2004 award winners
Reviewers' awards
Dog & Bell (overall winner)
For most pub lovers, whether fanatics or occasional visitors, the Dog & Bell has got it all: excellent beer, traditional pub grub, and a welcoming, friendly atmosphere. All this in an area that seems in desperate need of some serious investment. The Dog & Bell is ample proof that the local is alive and kicking in the 21st century.
The Colton Arms is a real old fashioned local, probably one of London’s most traditional pubs, a pub where regulars are greeted by their first name and the staff are resplendent in shirt and ties at all times. Relaxed and seemingly operating at the relaxed pace of another era, it’s the product of more than 40 years work and two generations of family ownership. Pubs like this, sporting beer this great, are an increasingly rare and fragile thing.
The George & Dragon is a fantastic blend of contemporary and traditional, an imaginative mix of eclectic tastes that cover everything from the beer and wine on offer, to the décor, the service and the music. Only a publican who truly understands and loves pubs would have the guts to do this and the determination to make it a success. The end result is the thing you always hope for when you a visit a pub – a great night out.
We’ve known The Grapes for long time and feared the worst when the Docklands land grab started in the 80’s. But the boom went on around it and it didn’t change; after all, it survived the blitz. It’s exactly the sort of pub you’d want to find on the river and still one of the great traditional pubs in London - we hope it stays this way forever. If only we’d moved in nearby, when we could have afforded to.
Proving that great beer and delightful food needn't equate to a wallet-busting experience, the Royal Oak is a classic pub. The welcome is cordial and the atmosphere jovial and affable. The pub’s handsome interior and exterior just adds to the ambience. This is the only Harveys pub in London, if they could all be like this, we wish they had a lot more.
Reviewers’ award - best pub renovation
Old Nick is proof that you can bring a pub back to life without painting it gastro green or doing a full-blown English heritage restoration. The new owners have, with the renovation of the old pub and the clever annexation of the café next door, created a pub that looks like it’s always been there, but nevertheless, is bang up to date. Well done all round, we say.
Reviewers’ awards - most improved pub
Taking over a successful pub is always a challenge but taking over a pretty dismal place and next to a railway station to boot (hardly ever the place to find great pubs in our opinion), makes it a doubly difficult venture. The Prince Arthur has risen to the challenge and succeeded; turning it into a place you just don’t want to leave. This pub shows what a bit of imagination and a lot of hard work can achieve – a well-deserved winner.
Reviewers’ award - best newcomer
Most pubs take an age to develop any atmosphere, let alone a friendly one with a regular clientele, but the Mucky Pup managed to do this within a few short months of opening and it’s not difficult to see how it managed this - it excels in all departments. It’s a pub that matches its pub dog: loveable, easygoing and very friendly, all in all a fantastic effort.
Fancyapint? Visitors’ award – best London pub
Trinity Arms (overall winner)
You might not expect a great real ale boozer in Brixton, but there are plenty of Fancyapint? users who know better and consider the Trinity Arms to be the pub of choice in South London. It’s a classic boozer where you can gather your breath before heading back to join the Brixton hordes and perhaps go on to the Academy.
The Greenwich Union proves that a relaxed pub atmosphere doesn’t have to be all open fires and wood panelling. It provides a modern alternative to some of the traditional boozers nearby, yet underneath it all, it has the same traditional values (and the hard work to support it) that one finds in any highly successful pub. It’s easy to understand why the Greenwich Union is popular with Fancyapint? users.
It’s not surprising to us that the Highgate Bar is the meeting place of choice for people coming to the area, a point proven by its popularity on Fancyapint?. It’s a welcoming, friendly and very comfortable place to be. Perhaps the one drawback is that once you’ve all met up here, you might not want to go on to where you originally intended.
The King’s Arms is, rightly, one of the most popular pubs on Fancyapint?. The pub and the surrounding streets conjure up an image of a British way of life that many will think has been lost forever and perhaps never really existed. This image, together with the location, hidden away, but in the heart of London, only a stone’s throw away from some of the Capital’s major attractions, makes every newcomer’s first encounter with this pub especially rewarding.
The Ship is one of those pubs that you like to stumble upon when travelling to foreign parts. Off the beaten track and full of locals who know a good thing when they see it, it’s the perfect place for winding down after a day’s wheeling and dealing in the City. Somehow the guidebooks have, by and large, managed to overlook it, but Fancyapint? users have discovered it – making the Ship one of the most popular pubs on the site to go for a drink.