London Pub Tour 53 - Euston: Royal George, Doric Arch and The Euston Tap

A hot summer's lunch and what better than escaping out to some pubs. I got on the tube and made my way to Euston and had decided on the three pubs I would visit. My first stop is to the Eastern end of the station and just across the road, the Royal George (NW1 1DG). This is a large Victorian pub which has a big frontage, with plenty of benches outside. There are three entrances into the pub, middle and one on each corner. I entered via the northern corner entrance into what is setup more as the dinning corner. There were low tables all around, and the bar that protrudes out into this bit is for glass collection only.

Walking along the pub and past a support wall the bar serving area starts, directly opposite the middle entrance. Here there were 6 hand pumps offering GK IPA, Westway Pale, Junction, Bermondsey Best, London Glory and London Spring Ale. If you follow the bar down further and past another support column and round into the southern seating area, the bar here is bigger, more open and has a larger range of keg drinks, along with 2 more hand pumps just offering GK IPA and London Glory. The keg beers were Guinness, Stella, Aspall Suffolk, Budweiser, Peroni, Estrella, Camden Pale and Hells, Portbello London Pilsner, Sambrooks Pale Ale, 1664, Big Bang and Koppaberg Smooth. I went for a pint of the London Spring Ale by Portobello which was a tasty light golden ale.

The pub wasn't busy with only a few groups of guys drinking in on the high tables scattered along the front wall and in the southern side of the bar, where I sat. Nobody was eating during my visit, so it was just a good old lunch boozing session all round. The decor in the pub is the usual mis-mash style for Taylor Walker pubs. There were fairy lights hanging from the ceiling, dark wood and dark panels on the bar, fake tile wallpaper in parts and dark blue painted walls as well.

I finished up my pint and made my way back into the station grounds, by the bus stops, and entered the staircase up into the Doric Arch (NW1 2DN). I've never set foot in this pub previously, which is a shame considering what I seen upon entering. The first thing I noticed upon coming up the tiled walled stairs was that although this is a Fullers pub there was a large selection of non-Fullers ales facing towards me at the stairs. There were 15 hand pumps around the bar in batches of 3, offering up the following selection: Holy Grail, Busy Fool, Salvation, Hophead, Olivers Island, London Pride, HSB and ESB. Some of the ales were repeated across pumps.Keg wise there was San Miguel, Carling, AM:PM, Amstel, Wild River, Weltins, Cornish Orchards, Guinness and Frontier. I decided to stay with a Fullers ale and choose the always wonderful HSB. This also happened to be my 1000th check-in on Untappd and I couldn't think of a better beer to celebrate that with. I also noticed that the pub does a variety of ciders which according to the board included Cornish Orchards Vintage (bottle), Sea Cider Mango, Medium Sussex, Turners Elderflower and Newton Court Red Streak.

Now through the staircase I entered by, from the bus stops, the side of the bar is directly in front of you, and it runs down to the far wall. At this far end wall are two granddad chairs which were both in use, and a bookshelf.. Immediately to your right at the bar is a hole in the wall that leads to a large table with tall back sofas. Opposite the bar is some high cushioned seating running along the wall. Away from the bar area and towards the front of the pub is a raised seating area looking out over the bus station with low seating, which acts as their dinning area. There were about 20 people in the pub and chilled music was playing low. Tube signs and photos of Euston adorn the walls, and a large model train rests above the back bar. The floor is a dark wood colour, and the walls are wood paneling that has been painted green. The whole pub feel relaxed and open, and no noise from the outside world creeps in.

I could have easily stayed at the Doric for another drink but I had one more pub to visit which was just a few metres away. The Euston Tap (NW1 2EF), I believe occupies the old ticket booths at Euston, which are stunning buildings and been put to good use. I went into the Euston Tap West Lodge, as there is an East Lodge which I will visit another time, offering up different beers. Upon walking in the large U shape bar is immediately in front of you, and takes up perhaps a bit too large of a space. At the back of the bar is a copper wall with 18 taps serving up a fine selection of lagers and 10 casks underneath. Each tap is numbered and and there are chalk boards in the top left and right of the walls displaying all the beers.

On my visit most of the ales were off so I went for the keg option, and selected a half of Electric Eye Pale Ale by Big Smoke. The half was pricey at £3, and the board had described this as a rye beer but I could only a pale ale, which was quite lacking. Nobody was in the pub, though a few people were sat outside on the tables they have in the little gated garden, but with it being next to the bus station fumes and noise I didn't fancy it. I took my half up the metal spiral staircase to the seating upstairs which is situated in a square room with soft cushioned seating all around the outside. There are plenty of stalls and tables around, though this area does get hot when busy. There are some pump clips on one ceiling beam up here, but this definitely isn't their full collection. The walls are quite bare with some details plans for the building but otherwise just a plain wall.

I took a few photos of the upstairs and went back down to drink in the bar area where there a stalls all along the outside and a ledge to place your beer. Whilst down here a bus driver came in to use the toilets to which the manager had a go at them stating they've been told not to let in bus drivers on duty by their bus company, and the drivers have their own toilet which is just a short walk away. I think I can fully understand that as from a bus company perspective seeing a driver walk out from a pub and get into the bus can look bad. I finished off my half and it was time to call an end to the boozy lunch.