Swan & Edgar wins points for its design

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// The best //

Public House

The drape heavy, cosy, offbeat bar impressed with an excellent choice of bottled beers, delicious Brit snacks and ­vibrant staff. Read review .

54 Islington Park St, N1 1PX, 020 7359 6070

Swan & Edgar

Let down by some woeful food, this Marylebone cocktail joint boasted terrifically original­ design, its small room centred around a bar constructed­ from piled-up paperbacks. Read review.

43 Linhope St, NW1, 020 7724 6268

The Avalon

There have been a few first-class gastropub refurbs, and The Stag in Hampstead (67 Fleet Road) stood out for its fine garden, but The Avalon nudges above. With snug front pub and lavishly decorated­ back dining room, the real ale selection is admirable­ and the hearty, rich food even better.

16 Balham Hill, SW12 9EB, 020 8675 6613

69 Colebrooke

A compact gem of a cocktail bar with an inspired mixologist constructing some of the most original drinks I’d tried, including a concoction­ made with (palatable) perfume. Read review .

69 Colebrooke Row, N1 8AA, 07540528593

The Lexington

Like nearby Slim Jim’s (112 Upper Street), this bourbon specialist translates the lived-in, everybody-knows-your-name feel of an American bar.

96 Pentonville Rd, N1 9JB, 020 7837 5371

// The worst //

Aquum

Clapham cocktail bar was nothing short of a disaster, out of fashion (fluorescent green lights) and devoid of class (bouncers on a Sunday afternoon).

68 Clapham High St, SW4, 020 7627 2726

Orchid

Perhaps its inclusion is unfair, because this pretentious Piccadilly bar grimly hidden under the Trocadero didn’t seem to be trying to be anything other than a magnet for tourists and low, low, low-grade celebrities. It succeeded.

13 Coventry St, W1D 7DH, 020 7297 3200

Canonbury

How to turn a beautiful if crumbly old pub with ­London’s biggest, greenest beer garden into a soulless paean to all things bland and below-par. With paving. Read review .

21 Canonbury Place, N1, 08721 077 077