Squeezed into one of the most unusual locations of any London drinking establishment, the Euston Tap boasts one of London’s widest and rarest collections of British and imported craft beer.

The Venue
Most passers-by, if they notice them at all, probably assume the two lodges that once flanked the now-demolished giant Doric arch at the entrance to Euston station are purely decorative. So it was particularly remarkable when in 2010 the west lodge opened up as one of London’s leading craft beer bars, a sister of the Sheffield Tap, a beer house that can be found in the main station of the Steel City.

Inevitably, space is restricted. There’s a main drinking area with a square shaped bar counter flanked by well stocked fridges. Behind the bar, a dazzling array of beer taps sprouts American-style from a polished copper bar back. Bar stools are the only seating here, but climb the rather precarious spiral staircase in the corner and you’ll find a mezzanine floor with sofas, low tables and (limited) toilets. Outside at the back is a smallish but attractive beer garden looking onto Euston Square Gardens.

The Atmosphere
The main attraction here is clearly the beer, and some of it is rare and specialist stuff, so don’t be surprised to see devotees swirling and sniffing, notebooks at the ready, but the Tap is by no means just for obsessive geeks: it’s doing a great job of introducing a new, young and discriminating audience to the delights of great beer. Given its location it inevitably attracts travellers passing through, as well as students from the nearby colleges and teaching hospitals, and in the daytime it’s also a great place for a relaxing coffee, particularly if the weather’s fine. Later it can get quite lively and crowded and for those less intent on working their way through rare American imports and Czech microbrews it may not be the ideal place to settle down for an evening, unless you get here early and bag a cluster of seating upstairs.

The Food
Though there’s no food prepared in-house (unsurprisingly given the restricted space), the bar has an arrangement with nearby pizzeria Ray’s Legendary Pizzas whose range of hand-made New York-style pizzas will be delivered for prices starting at £10.50.

The Drink
Eight cask beers are led by connoisseurs’ favourite Thornbridge and are likely to feature specials, one-offs and strong and dark options from the likes of BrewDog, Bristol, Hardknott, Marble and Redemption. An impressive 19 keg lines showcase the growing number of British craft keg beers alongside less familiar beers from familiar American names like Anchor, Rogue and Sierra Nevada, German wheat beer and unfiltered Czech lager. The lengthy bottled list is packed with the sort of stuff that sets the online beer community abuzz – including US rarities from AleSmith, Port and the Lost Abbey, Scandinavian eccentricities from Mikkeller and Nøgne Ø, and fine lambic from Cantillon. Most are at affordable prices but if you’re feeling flush this is one of the few places in London you can spend approaching £50 on a bottle of beer. Then there’s keg and bottled cider, a small but reasonable range of wines and spirits, and gourmet Monmouth coffee.

The Last Word
Even if you have no interest in beer you’ll enjoy the quirky venue, particularly in the daytime, but if you have more than a passing interest in the juice of the barley this is an absolute must. Do take care on that staircase, though, particularly if you’ve been sampling something strong and special.

venue information venue map view london review user reviews (3)