Aldgate Tap, Aldgate, EC3

Typical Bloomsbury Leisure outlet, but housed in an unusual modern single-storey building in the square beside St Botulph's Church. Not much room for furniture inside, but a fair amount of seating and standing space (although this soon fills up if the sun's comes out). The pair of cask ales taps - offering Redemption Pale and Downland Best on my visit- are somewhat hidden behind the counter, but I went for the imported Ayinger Kellerbier (£6.40) as one of the mostly interesting beers and ciders from a rank of 16 keg taps on the bar-back.

Official site of Aldgate Tap - aldgatetap.com

Official site of Aldgate Tap - aldgatetap.com

This is a highly unusual modern bar set amongst the Roman ruins of Aldgate Square where you can find loads of outdoor space for that classic Central London al fresco pub experience. The interior is a compact triangular space with lots of glass aling each side and some sloping ceilings at either end which give the pub a pyramid shape when viewed from outside. The bar runs along the back wall and is a relatively conventional affair with a very helpful and detailed beer board to one side. Seating is available at each end of the room, mostly in the form of high tables and stools, but not a single person was sat inside on a hot September evening. Outside there's a large square with several high tables for people to stand around, some low walls that folk were sat on and acres of general standing room. On arrival, I was met with an isanely long queue, literally snaking outside the pub, but I was served within five minutes thanks to the highly efficient bar team. Like most of these London Tap venues, the cask range was limited to just two options - Redemption Pale for a highly competitive £4.40 a pint and in excellent condition, and Thornbridge Lord Marples. The main action is across the fifteen or sixteen keg lines, which offered a good selection of well known and obscure craft beers covering a decent range of strengths and styles. I can't knock the excellent value beer, which was in top condition and went down very nicely sat on one of the walls outside in the late afternoon sun. What remains to be seen is just how good this pub experience is on a cold, wet Winter evening, when the outdoor overspill option is ruled out, as the interior didn't offer much in the way of comfort or capacity. Well worth a look in passing but perhaps not ideal for a longer session. Date of visit - 6th September 2023