Salt Horse Beer Shop & Bar

A beer bar turned bottle shop that holds its own as a cask ale heavyweight in the city.

The 2018 edition of The List's Eating & Drinking Guide is out now – only £7.95 (+p&p).

The spot on Blackfriars Street where Salt Horse now stands has been a notable one since the days of the rough, ready and very popular Black Bo’s. While the new incumbent is in many ways the opposite of the old Bo’s – neat, tidy and with decidedly upmarket appeal – the basic mission of going out to enjoy a beer in convivial surroundings hasn’t changed. Except now Salt Horse has more than 300 of them to choose from, either in two-thirds of a pint glasses from one of the twelve regularly changing beer taps or in bottles or cans from the attached beer shop next door, which also has a section of more café-style seating. The kitchen has been outsourced to burger company Meat Stack, who do a short and simple but effective list of beef burgers (paneer is the vegetarian option). These are rare beasts indeed, in that they aren't stacked higher than a human mouth can open. Brie-topped hot buffalo wings and beef dripping fries fill up on the side for a very reasonable price.