Northumberland Arms, Fitzrovia  

We know in property, the mantra's always 'location, location, location', and it seems like there are pubs that suffer from this malaise, too. While this pub could be an enjoyable oasis, its location at the busy junction of Charlotte Street and Goodge Street draws in a pretty transient crowd, apart from the local office workers who go there, making it a somewhat haphazard affair. When we were in last, the clientele seemed to change every quarter of an hour, well, except for ourselves, of course. They have a good selection of beer on tap, which are well-kept, the wine list is reasonable and the service is cheerful and prompt. They even had pretty decent music on the box last time. So what's missing? you ask, and we asked ourselves the same thing. If we had to put our finger on it, we'd say that it's down to the lack of distinct regulars, someone who has a stake in the pub as a haunt, so it basically gets treated as something disposable, rather than as a destination. It's not terrible, and we've had a few good times in here, it's just not as good as it could be.