Coach & Horses, WC2

I liked it in here even though it is very small. The mirrors make the place look bigger and busier, but unfortunately they don't add any extra square footage. Spitfire and Courage Best were available along with John Smiths, Guinness, Strongbow and a couple of standard lagers. There is a sign up on the wall boasting of over 70 whiskies available. I found the barmaid to be nice and they have the worlds smallest plasma screen up on the wall. I'll probably pop back in here again next time I'm in the area.

They had Courage Best and Spitfire on handpump during my visit. The Spitfire was good, and at £3.10 a pint not overly expensive for the area. This is a small one-room pub; so small in fact that there appears to be no room for any tables. Furniture consists of stools at ledges round the sides of the pub; at the bar; and at a tall drinking pedestal in the middle of the room. The windows look as if they have been there a good few years – if the “Watney Coombe Reid” affiliation is anything to go by. I didn't eat there on this occasion, but the sarnies looked a good bet – pick of the bunch being the hot beef or Irish ham at £5.75 a throw. On the face of it this has the look of a pretty ordinary pub, but nonetheless it remains one of the more friendly and welcoming pubs around – in an area where they are not exactly thick on the ground. I think this is the nearest thing you will get to a backstreet boozer right on top of Covent Garden. Definitely worth dropping in for a pint if you're in the area.