The Nell Gwynne, WC2

Nice to find this little old pub down an alleyway, but the beer choice is very limited and that descent to the loo may as well have the Styx running down it.

Official site of The Nell Gwynne - www.thenellgwynne.com

Official site of The Nell Gwynne - www.thenellgwynne.com

A small pub tucked away down an alley between The Strand and Maiden Lane, it’s certainly not somewhere you’re likely to stumble across by accident, in fact I only just managed to find it even though I was actively seeking it out. Inside it’s all one open plan room, with fairly limited seating consisting mostly of a few stools around the perimeter and some small tables to the side. A darts board was an unusual feature in a central London pub and this was in use on our Friday afternoon visit. There were also a couple of plasma screens, although these were turned off on this occasion. Décor wise it’s quite traditional with dark wooden boards on the floor and dark red paint on the ceilings and the top part of the walls, the rest of which were covered with plenty of old black and white portrait photographs. To the left of the pub some wooden partitions inset with etched glass segregated individual seating areas and a shelf contained a selection of old gin bottles. Lighting was quite subdued with low hanging globe lights above the bar. Beers on tap were Mr Swift, Truman’s Attaboy and Adnam’s Southwold whilst a fourth pump for Tribute appeared to have run out. The solitary cider was Symonds Founders Reserve.

This pleasant Victorian bolthole remains one of The Strand's few delights with its discreet location, decent background music and good ale selection. Food is something of a novelty, consisting solely of toasties, but they made a nice change regardless of their nutritional credentials. The dartboard looked underused, while the TV screen was switched off. Four ales on draft, plus a selection of Camden ales in bottles. I had a pint of Sambrook's Pumphouse Pale Ale, which was in very good condition. Definitely worth a visit and is a good addition to a crawl.

Tucked away just off the strand. A quite dark split level interior serving 4 real ales.