The 50 best pubs in London

Hackney’s pubs might well be the best in London, and right now the Army & Navy is the pick of the bunch. A classic-looking 1930s-built boozer, here you’ll rub shoulders with chic local chefs, grown-up indie sleaze icons who’ve decamped there from the Spurstowe Arms, and long-standing regulars who’ve seen it all. A proud Arsenal pub, match days here are rammed and rowdy, but nothing beats their chaotic karaoke nights. Something of a celebrity itself, you also might have spotted its swirly-carpeted interior in Baby Reindeer, where it plays a venue in Edinburgh (such range!). The Army & Navy is the very definition of a proper pub and we absolutely love it. 

Local knowledge The beer garden is massive, with space for even the biggest groups of pals.

There are four pubs with this name in Soho. But, if we’re being honest, there’s only one. Sometimes referred to as Norman’s The Coach and Horses, after its legendary and quarrelous landlord, this place was once part of the deadly ‘Soho triangle’ of boozers, along with the French House and the Colony Club. Current landlady Ali and her team run a tight ship, impressive when you consider how busy it gets during the after-work rush. A must-visit for anyone after a gratifying and unpretentious dose of the rambunctious atmosphere Soho was once known for. Now with added Monster Munch.

Local knowledge The pub (and adjacent pavements) are heaving every night, but the Coach and Horses is shockingly peaceful during the day. A great spot for a sit down and an afternoon Guinness.

Good things come to those who venture into deepest south London. Made up of three tiny, dark, wood-panelled rooms, with a bar in each housing framed jockey portraits, the Blythe Hill Tavern is one of the finest Irish pubs outside of the Emerald Isle. There’s Guinness, of course, a fair few whiskies and regular trad music sessions. The best part though? The incredibly dapper tie-and-waistcoat wearing bar staff. 

Local knowledge Thursdays at 9pm is when the traditional Irish music sessions start. Penny whistles and fiddles galore.

A pre-match haunt of Queen’s Park Rangers fans, the Shepherd & Flock on Goldhawk Road has an exterior as vivid and colourful as the punters found inside it. The pub is in many ways the perfect winter pub: dark, Victorian, and with enough cosy nooks and crannies in which to spend a conspiratorial evening sheltered from the swarming shoppers of Shepherd’s Bush.

Local knowledge It gets particularly busy on weekends, so get down early to guarantee yourself a seat.

When people talk about old-school pubs in London they’re usually referring to places stuck in a 1970s or 1980s time warp. The Palm Tree is much older school than that. Stepping into this magical, cash-only East End boozer is like going back to the 1950s. It feels downright anachronistic that you aren’t allowed to smoke in here. The family-run Palm Tree is one of Mile End’s great survivors and stands out like an un-hammered nail in an area otherwise flattened by Nazi bombs and developers’ chequebooks. Its ambience is sublime and unique; a kind of woozy, red-tinged dreamworld, frequented by the most characterful locals you’re ever likely to meet.

Local knowledge The Palm Tree is a musical pub, and the live jazz nights are well worth witnessing.

With its cunning canalside location on the fringes of Clapton, the Anchor & Hope is a secret even to people who live around the corner. Best approached by bike (or boat) and with pleasantly anarchic tendencies, no other pub in London feels quite as much as if you’ve been transported to an early 1990s squat rave. With way more space outside than in, sitting on one of their waterfront wooden benches in the sun is truly one of the nicest things you can do on a Sunday afternoon. Powered by Scampi Fries, roll-ups and thoroughly random convos with whoever you happen to be sharing a table with, the Anchor and Hope is a secret worth sharing. 

Local knowledge An al fresco jerk chicken stall fires up at weekends.

There aren’t many boozers left in Peckham that haven’t been touched by the hands of modernity, but tucked away down an incongruous, sleepy backstreet lies one community local with an interior to transport you back to the 1970s. The Olde Apple Tree’s golden anaglypta ceilings, opulent furnishings, and William Morris-esque carpet will lure you in – but the mixed clientelé and cheap drinks prices will keep you there all night.

Local knowledge In a charmingly old school way, the Olde Apple Tree doesn’t take card – so remember to pay a visit to the cash machine first.

