Blackfriars

Blackfriars appeals squarely and exclusively to the middle-class drinker, and is in no way ashamed of it. From the bare brick walls, wooden floors and exposed girders to the small but carefully curated selection of tastefully pricey craft beers sold by the schooner, via the just-this-side-of-pretentious snack menu (olives, churros, chips with béarnaise sauce), it’s meant for the career professionals who don’t have a theatre ticket on this particular night (otherwise they’d be in the Traverse bar) but fancied a swift one before heading home to watch the ‘Bake Off’ finale on Sky Plus. In fairness, this clientele needs a local as much as anyone else, so credit to the Blackfriars crew for providing not only their perfect bar, but an adjoining restaurant next door that ticks many of the same boxes. It’s also home to what is possibly the capital’s most secretive beer garden: a high-walled basement-level number where you can smoke your organic roll-ups beneath the fairy lights in peace.