Artful Critic @ Holiday Inn London Bloomsbury, Bloomsbury, WC1

Visited 28/07/25. Turned out it was the opening day for the new bar area after a big refurb! Visited previously as Callaghans at the hotel of the same name on 11/10/21. No cask. Keg offering of Mahou, Camden Hells, Stella, Amstel, Neck Oil, Guinness and two from Brewpoint, their own Artful Critic branded lager and the Foghorn Hazy Session IPA. There is an astroturfed seating area out the front of the hotel with regular tables and chairs and lots of plastic hedge plants. Inside the bar counter is on the rear wall opposite the separate entrance to the bar area or to the left of the main hotel entrance. The area is a mixture of modern boarded and ceramic tiled, and seating is a mixture of regular tables and chairs and around the L shaped internal area. The bar counter is attractive and modern but surprisingly given the space they missed the trick of adding stools along the length of the bar counter. Didn't spot the TV options as I recall Callaghans used to be an OK hotel bar to watch the evening footy if in the area when some of the nearby traditional pubs were packed (eg for England games). Again, nothing wrong with the place as a hotel bar but lacking in beer options to deserve anything other than a slightly below average score.

Official site of Junction Bar @ Holiday Inn London Bloomsbury - www.ihg.com

Official site of Junction Bar @ Holiday Inn London Bloomsbury - www.ihg.com