The Seven Stars, WC2

Now this is a special pace, vying for being London’s oldest pub - whilst the frontage may bear the date 1602, the building itself is likely to date from the 1680s. Tucked away off the main drag this is the wig's pub given the location behind the Royal Courts of Justice (indeed, there are some sirrup examples in a glass case). It’s a small, shallow, cosy/cramped and atmospheric little poke over three small rooms. Décor notes; French bistro style green & white tablecloths, wood burner, some antique shop ephemera (eg cinema posters for long forgotten movies) and the loud haaww of public schoolboys who are now employed by the nearby chambers. Three cask; I had a fair half of Broadside (NBSS 3) imbibed in a laid-back atmosphere - the barman excepted who seemed harassed (by having to serve, by the looks of it) and grumpy, a common theme from other reviews around the web. I’d make an effort to get back here again – though seating is very much at a premium so timing is key. GBG24 listed.

The Seven Stars was my main reason for visiting London as it is supposedly the oldest London pub. It is small and quirky pub with an eccentric landlady and resident cat. Plenty of interesting items on the walls and an interesting menu. The stairs up to the toilet are not for the faint hearted! 3 beers on when I called and my Ghost Ship was fine. Glad to have finally visited and I'd happily call again.

A well regarded pub tucked away in a quiet square behind the Royal Courts of Justice, it’s not somewhere you’re likely to stumble across by accident but is nonetheless just a short stroll from The Strand. Internally it’s quite compact, and although split in to three rooms, none have much depth to them. The largest room in the middle had the bar counter taking up about half the available floor space, leaving only room for vertical drinking with shelving in front of the windows to rest your pint on. Small tables and chairs were in the rooms either side, but space is certainly at a premium here too, and a number of punters were stood at the tall tables on the pavement outside on our visit. Décor wise it has something of a 60’s feel to it perhaps, with some sort of old wooden boards on the floor and a very vibrant shade of pink paint covering much of the walls and ceiling, with the room to the left suffering from an even more vibrant purple. Various spiles of old books were dotted around and there were also some old theatre posters on the walls as well as a brewery mirror or two. All the tables were laid up with chequered plastic tablecloths which would surely be more appropriate in a greasy spoon than a pub and I really didn’t like sitting at them. The pub cat brought in a mouse while we were there and retreated under one if the tables to chomp away on it. Punters were an eclectic mix and the landlady seemed to be a bit of a character as well, although the barman who served us seemed pretty clueless and clearly had never heard of Noilly Prat. Beers on tap were Dark Star Hophead, Adnams Ghost Ship and Adnams Broadside with a further two pumps appearing unused. The solitary cider was Adnams Wild Wave which went down well. Overall, I was a bit disappointed by this, but then perhaps I had high expectations having heard so much about it. Worth popping in if you’re passing, but it’s not somewhere I’d make a point of seeking out again.