Hopheads are flocking to this new City venture from the guys behind The Euston Tap and The Holborn Whippet. Located deep under the platforms of Cannon Street station, the Pelt Trader doesn’t try to win friends with its prosaic decor – think bare walls, dull pub mirrors and a Davy Crockett-style canoe suspended overhead. No, the boxy bar’s USP is its range of craft cask ales and kegs hidden behind a beer wall. Prices start at £3 a pint for a revolving cast of 17 tapped brews, although big sellers such as Kernel Pale Simcoe or Buxton Wild Boar tend to run out quickly. No problem – simply order Buxton Imp, Tiny Rebel Billabong or Benedictiner Weissbier instead. Wine drinkers have a useful crop of sub-£30 bottles, and the owners plan to stock up their kitchen with provisions from Borough Market – thin-crust pizzas, charcuterie platters, goat meatballs and so on.