Slug & Lettuce, SE10

A modern bar/restaurant in the O2 food zone with a glittery bar down one side and a cocktail bar at the back. There is an upstairs bar also but this was not open. Sadly the real ale appears to have been discontinued after a recent facelift, so just the usual fizzy stuff on offer.

I visited this pub several years ago prior to a show in the O2 Arena and remember it being completely packed and almost impossible to get served, so I had never bothered to return, assuming it would always be thus. However, a recent visit prior to a gig at the nearby Brooklyn Bowl, saw the place practically empty so I was able to give the place a proper visit. Located inside the Dome, close to the entrance, this is a large single room venue from the familiar chain. There are wooden floorboards throughout with a plain bar counter and mirrored bar back on the servery which runs down the left hand wall, split halfway down by one of the dome's huge support beams. High tables and stools fill much of the front space and run down through the centre of the room. To the rear there is space for a few standard tables and chairs as well as a lot of comfy looking button backed banquette booths along the right and rear walls. There is a lot of bare brick on show, broken by a set of plain mirrors in elaborate frames and a few TV screens showing a muted news channel. The ceiling is also part-mirrored and has some fancy, elaborate light fittings. Stairs lead up to a first floor restaurant which was even blander than the main bar area, but might be a good bet to head to if you're hoping to eat here on a busy night. A few tables have been set up outside the entrance, but I assume you still can't smoke here as you are still within the dome. Music played surprisingly quietly throughout my visit, but I imagine it can get much louder at times. There were two handpulls on the bar - one dispensing Sharps Doom Bar and one with a turned Fullers London Pride clip. I had a pint of the Doom Bar, served by one of the chatty and friendly bar team, which was in good shape and at £3.55, sensibly priced and considerably cheaper than in alternative venues such as the Pilot Inn or the Meantime Beer Box. A standard keg range included something called Guinness Hop House 13 Lager, which was being heavily promoted. This place is never going to win any awards for its contribution to the UK pub scene, but it does at least provide a reasonably priced alternative in an area where prices are generally over-inflated. Timing your visit here is key and I wouldn't recommend on a busy gig night but it can certainly do a job in the right circumstances.

Official site of The Slug & Lettuce - www.slugandlettuce.co.uk

Located inside the O2, with seating on two floors and a few patio seats out front in the covered mall. Anonymous modern furniture and decor. Loud music. Greene King IPA and Pride (£3.30) from two handpumps. In other circumstances, this one would be rated 'avoid' but the beer here is both better and cheaper than inside the arena and other smaller music venues under the same roof.