The Volley - Old Street

Walk into The Volley and you're stepping into the kind of pub that doesn't need to try too hard. It's got that rare quality of feeling genuinely loved by the people who work there and the regulars who prop up the bar—there's a looseness to it that you don't often find round Old Street anymore. The sort of place where the bartenders actually know what they're doing with a cocktail shaker, but nobody's precious about it. You'll find yourself nursing something excellent whilst leaning against worn wood, probably chatting to whoever's next to you because that's just how it works here. The crowd skews proper local—workers from the surrounding offices at 6pm, then whoever else has heard it's worth the trip.