A hidden gem worth seeking out

This well-concealed pub (in a little yard just off Hatton Garden) can often be an oasis in a somewhat manic area.

Of course, like any pub in the City, it gets overrun at the usual times - lunch and immediately after work - but outside of those hours it's a haven.

The beers are well kept, usually a couple of decent real ales with regular guests on the hand pumps. The food is honest pub grub and the service is old-fashioned and excellent - many newer pubs should take note.

This is a genuine old pub; historic, quirky and atmospheric, replete with the panelling and odd little nooks and crannies you'd expect in such a place - and we hope it stays this way for ever.

By the way, if you don't spot the sign on the lamp post in Hatton Garden pointing into the alleyway, you will walk straight past it.

FOOD REVIEW

A rather traditional array of bar snacks - pickled eggs may not be for the faint-hearted - and a range of toasties. Scotch eggs and sausage rolls too. Not somewhere to have a full meal at (there's no space for that, anyway), but reasonably priced and old-fashioned snacks that beat the usual round of crisps, etc.

CLIENTELE: office workers, locals
PHONE NUMBER: 020 7405 4751
NEAREST STATION: Chancery Lane Station
FEATURES: real ales, function room available

Ye Olde Mitre Tavern
1 Ely Court, EC1 6SJ