H Bar, Guildford

A small L-shaped room with the bar situated in the crook. Parquet flooring, a few tall tables painted grey, four shabby old sofas face each other in pairs either side of a fireplace with a copper hood, no signs of a real fire though, just large candles on the hearth. Towards the rear the room steps down slightly, there are pallets fixed to the walls here that act as supports for a range of paintings by local artists, many of which were priced for sale. A shelf contained a selection of board games, two TVs were showing the 6 Nations rugby. There was a bit of a trendy feel to the place I thought, reinforced by the graffiti wall to the rear entrance beyond the outdoor terrace. By the front door is a piano, furnished with a sign "If you can play me, please do" suggesting to me that many who can't try anyway. Four handpumps, Brain's Bread of Heaven, Otter Bitter, Firebird Heritage (£3.50) with Tribute being reversed. Quite a relaxed feel to the place I thought with a what may or may not be intentional shabby chic vibe, one end of the bar had a stack of old doors leaning against it while for reasons unknown there were little clusters of camera tripods lying around. I liked it here, well located near the busy shopping centre but out of sight from the passing trade.

This was originally an Ind Coope (Friary Meux?) pub called the Cannon. It's only a small place with wooden floors and a modern decor. On my visit there seemed to be stuff lying around in the corner I went to sit. On the bar there were just four pumps with St Austell Tribute, Otter Ale, Firebird Paleface and Doom Bore which had gone off. As I understand it the Otter and Tribute are regular beers so really the beer choice wasn't that great. I can't say I was that bothered by the fact that the Doom Bore had finished. Inevitably I went for the Paleface (£3.65) which wasn't too clear but tasted OK and the barman was quite enthusiastic about it. If I returned to Guildford I would probably give it another go but I fear on this occasion I was a bit unlucky with the beer selection.

Pub still looks the same 3 years on! On the plus side there are even more ales available - on the negative side the atmosphere is a little plain and the pub is pretty empty, but you wont find a queue here which is handy.

Looks (both inside and out) like a gastro-emporium, but thankfully the atmosphere feels more like a proper pub. With its modern decor and furniture, the split-level bar area is a bit more spacious than it first appears. There is also some patio seating along the frontage and a pleasant and reasonably secluded terrace to the rear. Friendly and efficient service, and good to see a traditional bar billiards table too. Four real ales on handpumps, offering the regular Altons Pride (£3.10) and 6X plus guests such as Summer Lightning and Hogs Back TEA. Overall, well worth seeking out.

This is a neat find on the Guildford pub trail. At least 2 or 3 ales on at most visits, including the likes of Black Sheep and 6X, plenty of sitting room which is surprising as it looks small from the outside.