Tom Cribb, SW1

This is a Shepherd Neame pub on the corner opposite The Comedy Theatre. It is a very small one room pub that has five SN ales available along with their unique selection of draught and my Guinness was on good form and served by a friendly barman. I spotted a small plasma screen which was turned off and there is no sport or background music. The other clientele were of the older generation and although the atmosphere was a little flat this place is ok for a decent pint if passing.

Originally known as Cribbs Parlour, the pub name honours an early 19th Century bare knuckle boxer (a.k.a. the Black Diamond) who later became a publican in the area. The current building dates from the early 1900's and for the literarature fans, featured in novels by William Makepiece Thackery (Vanity Fair) and Arthur Conan Doyle (Rodney Stone). A select range of Shepheard Neame beers (Masterbrew + Spitfire as standards supplemented by one other from the range – Porter on my recent visit) at reasonable prices bearing in mind you are yards from Leicester Square. The exterior has some nice old tiling whilst the interior is a bit of an odd mix with polished wooden floor, padded seats, fairly dated wallpaper but modern doors and windows. The angled beam across the bright red painted ceiling suggests that there were once a few odd shaped rooms within the building. There are some interesting old London photos as well as a varied selection of boxing portraits. It tends to have more of a locals feel than being touristy and is a pleasant enough pub for a few beers if you can grab a seat but overall not a place that lingers as being particularly memorable.