A lovely little Victorian ale house near Hampstead Heath; all dark wood, flaky paint and chalkboard wine lists. Getting a garden seat in the summer is a bit like winning the lottery, but it’s even better in winter, where you can cosy up with a pint of craft and a mega pork roll with apple sauce. If you’re really lucky, an old man will start playing 12-bar blues on the piano. You will, I’m afraid, leave the Southampton Arms smelling faintly of meat, but that’s all part of the magic.

Local knowledge The Southampton Arms is best attended after a bracing swim at the nearby ponds.

Karaoke is one of the best things about the pub. Whether you’re a seasoned crooner, or just someone who splutters their way through Rock DJ once a year after a few too many gin and tonics, the King’s Head on Blackstock Road is probably the best place to do it in London. Welcoming, warm, and with a wide array of talent levels – if you’ve been looking for a pub in which to surrender yourself to the Sunfly, look no further.

Local knowledge Come on the right day and you’ll be treated to some of the finest pub sandwiches in town. 

This brick and timber boozer has had solid foodie credentials for a while now, courtesy of an ever-changing roster of excellent pop-ups such as Licked Kitchen, Scando’s Pizza, The Flygerians, and ‘Fit Roasts’ every Sunday. In recent years it’s also become south east London’s favourite unofficial queer venue, thanks to an array of campy entertainment including plenty of drag and cabaret, plus queer speed-dating events and nights like Flapjack and Pop-Up Dyke Bar.

Local knowledge Wondering about the name? A nunnery once stood on this site, and its rebellious Mother Superior was beheaded during the Reformation. Lovely stuff!

If you long for the glory days of the student union bar, try Mannion’s. Situated on a stark corner by a soulless north London retail park, Mannion’s defies its brutal location to become the most irrepressibly enjoyable pub in Tottenham. Guinness-sinking stalwarts line the bar while residents from the artsy warehouses nearby take to the stage for regular karaoke in front of a giant painting of Samuel Beckett. It’s also home to one of the greatest pieces of modern art in the city; a portrait of the landlord and landlady riding a horse. 

Local knowledge It’s cash only for anything under £10 – but  it’s also one of the last places in London where that'll cover two pints and change.

Green Lanes is one of London’s longest and most diverse roads, lined with everything from Newington Green’s posh pubs to Harringay’s resplendent Turkish eateries. Venture to the very end of Green Lanes in deepest Enfield, and you’ll find pocket-sized boozing treat, the Little Green Dragon. Championing all sorts of local and independent breweries, this Winchmore Hill micropub is also a vibrant community hub with board games, live music and eclectic decor. Recently named London’s best pub by CAMRA, it’s easy to see why. 

Local knowledge When ordering your tipple, venture outside your comfort zone. The Little Green Dragon has a supremely well-curated selection of cask and keg brews, and there are beers, ales, ciders and perries here you won’t find anywhere else.

There were once seven branches of the Irish bar Angie’s in London. Today there are just three – in Harlesden, Willesden Green, and here, in Maida Hill. It’s the pick of the bunch: a backstreet boozer that pours what many aficionados consider the best Guinness in London. Plus, at under a fiver for a pint, you can spend an entire afternoon here deep in refreshment and not feel like you'll have to eat beans for the rest of the month. 

Local knowledge On warm days, secure a bench outside for a blissful day of sun-kissed pinting.

Classics don’t come much more élégante than the French House. The pub’s mix of old Soho regulars, hypebeast design dudes, fashion folk and the most eccentric of locals make it one of the best spots in town for striking up absolutely wild chats with fascinating strangers. Expect to see half of the British media in the tiny roped off outside area smoking roll-ups and drinking Cidre Breton. Remember, it only serves halves of beer, so don’t embarrass yourself by asking for anything as déclassé as a pint. 

Local knowledge You’ll find one of London’s best restaurants tucked away upstairs.

A former Number 1 in this very list, Skehan’s is the definition of a party pub. With live music six nights a week, you’re just as likely to stumble across a vintage folk session as you are a local grindcore act taking their first tentative steps into tinnitus. The imposing red brick pub’s awesome hill-top location also takes some beating, with impressive views of the city. Expect Camberwell art students, legions of loyal drinkers and Insta-punters in search of the perfect pint of Guinness.  

Local knowledge The Thai food here is delicious. Make ours a yellow prawn curry.

