The Jamaica Wine House, Bank, EC3

Update – August 2015 Pub as described below in my February 2010 visit. Yesterday lunchtime a distinctly moderate Spitfire - £ 4.15p - was the only real ale available amongst a bank of unclipped pumps. I’m afraid to report that service also left something to be desired - four staff members standing round behind the bar chatting to themselves, ignoring customers. Even though the pub was not particularly busy and I was standing right up by the counter, I still had to do my best bookies at the racecourse impression ( i e – wave my arms around ) and call out in order to attract attention. Needless to say, I declined to make a contribution to the prominently positioned large “staff tips” bottle directly in front of me. This was not an impressive visit at all – I do hope it’s much better all round next time. ORIGINAL REVIEW – FEBRUARY 2010 Typically traditional City pub in an alleyway off Cornhill, next door to St Michaels Church. Wood partitions divide the pub up into a number of smaller adjoining areas. There's a larger room at the end with a plasma TV, which was on silent on the early evening of my visit. Here there's a food counter serving sandwiches and soup at lunchtime. There's a restaurant / bar downstairs serving more substantial meals. Of particular note architecturally is the large lantern over the entrance inscribed with the establishment's name and the ceiling, part of which consists of unusual glass panels. The sandstone exterior of the building is also noteworthy. A plaque outside the pub tells us that "Here stood the first London Coffee House at the sign of Pasqua Rosees Head 1652". The present pub on this site was acquired by Shepherd Neame in March 2009. The pub was in the 2009 CAMRA GBG, but it's not in the current edition. My pint of Late Red - £ 3.40p - was slightly cold and lacking in flavour. In many respects, this pub has a typical City pub feel to it - all brightly polished dark wood and subdued lighting. There's plenty of pubs like this in this neck of the woods and - whilst I'd be happy to pop in again - it doesn't really stand out from the crowd for me

Known locally as the Jam Pot, this London Heritage pub was most definitely on my itinerary. Who needs a museum, when there is such history here and if it were still a coffee house today, it would certainly look a lot better than the majority of the chains on the High Street. It was nice to visit the pub when it was quiet to appreciate the well kept interior. My Whitstable Bay was in excellent condition.

A strange looking building from the outside with 3 or 4 wood panelled drinking areas inside. Only Shepherd Neame Master Brew and Spitfire on tap on my visit with the latter being an eye watering £4.10 a pint which I think is a bit too much for such an insipid beer.

Full range of Shepherd Neame ales available in historic surroundings

Located down a narrow alleyway off of Cornhill, this is an interesting, historic building which is supposedly on the site of one of London's oldest coffee houses. The interior is a little unusual, comprising of four inter-linked sections of roughly equal size, divided by dark wood partitioning walls in such a way that you would need to cover pretty much the entire floor plan of the ground floor if you wanted to walk from the left hand section to the right. The ceiling is worth a look as well, with parts of it covered in glass tiles, which creates a rather pleasant effect. Seating is provided in various forms throughout the four sections, with one having mainly high stools and drinking shelves and others given over to more formal table and chair arrangements. The decor was a little limited and the place is overwhelmed a bit by the dark wood of the walls, floor and furniture, but there were a few bits of interesting brewerania above the bar counter that caught the eye. The pub is now run by Shepherd Neame and there was Spitfire, Bishop's Finger (£3.70) and Master Brew to choose from at the bar. My Bishop's Finger was okay, but despite there being six members of staff behind the bar and no-one else waiting to be served, I still endured a long wait before an admittedly apologetic barman got round to dealing with me. It was surprisingly quiet when I popped in on a Friday evening, although it did fill up a bit just before I left. There is a restaurant downstairs which I didn't explore, so maybe there were more people down there, or maybe the hidden location means that people simply don't know the pub exists. This was a nice place to stop for a beer and although their ales aren't really to my taste, I can imagine popping back here again for another nose around this interesting, and somewhat out of place, little building.

This pub, reputed to be London’s oldest surviving coffee house, lies in an alleyway off Cornhill Street, next to St Michaels Church. Taken over by Shepherd Neame in 2009, which seems to have lead to a massive upturn in standards, if older reviews are to be believed. The exterior, made of red sandstone, is quite striking as none of the surrounding buildings are made of the material. The interior is quite a sight, dark mahogany panelling, wooden flooring and some intricate tile work on the ceiling. It’s divided up into four areas by large mahogany partitions and is best described by another review as a “rambling warren of a pub”. The effect of the dark wood is enhanced by the lack of natural light due to its location in a narrow set on lanes adjacent to massive neighbouring tower blocks and a deliberate policy of subdued lighting. Four Shepherd Neame ales are available, spread over seven pumps - (Bishops Finger, Master Brew, Late Red and Spitfire). My Late Red was quite acceptable, though very highly priced at £3.75, which left a somewhat bitter taste. Clientèle are City Suits, and mainly friendly – indeed we were offered a prime table by a departing Suit having just quaffed a liquid lunch. Seating is limited to small wooden tables and pews. There was a TV showing cricket at the rear, whilst a small servery was knocking out sandwiches. Despite the prices, I enjoyed this place a lot and it’s well-worthwhile making the effort to seek out.