The White Hart, WC2

Official site of The White Hart - www.whitehartdrurylane.co.uk

Official site of The White Hart - www.whitehartdrurylane.co.uk

Open plan with a wood floor throughout a single roomed interior with a raised area at the rear past a large former fireplace featuring a stone bust and fire surround seating,while the rest of the furniture is wooden with a mix of low tables & stools and dining tables with more robust chairs.The windows are covered by drapes to complete the lounge feel although the exposed ducting around the ceiling was for me a design confusion.Three handpumps drawing the unexciting Doom Bar,Sambrooks Junction and St Austell Tribute (ok condition but £2.15 the half !) means this pub will never attract those focussed on cutting edge real ale and I found the pub sadly instantly forgettable.

This large, long corner pub is apparently family owned, though it has the look and feel of a Nicholson's and is, I believe, owned by a small chain (see JAQPTIO's review, below). The front door was obstructed by a gang of smokers, but once inside it was actually quite comfortable. The raised area at the rear is an extension whose roof rises to a point and is adorned with a variety of chandeliers and a glitter ball, which, together with the gild-framed 50 inch flatscreen TV, provides an ironic nod to the granduer of the period – if not the location – from which this pub originates. The food looked good, but they close the kitchen at 8PM so we weren't able to try it as we were 5 minutes too late. There were 2 ales on, Sambrook's Junction and Doombar, both well kept and quite potable. Worth dropping in for its beer, possibly worth including on a crawl, but don't expect a late meal.

One of the small Morton-Scott chain of pubs, the White Hart claims (however plausibly I don't know) to be the ”oldest licenced premises in London". The elongated bar with a slightly-raised seating area at the far end has been very heavily refurbished with light paintwork and a mix of styles. Loudish music. Young clientele. Doom Bar and Pride (£3.40, which is quite reasonable for the area) from the two handpumps.