9 of the best pubs in London — chosen by our beer expert

Times

04-06-2025

London has about 3,500 pubs. Even if you take out the tourist traps, quasi-restaurants and boozers going through the motions, you're still left with hundreds worthy of celebration.
How can I pick nine? First, these are pubs I've loved drinking in. Second, I followed George Orwell's lead. In 1946 he set out the ten key characteristics of his perfect pub, the Moon Under Water, including simple snacks and friendly staff. But his ideal was a fictional mash-up of three pubs (most likely the Hen & Chickens, the Compton Arms and the Canonbury Tavern, all still serving in Highbury and Islington) — because none of them met more than eight of his ten requirements. I doubt a perfect ten exists even now. But I'm sure he'd agree each pub here is an eight or nine.
1. The Dog and Bell, Deptford
ALAMY
This place's appeal is summed up by the story of my mate Chris. He lived just around the corner, a ten-minute walk from the station. One day, returning home from a hard slog at work, he got caught in a freezing rain shower. He walked into the pub, wet through, glasses steamed up, and by the time he made it to the bar, a pint of London Pride was waiting for him. 'You look like you could use one of these,' the barman said, waving his money away. Real ales such as Pride are complemented by a good range of bottled Belgians. The Dog and Bell remains a popular hangout for those born in the area as well as the hipsters moving in.
116 Prince Street SE8; fb.com/thedogandbell
2. The Grenadier, Belgravia
In the days before smartphones, you simply couldn't find the Grenadier unless someone took you there. It may be yards away from busy Knightsbridge, but the quiet mews road it inhabits feels disconnected in space and time. Once a barracks for the Duke of Wellington's troops, it's apparently haunted by one of them, who was beaten to death after losing at cards. For years visitors have been sticking money (mainly US dollars) on the ceiling to pay off his debt. It's also rumoured that the pub is the birthplace of the bloody mary. It isn't, but they're really good here. If you're not having a pint of perfectly conditioned Landlord you should certainly try one, perhaps paired with the awesome bar snack of a sausage with mustard. (The main menu is a little fancier.)
18 Wilton Row SW1;
3. The Harp, Covent Garden
Most pubs around Covent Garden are overpriced and underloved, serving poor-to-average beer to an infinite supply of tourists. The Harp is an astonishing exception. Long and narrow, it has dark walls covered in pictures of Edwardian music-hall stars that look as if they might have been there since they were new. Specialising in cask ale and real cider, it's frequented mid-afternoon by people who look as though they should be at the office. In summer the entire front opens up for alfresco drinking, soundtracked by the West End's symphony of street cleaners, police sirens and construction work.
47 Chandos Place WC2;
4. The Hope, Carshalton
Every pub in this selection serves great beer, but the Hope is arguably the most celebrated pub in London for its cask ale, having won Camra's Greater London Pub of the Year six times. It has seven hand pumps and monthly beer festivals. It's not just for beer geeks though — the choice of ciders, wines and whiskies is good too. In 2010 the owner, Punch Taverns, mooted turning the pub into a restaurant. Locals formed a company to buy the lease, then the pub itself. With no TVs and no music, the Hope is proof that traditional community pubs can be done well.
48 West Street SM5; hopecarshalton.co.uk
5. Ye Olde Mitre, Holborn
Down a narrow alley off Hatton Garden, Ye Olde Mitre was built in 1546 for the servants of the Bishops of Ely. Until the 1960s it remained under the jurisdiction of Cambridgeshire police rather than the Met, so jewel thieves were known to hide out here. The ales are well kept and varied. The building has a delightful lack of right angles — everything is bowed and bent. The main attraction for me, though, is to build an 'English tapas' sharing platter from the toasties, pork pies and pickles on the simple menu.
1 Ely Court EC1;
6. The Pride of Spitalfields
ALAMY
In a world obsessed with the concept of 'authenticity', the people, places and things that truly possess it don't have to try too hard to demonstrate it. The Pride of Spitalfields is one such pub — it simply refuses to change. The swirly carpets, low red bar stools and salt-beef sandwiches that have always been here can now be found again in trendy London pubs. The warm welcome that's extended to local geezers, City workers, cool kids and tourists alike is much harder to replicate.
3 Heneage Street E1
7. The Pocket, Islington
The owners of the Southampton Arms in Kentish Town and the Cock Tavern in Hackney have in both instances proved the success of their stripped-back offering of 'ale, cider, meat'. Their latest venture, halfway between the other two, is an instant classic. A record player on the corner of the bar adds ambience to the high-ceilinged, white-tiles-and-mahogany space. Now that we all pay by card and don't have to worry about pocket shrapnel, the beers have charmingly odd prices, calculated for stronger beers at £1.08 for every percentage point of alcohol. It's the kind of place where people are probably already claiming to have been regulars for years, though it has only been open since March.
25 Canonbury Lane N1;
8. The Red Lion & Sun, Highgate
This pub is ranked sixth in the Estrella Damm list of top 50 gastropubs and is the only pub in this selection that flirts with the G-word. But it is included here because the negative expectations that often come with that term — that it's no longer a 'proper' pub — do not materialise. The landlord, Heath Ball, is considered one of the best publicans in the country, and here's why: everything else is as good as the food. Beers, wines and whiskies are expertly chosen and perfectly kept. There's a roaring fire in winter, and in the summer you can choose from two beer gardens — one that can be booked for eating, one more casual. Crucially, there's always space for anyone popping in for a quiet pint. A pub that's constantly trying to be better than it already is.
25 North Road N6;
9. The Royal Oak, Southwark
The London outpost of Sussex brewer Harvey's, this is a pub that hugs you as you come through the doors. It has such a sense of permanence that you could almost picture the Roman officials who ran Londinium enjoying the same Victorian corner-pub ambience we do today. The windows stretch all around the exterior walls and up to the ceiling, so it's always bright and spacious, but you can also find a nook for a leisurely pint even if the main space is busy. The pies and burgers are straightforward but good and the staff really know their beer. Offering a rare chance to sample all Harvey's excellent beers beyond the flagship Sussex Best, this is one of the places where brewers and beer writers congregate when they visit London.
44 Tabard Street SE1; royaloaklondon.co.uk