Picking the right pub for the on-going Uefa Cup (http://www.uefa.com/ ) matches has become as important a decision as devising a budget that will see you through the current recession.
A trawl through an impressive list of pubs in London reveals the top ten places to go to catch some football action:
The Alexandra, Clapham
It may look like your run-of-the-mill Victorian pub, but The Alexandra, conveniently situated near the Clapham Common tube station is one of the best sports pubs in London.
With its eccentric decor – think wooden interiors, shop tills, printing presses - reasonably priced beer and large screens, The Alexander is a great place to watchThe Beautiful Game.
Carpenters Arms, Marble Arch
Fancyapint.com describes this typical English pub as “great if you want to while away an hour or two with the sport on the TVs”.
This Victorian pub at 12 Seymour Place, Marble Arch is a cosy, and more importantly, reasonable place to go to for a pint and some sporting action.
Cockpit, Blackfriars
Built in 1840s, this cavernous pub takes its name from the (then) popular sport of cockfighting.
Though cockfights have since been banned, the pub has lived on and offers a look at sporting life in the 19th century – the paintings, wooden carvings and prints of cockfights can’t be missed.
Legend also has it that the last known cockfight took place here.
The Famous Three Kings, Fulham
This Victorian pub also goes by the very Y2K-ish abbreviation of F3K, and is quite simply one of the best places to go watch a game.
F3K has 16 screens of all sizes and that show matches, especially football, from across the world, be it premiership, Serie A, the Spanish League or the German Bundesligia. Pool tables and a video jukebox have also been installed to provide half-time entertainment.
And finally, F3K also has a late licence, so it’s possible to linger over a post-match pint.
O’Neill’s, Shepherd’s Bush
This branch of the Irish bar chain is located very close to the Shepherd’s Bush Empire.
It’s got the prerequisite big screen plus smaller screens dotting the pub, Guinness and Budvar on tap and the fact that its right next to the Empire means you could nip in to check the score in between gig sets.
