Williamson's Tavern, Mansion House, EC4

Like the previous reviewer, I made a return visit to the Williamson Tavern the other evening, after a gap of a couple of years. Pleased to find that this is another Nicholson’s establishment where the beer choice has improved. There are now six ale hand pumps on each of the two bars which dispense the same choice of ales. Fullers London Pride, Sharps Doombar and Brains SA Gold are the three house ales and then the other three pumps support a regularly rotating range of guests. St Austell Proper Job and a couple of dark beers including a porter were on the guest for our visit and all the ones we tried were served in good condition. As usual with Nicholson establishments , the generally hard working bar staff are a mixture of those experienced in how to pull a pint, and those transient staff who need to be reminded that a pint served in a London pub does not have a one inch foam head sitting well below the rim of the glass. But they were all topped up without fuss, so I see n need to change by previous solid rating for the Williamson Tavern and remains a recommended find when in this part of town, especially as the new Fullers pub round the corner was later a huge disappointment.

You wouldn’t think that there is a such a large pub tucked away down this alleyway off Bow Lane. There are now two distinct areas comprising this pub. The first entrance on the left as you enter the courtyard takes you into a fairly small room with some basic furnishings, but if you continue along past the bar counter on the left a doorway takes you into a much larger (and much warmer when I visited) room, with its own bar counter and more comfortable furnishings. There were a dozen or so customers in on Monday afternoon, all in the back room finishing off their lunches. Being the City, nobody (apart from me) was using nasty cash to pay for their drinks and meals – it was all on plastic. Being a Nicholson pub there was a decent ale selection available, with the usual suspects of London Pride and Doom Bar joined by St Austell Tribute, Harviestoun Ptarmigan, and Thwaite’s Nutty Black. The usual Nicholson menu was available, with some pub grub classics at reasonable prices (for London). It’s been a few years since I’ve visited this pub, and I hope it’s not years until the next time I visit. This remains one of the better City pubs, although to be honest the competition isn’t exactly thick on the ground.

This Nicholsons pub is a two bar affair that was serving up Doom Bar, Reverend James, Pride, Landlord, Thornbridge’s Wild Holly and Kelham Island’s Pale Rider from the twelve hand pumps that are split between both bars. There is also a good range of standard and premium draught products and the Guinness was on good form. Standard pub fayre is available and from what I could see it is served all day, although it should be noted that like many pubs in this area the Williamson’s Tavern is closed on Saturdays and Sundays. I saw a plasma screen that was turned off and there is no Sky Sports, but some background music could just about be heard over the hoards of city workers enjoying their Christmas parties when I visited just before Christmas. There are a couple of tables outside in the alleyway where this pub is located and a separate door gains access to a function room that is available for hire. I liked it in here and would have no problem returning, but if possible it is probably best to avoid office kicking out times as it can get very busy.

Randomness Guide to London - Williamson's Tavern entry

Randomness Guide to London - Williamson's Tavern entry