The Gunmakers

Standing on a slightly scruffy Clerkenwell side street, the diminutive Gunmakers makes an agreeable if unassuming bolthole for a pint & some sturdy pub food. Apart from a mini-arsenal of antique firearms mounted on the walls, the interior is a conspicuously stark affair, although the bar is loaded with some less regularly encountered ales – Mad Goose Purity or Hobsons Mild, for instance. Head for the cheery conservatory out the back to sample some gimmick-free pub fare, perhaps beef & stout pie with celeriac mash or a veal chop with spring greens & portobello mushrooms, rounded off with a luscious banoffee pie. Be warned: the tiny space can get pretty packed at peak times, so you may end up drinking on the pavement.