The Castle, Tooting, SW17

As Young’s pubs go, this one is reasonably comfortable. Furnishings are mainly normal tables and chairs, with a few sofas at the far end, as well as a couple of tall benches with tall tables. It’s carpeted throughout. The wood panelling on the walls and front of the bar counter looks to be the result of an inter-war fitting. A function room is advertised behind the main pub area, and there are a handful of tables and chairs outside at the side. Young’s Bitter and Special were available, along with Waggledance, but no guest ales. The Bitter is now £3.10 a pint, which is a reasonable price these days. I didn’t look closely at the menu, but they advertised daily specials for £5. I had the beef sandwich, which for £5 was no better than barely adequate. But nonetheless I still like this pub as it remains essentially unspoilt.

Comfortable Youngs pub a stone's throw from Tooting Broadway tube. Has not yet been subjected to the upmarket Young's refurbishment and has a mixture of light wood and cream for decor - wall benches, sofas and traditional tables. Decepetively spacious with sky sports and ESPN being shown during our Saturday afternoon visit. Only the regulation beers available (obviously) but at £3.05 a throw Youngs Bitter was not prohibitively expensive. A fairly ageing crowd on my visit but no reason to put me off.

Randomness Guide to London - Castle entry

Randomness Guide to London - Castle entry