Farringdon Tap, Holborn Viaduct, EC4

Bloomsbury Leisure craft beer bar just beside Holborn Viaduct, having quite a small footprint but there is additional seating up on a mezzanine, down in the basement and out on the pavement. The area around the counter has a high ceiling with tall tables, but I imagine it quite full with those standing in the late afternoon / early evening as the nearby offices close. With 18 of the 19 taps on the bar back in use, there was a fine selection of keg beers in different styles - including my Exale Skoosh (£6.20) - plus a cider, but no cask ale on this visit.

From the same people that operate the Euston, Waterloo and Hackney Taps, among others, this is a small craft beer bar in the shadow of the Holborn Viaduct. Like the aforementioned venues, this place operates out of a surprisingly small premises, consisting of a bare boarded room with exposed brick walls and a large brick arch that extends from the bar on the right-hand wall, to a very large central pillar in the centre of the room, which effectively divides the room in two. The servery has a simple back-lit counter and dark wood shelving on the bar back, with the keg taps acting as a centrepiece and some large mirrors above, either side of a blackboard listing the beer range. A few high tables and stools around the perimeter offer limited seating options, but with this being Central London, most punters were standing out on the pavement anyway, so the small footprint isn’t all that much of an issue. A spiral staircase looks to lead up to a first floor overspill area, but I didn’t venture up there to confirm this. The pub has been decorated with some nice old black and white photos of the viaduct and a few bits of breweriana, whilst a neon sign advertises the food option - gyoza dumplings. A very loud tropicalia soundtrack was playing on my Friday evening visit, and this could be heard on approach long before the pub came into sight. On the bar, no less than eighteen keg lines vie for your attention, mostly from British micros with a few continental lagers in the mix. There was also a sole cask option - Adnams Mosaic, which I’m not a big fan of, so I waded into the keg maze and came out with a pint of Siren Lumia (£5.80). Service could best be described as ‘functional’, although the bar staff were faced with a very large post-work crowd and did well to keep queues down to a minimum. This is a decent addition to the Tap series of pubs, serving an area where the pubs always seem busy after work hours. Its lack of seating means that it doesn’t really lend itself to an extended session, but for some interesting craft beer, it’s a pretty good option.

Facebook page of Farringdon Tap - www.facebook.com

Facebook page of Farringdon Tap - www.facebook.com

I was the only customer in on a Friday afternoon, the place does have some character with its internal arches but it was a bit hard to get any sort of buzz out of it being empty. It's basically a craft bar with fifteen keg options available and on my visit just the one cask beer, thats what I went for, Redemption Trinity, despite being only a 3.0 % beer it was full of flavour and body as well as being very well kept. I think the place shows some promise and will have another look somewhen. 6.5/10.

Fairly gloomy place located under the arches of Holborn Viaduct. I had initially tried to visit at lunchtime, only to find it does not open until later on some weekday afternoons. So, I returned to make it my final port of call. Two other ladies were present on tables overlooking the busy Farringdon Street. I chose to sit inside near the bar, which was dispensing a solitary real ale - Ghost Ship. The emphasis is very much on craft beer here. So, I opted for an Orbit Dead Wax. Their food speciality is gyoza dumplings. Although, I didn't witness the other girls trying these and I certainly wasn't ready to try them. Downstairs is even more gloomy. Being underground, there is no natural light at all. There arehowever, quite a few tables, in addition to some gaming machines (pinball etc). Toilets are unisex. I'm not sure how women get on washing their hands directly next to the gents' urinals! After a swift half, I left the barmaid on her own with no customers. How City pubs are coping financially in current circumstances, I just don't know.