Penny Blood's Black Book - Penny Blood's eclectic collection of favourite places in London to drink coffee, eat cake, have tea, eat out, buy clothes, watch movies, kill time, read Voltaire, quote Baudelaire and write this blog.

This was the first so-called ‘gastro pub’ in London started by one of the Eyre brothers. That is the main reason I like it. It looks much the same as all other gastro pubs but being one large room with the bar along one wall and lacking any nooks and crannies it somewhat lacks an element of ‘cosiness’, although in it’s favour it does look like a pub rather than an over-gentrified ‘gastro-pub’.* The food however is great. I love ordering fish and getting the whole fish. I generally inhale my food so picking through all the bones gives me something to do for an hour and a half. Like all good gastro pubs the menu changes daily and attracts all the kind of people who live and work in the area thus not feeling too cliquey like local residential pubs.

*Note that I have no problem what so ever with over-gentrification, I’m not going to pretend that I like being surrounded by poor people.

159 Farringdon Road, Farringdon, EC1R 3AL
020 7837 1353
Monday-Saturday 12-11pm Sunday 12-5pm Lunch served Monday – Friday 12.30-3pm
Saturday-Sunday 12.30-3.30pm Dinner served Monday – Saturday 6.30-10.30pm

Related posts:

1. The Havelock Tavern
2. The Paradise