The Somers Town Coffee House, Somers Town, NW1

3rd May 2016. A while back this place was taken over by a French couple who got this pub's food standard up to the point where it was included in the French restaurant guide Les Routiers. Well, they've moved on and this is no longer a gastropub, though food is served. It dates back to at least the mid-19th century though was rebuilt in the 1930s and is named after the Earl Somers who lived at Eastnor Castle in Herefordshire - indeed until a couple of years ago, Somers Town was home to a pub called The Eastnor Castle just around the corner. It's a big Charles Wells' pub, traditional for the period with lots of wood panelling and fairly standard/traditional furniture. Music was muted and there's an impressive coffered ceiling; I didn't spot any entertainments like TVs or games machines. There were 12 pumps in total, dispensing too many beverages to record, but most came courtesy of Young's, Courage or Wells - in short, nothing to get excited about, but equally nothing to offend outright either. Bar staff were friendly and there was a more civilised crowd in here than you'd find in other Euston Road dross pubs, probably because it's slightly off the beaten track: you won't find it unless you know about it. My pint of Bombardier Golden Ale was very decent and at £3.95 wasn't the rip-off price you'd expect to find in other aforementioned Euston Road clip joints. This is by far the best pub in the very close vicinity and I'd actually be happy to come here again if passing - I'd give it at least another couple of points if it had a more imaginative ale choice. ---------- A return visit a few nights ago and my pint of Charles Wells' Extra Golden Ale, a 4.3% ABV beer cost a staggering £5.05 a pint! This pub is in somewhat troubled Somers Town which in 2013, recorded more violent crime than in any other ward in the borough of Camden. Why are some of the capital's highest prices to be found in one of London's most deprived areas? Points deducted accordingly.

Agree with Tris, the ale choice on our visit was also unimaginative and the majority of their ten pumps were in repeat mode. The pub did have a good and jolly atmosphere and the majority of the drinkers all looked quite respectable. The pub was also clean and tidy and the toilets were modern and well kept.

Interior as described below 9 real ales and 1 cider served.

Conveniently located down a side street between Euston and St Pancras stations, this is a decent sized Charles Wells house with its own in house cocktail bar. The ground floor pub has a simple L shaped interior with two front doors leading you into the same main bar space with the servery running along the back wall. The dark wood bar back has the royal coat of arms as a centrepiece and some strange multi-coloured mosaic tiling which looks a bit out of place. The flooring is a mix of wooden boards and stone tiles, with a couple of sofas positioned under the front windows, but a predominance of standard tables and chairs elsewhere. To the right of the bar there is a nice dark wood panelled space with a few framed pictures of food on the walls and a nice small tiled fireplace. Over to the left, the walls are covered with some large mirrors above a row of banquettes, and the room extends further back into a rear room with more dark wood fittings, some sanded tables and a good deal more seating. A back door takes you out to a pleasant garden which has unusually been semi-subdivided into booth type areas by large multi-coloured wood panels. A good soundtrack played quietly over the hubbub of the post work crowd, many of whom were eating from the slightly pretentious disposable menu on which you are supposed to tick the dishes you would like to order before handing over at the bar. Stairs near the front door lead down to 'The Cosy Kettle' - a speakeasy style bar serving cocktails and cakes, but not explored on this visit. The Charles Wells beer portfolio was stretched to the limit across the long bank of hand pumps which were offering Youngs Special, London Gold and Hummingbird, Wells Bombardier and Eagle, Courage Best and Directors and one guest in the shape of Wadworth Ipanema, with Wells Burning Gold having recently gone off. A final pump dispensed a real cider option. Keg lines included Estrella, Young's London Stout and Stowford Press cider. The Ipanema was okay, but overpriced at £4.00 a pint. It's not that often that a pub with ten handpulls can offer up such an uninspiring range of ales and for me, this is a great shame as such a well positioned pub would easily attract me back if their choice of product was more interesting. I'd say this is worth a passing look but there are much better pubs within a similar distance of either station.

A single J-shaped space with a central bar, boarded floor with stone effect tiling in the bar area. The first thing I spotted on entering was the row of ten clipped handpumps however my initial excitement was muted rather on seeing that all but two were from the Charles Wells stable leaving just Everards Xingu and a cider, Thundering Molly, as non CW offerings. I had the Xingu, a World Cup beer apparently brewed in conjunction with a Brazilian brewer. The others were Youngs Bitter, Special, London Gold and Hummingbird, Directors, Bombardier plus Bombardier Gold and Wells Eagle. The bar back has a Royal coat of arms but this is spoilt somewhat by rather gaudy modern mosaic tiling. Hops around the ceiling beams are a better feature, dark wood panelling, mostly regular seating in the main bar albeit at school style chairs. The rear left area beyond the bar can be separated by folding doors, seating in here is more avant-garde with high backed benches and armchairs. Food is served and features "British Tapas", sandwiches were listed on an old school rolling blackboard. I believe the pub is a 1920s rebuild but that there has been one on the site for a long time and originally was a coffee house. Continental outdoor seating to the front under an awning plus a bit of garden to the rear. Downstairs is something called "The Cosy Kettle", the signage in red neon lettering, I didn't take a look, I doubt it would be my cup of coffee. A nice spot especially so close to the main rail termini and the Marylebone Road, a better choice across those ten pumps would potentially make this a destination pub.