London Beer House, St James's, SW1

This unusual little bar opened in the summer of 2015 and is probably the closest thing to a micro pub you're likely to find in the tourist heartland of Central London. Situated inside the Grade I listed Royal Opera Arcade, just a brief stroll from Piccadilly Circus, the pub has a tiny footprint thanks to it's compact shop converted unit. The main bar is a small bare boarded room with a simple servery squeezed into the front right corner. Boards on the bar back, above the inevitable row of craft beer taps, list the draught range and some high shelves laden with various bottles and cans give a handy visual representation of what delights you might find in the fridges. The walls are painted a dark shade of grey, which combined with the muted lighting made it a little gloomy on an evening visit, and are adorned with a limited pump clip display and a few arty photos. Seating is extremely limited, with some bench and high stool options around the perimeter, plus a drinking ledge and upturned barrel for vertical drinking. A better bet would be to bag one of the cafe-style tables out in the arcade, which will give you a chance to eye up this fine bit of 1810's Parisian style architecture. Stairs in the rear corner lead up to an overspill seating area with comfy lounge seating in a slightly drab bare boarded room. Meanwhile, another staircase leads down to the basement, where you can pass through a storage area to access one of the unisex toilets which also has the unusual distinction of having a shower cubicle in it - albeit, one that looks like it was previously used in the Bates Motel. The blackboards listed nine beers, with no explanation as to the method of dispense, so I'm guessing they are keg only. Breweries represented included Redchurch, Moor, Northern Monk, Gipsy Hill and Fourpure. I tried something called Two Tribes Rye IPA, which was a bit of a hop monster and not in the 'good' sense. CAMRA have suggested that real ale is available here, but there are no handpulls on the bar and the taps on the bar back all looked identical, so I'm not sure how the average customer is going to be able to figure this out. This is a strange little place that feels completely out of place for this part of the city. I struggled with the beer range, couldn't get comfortable and got really irritated with the braying suits who were making fools of themselves opposite me. Perhaps I caught the place at the wrong time, but it didn't feel like the ground-breaking city centre venture I'd hoped for but more like another poky, expensive bar to add to an already long list.

Lethal place. Four ales on hand pumps during my visit all 5% or above. Very small and decidedly dangerous steps down to the toilet. Would definitely return.

Rudimentary craft beer house located at the north end of the Royal Opera Arcade. Very limited seating inside - just a couple of covered benches and a few barstools along the length of rear wall not occupied by the compact counter - but there is a scattering of small tables 'outside' in the covered passageway. Eight of nine keg taps in operation when I visited, with four New Zealand imports at a whopping £7 or £8 per pint. Other, more local, offerings a bit cheaper, e.g. Two Tribes Weekender IPA at £4.95. All beers also available in schooners as well as halves, and the extensive bottled selection is also available for off sales.