The Horseshoe (Clerkenwell): Darts in Clerkenwell

The Horseshoe is an old-school Clerkenwell boozer that happens to be one of the most serious darts pubs in London. No reclaimed furniture, no cocktail list, just real ale, sport on the telly and a crowd that ranges from City workers to regulars who have been throwing here for years. If you want a proper London pub to play darts in rather than a polished competitive-socialising chain, this is the one.

There are nine boards in total, two downstairs and seven in the upstairs room. It is the unofficial home of the City of London Darts Association (CoLDA), so on league nights you will be sharing the place with people who actually know what they are doing. You do not pay to throw, it is a standard pub board, but the boards get heavily booked Tuesday to Thursday roughly between 5 and 8pm, so message the pub ahead if you want a guaranteed oche in that window.

It sits on Clerkenwell Close, a short walk from Farringdon station. Open Monday to Friday, closed at weekends, so plan a weeknight. Turn up early or off-peak and you can usually grab a board on a walk-in; turn up at 6pm on a Wednesday without booking and you will likely be waiting.