The Inn of Court, Chancery Lane, EC1

This is a smart Fullers Ale & Pie house with one of the chain’s typical faux-traditional interiors. You enter a bare boarded room with the servery down the left-hand side and some limited banquette and high stool seating opposite. The bar has a dark wood counter and polished stone top with a traditional bar back that has been somewhat sullied by the addition of many small promotional blackboards. The whole room is fitted out with lots of dark wood, including a rather impressive gallery which has been used to display various shields, dusty books, a chainmail suit, an old helmet and some bespoke art. Some nice etched glass to the right acts as a screen for the staircase that leads down to the toilets, and further back there is a slightly raised area preceding an even larger rear space which was roped off for a packed function on my mid-week, post-work visit. This also meant that the mezzanine space, which is accessed from the rear of the room, was also out of bounds, which was a shame, as this looked like a nice spot to settle down in away from the hubbub of the bar area. A few tables are also available out on a small pavement side area, which would give you a nice view of the attractive old Prudential Assurance Building over the road. Music was playing throughout the course of my stay, but was lost thanks to a packed pub, whilst a trip down to the toilets unearth a basement function room which seemed to be hosting a private quiz night. There are handpumps sited in a couple of different spots along the bar, including around the front curve of the counter, so you need to spend a bit of time checking out the full range. On this occasion, this comprised Fullers London Pride, ESB, Red Fox, Revelation and Gales Seafarers and I ordered a pint of the Revelation (£6.30), which was lively as hell, took ages to pour, came up as a short measure and tasted of a completely different beer, so I’ve no idea what was going on. The bar staff in general seemed a bit dim and had to be constantly marshalled by a clued-up bloke who I assume was the landlord. This is a pretty good conversion by the Fullers team, which provides a decent environment for a few beers or something from their pie menu. The one big question mark, based on this visit, would be the beer quality, which would put me off from returning when the excellent Olde Mitre is just a short walk away. Sadly, I’m unlikely to find out whether I got unlucky or not, as Fullers closed the pub just before Christmas 2022.

Fuller’s ale and Pie House with a characterful interior that has a mezzanine level.

This pub was formed from a commercial conversion in 1993 and renamed The Inn of Court in 2015. I've been something of a regular here since 1996 as it was convenient for meeting my legal chums. This is still a Fuller's Ale & Pie House and I can't really see that much has changed other than the name and perhaps the application of a little Farrow & Ball paint- the lavs are certainly better. In keeping with the name, the crests of the Inns of Court have been applied to the upper level: Lincolns, Inner, Middle and Grays. The same extensive array of Fuller's ale is on offer as well as guests. Beers here are well kept and I've always found the service to be friendly and efficient; prices are what you'd expect for the area but aren't extortionate. This place can get very crowded, with people spilling out onto the pavement and on seating under the front recess. Keep your eyes on your belongings however - one time in here my friend took his eyes off his laptop for literally about two seconds and it disappeared; hats off though to the bar staff for helping us by reviewing their CCTV footage, sadly to no avail.