Holborn

[Jeremy]

Sam Smiths pubs are fine with me. I quite like their wheat bear (and in a hushed voice... I like their cherry beer too...)

[david_carnell]

Otta - I generally dislike most Sam Smith's pubs for the following:

Beer - poor ale selection, badly kept. Always icy cold and tastes like crap.

Staff - poorly paid, surly.

Cleanliness - spotless with the overpowering smell of bleach

Interiors - while the actual fabric of the buildings can be nice their furniture is proper shabby. And not nice shabby.

They've taken over lots of very nice pubs and I've yet to see one improved.

[Otta]

Fair enough, especially on the ale front if you're an ale user (I am a lager lout).

As I say, my only experience is of The Chandos, which doesn't remind me of any of the other things you say, but...

1. ... It's been a good few years since I've been, so maybe it's not so good now

2. ... maybe that's an exception.

[Jah Lush]

I always liked their beer though I've not been in a Sam Smith's pub for over 20 years so they've obviously taken a nosedive since I last imbibed in one. What a shame.

I've decided not to take the trip uptown today because of the lousy weather and tube strike. Maybe tomorrow and I can check out a few of the old pubs while I'm at it, including the Sam Smith ones I've mentioned.

[titch juicy]

Not had Sam Smiths ale, but their organic lager is excellent and their wheat beer isn't bad at all. And most of their pubs are stuffed full of character- especially Cheshire Cheese

[????]

I think many of their sites are excellent, and at one stage, before the ROW moved on their bitter's stood out (in London)....but I do tend to agree with DCs assessment on the whole. Still some great pubs in terms of history/structure

[DaveR]

A few more, just in case dc is suffering lunch time ennui

Kam Fung on Red Lion Street for enormous lunch specials

Dapur just opened on Lambs Conduit Passage for authentic Malay curry and coconut rice

Free State Coffee on Southampton Row - almost agressively hip, but very very good coffee

The Enterprise, also Red Lion St for post work beer

[Parkdrive]

Jah Lush Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I loved working in Holborn though it is 20 years

> since I did. You being at the Kingsway end you're

> not far from the Princess Louise. Not been in

> there for a very long time but it's beautiful old

> pub so you really should give a whirl.

The Princess Louise is truly magnificent, I used to use it when I worked in Covent Garden, which isn't too far away.