Central London contains many Wetherspoons pubs, but among them all, Farringdon's Printworks Lloyd's No1 bar stands out. I've been there many times over many years, and obviously have many good memories of the place, that in one way or other will probably bias this review. I'll try my best to think beyond single memories and experiences in the following paragraphs.

In 2004, The Printworks moved from being a regular Wetherspoons to being a Lloyd's bar. This meant a different menu, and range of drinks. Unlike other Lloyd's No.1 bars at the time, it still offered the same drink prices as a regular Wetherspoons, and deals such as the curry and steak specials. Slowly since then the place has shifted towards the normal Lloyd's prices, though has kept the popular curry club (which is only £3.99).

The Printworks has a rather strange list of opening times, usually opening until 2 on Thursday-Saturday, and until about midnight on other night of the week. I say "usually", as despite advertising drinking until 2 on those three nights, they often close if they feel they're not doing enough business.

A manager of The Printworks once said to me "this is NOT a pub". The company really does try with the venue, but no matter what silly them night they pull, what bad DJ they employ, or what little white lies are fabricated to pull in the crowds, this is a pub through and through. Okay, it's a pub that often plays loud music and has a (very) small dancefloor, but there's no way this could be mistaken for a club or trendy bar.

The staff are mostly from various places in Europe. Pretty much every time I go there, there's somebody new. This new person always seems to be serving me. Fair enough that these people need a bit of training, but it'd be nice if the management could employ some people that they can tell will stay for more than a week or two, as this'd cut down waiting times at the bar (which can get a bit mad on the busy nights).

Food-wise, it's the Wetherspoon's menu. We've had some food come out burnt or still a bit frozen in the past, but everything's what you expect if you've ever eaten in a Wetherspoons, plus the prices really aren't to be sniffed at (£3.99 for a burger and a drink nearish central London) and the waiting times between ordering at the bar and being handed your meal are usually pretty short.

Bar the occasional neglected vomet-filled urinal, the toilets are normally pretty good. Not too smelly and not too dingy. As a whole, the underground Lloyd's bar is a pretty cozy place, with five distinct areas to sit, including a non-smoking area that's spacey, and set aside from the rest of the pub (something a lot of Wetherspoons often lack). The multiple flat screen televisions dotted throughout are a bit wasted on freeview fashion and extreme sport channels, but the bar is big enough and easy enough to reach from most areas of the pub.

If the management set their minds on more long-term employees, and gave up with the theme and "club" nights, they could probably turn it into something good. At the moment it's an alright place to go for a meal and a couple of drinks, but a bit too overly-dynamic and random for anybody to either make it their "local", or hang out there on a regular basis. That said, there's not much to compare it too in the area, and it gets a lot less busy on week nights than the Wetherspoons and Lloyd's Bars in central London.