Tucked away on Little Essex Street, this Tudor-style pub still manages to make itself an attraction to the locals of the Strand.

The Venue
Spread over three floors, the Cheshire Cheese is a big pub and one for traditionalists. The lead windows are divided into diamonds through which you can look out onto Little Essex Street. The Tudor beams that pen in the walls of the premises are a million miles from the footballers Cheshire mansion variety and the real deal makes for low ceilings and a warm shelter feel that you can tuck yourself away in. It seems that somebody here has a fascination with the history of the Thames as pictures and diagrams hang from the walls. There is a pool table on the ground floor beyond the restaurant seating but promises must be made before playing, in terms of doing your best to avoid cue-in-the-shepherd’s-pie type scenarios.

The Atmosphere
The Cheshire Cheese is a pub by day and turns more into pub-cum-restaurant at night. Unfortunately, it uses the smallest of its floors for the main bar, leading to cramped drinking and the occasional restless local as seats come at a premium. It seems strange that there is so much space being wasted on eating above and below the bar with such a simple menu on offer.

The atmosphere is friendly in the bar, but with such a small area to cover the Landlord has no problem sniffing out the negativity and quelling on it before it can spread. And it is that type of pub - the Landlord is dressed smart with collar and tie and his jollying demeanor does nothing to curtail the sense that if you stepped out of line he'd be quick to tell you. This isn't to say that the pub is strict on fun, but the crowd is a mature office type bunch that mingles with the regulars.

The Food
With so many pubs packed into the city and so many providing a similar menu, it really is the small things that differentiate between them. The Cheshire Cheese is no different and serves an array of sandwiches and a menu that will be found in many a pub nearby. However, the traditional fish and chips is excellent, with special attention given to the crispy, flavoursome batter layering the fish. Other dishes include bangers and mash, scampi and chips, ham, egg and chips, and chilli con carne. Where it slips up on the details are the unnecessary red and white tablecloths. They do the trick of letting you know you're in the dining area but what they really do is make two tribes of the patrons and act almost like no entry signs.

The Drink
The bar is stocked with all the common big brand spirits, a simple wine list and a selection of beers that follow the pattern. With the likes of Kronenbourg, Fosters, London Pride and Strongbow on tap the only thing that is out of the ordinary is the price. In Central London it's hard to be shocked anymore, but for such a quaint pub they are rather exuberant. Charging prices on the bad side of £3 a pint for a pub so tucked away must surely do their custom some damage.

The Last Word
The Cheshire Cheese as a building is an appealing place to visit, but the atmosphere might do little to sway you into coming back. It needs to rip off the tablecloths in the basement restaurant, pull the pool table into the middle of the floor and call it a den. Or maybe a lair.

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