Sekforde Arms is a very pleasant Young's pub in an old residential area just off Clerkenwell Road. Of course, it's all residential round here nowadays, with warehouse conversions and new apartment blocks being built, but the Sekforde Arms is no arriviste.

We'd hazard a guess that it's been like this round here from very early in the 19th century. The service is friendly, the beer very well-kept and the food unpretentious (with an unpretentious price tag too).

This pub fits very comfortably with its surroundings, it's a genuine local and outside the immediate area hardly anyone seems to know about it. It can get busy, with local workers and regulars, but they tend to be an easy-going lot, so we can't say it really detracts from the experience.

Definitely one we'd recommend looking out for. Let's just hope it doesn't get the shortened name and gutted interior that a lot of other Young's pubs - excuse us - "lifestyle bars" are getting.

NEAREST STATION: Farringdon station
FEATURES: real ales, function room available, traditional pub games, outdoor seating, Sky TV