The Globe, SE1

Poor beer (warm and on the turn) and no real reason to stay either - 'old fashioned boozer' is a term that can be applied to 40% of London's thousands of pubs. If you like a good pint, avoid this place - look at the 'local pubs' link below and see what else is on offer. This is very, very weak - if they can't be bothered, why should you?

I found the staff to be friendly, but my pint of Bombardier tasted of vinegar and was undrinkable. Youngs Ordinary and Adnams were also available along with standard lagers, but rather than ask for a replacement I drank a quarter of my pint and then made a hasty retreat as I found the pub to be rather depressing.

The potential for this place is enormous. The building dates from 1872 and has a wonderfully basic and dingy interior of the kind that would actually be enhanced by clouds of cigarette smoke. There are several nice touches worth noting; the ornate trimmings of the bar, patterned windows, even the narrow doorway that is always a squeeze to get through. The walls contain many nostalgic adverts and the beams and high shelves are loaded with artifacts and antiques. There are just a few tables with most of the drinking here of a vertical nature at various ledges around the pub. There is a dart board at one end and a series of screened off areas down one side but again just stools at a ledge. The music can be very loud and was probably a constant annoyance for Bridget Jones whose flat was situated above the pub in the movies. The Globe's big problem is that it appears to make no effort to compete with its neigbours although, to be fair, it is up against some very strong competition. Selling 3 standard ales (Adnams, Bombardier and Youngs) isn't going to make me pop in before a session at the Market Porter or the Wheatsheaf. The beer quality is, at best drinkable but generally very poor. Prices are OK, Bombardier was £3 on my visit this week which is less than a lot of pubs around here but with poor quality and choice, is it really good value? I have tried hard to like this place but unless it makes more of an effort it is hard to find a reason to return.