Ye Olde Watling, Mansion House, EC4

Even for a Nicholson’s pub, which have a reasonable reputation for providing a good ale selection, this one’s choices were good indeed. The ales on were London Pride, Doom Bar, Acorn Sorachi Ace IPA, Tribute, Lancaster Blond, Thornbridge Jaipur, Oakleaf Brewery IPA, and Itchen Valley Godfather. I went for the Godfather (£3.50 a pint), a previously untried beer by yours truly, and which was in excellent nick. They do food at lunchtimes during the week of course, with some of the usual pub favourites on offer, such as the steak and ale pie ay £8.50. The front bar area has only tall tables and stools, but with no stools at the bar counter when I was in, which makes life easier getting served when it’s busy. This pub has the look of an ancient City pub, with mainly latticed windows, dark beams and posts, with some bearing apparently ancient sayings in gold script. But the one proclaiming that the SPBW is probably more recent. I sign behind the servery gives us a bit history about the pub. A doorway at the back leads (as well as to the lavatories) to another room with some sofas and more comfortable furnishings than the bar area at the front. The ale choice here alone sets this pub a few notches above the majority in this area, but it also scores in the historic and pub atmosphere stakes, making it a must visit pub for anyone visiting this part of the City. I’ve visited this pub several times before, and will no doubt visit again.

Well reviewed by others below,so nothing much to add.It was pleasing to see seven of the eight handpumps in operation and my pint of BrewDog Alpha Dog was in good condition.The interior is small and I am sure that at peak times the experience may not be as enjoyable as my late afternoon visit.However well worth including on any tour of this part of the City.

I’ll not go into the history of this Nicholsons pub as the previous two reviews have comprehensively covered it, but I will again mention that this pub is quite compact as it wasn’t that busy when I visited just before Christmas, but there still wasn’t anywhere to settle and get comfortable. I suppose that the pub gets busy at office chucking out times so the seating in the front bar area is minimal so as to leave more standing room so people can pack in. There is some more seating around to the right rear of the bar, but don’t bother taking one of the newspapers from the bar as it is so dimly lit that no reading can be done. I thought that the service was rather nonchalant and the background music was a little loud for a weekday afternoon. Thankfully the Guinness was very good and there are eight hand pumps that were all in operation during my visit. Pride, Bengal Lancer, Doom Bar and Landlord were the four that I recognised so I imagine the others were all guest beers. There is also a reasonable standard and premium draught range available and traditional pub fayre is served with a leaning towards the Great British Banger. The toilets are located down some very steep stairs at the rear of the pub and the Wren Bar upstairs opens daily at midday, has table service for diners and is available for private hire. This place is worth popping into for a quick pint if passing, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to visit again.

A fairly compact Nicholsons establishment, rebuilt in 1668 following the Great Fire of London two years earlier. A sign states that the pub was restored in 1901 and 1947, not sure if the latter date has any connection with wartime damage. The timber beamed ceiling in the main bar looks pretty authentic, the timbers certainly look old even if they may have been reclaimed. On entering it would be easy to think this is a one room pub, but beyond the bar and round to the right is another small room. This area has traditional seating, unlike the bar area which just has high tables and stools, plus stools at a window drinking shelf. There is a TV here, high in one corner, showing rugby on mute this Saturday afternoon, while background music played at low volume. There are eight handpumps, six were on, Pride, Doom Bar, Tribute, William's Scottish Joker IPA, York Centurion's Ghost Ale and the excellent Salopian Darwin's Origin. One unclipped and one reversed which I believe had been a cider. Not a bad pub at all and unusually for the City open on a Saturday afternoon.

Randomness Guide to London - Ye Olde Watling entry

Randomness Guide to London - Ye Olde Watling entry

Official pages of Ye Olde Watling, includes menu and real ale list - www.nicholsonspubs.co.uk

Official pages of Ye Olde Watling, includes menu and real ale list - www.nicholsonspubs.co.uk