Smugglers Tavern, Fitzrovia, W1

A very surprising place which felt much more like a locals' pub than anything else, complete with a family in the corner and a cheery greeting from the barmaid across the length of the pub. Just the one room, with a bit of an open feel thanks to bare flooring and some low tables down the middle, also a signed upstairs (not visited). Signs mentioned a weekly quiz and karaoke. Just the one cask ale on - Purity Mad Goose - with half a dozen craft on keg. I quite liked this place.

A mid-terrace back-street pub which feels like it could be miles away from the horrors of Euston Road, though in fact it's barely a stone's throw. Once inside, on a quiet Monday evening, this felt like a well-loved locals pub, with no more than a dozen people in, most of them in their 20s. On the bar, the three hand pumps had only two beers on, but the styles did not seem likely to be to my taste so I had a look at the keg offerings. There are two sets of six fonts, with five of them nationally known brands including a cider, the other seven being more like "craft". I went for Lost & Grounded Keller Pils, which was quite an interesting beer, though far too cold and fizzy for me to fully appreciate. While waiting for it to warm up and lose some of its CO2, a had a close look at some of the ship pictures (some of them on trays affixed to the wall) and maps. The background music during my stay was not so loud as to turn conversations into shouting matches, and really quite tolerable until Sultans of Swing by Dire Straits came on, at which point I quickly drank up and left.

A fantastic PSM review requires little addition from me.The nautical theme and a large banquette under the front window are of note in this modest interior and I was impressed by the effort made to serve interesting beer.The fridges contained lots of craft cans,and although the 12 keg taps did include doubled up multinational dross ,there were some craft options including Delerium Tremens,while the three handpumps were offering 2 real ales in Reunion Beard Tongue and Moor Porter (NBSS 3,£2.50 half). The food option is upmarket burgers ,some smaller bite dishes and the like and my £8 cheeseburger from Le Bun was american themed and decent. Worth a visit,the muzak was not too loud and very good but I failed to explore upstairs as it was reserved for a function.Popular with a younger audience.

This is a typically compact Central London pub, just a short walk from Warren Street station, with a smuggling/nautical theme, which isn’t something you see all that often around the capital once you’re away from the river. Passing the roped off pavement area which was jam packed with far more people than were actually inside the pub, you enter into a bare boarded room with a good mix of chairs, low and high stools, pews and banquettes, mainly down either side of the room with a couple more tables and a good degree of standing room through the centre. The walls have a dark painted or lincrusta lower halves with plain uppers decorated with seafaring pictures, maps, a large pub mirror a ship’s wheel and bits of breweriana including large beer bottles with flowers in them on a shelf and a selection of brewery and spirit company mirrors. A couple of pillars partly block the view of the servery, which in on the rear wall, from the rest of the room. The bar has a typical dark wood counter with nice brass rails and a chunky bar back. A map-lined staircase to the right leads up to an unexplored first floor overspill seating area, whilst stairs to the left head down to the toilets. Indie music was playing in the background, but this was fairly easily drowned out by the smattering of customers within this loud room. Just the one cask ale available on this visit – the improbably named Reunion Isotonic Gentleman’s Sports Drink – alongside an Orchard Pig cider and an unused hand pump. The Reunion beer was in reasonable condition and the barman was very friendly, offering customers tasters and advice on the beers they might enjoy. This place doesn’t really stand out all that much from your average central London boozer, despite efforts to the contrary with the nautical theme, but I nevertheless found it a pleasant place to spend a bit of time before moving on again and wouldn’t mind popping in again sometime in the future.