Blackfriars

The List's Eating & Drinking Guide 2008 is now in the shops. This review is taken from the 2007 edition.

One of the more traditional pubs in the Merchant City, Blackfriars has an exceptionally broad appeal. With five cask ales among 20 beers on tap, plus more than 40 international brews in bottles, it's a popular destination for an after-work pint. The downstairs function room hosts live comedy every Saturday, free blues and jazz every Sunday, monthly rock'n'roll, soul and dance nights on Fridays and Saturdays till 3am, a Monday night quiz, plus further entertainment regularly arranged for the rest of the week. In spite of this traffic, Blackfriars remains a pleasant place to dine, with food served on the normally quiet level facing the bar. The menu is concise and could inspire despair in vegetarians, but the attention to the preparation of food befits the selection of speciality beers. Consisting of three appetising, rich, coarsely textured balls, the chicken liver pâté arrives with tangy red onion marmalade on oatcakes with salad, while the meatloaf is a series of grainy, gelatine slabs of ground beef, accompanied by a generous complement of vegetables and new potatoes. Slathered with melted cheese and bacon, the home-made burger is served with fries and comes gratifyingly charred around the edges.

• High point: Selection of beers
• Low point: Limited menu for vegetarians