Finding a printed guide to London's pubs is a surprisingly difficult task. Time Out's once-sterling annual guide hasn't seen a proper update in years. The Fancyapint and CAMRA companions are useful for beer fans, but don't always reflect the diversity of London's drinking venues. We had our own stab by putting together the Londonist eBook of pub crawls, but not everyone wants to take a Kindle into the pub (you should definitely still buy it, though).
Herb Lester, whose wonderful maps we've covered many times before, are the latest to put a guide together. A London Pub For All Reasons follows their usual format of a map on one side and descriptions on the reverse. They've certainly selected some admirable drinking dens, covering 30 of our favourites. The hook here is that they've also come up with distinct reasons why you might care to patronise each premises. The Holly Bush in Hampstead, for example, is good for an autumn day; the Coach and Horses in Soho offers up a sing-song; newcomer The Parcel Yard in King's Cross is apt for an early start; and the Royal Oak in Borough will burden you with no 21st Century distractions.
Good though the 30 choices are, we can't help feeling that this would more accurately be called 'An East and Central London Pub for all Reasons', with only 10% south of the river, and just two recommended tipples west of Knightsbridge. Still, at less than the cost of some Soho pints, you won't be disappointed.
A London Pub For All Reasons is available now for £4. Buy here.
