The Union Tavern, WC1

Imposing corner pub with quite a lot of heritage interest inside too, with the small counter opposite the main entrance presumably originally for off sales and then semi-open rooms off to both sides of the U-shaped bar. The one off to the left, now more of a dining room has another (disused) door on the corner, whereas the right-hand side has a longer, curved counter and general seating. Plenty of etched glass on the internal screens and lobby windows, with the latter area also having an impressive tiled floor. Also has some patio seating out on the pavement. Unusually for central London, no big real ale brands, just a pair of Marlow Rebellion beers - IPA and Overthrown (£3.50 in the late afternoon 'happy hour') - from the bank of four handpumps.

This is a pretty impressive street corner pub that has gone down the gastro route, but retains a good sized drinker’s area and has plenty of interesting features to make a visit worthwhile. You enter through an open porch with some beautiful etched glass panes which detail the bar’s former entrances, and a remarkable mosaic tile step that bears the pub’s name. The pub has a simple, U-shaped, bare boarded interior, although the left-hand side retains enough partitioning, including some more excellent etched glass screens, to make it just about feel like a separate room - further helped by the fact that the left side has been designated the restaurant area. As dining rooms go, it’s pretty good, with large windows giving good views out to the crossroads outside, and rows of formal tables and chairs in front of an open kitchen to the rear. The right side is also used for dining, but only as an overspill area, so most punters on this side were there for drinks, which helped it feel like a proper pub space. There are some extremely comfortable padded banquettes along the front wall and a few high tables and stools down the right-hand wall, with a small, low fireplace separating the two. The walls have been decorated with a series of amazing etched glass screens, presumably salvaged from defunct parts of the pub, and also very large frames which display what appears to be the designs used to create some of these etchings. It all looks very impressive and the effect is only slightly sullied by the insertion of a few blackboards listing various food and drink options. The bar has a long sweeping counter that starts opposite the front door and runs down the right side of the pub. It has a pleasant dark wood bar back with some nice arched mirrors on the top and the counter has an old Victorian water fountain, albeit minus its handle, which is an unusual feature that I can only recall seeing a couple of times before. Motown and soul tunes played quietly in the background and there was a reasonable midweek crowd split roughly 50/50 between the drinking and dining sides of the pub. As with most Central London pubs these days, cask ale has taken a bit of a hit, and of the three handpulls, only one was in action, dispensing a reasonable drop of Rebellion Smugglers. The barman was very friendly and stopped for a chat when there was a bit of a lull at the bar. I stopped in here on a bit of a whim whilst walking towards Angel, and was very pleased that I dfid, as I thought this was a well looked after pub, with smart contemporary furnishings and plenty of interesting historic features that should please a wide range of customers. The limited ale choice was a bit of a shame but the friendly service and comfortable surroundings would encourage me to pop in again when I’m next passing by.

mpressive looking old pub from outside.Nice interior.Always seem to have a Trumans beer on and tonight it was Two Halves their World cup beer.Friendly sort of place as well.

Official site of The Union Tavern - uniontavernlondon.uk