The Hope, EC1

This pub is actually called "The Hope" with "The Sirloin" being a separate restaurant upstairs. A very attractive exterior with a fine curved glass frontage leads to a traditional wood panelled interior with some fine tiling, a mosaic flooring and a burgundy painted ceiling. Note in particular the fine etched glass in the doors - "Public Bar" - and "Saloon Bar" - telling us that this was formerly a two roomed pub. Seating consists of wooden benches and tables. On my evening visit, despite ( or perhaps because of ?) screening the England v Hungary game at Wembley high up in one corner of the pub, the pub was virtually deserted with the only two other customers occupying stools on the pavement outside. The Young's "smile" logo is displayed outside on the frontage, but I don't think this has ever been a Young's house. On my visit, a reasonable pint of Young's Ordinary - £ 3.30p - was enjoyed. Shepherd Neame Master Brew was also on. The two foreign bar staff seemed rather bored and disinterested and there was no sign of anyone who seemed to be in charge or running things. I don't think this pub is too bad, but it's not down for an early revisit.

The Hope is a traditional Smithfields pub with close ties to the meat market. It usually opens at 6AM for the market trade and therefore tends to be shut by 9.00PM of an evening. Above the ground floor pub is a restaurant called the Sirloin which specialises in serving whatever was purchased at the market that morning. It has kept some period features and actually looks quite good from the outside with an impressive glass facade. But unfortunately the one small square inside room is quite bland and boring with plain benches and tables around the outside walls. It’s a Youngs pub with three hand pumps, one of which is usually a guess. Unfortunately this was off on my visit so it was Youngs bitter. The outside seating is a decent enough spot for an outside pint whist watching the crowd passing through the St Johns Street junction, but unless you are a market worker, personally I would give this one a miss.