Spacious, fun and completely without artifice, the Duke of Wellington is the only acceptable answer to the question ‘where’s good for a pint near-but-not-on the Kingsland Road?’ There’s nothing posh about this pub, but who needs House of Hackney wallpaper and exposed brickwork when you’ve got a lovely carpet, green space with benches outside for summer-time boozing and one of the best landladies in London (hello Pauline.) If someone doesn’t like the Duke, cut them out of your life immediately.

Local knowledge A great pub in which to watch football, thanks to the high screens.

Mere metres from the human blizzard that is Oxford Street, Bradley’s Spanish Bar is neither particularly Spanish nor a bar. Instead it’s a ragged and rugged alleyway pub, a magical world inside which the stresses and strains of London don’t seem to matter. The mere fact this rickety spot exists is a miracle; everything about it defies prevailing logic. While so much of the city is swallowed up by identikit design and tasteful-by-committee developments, Bradley’s pokey two floors and death-trap staircase to a windowless basement are exhilaratingly transgressive. Feels less like you’re in central London and more like you’re drinking in the mess deck of a ship.

Local knowledge Bradley’s contains what is probably the most famous jukebox in London. 

The real deal. Lined in red velvet and showcasing one the greatest pub carpets of the last 50 years, the Pride of Spitalfields is a prime example of what makes the trad pub guard great. Evenings here are always a bit of a smoosh, especially in the small side room, but in among the occasional bewildered tourist, high-flying fashion designer, and monied art dealer, you’ll find an extremely welcoming pub. Ask a regular about the late, and much-missed Lenny, one of the most iconic pub cats to have ever purred.

Local knowledge Swing by at lunchtime and you might just secure an excellent salt beef sarnie.

History simply drips off the walls at the George Tavern, with the current building dating way back to the Georgian era. Under the watchful eye of excellent landlady, artist Pauline Forster, the George started to host live music in 2004 and remains one of east London's best places to see new bands and legendary old school acts. One of London’s toughest landladies, she’s also fought tooth and nail to keep the place out of the hands of developers. More power to her.

Local knowledge Pauline has objected to more than 300 planning applications and is currently fighting to restore and protect the historic function room.  

A Yard Sale delivery partnership, Deya on tap, and a hip young match-day crowd sporting the Arsenal x Aries collection are just a few of the ‘cool pub’ signifiers on display at this old-school independent spot in the Gooner heartlands. But you don’t need a mullet and a pristine JVC-era replica kit to feel welcome here. The atmosphere is as friendly as its name suggests, even when the pre-football crowd at the bar is six deep and it’s standing room only in the beer garden. 

Local knowledge Treat yourself to a mezcal negroni. Dispensed from a spirit measure mounted behind the bar, it’s an immaculate combination of smoky, bitter and sweet.

In the summer of 2024 The King’s Arms in Kennington refurbed their garden into a sport-lover’s paradise, complete with heated booths, an outdoor bar, and more screens than a provincial branch of Argos. Inside, and you’ll find one of the warmest locals’ pubs in South London, all gregarious chat and cheap drinks, manned by some of the friendliest bar staff this side of the Bermondsey.

Local knowledge Despite ostensibly being a wet-led pub, The King’s Arms has an on-site pizza kitchen, which is as delicious as it is good value.

This roomy Nunhead venue became the first pub to be listed under the Localism Act when threatened with redevelopment in 2012. Locals raised a whopping £1 million to buy the property and turn it into a cooperative. These days it hosts all sorts of community events, including trad music nights, quizzes, comedy, cabarets, speed dating nights and sports screenings run by local grassroots teams. You’ll never get bored of drinking here, basically. 

Local knowledge Back in the 1970s the Ivy House hosted a plethora of pub rock talent, including Joe Strummer, Ian Dury and Jeff Beck.

This friendly (and tiny) family-run desi pub feels like a well-loved living room, packed with rugs, small tables, fairy lights and a gleaming mirrorball casually dangling from the ceiling. Expect local office workers grabbing a cheeky pint on their lunch break and folk checking out free live music and comedy in the evenings. 

Local knowledge Come for their Anglo-Indian mash-up Sunday roasts, featuring railway lamb chops and butter chicken supreme.

