The Baring, Hoxton  

After an unsuccessful attempt at being a gastropub a couple of years ago we were pleased to see The Baring return again into pub territory. Happily, every subsequent visit confirms this was a change for the better. The bar's still on the small size but the upstairs has been opened up to offer a 'games room' with a pool table, a dartboard and table footy. Its an odd space, not unlike a student rec room and it includes a big screen for the sport. There's a small, simple menu (at a reasonable cost for a pub in N1) and a couple of ales on tap. Service was distinctly friendly and its always nice to report on a pub trying out something new to bring in the punters: in this case a fiver gets you admittance to the quiz and a curry on Thursday nights. Just shows that imaginative thinking in the pub game can extend further than closing off half the pub and getting in a named chef. It does need more customers though - we've seen it quiet on a number of occasions and it needs more than half a dozen punters on a Friday night to survive in the long term.

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