The Bear

In an age where seemingly every pub is trying to become a bar, here we find a bar that does a very good job of being a pub. If you're looking for a place to drink that's a bit different from your local, try this one. The décor is sophisticated, laid back, bang up to the minute and shows what lame ducks so many Victorian pub-to-bar conversions are. Early in the evening the lighting goes down and the sounds turned up and the place fills with a mix of people from the businesses around. The younger lot head upstairs and the lower bar entertains an older crowd (must be the stairs). It's in a small square just off Clerkenwell Road and that and seating on the pavement area makes this a brilliant venue to enjoy refreshments in the open air.