A pub that doesn’t make you feel like a disgraced Tory peer having a sly afternoon shandy before returning home to your disappointed wife is a rare find in Mayfair. The dinky Chequers Tavern is a central London boozer where you’ll find everyone from suited members of the many nearby military/toff clubs to tourists on rock’n’roll pub tours thanks to its location right next to what was the Indica Gallery, where John Lennon first met Yoko Ono.

Local knowledge The best spot is out back in the historic Mason’s Yard, overlooking the imposing White Cube gallery.

The Heron is a bit of an anachronism for a pub this close to the centre of London. Flat-roofed and built into the bottom of a 1970s tower block, this dark and snug establishment is part-Thai restaurant, part-bric-a-brac-filled boozer – plus, if you have a particular penchant for moustaches, once a month the pub is home to the hirsute chaps of the Handlebar Club.

Time Out tip Check out their recently refurbed hidden beer garden.

Peckham’s plethora of pubs is a bit of a minefield. Stumble into one and you’ll be besieged by buggies and frazzled parents, roll into another and you’ve accidentally joined a snakebite-fuelled student union piss-up. The Gowlett sits somewhere in between the two, an enjoyably scruffy and always busy backstreet spot stacked full of Dulwich Hamlet fans, and arty 20-somethings doing their level best to understand the bar billiards table.

Local knowledge Red trousered rahs and food influencers alike will try and convince you that the best pub pizza in London is Crisp at The Chancellors in Hammersmith. Peckham locals know better – the ones at the Gowlett are just as thin and crispy – and cheaper, too.

To the ignorant and uninitiated, the Shakespeare’s Head is known as ‘that dicey looking pub opposite Sadler’s Wells’. It’s their loss. The throwback flat-roof exterior belies a charming interior, one beloved by the geezer-y regulars and London’s contemporary dance aficionados. Behind the very trad L-shaped bar (half of which is inexplicably made of bricks), you’ll also find some of the friendliest and most efficient staff in central London. The Shakespeare’s Head also boasts what is probably the area’s nicest (and biggest) beer garden.

Local knowledge Take a while to peruse and enjoy the framed photos of thesps and dancers through the ages, which hang on the pub’s walls.

Griffin Park, where Brentford played their home games before moving a kilometre down the road in 2020, was famous for being the only English league football ground to have a pub on each corner. Since the Bees’ switch, the four pubs have had mixed fortunes, but The New Inn, the pub on the north east corner of the ground, has stayed resolutely the same: labyrinthine, Irish, and gloriously raucous.

Time Out tip There’s an outdoor wood fire in winter, which is just about the best way to enjoy a pint of Guinness and a spot of stew post-football.

Hackney’s Cock Tavern is London’s best pub for dedicated beerhounds, boasting a serious, often overwhelming line-up of cider and cask ales. If you want the liquid equivalent of a Michelin star tasting menu, this is your pub. It’s atmospheric too, with dark, burnished walls and wooden floors, making you feel like you’re in some kind of dark ages grotto rather than the middle of Mare Street. 

Local knowledge Check out the intimidating selection of pickled eggs and chalkboard scoresheet keeping tabs on regulars who can eat them in the fastest time.

Stumbling upon the Victoria feels like opening up a wonderful dusty portal to the past. Found down a highly quiet Bermondsey backstreet, there’s a lovely horseshoe bar, wooden snugs, classic Truman's Brewery tiling, and a solid pub grub menu. Due to the untouched interior, it’s featured in a bunch of movies and shows, including BBC’s 1970s and 1980s-set The Gold, Ashes to Ashes and Life On Mars, and, fittingly, their 1972 Evening Standard Pub of the Year plaque still takes pride of place. 

Local knowledge There’s a massive cider menu – get stuck in.

The Famous Royal Oak in Muswell Hill might just be one of the strangest pubs in London. From the outside, it looks more like a primary school prefab, and as such you’d assume it would have all the spartan trappings that often come with this sort of flat roof exterior. But cross its threshold and you’re transported into a vintage Edwardian drinking den, with gorgeous leather banquettes, mahogany panelled bar, and walls adorned with all manner of trinkets.

Local knowledge In the summer the front patio doubles up as a BBQ space – expect mountains of grilled meat and potato salad.

