The Kings Arms, EC2

A Greene King pub in the bottom of an office block, featuring traditional décor with leather banquettes, wood panelling and heavy wallpaper. Busy and quite noisy at street level, there is also a large bar in the basement which is quieter and available for private hire. At the back is a patio. les on offer were Truman's Swift and St Austell Tribute along with the usual GK offerings, with condition good. Quite acceptable as a standard city pub.

A pub has existed in this vicinity since at least the mid/late-18th century, the current incarnation was built into the lower ground floor of an office block in 1972. It's a rather ugly pub, faced in pink granite. Worse, it's a Taylor Walker pub so you rather know what to expect, except that this place has a more limited range of ales than the usual TW outlets. As you'd expect, the floor is part bare boarded and part carpeted. Sport plays on multiple TVs, conventional tables support sauce bottles and pictorial burger menus and there are a few high table/stool combos. Ales: Sharp's Doom Bar, Greene King's IPA and Truman's Swift at the oddly priced £2.13 - it was fine. There isn't much around here so rather than look for something else, simply leave the City.