The Magpie, Bishopsgate, EC2

Nicholson's pub tucked away down a side street. Quite a basic interior by Nicholson's standards. 9 real ale taps.

There was a choice of nine ales on handpump on our visit. I went for the Squirrel Brew Co Legally Blonde, which turned out to be a boring brown ale and after paying top end prices I couldn't wait to move on. Also the barmaid was impatient and unfriendly, the music was playing on full blast on our Monday afternoon visit when the pub had emptied out. Not a destination pub this one

Just a stone’s throw from Liverpool Street station, this Nicholson’s pub is tucked away down a quiet side road which means it tends not to get quite as swamped by the post-work crowd as other pubs in the area. You enter into a surprisingly dark L-shaped room with the servery directly opposite the door. Dark floorboards, wall panels and pillars combine to create a rather gloomy space, with muted lighting doing just about enough to allow you to read if visiting outside of daylight hours. Even the ceiling has been painted in a dark shade. The servery has a marble effect counter top and a Nicholson’s mirror on the bar back, whilst a similar mirror can be viewed over to the left of the bar, close to the stairs leading to the Station Dining Room. A series of shelves on the left hand wall are lined with bottles, tankards, a Cask Marque certificate and a modest collection of booze related books, labelled ‘Beer Library’. Over to the right, a large plasma screen is mounted on the wall, although it remained turned off during this mid-week visit in favour of quiet background music, and various black and white photos of the local area are on show. There are fairly minimal seating options in this front part of the room – just a few high stools arranged around high tables or along drinking ledges. The room extends slightly to the rear right, where a curved button backed banquette can be found underneath a large, plain mirror and a load more old pictures. A good run of handpulls offered Trumans Runner, Adnams Ghost Ship and Broadside, Hook Norton Lion, Nicholson’s Pale Ale, Wadworth 6X and Exmoor Ale. The Ghost Ship was in sparkling form and was served to me by a friendly barman who also very thoughtfully provided me with a beer mat without prompting. Whilst this is by no means the flagship pub for the Nicholson’s brand, it is nonetheless a very pleasant spot to drop in for a quick drink or two. I enjoyed the general ambiance of this place and would put it pretty high on the list of pubs worth regularly checking out when passing through Liverpool Street.

This Nicholson's is really quite a small building ,luckily afterwork drinkers tend to spill outside into a lane which has little traffic ,and it seems far enough away from Liverpool Street station to avoid getting mobbed by those people downing a swift pint before departing by train. The interior is a single open plan room with the L shaped serving bar directly infront of the entrance but with lots of room for vertical drinking around and about.Tables and stools are banished to the walls which are pleasantly clad in wood panelling.To the right there is a rear bench in buttoned down red leather but otherwise seating is at a premium.There are adverts for food ,but on my trip everyone was just drinking.The hubub of conversation drowned out the muzak which would have been distracting if the pub was quieter. There are a total of ten handpumps,with Doom Bar,London Pride (£3.40 decent shape)and Nicholson's Pale Ale as regulars ,but only one guest still functioning on my trip in Brains SA Gold,with the remaining two reversed. The large picture windows at the front give some natural light to what otherwise would be a dark interior.There are some authentic touches,but unlike some of the chain there doesnt seem to be a focus on a wide range of interesting real ale.Fine for a quick one,but gone are the days when the guv'nor was a TT Landlord fanatic.

An excellent Nicholsons back street London local close to Liverpool Street Station. Bare boards, dark wood and well presented. Usual large array of many real ales, the bar staff even suggesting I have a free sample of a sister beer to the one chosen so I could compare. Brilliant customer service. Speciality pies on offer as part of the food range

There were at least six ales available in this backstreet Nicholson’s pub during my recent weeknight visit. There was also a standard draught range alongside Amstel and I found the Guinness and service to be very good. This is a small L-shaped pub that has a couple of flat screen TVs and I didn’t spot any Sky Sports advertisements, but there was some back music playing from various genres. There is a dining room upstairs where the King Edgar bar is located, but I did not investigate during this visit. Food is served all day. I didn’t mind it in here and would have no problem in returning.

Randomness Guide to London - Magpie entry

Randomness Guide to London - Magpie entry