We love London for its concept restaurants with long queues, it’s no-reservations nonsense, its ever-changing landscape of bars and dingy drinking dens – hunting down the latest awesome pop up and nabbing a reservation, or stumbling upon an absolute gem in the middle of the night will never get old to us.  But sometimes, when you’re just trying to meet an old friend for a drink, or grab a quiet couple of hours with your other half, you just want a bar.

A bar with a decent menu, a long cocktail list and some good beers on tap, where you’ll be able to book a table if you want one, order swiftly with no lengthy explanations as to ‘how we do it here’, and fairly-priced food and drink. Preferably it’ll look pretty, too.

Grand Union ticks all those boxes – it’s not exclusive, it’s not a nifty new concept – it’s a chain of reliable, well-presented bars with friendly staff and convenient locations dotted about the capital.

On a rainy, ravenous Thursday evening, it had everything we wanted as we sank into a high leather banquette, ordered a bottle of wine and proceeded straight to the dinner menu. Nachos, burgers, hot wings – all the traditional comfort food is here if you need something stodgy and you need it now.

The flavours aren’t mind-blowing, but it’s enjoyable and perfect for soaking up the booze after a few drinks straight out of work. The likes of cheesy potato skins, spicy meatballs and flatbreads topped with salsa are just £5 each, or two for £9.50 – larger dishes are around the £10 (including burgers), a foot wide pizza £9.

Chintzy furniture and chandeliers create a homely feel and the vibe is laid back – perfect when pretension is the last thing on your mind.

Amy @ FashionBite xx

Website: Grandunionbars.com

Address: 55 Charterhouse St, London EC1M 6HA