White Hart, Aldgate  

This pub has had its ups and downs over the years, but its still going strong. Even though the pub was opened up a little (with the removal of a partition wall some time ago), the unwritten rule of City types in the back and local drunks in the front seems still to be observed at least during the day. (We usually end up in the front part, there are often fewer people there.) The service is OK, the beer on offer is pretty decent although only two of the six hand pumps were in operation and your wine-drinking companions may find choice limited. It's a relief from the bravado of many of the nearby City pubs, the grimness of some of the other local hostelries and the relentless trendiness of Shoreditch. It's open at the weekends too, just keep an eye out for the odd Ripper tour or two, interspersed with a handful of Hoxtonites.

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