The Porterhouse

This contemporary pub on the south side of Covent Garden probably has more bottled beers than any other pub or bar in London. It's a huge place, covering some 13,500 square feet and laid out over several levels with galleries. Rivet covered steel, copper pipes and brass fittings create a feel a little like an old steam ship. The centrepiece is a 200 year old Irish clock rescued from Gortnahoe Town Hall.

An informative beer menu lists some 180 of the world's best brews as well as Porterhouse's own nine unpasteurised draught offerings, brewed by the Irish owners in Dublin. All, including their three stouts, can be tried as part of sampler trays. A separate food menu offers traditional Irish dishes from beef and stout or Oyster Stout sausages and mash through to Dublin Bay oysters and Irish smoked salmon.

Live music Wednesday through to Saturday ensures a good atmosphere. The size means that, even when crowded (which it usually is), there are so many hidden corners that there?s seemingly always a free table.