The Gunmakers is a splendid establishment of considerable character in a quiet Clerkenwell backstreet with warm interiors, friendly service and an enticing range of food and drink.

The Venue
The Gunmakers consists of a charming Victorian space with fern green walls and a small yet perfectly formed bar, behind which bright eyed and bushy tailed young bar staff clean glasses and pull pints - their eyes gleaming with enthusiasm for life and London. Further towards the centre of the bar is a small area with more chairs and tables - an inviting prospect should you wish to seek a little solitude whilst sipping your pint. A dining area at the back completes this great little venue.

The Atmosphere
There is an odd mix of the fashionable and the unfashionable where clientele is concerned, owing to the rich history of this fascinating area. Quiet gentry sit in corners reading the Telegraph while twentysomethings discuss video installations at local arts centres with the calmness broken sporadically by an East End character with a long coat talking loudly to the barman about car parts. Somehow it all works, ensuring a good-humoured and entertaining ambience.

The Food
As well as the traditional pub fare such as Atlantic cod with chips and the unwieldy but mightily satisfying Gunmakers cheeseburger with bacon, The Gunmakers offers a couple of striking dishes such as the pan fried monkfish with coconut and chilli sauce and steamed rice, and devilled cornfed chicken supreme with mushroom and leek rice pilaf and tzatziki.

The Drink
Saunter up to the tiny bar and take a look at the fine range of beers on offer including Bombardier, Youngs Bitter, Guinness, Hoegaarden and the full-bodied Staropramen - a soft, smooth lager from the Czech Republic, which disappears down the neck all too easily. The wines are rewarding too with the cool and crisp Mas Rabell Parellada 2004 and the well-rounded Tempranillo Reserva 1996 - a perfect red to complement the kitchen’s tantalising Irish rib-eye steak with bearnaise sauce.

The Last Word
A beautiful little pub brimming with character and warmth, The Gunmakers should be your next choice while passing through this stylish and exciting area of Central London.

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