Although its appearance gives it the look of a prosaic city centre pub, The Glassblower creates a fanfare from the kitchen.

The Venue
Located on Glasshouse Street, a short walk from Piccadilly Circus, The Glassblower is an unremarkable view on first sight and does little to change your opinion inside.

Its floor looks like the genuine article - a concoction of big stones and wooden boards to suggest history. There’s a booming lantern that hangs from the ceiling and it holds fake candles that flicker as if saying 'Look, we’re real. We flicker.' but end up irritating the eyes with their routine. It could do with some actual light to stave off the dreary gloom that hangs in the air. The same array of tall tables and chairs constructed from dull new grained wood fills both of its two floors.

The Atmosphere
Glasshouse Street has the happy problem of accommodating both offices and retail units and, in turn, The Glassblower does, too. Tourists are forever walking through its doors, dressed up for their day in the city, clutching shopping bags as if they were status symbols, and they share the space with relaxed looking office types. Not the suit and tie brigade but the kind of office workers that wear trainers, jeans and £40 baseball caps. The clientele, therefore, is a mixture of two worlds that settle into the malleable environment of The Glassblower and actually manage to create an upbeat atmosphere.

One word of warning, beware major international football matches because this is the pick of the drinking zones with its tourist-attracting Piccadilly address.

The Food
Between the usual pub food like fish and chips and burgers, there are plenty of meals that seemingly don’t belong. Moules and frites, pan fried sirloin steak and garlic, and lemon chicken skewers are just a few of the more select additions to the pub menu, all priced at around £8. If you want sharers then the platters look good.

The Drink
Stella, Kronenbourg, Becks Vier and Fosters are on the draught pumps here. There is a happy hour every weekday, during which time Becks Vier and Guinness are just £1.70 a pint, all spirits and mixers are £1.60 and house wine is £2 a glass. Bargain.

The Last Word
The Glassblower’s menu sets it apart from the heavy competition and the happy hour rules hard, but this is only relevant if you’re just looking for a standard pub in Central London.

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