The Blue Posts, SW1

Beer selection rather mainstream Sat pm: Pride, Deuchars, OSH, Spitfire, had the latter (£3) & it was in fairly poor condition & the pints served very short (albeit topped up with good grace on request). Kegs had usual superchilled stuff but also Staropramen. Quite busy with diners already (~13:00) and the smell of lamb & mint sauce was prominent despite the bar area being quite open & free of those eating. Exterior presents a tidy attractive façade & the whole carries an original feel but the external notice advises a rebuild after being bombed in WW2, also that Byron used to live next door in 1813. Dark wood floor, some wood panelling, some seating to either side of bar (benches to one side heavily gaffer-taped!), a couple of gaming machines rather out of character to the pub, dining to the rear, upstairs dining room closed Sat.

Unremarkable corner pub, not far from the hustle and bustle of Piccadilly but not the sort of place that many tourists would stumble across by chance. The interior decor is the traditional dark-wood style so common in former Spirit Group pubs, but the layout means that the bar area is quite cramped. Four real ales on handpumps, mostly usual suspects such as Landlord but the seasonal Adnams Christmas Cheer was on good form. NB - Currently being rebranded by Punch Taverns as a Taylor Walker house.

Tucked away in the backstreets south of Piccadilly, the Blue Posts is a fairly ordinary pub catering mostly for local office groups. The exterior shows some ornate touches but parts are beginning to look a bit weatherd. The interior has been knocked through to one largish room with the bar at one end although it can be a fight to get to the bar through the office groups that tend to congregate in front of it. The rear section is a bit quieter and I have usually managed to bag a table here. The décor is quite plain with paneled walls, shallow bay windows with lamps, a few old pictures of local landmarks, large plain mirrors and a couple of flat screen TVs but little that really catches the eye. There are 4 hand pumps that in the past have conjured up some interesting guest beers although my most recent visit was a more formulaic offering of Youngs London Gold, Deuchers, Spitfire and Rev James. The quality has always been good (they are Cask Marque accredited) and prices about par for the area. Main meals are around £8-10 with snacks around a fiver and some interesting lunchtime selections at a good value £5.25 (12-3pm) There are some seats outside on the pavement along with some barrel tables which takes up some of the overspill when it gets quite busy after the local offices turn out. It can have quite a bustling atmosphere which does at least liven up what is, on the whole, a quite ordinary place.