Pubspy's only previous visit to Croydon's Green Dragon a few years ago was not a particularly pleasant experience to say the least.

Sipping my Guinness amid the tone-deaf vocals, arrhythmic pounding, and squealing guitars of that nights prog-rock sensation, who can most kindly be referred to as “a bunch of shambling idiots”, I was left feeling suddenly very annoyed and stricken with a nasty case of tinnitus as I edged ever closer towards the exit.

But, upon hearing from a friend of mine that the pub had been winner of the illustrious All Bar None Best Pub award in 2009, I began to wonder if I'd missed something.

Mercifully, my second visit was infinitely more enjoyable, and my markedly different experiences perhaps underline the Green Dragon's greatest strength: there really is something for everyone.

Situated on Croydon High Street, it boasts a large open-plan bar room with large windows looking out onto each street frontage, and the décor perfectly captures traditional pub atmosphere with a slightly modern, alternative edge.

I stopped by on a Thursday evening, so, as expected, the place was hardly heaving but, that said, there was a fair crowd in there.

A pleasingly mixed one at that, accommodating all ages and tastes, this epitomised by the balance between the indie music on the stereo and Sky Sports on the several flat-screen tellies.

The upstairs area plays host to the occasional live act, as I discovered to my detriment in the brief episode described above, but it would be unfair to tar all the acts who pass through there with the same brush, based on one particularly unpleasant sonic assault.

I'm sure some of them are good. If you're hammered.

Overall, I was very pleasantly surprised by my second brief stint in the Green Dragon, and happy to revise my view of a place which is definitely worthy of its status as one of the best pubs in Croydon.

Might want to bring some ear-plugs along with you just in case though.

Décor: **** Just the right balance between traditional and modern. No beer garden though.

Drink: **** Good selection, including Strawberry Fields and a couple of Dark Star ales.

Price: **** Very reasonable, especially given the nicer surroundings and atmosphere on offer than in many of the cheaper pubs in the area.

Atmosphere: ***** Nice crowd, decent music, broad range of entertainment.

Staff: **** Polite and cheerful. No doormen, unlike many pubs in the area.

The Green Dragon, 60 High Street, Croydon, CR0 1NA