Hungerford House, WC2

Previously Motion, this awful drinking den occupies Hungerford House, one of the few remaining edifices of the original Hungerford Palace which was largely cleared to make way for Hungerford Market, where Charing Cross Station now stands. Historical and architectural interest aside, it has little to recommend it nowadays – the bar is noisy, unwelcoming and ale-less. It provides expensive cocktails and alcopops to the hard-of-thinking tone-deaf morons who are brave or inebriated enough to pass by the aggressive, unfriendly door staff and don’t mind the noise pollution emanating from the over-engineered sound system. This is no gem.