The Prince
59 Kynaston Road
London
N16 0EB
020 7923 4766

The Prince is an old school style pub that has recently had a Gastro make-over, bare floorboards, metal tables and chalk menus. The inside is fairly simple but pleasingly intimate with a very friendly atmosphere, this being Stoke Newington everyone is dressed casually and there are plenty of kids around, particularly on a Sunday.

The food is excellent, good fresh, quality ingredients, well presented, although prices reflect the high standard. The Sunday roast is worth the trip here alone, there are always plenty of options, all the meats are from rare breeds and my advise is to go from a slice of each. A reasonably priced wine list is good enough and they seem to have a couple of decent ales on tap regularly, give it a go.

-Marc

The Elbow Room
89-91 Chapel Market
Islington
London
N1
020 7278 3244
www.theelbowroom.co.uk

Think pool hall meets Soho cocktail bar, then take away the cocktails and you get The Elbow Room. Pool tables with purple felt everywhere and a good mix of serious players, trendy socialites and all in between. Plenty of neon gives the place a deliberately American feel which is continued on the burger and chips style menu, an eclectic mix of tunes helps the friendly atmosphere and hides the continual sound of balls smashing into each other.

A good range of bottled beers and spirits and a couple of Belgium numbers on tap, prices are fair for the area and if you fancy yourself as the nouveau Paul Newman this will be right up your street.Very easy to get too as Chapel Market is opposite Angel tube. Elbow room has sister venues in Swiss cottage and Shoreditch.

-Marc

Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese
145 Fleet Street
EC4
020 7353 6170

Built on the site of a tavern destroyed by the Great Fire in 1666, the Cheshire Cheese has a long list of illustrious former patrons including Charles Dickens, Yeats, Conan Doyle and Dr Johnson. The pub is now split into several different areas including the small front bar where women were banned up until the early 1900's, the general feel is of Dickensian London with several welcoming fireplaces and a vaulted cellar.

On the negative side if you are unlucky the whole place may be jammed with tourists snapping away with their halves of 'quaint English ale' but on the upside you may get a spot near a roaring fire and be able to sample the fine range of Samuel Smith ales in darkened solitude. There is a small restaurant area serving traditional pub grub to a fair standard but the main reason for visiting is the ambience and a foaming pint.

-Marc

The Gowlett
Gowlett Road
Peckham/East Dulwich
SE15 4HY

When you move to a new area in London there are a few essentials that need to be checked so that you feel at home right away. Is there a 24-hour shop within walking distance? Are there a choice of curry houses ? Is your nearest pub any good?

Thankfully all the above can be ticked but the local boozer was over and above my expectations. Guest ales, good value organic wine list, pub quiz, pool table (with weekly knockout competition), stonebaked pizza's, decks set up for the odd night of tunes and a young laid-back couple as your landlords. They even lent us their staple gun to do some home improvements! It may be off the beaten track but it's worth the trek.

-Matt

The Golden Lion
Dean Street
London W1

Let's get straight to the point. This pub is crap.

Two Aussie barmaids who were more interested in chatting to their mates than serving drinks. No atmosphere, no food, no salted peanuts and the distinct impression that they were getting ready to close an hour in advance of last orders.

If they weren't the only pub in Soho showing Saints v Fulham, with the sound on then, they wouldn't have had our business at all. They certainly won't be getting it again.

-Matt

The Living Room
Suncourt House
18-26 Essex Road
London
N1 8LN
0870 4422712

Styled on a Colonial officers club meets Manhattan jazz bar, the Living Room is all dark wood, ceiling fans and piano music. The atmosphere is laid-back with large leather chairs and small booths helping the intimate feel, however everything is a bit too clean and there is a slight air of the corporate about the place. The bar focuses on cocktails and it does it well, all the staff seem able to make excellent drinks but 1 or 2 seemed more interested in tarting around than actually serving them.

After a couple of Manhattan's I grew to notice these negatives less and with the lights dimmed got stuck into a few more with gusto. A perfect place for business types who want some slightly sanitised bar room action.

-Marc

Spaniards Inn
Spaniards Road
Hampstead
NW3
020 87316571

One of the oldest pubs in London and home to the Spanish Ambassador in the reign of King James I, it is also reputedly the birthplace of Dick Turpin, whose pistols hang above the bar.

