The Porterhouse, Covent Garden, WC2

Love the style of this pub.Always visit when in the area.Beer choice doesn,t change much but the Porterhouse beers are decent.Great pub to watch the football in.

This is an absolute TARDIS of a pub, with drinking areas stretching way back from the entrance, as well as up and down to four different levels. It’s a conversion from some old building, as there never was to be a pub on this site when I used to work in Whitehall. The interior decor is most unusual, the main feature being the copper piping, and handrails etc. It looks as if they have stuck some copper wherever it is conveivably possible to do so. The other overwhelming feature is the hundreds of beer bottles displayed in glass cabinets and on shelving all over the place. There’s all kinds of seating inside, as well as some covered outside seating at the front. I reckon the main beer focus here is the range of unusual and superior keg lagers, but they did have on a couple of real ales – Purity Mad Goose, and the excellent Bath Gem (£3.85 a pint). Being so near to Covent Garden it obviously does food, and doesn’t seem overly expensive – for the area. As an example the pub staple of Cumberland sausages, two fried eggs and chips weighs in at £7.95. This is nothing like a traditional pub, but nonetheless in a somewhat eccentric way it is a good pub. I would visit again, but it’s best visited at a quieter time if you can manage it.

I quite often use this vast pub as a meeting point, given its location just a short walk away from Covent Garden, although despite its size (there are four floors), it tends to always be impossible to find somewhere to sit, such is the popularity of the place. The pub is owned by the Porterhouse Brewing Co. of Dublin and the four bars all serve a good selection of their beers - most notable on my recent visit were Porterhouse Red, Oyster Stout, Chiller and Plain Porter. A couple of cask ales are often in evidence (Thwaites Bomber seems to be a regular fixture), but pump clips were all turned on this occasion. There is also a comprehensive bottled beer menu, but again I didn't have much luck here as the two that I asked for were both unavailable. There were posters and banners advertising all of the Oktoberfest beers over the coming month - two of which were on tap and I gave one a try, which was a little disappointing. I also had a pint of the Porterhouse Red, which is on draught and thus appeared very creamy and too cold. The pub is fitted out with lots of copper piping and metallic fixtures in the style of a brewery. This doesn't exactly make for the cosiest environment, but it still kind of works. The look is aided by a number of large display cabinets which are full of beer bottles from around the world. The bar on the lower ground floor has a small stage behind it and it's not uncommon to find a band playing down there. Numerous TV screens are dotted around the place, showing all sorts of sports in the day and relaying footage of the band in the evening. Smokers can enjoy a large patio at the front of the pub - an area that is usually packed upon approach, giving a good indication of how busy things will be once inside. I quite like this place, despite often being a little let down by the beer quality. But it's worth a try as it is something different and you'll struggle to find these beers elsewhere this side of the Irish Sea.