Randomness Guide to London - Differences between Version 22 and Version 21 of Hope Fitzrovia, W1T 2AJ

Small, friendly pub tucked behind Goodge Street Station, near Tottenham Court Road.

There are six handpulls for ale prominently arrayed along the bar, and the pub regularly serves London Pride and Timothy Taylor's Landlord (though the standard has been known to vary in quality), at £2.95/pint. There will usually be at least one other guest ale available, such as Wadworth 6X and Sharp's Doom Bar (on a March 2009 visit), or Flowers Bitter (in May 2009, £3.05/pint). Unusually, all ales and lagers were off on an October 2009 visit, possibly due to problems with the pump system, so we resorted to bottled lagers (Leffe, £3.60/bottle, and Budvar) until moving on elsewhere. A gin and tonic will set you back around £3.20.

The downstairs is rather cramped and can get very busy in the evenings, especially Fridays. On a Saturday afternoon it is an excellent place to hide away for a quiet pint. There are several picnic-style tables outside, and a big screen in one corner (that rarely shows anything on weekdays, unless there's a big football game on, which are noted on a chalkboard near the screen, or the Ashes cricket).

There is an upstairs room which can be hired out for free if you promise to fill it with a reasonable amount of people, and at other busy times it is open and usually less crowded than downstairs.

Excellent food is served at lunchtimes noon-3pm daily (Sausage Of The Week is highly recommended, and there's always at least one vegetarian option) but arrive before 1pm to be sure of getting a table. There are usually one or two vegetarian specials available; portions of chips are plentiful and speedily served. In late-2007, Bec's veggie sausages and mash for £6 was a feast! The (large) plate was three-quarters full of mash. If you prefer you can get chips, which are chunky, well-fried and plentiful. The onion gravy was gorgeous, and you get three lovely sausages and peas or beans. Go hungry! Ewan seconds Bec's comments from visits in 2008 and April 2009. There were three sausages and plenty of mash photo, very tasty, top work. Ewan has also tried the vegetarian quiche (£6.50, in July 2009) and it was very simple, being just a plain quiche without anything beyond cheese and egg, but tasty, and with a crisp, fresh salad photo.

See also:

• Beer In The Evening comments
• Fancyapint review
• Time Out review
• Freaky Trigger review

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