Randomness Guide to London Menu

Good Beer Guide pub near Charing Cross Station and the National Portrait Gallery, in Covent Garden. Previously owned by Punch Taverns, it became a free house in mid-2009 when the landlady bought the freehold.

It's usually pretty busy, no doubt due to the proximity of Theatreland and Charing Cross, but it's not always as crowded as it looks; force your way through the throng at the front and head to the back or upstairs, and you shouldn't have to wait too long for a seat. Note though that the upstairs room is bookable, so may not always be open. The windows at the front are opened in nice weather to let the breeze and sunshine in.

They have six handpulls, which were all in use on our May 2009 visit. A commenter known as tallpaul tells us that as of January 2009 the regular beers were Harvey's Sussex Best, Black Sheep, and Landlord, plus two guests. Other beers we've seen here in the past include White Adder, Belhaven Fruit Beer (£2.90 in August 2007), Bateman's XXXB, and Spitfire. They also generally have real cider/perry, which you have to ask for as it's kept in the fridge.

When the Iterative Pub Crawl visited on a Thursday afternoon in May 2009, there was room to sit on the ground floor, but only at high tables with stools. On a previous Thursday evening visit in May 2008, it was packed downstairs at around 9:30pm but the small room upstairs had a very pleasant quiet ambience, with a couple of tables free, and it gradually emptied as the evening went on.

The only food served is sausages in baguettes, but they're "award-winning" sausages, and they're served all day.

Ewan's verdict: Beers are well-kept, staff are friendly and, although it doesn't look much from the outside, this is definitely one of the better pubs for this area, if you can find somewhere to sit or even stand.

See also:

• Fancyapint review
• Pubs Galore comments
• Beer In The Evening comments
• Camden New Journal review
• Time Out review
• Ten-inch Wheels review
• Qype comments
• Hip-Hops review