Chinaski's

The 2013 edition of The List's Eating & Drinking Guide is out now – only £5.95 (+p&p).

This review is taken from the current (2013) edition.

Patrons here live it up while the bar’s inspiration Charles Bukowski looks disdainfully down from a portrait on the wall. Mind you, even the hedonistic Buk would have struggled to work his way through the extensive range of quality rums and bourbons. The outstanding food is in itself a reason to come – seared tuna and chillli fried greens rival most restaurants for quality while the moist brownie lifts itself beyond ubiquity by the addition of beetroot. Add slatted blinds letting in the city neon like a late-night gin joint, comfy, slouchy leather backed seating, subdued New York-style lighting and all the ingredients for a fine bar are here. Intimate in the booths at the back and on weeknights, it’s lively at the weekends and in summer the fun spills out into one of the city’s better beer gardens. A fitting testimony to the man himself.

• High point: Feels like a Tom Waits song – in a good way
• Low point: The outside doesn't invite you inside