This former local boozer and sports bar, serving staff from the massive Mount Pleasant Royal Mail sorting office opposite, is now transformed into one of London’s growing crop of specialist beer pubs.

The Venue
In a side street off Farringdon Road, on the margins of Bloomsbury and Clerkenwell, this moderately proportioned street corner pub was once a modest bolthole with a relatively undistinguished drinks offer in one of central London’s more obscure residential districts. Then in autumn 2011, owners Convivial Pubs, building on the success of their Kew brewpub and beer specialist the Botanist and no doubt mindful of the growing number of beer-led pubs nearby, switched off the big screen sports and installed an army of handpumps and extra bottle fridges.

The irregularly shaped interior has also been refurbished and is now a pleasant dark green, with traditional wooden benches and a potentially hazardous step up to a slightly raised area with a loungey snug wrapped round the back of the horseshoe bar. Plenty of tables on the street provide alfresco drinking rendered more pleasant by well-tended hanging baskets.

The Atmosphere
The pub attracts a mixed bunch of locals, workers and, increasingly, visiting beer fans pulled in by the choice – Clerkenwell is rapidly becoming one of London’s top crawling destinations for beer enthusiasts and the Pakenham is easily incorporated into a circuit. The pub lost some of its regulars when the sport went, particularly at weekends, but real ale drinking posties still pop in, rubbing shoulders with arty types from Bloomsbury. There’s a Tuesday quiz and the retro music policy encompasses evenings when customers are encouraged to bring their own vinyl to play.

The Food
The shortish menu of imaginative pub grub changes regularly: choices might include crayfish and brie salad (£6.50), pie of the day (£7.50), halloumi and roast vegetable tart (£6.50), steak (£11.50) or linguini with pancetta (£7.50). There are sandwiches for smaller appetites and children’s portions are served.

The Drink
12 handpumps now dispense real ale, with a constantly changing selection often including beers from sister pub the Botanist, who will provide customised beers to order for pre-booked parties. Other beers on offer are mainly from small and local brewers – favourites include Butts, Rebellion, Twickenham and hip new Yorkshire brewery Magic Rock. Over 20 specialist bottled beers include numerous world classics from the likes of Anchor, Brooklyn and Duvel-Moortgat, with Australian and New Zealand lagers also present. Then there are three real ciders, a small selection of specialist whiskies and around 12 wines by the glass (from £3.75).

The Last Word
The revamped Pakenham Arms is a great example of how the established pubcos are responding to the growing interest in specialist beer in London. It might offer less of a mouthwatering range than some of the more geeky places, but the choice is still extensive and carefully selected, and it’s a proper pub too, with a warm friendly atmosphere that will appeal even to those who aren’t here for the beer.

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