Museum Tavern, Bloomsbury, WC1

The Museum Tavern is a Traditional London boozer located over the road from the entrance of the British Museum. Hence it wasn’t surprising to find it full of diners during a recent lunchtime visit. My wife was working in this pub when we met circa 2000 so I have spent many an hour sat at the bar waiting for her to finish her shift. Unsurprisingly the décor is pretty much the same, but Greene King is now the landlord. Along the left hand wall is the bar that faces seating down the windowed right hand side in this thin pub. At the rear is is some more seating and the some very smelly toilets are located downstairs. Available from the bar is a premium draught range and I counted seven hand pumps. These were drawing Redemption’s Hopspur, Theakston’s Old Peculiar, GK London Glory, GK IPA, Truman’s Swift and Old Rosie and Cheddar Valley ciders. Traditional pub grub is available all day and the popular fish and chips were priced at £13. This is a decent enough pub that would be worthy of a revisit if in the area.

We thought that this was going to be a tourist trap but were surprised just how un-touristy it was, though we did arrive at about 10.20 and at that time most drinkers seemed to be locals. This pub has a fine interior - a CAMRA Heritage Pub - with a particularly ornate mirrored bar back and some peripheral stained glass panels. Furniture is conventional, the floor is part boarded and part carpeted, muted music played and I didn't spot a singe TV - result! The landlord was friendly enough and went so far as to describe the ales on offer to a couple of tourists and even offer them tasters. Ales on: Truman's Zephyr and 6 others which I couldn't see due to a couple of customers. This is a surprisingly good pub indeed, despite its location. It has an 11.30 licence on weekdays, midnight on Saturdays but closes at 10.00 on Sundays. Well worth seeking out if in the area.

Didn't look closely enough to notice the evidence, mentioned by Mm of a previous existence as a 3-room pub, but I always find it sad when original features or layouts are lost to open-plan vandalism. The Museum Tav does, however, still retain a certain charm, including the nice etched lower windows & wood/mirrored back bar, high wood-crossed ceiling, carpetted throughout, tiling and brass footrail around nice old bar, mix of tables and seating, stand alone settles opp bar. Pretty busy, but not oppressively so (Sat 18:00), although we did have to hover before securing a vacated table, and pleased we were to get the high corner table for cards & several beers – jealously guarded when fellow crawlers went for a tab! The area around the bar (& leading to the loo) is fairly narrow, and the custom seems to arrive in waves (pres from museum?) so timing may be key to quick service. Food examples: steak&onion sarnie £5, Sun roast beef £8.50. My notes say 7(?) handpumps, but I've only recorded 6 beers – Bombardier & Doombar, both went but were reinstated within 20mins, Halloween Surprise (light colour was a surprise), Old Peculier, Salopian Black Prince, and the truly thin & tasteless Everards Wacko Jacko.

Taylor walker pub that lives up to its name being located across the road from the main entrance to the British museum. Interior as described below. 7 real ales and food served.

This is a fine little pub full of interesting Victorian features and named after the British Museum which is directly opposite. The most striking this about the pub is the number of entrances, with four differently labelled doors - 'Private Bar', 'Saloon', 'Public Bar' and 'Luncheon Buffet' each picked out in attractive etched glass - leading into what is now sadly one single room. The servery runs down the left hand side of the room and boasts a lovely, intricately worked bar back, lined with hops and displaying a number of old mirrors advertising beer and spirits from yesteryear. The room is partly carpeted, with a strip of bare boards running through the pub, past the servery. Seating comes by way of numerous padded benches arranged around the perimeter and supplemented by standard chairs. The rear wall has some nice tiling and a fireplace rather dwarfed by some enormous dark wood display cabinets and there is a nice stained glass panel above the door which leads to the toilets. Modern wallpaper has been applied either side of the bar, showing an image of bookshelves, which doesn't detract too much from the pub's traditional feel. The ceiling is also very striking, with beams criss-crossing over nicely patterned panels. There are quite a few picnic benches out on the pavement overlooking the museum, which would be a good spot to bag in brighter weather. Unsurprisingly the clientele is dominated by tourists seeking culture of a different kind after a day spent in the museum, and I had a very enjoyable time sat at the bar watching the staff trying to translate the incoming orders. Music played at a surprisingly loud level, but not too loud as to impede conversation. The ale range seemed pretty good to me, with Brains Rev James, Cottage National Treasure, Fullers London Pride, Hogsback TEA, Hook Norton Lion and Westerham 1730 available alongside Thatcher's Heritage Cider. My pint of 1730 cost £4.20, which is crazy but doesn't seem to deter the tourist masses. The bar staff ran the whole gamut of personality ranging from super friendly to totally disinterested. This is one of those London pubs that's well worth a look for the excellent interior but pretty useless for an extended session. I enjoyed loitering at the bar during this stay and would happily return, but the high prices and transient customer base make it difficult to really love.

Empty pub on a rainy Monday night so no atmosphere. 8 beers on handpump but a pretty dull selection of beers you can find all over central London. I will leave it for the tourists.

Fine old pub opposite the British Museum. Lots of dark wood, on the bar, ceiling and fittings, has a lovely London boozer feel. Shame its where it is as its very busy and a bit pricey at £4 a pint, but the beer is good and atmosphere is better. Proudly advises its a sports free zone.

The Museum Tavern started in the early 18th Century as the Dog & Duck, changing its name when the British Museum opposite was built in the 1760’s. Much of the current pub dates from the 1850’s when the original pub was expanded. The interior comprises of a single medium sized room with a central open bar. There are several features that are worth closer inspection; some of the original etched glass remains with the saloon, luncheon and buffet bars all depicted. Some of the old tiling can also still be seen and the heritage mirrors behind the bar add to the charm. The pub has always had a good reputation but I was a bit taken back to discover that it has now become part of the ubiquitous Taylor Walker brand. The pub does have a slightly more expanded and interesting ale range than the average Taylor Walker pub although the choices did seem quite mainstream for a place that has thrived over the years on a good reputation for its beer. 5 of the 7 pumps were in use on my latest visit, the avaiable beers being Tribute, London Gold, Old Golden Hen, Adnams Broadside and Wooodforde Wherry with Theakstons Old Peculiar and Harveys both off. At £3.65 for the Wherry, I think they are looking to maximize from the tourists who call in after a lengthy slog around the museum. The food is what you would expect from any chain with main courses around £8-£15. Whilst the Museum remains one of the better pubs in the area, I can’t help feel that it doesn’t have that special something that could make it one of the finest in London and whilst in Punch’s custodianship, I can’t think that will change much.