The Elephants Head, Camden Town, NW1

Among Camdenville's numerous watering holes, I have always found the Elephants Head to be one of the area's more charismatic pubs. The exterior boasts some wonderful tiling that just hints at the shabbyness that lies within. Situated in the heart of one of London's weirdest areas, the pub certainly attracts an eclectic mix of people and this is often reflected in the jukebox that churns out everything from punk, metal and indie to old 50's crooners. The long and narrow interior has bright walls and ceilings and the place at best can be described as pretty tatty with battered tables, slashed upholstery, worn out letters on the bare windows and a mishmash of a tiling on the floor. A large clock is housed in a wooden cabinet at one end and it is a wonder that it actually tells the right time. Comfort is certainly not its strongest selling point but like a decent worn out pair of shoes, it all fits nicely and feel that the place has given many people a lot of mileage over the years. Only 1 ale available (Courage Best) despite 4 hand pumps but the quality has always been pretty decent even if the price (£3.25 at the moment) is a bit hard to take for such an ordinary beer. It is certainly not a place that will appeal to everyone but for my money, it beats most of its tarted up neighbours.