The Barley Mow, EC2

I can't add much to the reviews below, except that this is not a Fuller's pub. Yes a barmaid needed her ears syringed as she served me with a pint when I clearly asked for a half. Beer, craft, cask, keg and all are advertised on a blackboard with ABV, brewery and price. This is a basic boozer but thankfully is not a locals' pub, which scares off the bearded and checked-shirted hipster crowd - thank God - and all the better for that. Ordinary furniture, some wood panelling and pews are part and parcel for a largely unspoilt traditional boozer with a mixed - and dare I say it - civilised crowd. However, the lavs are really a bit scummy and could do with some work. Ales: Fuller's London Pride, Sambrook's Wandle, Dragonfly's 2 0'Clock Ordinary and Hammerton's N1 which was very good, and so it should be at £4.40 a pint. I will definitely come here again if passing as this is clearly the best pub in EC2 and is light years better than the awful Bricklayers Arms at the end of the street.

This is a rather pleasant small street corner pub which felt laid back and a bit bohemian on my early afternoon visit. Wood flooring, regular seating at small tables with wooden benches and stools plus a pair of L-shaped pews, one each end. Beige painted ceiling, a bit of exposed brickwork, a red lightbulb in a glass case possibly as a nod to the area's once notoriety as a red-light district, several strip clubs remain nearby.....so I'm told. A Smith's album was playing at a reasonable volume, possibly aiding the perceived vibe, I didn't see any signs of a TV although there is an upstairs room that I didn't visit. A shelf behind the bar contained a few well used looking board games. Four handpumps, Sambrook's Wandle, Pride, Seafarers plus new to me, Dragonfly Brewery 2'O Clock Ordinary. This comes from The George and Dragon microbrewery in Acton. Additionally the keg range was eclectic, no Carling or Fosters in here, I spotted Litovel Premium and Classic, Achtung London Weissbier, Brugse Zot Blond, Meantime Yakima Red, Urban Orchard cider and several others. Large 75cl bottles of Cidre Bouche lined the bar top. Food seemed to be American inspired with a menu offering "Dogs, Burgers, Wings and Salads". I liked it here quite a lot but couldn't linger as I was embarking upon a walk but it is on the mental list for a return when passing.

This is a pub that I've had on my radar for some while, and my visit last week wasn't a disappointment. They had four ales on - London Pride, Gale's Seafarers (£2 a half), Fuller's Black Stout, and Butcombe Haka. There were a couple of menus on the tables, joined with a bulldog clip. The "lunch box" special deal gives you a basic snack meal (e.g. chilli bean burger & chips) plus a soft drink for £6.50. It's probably resonable value, but I dislike meal deals that include a drink that you probably don't want. But I won't let that minor pub annoyance put me off this pub. It's a very small single-room pub, bare-boarded and furnished with wooden settles, small round wooden stools, and normal metal-framed tables. There are no concessions to luxury here. As you enter, a shelf on the right has loads of leaflets and the like - notably including London Drinker - and with the bar counter on the left. Other points of note were the quiz nights advertised for Tuesdays, and the Cask Marque symbol prominently displayed on the door. I reckon it must also be dog friendly as there was an amicable mutt on the floor chomping biscuits, and with his own water bowl. This struck me as a real pub with pleny of character, but it wouldn't take many customers to make it very crowded. And four ales on for such a small place is good going. It's definitely worth a visit if you're in the area.

The Barley Mow is a small corner pub on the northern edge of EC2. There was a single narrow room that seemed a bit cluttered but was a decent enough room to have a few drinks in. There were four real ales on the bar and three were from Fullers but i dont think it is a Fullers house,i had a drink of Ossett Pale Gold and this was a very nice drink the other beers were London Pride, Fullers Discovery and Gales HSB. I thought this was a decent pub that seemed pretty much unaltered.