The Wenlock Arms, Hoxton, N1

This area has become a real soulless part of town, lots of new flats and cold streets. The pub is a little run down and in need of attention, saved by the beer choice and quality

I have visited a couple of times in the last few months and am unconvinced whether it is what I regard as a good pub. On the fuirst visit it was a Saturday evening and the pub was very busy with loud music being played, so I only had a quick half. I then visited again on a weekday afternoon, with much more time and space available. I tried a couple of beers: Gun Scaramanga extra pale ale was probably a lovely beer but was served too cold to really enjoy, and Beerblefish Blackbeerble stout had slightly too much of a sharp fruit taste for my liking. One of those is definitely the fault of the pub. Given the location is a bit off the beaten track, I can't see that I shall be rushing to return when there are better options not too far away.

Having been coming here for many years, the Wenlock always used to be known as the best real ale pub in central London. Along with the area itself, it has been gentrified a little these days. It feels a little more like a hipster hangout now. There is still a half decent range of 6 real ales. These were Five Points Pale & Railway Porter, Mighty Oak Saxon Strong, Redemption Hopspur, Gun Project Bablylon & Purity Jimbo. But there was no sign of the Mighty Oak Oscar Wilde this time and the huge range of decent ciders they used to stock is also gone. Instead I was offered a Cidre Breton in a bottle from the fridge. I stuck to the cask ales! The bar sits in the middle of the pub. You used to be able to walk right around, but an extra gents toilets with urinals only has been built on one side of the room to block the corridor. Still well worthy of a visit, but has lost the slightly edgy side it once had, attracts a slightly different clientele and the lack of real cider is a definite shortfall in my book.