The Griffin, Shoreditch, EC2

Traditional corner pub with lots of interesting features, but badly underlit (presumably to hid the tatty furniture and moth-eaten flooring). Quite an alternative selection on the jukebox and an upstairs function room for regular live music. Three handpumps - Pride (cheap before 6pm), Wandle (at £3.20) and one with a reversed clip. Curious sort of place, but it certainly has a bit of character.

The dismal appearance of the exterior might lead you to believe that the interior is just as dismal. But you would be wrong! The interior is far more dingy than the outside! The dirt on the floor, buckets, broom and stepladder lying around, chipped and battered paintwork everywhere, with cables and plugs under the Christmas tree in lieu of presents completing the picture. The heating was apparently not working properly as it was very cold inside, and the large intrusive no smoking sign didn't help. The musty smell is still there as well. But I quite like it! And the Tim Taylor Landlord was excellent, albeit not cheap at £3 a pint. I wouldn't hesitate about popping in again if I was in the area.

As the reviews below have described accurately, a old style corner boozer with a dark brown Victorian tiled exterior, inside which is a thoroughly run down interior with everything falling apart or giving the impression that it is just about to. And how the over zealous City health and safety wallas have missed the opportunity to shut this place down, just for the floor alone, is a mystery. However, I'm not sure what it was, perhaps the dark orange lighting, which really shouldn't go with a green wood interior, or a half-decent pint of Doombar, but I actually found myself beginning to not dislike this place on a cold November evening. I would even consider visiting again if I was back around Old Street.

The Griffin is a place that needs to be experienced to be believed. It sits among a block of buildings that are at best, long past their prime and the tiled exterior of the pub (note the old Meux brewery lettering) seems to stand out all the more for it. The interior has been knocked through into one long bar and to call it tatty and battered is an understatement. How it appears to have escaped even the merest lick of fresh paint or new carpet for what must be decades is beyond comprehension. The run down appearance is actually part of its charm and appeal and whilst the interior designers have been busy elsewhere in the area, the Griffin has managed to stay as a genuine no nonsense pub. The carpet in the pool/darts area little more than the original underlay with a few tufts and the feeling as your chair legs sink in is only matched by the bizarre ritual of pulling them back out. Whilst you do so, notice the London Pub Crawl poster and I defy you not to mentally tick them off. The customer base is a very mixed bunch from a variety of backgrounds but no matter how different everyone appears to be, everyone seems to blend together harmoniously. The Jukebox mentioned in an earlier post was certainly on form when I was there as it spewed out selections from the likes of the Clash / Dylan / Tubes / Richard Hell – so much more to my taste than the drum & bass / club rubbish that seems to blight so many pubs. The 3 Ales were all available on my visit – Deuchars, Pride and Speckled Hen, a bit pricey but tasted fine. The smoking ban probably detracts from the pub's ambience but there are a few seats outside under blinds for the banished souls. In a nutshell, the Griffin is well worth seeking out for the experience but I wouldn't recommend it to impress someone on a first date.

I'm a big fan of dank old boozers that have seen better days, but I don't appreciate spending over the odds for a past-its- best pint of Pride whilst having to endure an episode of Family Guy being aired with full sound on an old TV. There was a selection of standard and premium lagers, but the Old Speckled Hen and Landlord were both off. I found the staff to be indifferent and the pub to be quite depressing. There is a small pool table and a dartboard, but I will not be returning to utilize them.