Hawksmoor which then led to another few pints afterwards in the Ten Bells on Commercial St.

Managed to increase what I thought I might spend on a decent pub lunch by about 4x by the time we were done

Ah well, can't take it with you.

[22s]

Porterhouse, Covent G: http://www.porterhousebrewco.com/bars-london-coven...

Then you can head out and do a million things around there if you get bored.

[Dapster]

Couple of pints here....

http://www.thebullislington.co.uk/drink/

Then a ruby here.....

http://www.spicesn1.co.uk/

Then mojitos and leering at young hotties here.....

http://www.cubalibrelondon.co.uk/

Short stumble back to Angel tube stations with plenty of filthy 'bab options en route.

Jobs a good 'un.

[okgo]

22s said:

Porterhouse, Covent G: http://www.porterhousebrewco.com/bars-london-coven...

Then you can head out and do a million things around there if you get bored.

lol

Nobody goes to Covent Garden unless its for the theater, we'll be having Leicester square as a recommendation next.

[22s]

okgo said:

22s said:

Porterhouse, Covent G: http://www.porterhousebrewco.com/bars-london-coven...

Then you can head out and do a million things around there if you get bored.

lol

Nobody goes to Covent Garden unless its for the theater, we'll be having Leicester square as a recommendation next.

He's not from London and it's a better shout than Angel for a visitor unless you have a local guide.

Recommending Angel is like me recommending South Ken - yes, you can have a great night out and there's some great places. But if you don't know where you're going you'll just end up in a stty pub in the middle of nowhere.

Covent G has a tonne of decent places in a very concentrated area.

[okgo]

Angel is fairly easy. There isn't anything decent in C Garden, its overcrowded and full of people from Basingstoke as its the only part of London they have heard of. Along with clapham.

[NomduJour]

lepetitoeuf said:

Lamb & Flag is the only decent pub in Covent Garden

Harp, Cross Keys, maybe the Nell Gwynne.

[ls3steve]

London Bridge..

Head to Stoney Street, you have the Borough Market on each weekend, so can grab some food (hog roast sandwich is amazing) then you have a load of pubs
Market Porter (one of the best ale pubs in london)
Wheatsheaf
The Rake
The Old Thameside Inn
Barrow Boy & Banker


loads of good places round that way..

[NormalWisdom]

ls3steve said:

London Bridge..

Head to Stoney Street, you have the Borough Market on each weekend, so can grab some food (hog roast sandwich is amazing) then you have a load of pubs
Market Porter (one of the best ale pubs in london)
Wheatsheaf
The Rake
The Old Thameside Inn
Barrow Boy & Banker


loads of good places round that way..

This is a very good call, also Cov Gdn has it's places too, the Lowlander for a totally ridiculous selection of draught and bottled Belgian beers (at totally ridiculous prices!), Freemason's Arms - Shepherd Neame and site of the formation of the Football Association and the Prince of Wales does a mean pint of Pride

[Dave200]

MGgeordie said:

Criteria is real ale, cosy pubs with decent atmoshpere, some music ...
Prefer somewhere thats fairly busy but not rammed to the hilt.
...
So recommend Me an area

Have you considered the North of England? I hear it's nice this time of year.

Good places in Central London are generally busy, and expensive. Places that are worth going don't stay off the beaten track very long.

[Dave200]

okgo said:

lol

Nobody goes to Covent Garden unless its for the theater, we'll be having Leicester square as a recommendation next.

"lol"
Really?

I've lived in London almost a decade, and currently live in Z1. Having worked in the area some of my favourite old haunts still drag me into Cov Gdn on the odd weekend. I don't think I'm in a tiny minority either...

[z4chris99]

i go there occasionally, but last time was after a comedy thing and went to the chandos for a cheap headache