The Bishops Finger, Smithfield, EC1

Only open during the week, this Shepherd Neame establishment was the last remaining pub in the Good Beer Guide in Central London that I was yet to visit. I arrived on a Friday lunchtime to find it fairly busy with all tables taken or reserved. Most people were standing at the bar, but some of the reservations were for later in the afternoon. So, we still managed to bag a table. The ground floor room feels fairly traditional and has many small pictures on the walls.We did also take a peak at the upstairs room on a visit to the gents. Whilst there were tables available in there, those that were occupied were with people working on laptops. So, there may well have been some kind of works do taking place. At the bar, Shepherd Neame Spitfire & Bishop's Finger are the regular cask ales. In addition, there was also Shepherd Neame Whitstable Bay Pale Ale & their Christmas Ale. Craft beers were Shepherd Neame Bear Island, First Drop & Whitstable Bay Black Stout, as well as Beavertown Neck Oil. The barman seemed a bit of a character. He drew a cross on his chest when I only ordered a half of the Christmas Ale, which was at least one of the better Shepherd Neame beers I've had.

It was a bit lively here at lunch time and I went upstairs to the overflow seating, but this was in use for a private function. My half of Spitfire was a little on the cold side, and didn't improve in flavour as it warmed (NBSS 2.5). Others have obviously taken a rosier view, as this pub is in the current Good Beer Guide.

An attractive and traditional looking pub just across the road from Smithfield Market, it’s reasonably compact internally and was pretty much full to capacity on my recent Tuesday evening visit, although I did manage to squeeze in to a small table in the corner. Décor wise it’s fairly unremarkable, with black wooden boards on the floor that have been polished smooth over the years, white embossed wallpaper on the ceiling and black supporting pillars, whilst the walls were predominately a pale taupe colour, with some deep maroon off to the left. A number of old pictures were on the walls including some of the local market, as well as various brewery related advertising and artefacts. Seating was a mixture of regular tables and chairs, some smaller high tables and a little padded bench seating. A carved wooden backdrop behind the bar was something of a feature, incorporating the pub’s name, a clock and a brewery mirror. The menu offered a decent selection of pub grub dishes, including a number of sausages which appear to be something of a speciality, with today’s selection chalked up on a blackboard. I opted for the smoked haddock fishcakes and these were perfectly adequate, if nothing spectacular, but for the £12.50 price point I though they were very good value given the area. Beers on tap were all from Shepherd Neame with their Bishop’s Finger, Spitfire and Whitstable Bay, whilst a fourth pump appeared unused. The solitary cider meanwhile was Orchard View. Overall, whilst nothing particularly made it stand out, the staff were very friendly and the food was good value. I’d be happy to return if in the area.

A pretty basic and straight forward Shepherd Neame pub, it didn't do a lot for me much like their beers.

As described below, bare boarded with basic furniture, some high tables and chairs and columns; there's also an interesting patterned ceiling. Muted music played and there were no TVs (gain one point!). Ales on: Spitfire, Whitstable Bay Pale Ale, Bootleg Brewing Co's Speakeasy and no surprise, Bishop's Finger at £4.20 which is fair for the area, and a decent pint. This is a decent enough place and I'd return, but I'd prefer the short walk to The Hand & Shears.

Shepherd Neame's Smithfield pub, with a fairly small square-ish bar and an upstairs dining room. Of no particular interest inside, but still a proper pub with traditional furniture and decor. On this visit, I found MasterBrew, Whitstable Bay, Spitfire and (inevitably) Bishops Finger (£4.20) on the four handpumps.