The Swan Tavern, Leadenhall, EC3

A tiny little pub visible from Gracechurch Street, rebuilt in 1898 making it late Victorian rather than Edwardian as claimed by the pub's website. A flagstone floor, beautiful mirror and green marble ledges to the walls with high stools, this is all the furniture you get at ground floor level, though there's another bar upstairs which we didn't visit. Ales are a range for Fuller's and acquisitions along with Oakham Ale's JHB, very decent and so it should be at £2.20 a half. I can't actually imagine myself coming here again as the place gets rammed and, like most city pubs, it's closed at weekends.

This pub is tucked away in an alleyway off Gracechurch St, and is really just a corridor of a pub. It really is so small that if someone is standing at the bar then there's barely room for someone to walk past them, and it's too small for any tables and chairs, with just a handfull of tall stools at a marble ledge at the back. It was very busy when we dropped in on Friday afternoon after knocking off time, but most punters were engaged in vertical drinking in the alleyway outside, and we had no difficulty getting served almost straightaway. Pints of London Pride and Tomos Watkins' Last Inch (3.4%) came in at £8.50, which is not cheap, but the going rate for the City. I didn't see any food. This is a characterfull and atmospheric little pub. I've visited it several times over the years, and luckily it doesn't seem to have changed at all. I shall probably visit again.

Tiny bar hidden away from the main road. Good selection of ales on tap and friendly staff.