The Craft Beer Co. St Mary Axe — Restaurant in London

This pub is consistently the best pub within a mile. The range of beers is always varying, but interesting and of good quality. The ambience is unpretentious, warm, and cosy. The staff know what they're talking about when it comes to the drinks on offer. The music is present, of decent quality, and rarely loud. In dozens of visits, I've seen unruly customers once, and the situation was dealt with fairly, promptly, and without anyone getting upset. The bar snacks (pork pies, crisps, nuts, scratchings) are great. In fact, the stilton-topped variation of the pie is second-to-none. This is the bar that has the look and feel to compete with the mindless, hipster, fashionista perception of a bar and yet deliver everything a proper pub should, too.

I think I'm in love.

Mention me when you order...And you will get absolutely sod all extra. Because it's run properly, and this sort of gimmick...

The Craft Beer Co is an independent chain of craft beer pubs in London, this pub being "St Mary Axe", which is just a short walk from Aldgate tube station. Nice place with a limited cask selection, but plenty of kegged beers are available. Very friendly barman who will give you tips and let you try beers first, comfy enough for to linger for a couple of hours. Once office hours in he neighbourhood have ended it can get very busy and quite loud, too (The English have a higher threshold for noise than us Germans). Prices are elevated but certainly not outrageous for London. There's a lounge area on a lower floor. Solid craft beer pub in the Tower...

It's ok. Was pretty quiet on a Friday night when we visited, but I suppose that this part of the city is dead at the weekends. The beer selection isn't as extensive as the Covent Garden branch and it didn't smell too fresh in the bar area either.

Also, the setup for the gents toilet doors needs a bit of a rethink.... They open directly into the room and as a result, the urinals are on show to anybody standing the other side of the door, in the downstairs...