The Castle, N1

It's unchanged since the previous reviewer's visit last month. The tables in the lower section on the right were laid for diners, with those on the left and on the upper levels not so laid. The geography theme is still apparent; atlases were being used as lampstands, and the map of the world at the back on the left was German and depicted the world somewhere between 1947 and 1953. Odd, but an interesting talking point for a couple of us geogrophiles seated beneath it. The best feature here is the elegant bar back, dating from a late Victorian fitting and with the original name of the pub - the Pint Pot - displayed in the central bay mirror. In contrast is the old bar counter, now painted a hideous distressed lemon yellow. I just don't know how anyone thinks that's a good look. The beers are unchanged, with just Young's Ordinary and St Austell Proper Job on. The Ordinary was just fine. Not a destination pub by any means, but nonetheless an acceptable place for a swift one. It was fairly quiet on a Wednesday lunchtime, but no doubt gets busier later on.

This is a nice street corner boozer that’s been modernised into a gastro-style venue yet retains enough of its traditional feel to appeal to a wide range of customers. The pub is perhaps best known for being the place where the Hatton Garden robbers planned their successful heist and also where they were overheard by undercover police discussing their haul. There was no such drama on my mid-week visit, where I found a modest crowd made up of locals drinking around the lower bar area and tourists enjoying a meal in the upper spaces. I think I counted four levels across the ground floor of this pub, with entry into the lower front sections which sees the servery run down the right-hand wall and two separate porches for front and left-hand entrances. The room has scuffed floorboards, plain painted walls and large windows with frosted upper panes. The servery is split-across two levels and has a nice dark wood counter with a pleasant matching bar back which sports a few nicely stylised details. Button backed banquettes and comfy chairs run down the front and left sides of the room and there is a large TV screen over the front porch and another in the rear corner, both of which were showing a muted rugby union fixture. Steps take you up to two more areas, both of which act as small, compact dining rooms. Banquette and chair seating is available to the right in both spaces, with the lower section decorated with globes and a large map of the world plus some attractive bottles and ornaments whilst the top level is dominated by the back kitchen/bar. A door to the left leads up to a roof terrace, although I didn’t get around to exploring. Music played loudly throughout my stay, which felt a bit incongruous in the dining areas. The pub is a Geronimo Inn, so no surprise to see Young’s Ordinary on the bar alongside St Austell Proper Job. The latter set me back a hefty £5.05 for a pint but was in reasonably good condition. I noticed that the keg taps had a pretty good selection of craft beer options too and the fridges looked well stocked with bottled and canned goodies. This is a decent enough pub with a bit of a gastro inclination which I didn’t find as off-putting as I perhaps normally would. The beer choice was a bit pedestrian and the music too loud, but there was enough here to make me consider a return visit and if I’m ever in need of somewhere to plan a heist, this place will be top of my list.

A single and not unattractive downstairs room with the option of ascending to the roof terrace to take in some of London's finest traffic fumes. A couple of ales on, Youngs bitter and St Austell Proper Job which was sadly of below average quality, service wasn't the speediest I'd encountered that day, I'll give it a miss next time.

One of those odd-looking London pubs with the main building set back from the road a bit with a single-storey front extension filling the gap. Once inside, you find a split-level bar and a higher dining area located up three more steps. Furnished in typical gastro-pub style with a mixture of traditional and modern elements, and unchallenging jazz as background music. Some tables were laid up for dining and others reserved later for the regular quiz night, and there are also a few small tables out front and the roof terrace (not visited, and may not be open in the winter anyway?). Two real ales on handpump: an overpriced Redemption Pale Ale (£5.25) and Truman's Runner.