The building itself is full of character with beams everywhere and thoroughly uneven floors which could be a hindrance to the enthusiastic imbiber. There are a selection of real ales plus the usual suspects, but the highlight of the main bar is the large open fireplace that was blazing away on our visit. (Incidentally for anyone that wondered what happened to Henry Kelly from the telly he seems to now spend most of his time in here).

The food is excellent gastro pub fare and in summer it's possible to eat out in the superb gardens, I say possible because it is always packed with well to do locals. Why not have a stroll around on the Heath then duck in for a pint by the fire and a chat with Henry Kelly.

-Marc

Auld Shillelagh
105 Stoke Newington Church Street
N16 OUD
020 7249 5951
www.theauldshillelagh.co.uk

A fantastic traditional Irish pub, in the sense that people go there to drink Guinness and chat, not play on a leprichaun fruit machine and listen to the Corrs. The Guinness is excellent because everyone is drinking it and it's therefore fresh, and they will even bring it to your table as the pouring process takes some time, if you are here for a bit I suggest ordering the next one when you've a 1/3 left of your current.

Not sure if they serve food, as no-one has been eating when we 've visited and there are no obvious menus. The pub itself is shaped like a canal boat long and thin and don't be fooled by the slighty shabby looking exterior, inside the atmosphere is intimate, very friendly and the staff are great.

Unexpectedly there is also a very pleasant garden area for BBQ's and general drinking in the summer, if you live nearby you probably already know about it, but it's well worth a visit. The 'craic' is mighty, apparently!

-Nicola

The Alma
59 Newington Green Road
London N1 4QU
020 7359 4356
On the 73 and 476 bus routes and close to Canonbury Station

This is a great North London gastro pub. The atmosphere is cosy and inviting with sofas to relax into and very friendly helpful staff.

There is one real ale and a Belgian beer on tap and a selection of bottled beers. The wine list is pretty good.

One corner of the pub is given over to a dining area and although we didn't try to food it looked tempting. The menu is typical Islington gastro pub fare with main courses around the £8-12 mark.

The perfect place to meet up with friends. I'll definitely be going back.

-Nicola

Meson Don Felipe
53a The Cut
Waterloo SE1 8LF
020 7928 3237

Opposite the New Vic theatre and between Waterloo and Southwark stations, you will find this small but perfectly formed tapas restaurant/bar. With tables for around 30 and further seats available at the bar the atmosphere is bustling in a good way, but space is at a premium. We sat on high stools at the bar and cracked into some Estrella whilst checking the food and wine menus.

The food is classic tapas fare with the menu split into fish and meat sections, sardines grilled with lemon, garlic prawns, spicy sausage and ham and green beans are not innovative, but they were all obviously fresh and well cooked. The wine list offers a good and varied selection with a decent number available by the glass, I had an excellent Enate Cab' Sav rose with the fish, a smart rioja and a superbly intense Pedro Ximenez sherry for pudding.

The bill was £60 for 2 and we felt well worth it, on the evening in question there was also a spanish guitarist perched on a shelf style stage above the dinners, plucking at some gentle but characterful tunes, this would be the perfect place to come for a long lunch and probably leave after dinner.

-Marc

Penny Lane Wine Bar
116 Penny Lane
Liverpool, United Kingdom
0151 733 6229

Although the term wine bar conjures up shocking images of early '90s power dressing and cheap chardonnay this place is actually the best drinking venue in South Liverpool. Well located to attract a good mix of locals, students and tourists it is a place where a good pint and banter with your mates comes first. To emphasise that, there are no fruit machines, quiz machines or even live sport to get in the way of a night out.

Other positives are a good selection of cheap but drinkable wines and a house champagne at just £15 if you feel like celebrating without regretting it the next time you go to the cashpoint. Only downsides are a heady amount of Beatles memorabilia (tat?) and the sheer volume of people on a busy summer night; but it is still worth a trip if you are in the area.

-Gareth

The Ship and Shovel
1-3 Craven Passage
London
WC2N 5PH
020 7839 1311

This is an old style London 'boozer' full of victoriana with good beer and little pretence.

Unusually it's located on both sides of Craven Passage, one side being much larger with a TV and fruit machines and the other a blast from the past with booths and hushed chatter. Get in early to stake your place in the 2 seater snug and feel smug for the rest of the evening.

The location is amazingly central, yet it's situation means it's still possible to get a seat, well worth a visit for those who enjoy a decent pint and to bring friends too.

-Marc