• Added: 4th of September 2008
• Area: Fitzrovia
• Category: Bars and Pubs

London W1T 2ED
020 7636 6530

realalelass said
A haven on a busy shopping street
Set on the busy Tottenham Court Road, this pub is a relaxing place to visit after shopping or work. The interior is nothing special, but is comfortable enough. The beers are well kept, although whenever I have been here (and that has been quite regularly) they have always had one beer off. So there are usually a couple of ales to choose from.

Staff are friendly and the toilets are clean. The only down side is that you have to walk the length of the bar (as if you are leaving the pub), to get to the staircase leading upstairs to the loos.

The food is very nice too, although I have only ever eaten here on an evening. Nearby Charlotte Street has lots of nice restaurants, so I would recomment popping in here for a pre-dinner drink if you are visiting one of those.

• Added: 4th of September 2008
• Area: Temple
• Category: Bars and Pubs

London WC2A 1DT
020 7831 2660

realalelass said
Wetherspoons chic
This is another large Wetherspoons pub in central London (on Chancery Lane, so as a previous reviewer has commented, populated with members of the legal profession).

The interior is very grand. Get a table upstairs on the balcony, overlooking the pub if you can. However, this pub definitely isn't posh - it's a Wetherspoons! The beer is reasonably priced and well kept, but as with all Wetherspoons, it gets very very crowded, especially on a Friday evening.

The food is typical Wetherspoons fare, cheap and cheerful (and a little bit greasy).

The toilets (in the basement), are some of the grandest I have ever seen in a pub.

• Added: 4th of September 2008
• Area: Holborn
• Category: Bars and Pubs

London WC1V 7HP
020 7242 5669

realalelass said
Huge Wetherspoons pub
This pub is great value for money in a busy area of London (near Holborn). It is a Wetherspoons, and so is reasonably priced with varied real ales, which have always been well kept when have tried them. I recommend visiting during one of their real ale 'festivals' if you are a beer drinker.

As with all Wetherspoons, this pub can get very busy, but the service is not bad, and you don't end up waiting at the bar for ages to be served, unlike round the corner at the Shakespeare's Head (another large Wetherspoons pub).

The food is ok if you like Wetherspoons menus, with the usual specials eg curry night.

• Added: 4th of September 2008
• Area: Muswell Hill
• Category: Restaurants

London N10 1DE
020 8883 1500

realalelass said
Try the pizza pasquale
When I lived in Muswell Hill, I would go to La Porchetta regularly. There are several pizza places in the area, but this one beats the rest hands down. It is one of those restaurants that is well worth travelling to, even if you don't live in the area.

Pizzas are huge and delicious. I would recommend the pizza pasquale, with aubergines, sun-dried tomatoes, and mozzarella, and covered with rocket once it comes out of the oven ... delicious.

As a previous reviewer has mentioned, if you or someone in your group is celebrating a birthday, the staff will bring out a treat as a surprise. But be warned, this is not for the shy: they play a very loud 'happy birthday' recording and come out of the kitchen bangin pots and pans, so the whole restaurant will be watching you!

• Added: 4th of September 2008
• Area: Covent Garden
• Category: Restaurants

London WC2E 7JS
020 7257 8613

realalelass said
terrible service
I agree with Tanzanitelilac entirely as we had the same experience at Fire and Stone. The pizza was delicious, the 'fusion' menu inspired, but the service ruined the evening.

I went here with some girlfriends and our waiter was one of the most arrogant people we'd ever had the misfortune of encountering. He was really full of himself and even tried to encourage my pregnant friend to have a glass of wine.

The starters and pizzas were lovely but the service left a bad taste in our mouths. The low point of the evening came with the bill, when we asked him to remoe the 'discretionary' 12.5% service tip, since we felt that we had hd bad service. We were interrogated as to why we wanted to do this, told he was on a low wage and needed the service etc etc.

I would not go back here if I was paid to!

• Added: 3rd of September 2008
• Area: Bloomsbury
• Category: Food and Drink

London WC1N 1AF
020 7713 6096

realalelass said
Top notch supermarket
This supermarket is a fantastic addition to the area, in the newly refurbished Brunswick Centre. Great for local residents, people who work in the area and visitors alike.

Waitrose is known for its quality food, and this store is no exception, with a range of items not available elsewhere locally including a nice selection of real ales and cheeses to choose from.

Staff have always been very friendly when I have visited and seem to be genuinely quite happy to be at work (unusual these days to receive good customer service from positive members of staff, isn't it?!).

The down side is the prices - this is not a cheap place to shop.

• Added: 3rd of September 2008
• Area: Bloomsbury
• Category: Restaurants

London WC1N 1AF
020 7278 9799

realalelass said
Cheap tasty food
As a previous reviewer has already stated, this place is always busy. It used to be that you had to queue on the weekend, but since the Brunswick Centre was done up you have to queue most nights it is so popular.

The service is not overly friendly, and sometimes staff can be rude. I was once questioned as to why I was sending my vegetarian meal back when it had a scallop hiding amongst the noodles! However, the quality and price of the food makes up for this and makes me keep going back for more. There aren't many places in this part of town that you can get a huge meal for under a fiver.

• Added: 3rd of September 2008
• Area: Somerstown
• Category: Bars and Pubs

London WC1H 9NT
020 7837 6521

realalelass said
Decent local
The Skinners Arms is a Greene King pub, just up the road from King's Cross and St Pancras stations. The beer is well kept, if predictable, and they have the odd guest ale on which is worth a try. But be warned, drinking here is not for those on a budget.

Food is home-cooked and served Monday to Thursday. The pub is open week days only, and is usually very busy. The clientele is a mixture of locals, the after work crowd and people who are visiting London and have popped over from one of the nearby train stations.

There are benches outside, and lots of seating inside the pub.

• Added: 3rd of September 2008
• Area: Holloway
• Category: Food and Drink

London N7 6PL
020 7700 4744

realalelass said
Tiger Breads rules
Morrisons rocks - cheap prices for good quality produce (on the whole). Very important during the 'credit crunch', as the alternative nearby supermarket is Waitrose (expensive).

Look out for the weekly special offers if you're shopping on a budget. And if you are buying bread, you must try their tiger bread, it is gorgeous.

Petrol is cheap at Morrisons, so if you drive, make sure you fill up here.

The cafes are cheap and cheerful - fish and chips is always a good option. Toilets and baby changing facilities are handy in this area as well. Easy to get to on the main Holloway Road.

But make sure you're feeling patient when you visit - this shop is always heaving!

• Added: 3rd of September 2008
• Area: Bloomsbury
• Category: Restaurants

London WC1N 1AF
020 7278 2777

realalelass said
Yummy Italian food
I love Strada's pizza fiorentina, and so can't knock this place. It is located in the lively Brunswick Centre, and has a nice outside seating area. The food is good, you know what you're getting at Strada. They bring bottles of water to the table automatically, so you never have to ask for it. The staff are friendly too, which is always a bonus.

One thing that I don't like is when a service charge is automatically added to the bill, and I'm afraid this chain of Italian restaurants adds 12.5%. I do leave a tip, but just dislike being told how much I should be leaving irrelevant of how the service was. However, it is a discretionary charge, so don't feel obliged to pay it if your service is poor. Thankfully that has never been the case when I've visited.