Sir Christopher Hatton, EC1

Being a Nicholson's pub there was a decent range of ales on - Nicholson's Pale Ale (St Austell), 6X, Doom Bar, Leeds Gathering Storm, Ramsgate Brewery Great British Beer (with Al Murray on the pump clip!) (£1.90 a half), and By The Horns Joe's Tea Co. Apparently Joe's Tea Co (rather unsurprisingly) contains tea and bergamot oil. The barman kindly gave me a taster, and the taste of tea was a bit over the top. Not my cup of tea I might say. I didn't see a menu at the ledge where I sat, but there were plenty of people eating at the normal tables and chairs on a raised area at the front by the windows. Being a Nicholson's pub I wouldn't expect the menu to hold any surprises. Apart from on the aforementioned raised area, seating in the main bar area was all tall tables, backless tall stools and at ledges. There are a fair number of seats out at the front, which is not a bad place to sit as the pub is set back from the main road down a pedestrian thoroughfare. The main bar area has a flagstone floor, and as it is set well back from the small windows at the front I found it quite a gloomy place. The beer quality and choice was good, but as a pub it didn't really rock my boat. It felt a bit like being in a subterranean dive.

Just a minute or two from Chancery Lane tube station, this is a large, smart Nicholson's pub set slightly below street level which, as the previous reviewer points out, can make it feel like a subterranean bar. The main bar is a wide room with the servery, split in two by a large brick pillar, on the rear wall. The quarry stone floor bar area has a number of rustic looking pillars surrounded by drinking ledges, allowing for a good amount of vertical drinking space. The bar itself has a dark wood counter and a number of mirrors on the bar back, including one etched glass 'Nicholson's' mirror. High padded bench and stool seating can be found over to the left hand side, where a couple of sofas are also available and a large TV screen was turned off in favour of quiet background music. To the front there is a raised section with dark floorboards covered by a huge rug and standard tables and chairs that seem ideal for those wanting to eat. The room is decorated with old pictures, adverts and other framed bits and bobs, but it's all rather understated and feels a bit bland. Stairs over to the right lead down to a cellar bar and dining room which is typical of other dining rooms in Nicholson's London pubs and had a bar on the end wall, notably with hand pumps. My visit was quite late on a weekday evening, so there were only a few other customers in and the bar staff seemed more concerned with getting everyone out rather than having to serve a new customer. The ale selection was the usual Nicholson's mix of popular standards and slightly more obscure regional brews. The full range on this visit was Sharps Doom Bar, Marstons Pedigree, Purity Ubu, Orkney Dark Island, St Austell Proper Job, Truman's Runner and My Generation Session Pale. The Dark Island is one of my 'go-to' beers normally, but on this occasion I was let down by a very poor quality pint which I was happy to write off and put right in the nearby Craft Beer Co. I found this place lacking in any real character, admittedly not helped by the fact it was almost empty, and would suggest this is one of the city's weaker Nicholson's venues. There are lots of good pubs around the Chancery Lane area which means this place might work as part of a crawl but is unlikely to get a look in if I have to be more selective.

Feels very much like a cellar bar, despite being down just a few steps under a modern office block. Having said that, the main bar and side seating areas are well lit so the place actually isn't that gloomy. More tables at the front, under an arcade and out on the pavement. Seven real ales from a total of 12 handpumps: Nicholson's Pale Ale, Doom Bar, Truman's Runner, Harvest Pale, Pure UBU, Daleside Old Leg Over and Harviestoun Broken Dial (£3.75).

Nothing really exciting on the beer choice on this visit, so I went for an old staple, London Pride. The staff were pleasant enough, and the service was good.

Agree with Steve not one of the best Nicolsons.Always the beer I want is coming soon.Handy if in the area but not for me.

Good sized Nicholson’s pub, the main bar being down a short flight of steps from Leather Lane and hence a bit dark, and with a smarter ‘cellar bar and dining room’ underneath. The two rows of picnic benches and tables outside offer an authentic ‘drinking in a busy pedestrian street’ experience. Of the 12 hand pumps, 6 were clipped with Pride, Tribute and Doombar twice each. On first recent visit, 4 of the others had ‘coming soon’ labels, with Moor’s Northern Star (at £3.35 and very refreshing on a summer afternoon) and Fullers’ Summer Ale on the remaining ones. A week later, the Summer Ale had changed to Thornbridge Jaipur. Food is standard Nicholson’s fare with mains at around £7-11. This pub is okay to drop into if in the area, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to do so.