Given that this forum is the font of all knowledge for visiting London, has anyone got any suggestions for a nice relaxed cafe / bar / pub in central London.

Going to be at a meeting in Roger Street (WC1N) next Friday, and then catching a train a few hours later from London St Pancreas, so looking for somewhere in that area. Going to be there between about 5 and 8pm, so open late afternoon / early evening time, with food and good coffee / drink

Over to you guys …

🙂 @ “St Pancreas” 🙂

Not really my part of town, I’m afraid Sue. Rarely spend time North of the Parks! 😉

Kings Cross has a few good drinking options.

The Fellow is very nice apparently, but there were no seats free the other night so we went elsewhere. You should find a seat at 5pm though.

Camino nearby is a very popular bar/spanish restuarant.

Be At One on Caledonian Road is a chain bar but friendly and they sell Alhambra beer.

There’s a hipster cafe on Caledonian Road if you want to eat cupcakes, just south of Be At One on same side, can’t remember name.

I was going to say Camino – can get busy in the evenings.

The Driver is good for food and a few drinks, only a short walk away.

theres a couple of pubs on lambs conduit street (wc1n also – up grays inn rd towards Kings Cross and turn left on guilford street) that are ok if i remember correctly (near great ormond street hospital).

I think theres a pub called the lamb and one called the perseverence i think…. both were pretty ok but can get a bit busy.

Not particularly convenient for WC1N, but very good:

http://www.operatavern.co.uk/

(Is miffed that Sue hazzunt consulted The London Oracle, runs off sobbing)

😥

I don’t have time for that pic right now soz.

It’s going away from St Pancras but try the cyclist’s hangout of Look Mum No Hands on Old Street. Go down past Condor Cycles (obviously having a look in there first!) then turn left, go along Clerkenwell and on to Old Street, LMNH is just on the left hand side.

Expensive but they do good coffee and food and it’s a nice place to just hang out and people watch.

Old Conduit Street is interesting to have a nose around, if you’re in that area.

There was a bike shop there that specialised in recumbents and Bromptons and the like.

The Lamb was a nice pub back in the day, one of those pubs with a nice dark interior, where you’d go for a pint and a read of the paper and the hands of time would twirl at half the speed.

There was a good Italian traditional restaurant/pizzeria down near the hospital end of Lamb’s Conduit Street that I can’t remember the name of.

The Duke of York at the junction of Clerkenwell Road and Gray’s Inn Road was always good for a bit of people/bike watching back in the day, London’s cycle couriers used to descend on it en masse on a Friday pm.

Mind you, it’s so long ago that I used to work around there, this advice is probably about as relevant as saying “watch out for grisly serial killers if you go drinking in Whitechapel”.

Humph – CFH and Elfin taken off select list of proper Londonista’s due to piss taking, sobbing and failure to actually provide any useful information 😉

Everybody else – ta very much for the suggestions. Will check them out.

Look Ma No Hands seems a great place – just maybe a bit off route for this visit, definately one for another time (ahem Mr Elfin London Pootle …)

Well, if you were in “proper London” I could happily advise you….

But, if you will go to bandit country! 😉

Met up with a mate in Mabels Tavern on Mabledon place nice pub with some comfy chairs. It is about 400 m from St Pancras.

Look Ma No Hands seems a great place – just maybe a bit off route for this visit, definately one for another time (ahem Mr Elfin London Pootle …)

It’s about a 10-15 min walk at most or <5 mins on a Boris Bike (although nearest parking is actually on the junction of Clerkenwell/Old Street or down by Old Street tube so probably not the best option!)

Have a look at The Easton in Clerkenwell
http://www.theeastonpub.co.uk
Good value, good food , good ale.

Right then, let’s sort this out….

No point in asking Flashy for advice on London stuffs, as he’s about as ‘London’ as Boris Johnson. He has no idea of anything beyond the Sloanie Pony. 😐 You need to come to a more ‘Ken Livingstone’ type person if you actually want to find out about stuffs. Ah, that’ll be me, then. 🙂

TBH there’s loooooads of nice pubs in that area. Some really old places, selling great ales.

The Citie of Yorke on High Holborn is nice; it’s where me, Bully, Cynic-Al and aP went a few weeks ago. One of the barmaids fancied me no shut up cos she did right anyway why shoon’t she just cos she don’t fancy you. 😡

aP reckons the Lamb on Lamb’s Conduit St is nice, and there’s loads of others I can’t remember what they’re all called but bin in a few round that area, and there’s no really bad pubs that I’ve noticed.

But where we’ll be going, right, and this is not up for discussion or argument, is the Craft Beer Co on Leather Lane.

Flashy wooduv known about this place were he to ever venture outside of the London Boroughs of Wetminister and Poncington and Chelsea Tractor. 🙄 As it’s the sister pub to his fave, the Cask in Pimmslicko.

Right. That’s that sorted; THREAD CLOSED.

Founders Arms pub, on south bank right outside Tate Modern.

Fabulous view of St Pauls as it’s right on the banks of the Thames. The food is OK, and at this time of year they have lovely winter drinks on. The time you’re talking about should see a great sunset too.

Get to St Paul’s, cross the wobbly bridge and turn right (well, left as you exit the bridge walking back towards the river…)

listen to Elfin. He knows stuff..