Sandwiched between a row of terraced houses a little off Kentish Town’s main drag, this is very much a pub worth celebrating. Anchored by a charismatic central island bar with a revolving roster of beers from breweries near and far, the Rose and Crown also boasts a delightfully cosy sunken garden, atmospheric streetside drinking, street food pop-ups in the kitchen (whilst also being within range of the Yard Sale at Dartmouth Park) and three free comedy and open mic nights a week. A proper destination pub. 

Local knowledge Let yourself be dragged downstairs to one of the Rose and Crown’s many comedy nights. Would the pub really have three a week if they weren’t very, very good?

There are few combinations more viscerally pleasurable as grilled meat and cold lager, and the Scotsman in Southall does both spectacularly well. The first thing that hits you when you walk in is the smell. Like the best desi pubs in this pocket of west London, even if you’re not especially hungry when you arrive, the scent and sound of sizzling flesh – plus a good few beers in your belly – will have you ordering something soon enough.

Local knowledge The Mixed Grill is genuinely sensational, and a snip at £14.95.

London’s latest infatuation with Guinness has been incredibly well-documented – some might say over-documented. So we’ll spare you the tired jokes about ‘splitting the G’, but if you do happen to be one of the capital’s new generation of semi-ironic Guinness drinkers, you’d do well to sample it at this Irish boozer. And while it might have been responsible for the first viral hit of a certain quite irritating food influencer (the posh one, not the bald one), don’t let that put you off! This is an always-lively spot with a diverse clientele that strikes just the right balance between cheerful auld fellas and sentient Real Housewives of Clapton memes. 

Local knowledge The pub might seem small from the outside, but there’s a deceptively large beer garden out back. It’s cosy year-round, thanks to ample patio heaters.

The arrival of the Elizabeth line opened up Woolwich’s excellent selection of pubs to the rest of London. Rose’s (its official name is The Prince Albert) received its floral nickname when it was rebuilt in 1928 by owner EJ Rose and Co Ltd, and is one of the best in the whole capital: carpeted, convivial, and for the local community. You can certainly spend an entire evening here, given how much entertainment they’ve got going on – from karaoke and quizzes to live sport and the occasional meat raffle.

Local knowledge Control of the jukebox is hotly contested – so expect to hear a real melange of genres when in Rose’s.

A decade since the neighbouring community rallied to save it from redevelopment, this Victorian backstreet pub is more popular than ever. So popular, in fact, that there’s often a queue to get inside on balmy summer nights. Once through the doors you’ll find CAMRA-approved real ales on pump alongside plenty of local beers, a cosy fireplace with a pile of board games in the corner for wholesome Sunday afternoons, and several dozen hip Hackney 20-somethings smoking rollies in the huge beer garden out back.

Local knowledge Check out the annual August bank holiday cider festival. Calling it now; natural cider is about to be the next big London drinks trend.

It’s well and truly on the tourist trail thanks to former regular Amy Winehouse (though it’s hard to name a Camden pub that she didn’t frequent), but there’s something about the Dublin Castle that defies mere tabloid gawkery. It’s still a lot of fun, and the best in the area for a post-gig pint. The look of the pub is all part of its charm too; check out the plastic flowers in sconces bolted above red pleather booths that don’t seem to have changed in the many decades since ska heros Madness ruled this roost.  

Local knowledge Reading out the bizarre names of the bands playing the pub’s back room is still the peak of entertainment.

This bright orange pub located just by Bow Church station possesses that all-too-rare combo: authentic, old school cockney charm, plus a wide enough selection of beers and ales to keep even the choosiest craft connoisseur content. Food is served, but unlike some of the stuffier saloons in the area, it’s not the main event – rather just something to sustain you during a six-pint-plus stint on a Saturday night.

Local knowledge Don’t miss out on the Queenie Quiz every Monday, hosted by the fantastic Christina Draguilera.

Join the other geezers in this absolutely timeless south London pub. The bright red exterior is calling for you to take a trip inside; just don’t play the piano or challenge anyone to a frame of pool unless you want to make some friends. The cosiness factor here is off the chain, with twinkling, festive lights up year-round and a warm hug of a welcome. 

Local knowledge Miss the pub’s annual autumn Pickle Festival at your peril. 

Going since 1881 – and mercifully saved from housing development extinction in 2012 by a spirited community campaign – this proper Leyton local possesses multiple glamorous rooms and a spectacular beer garden which, on the right summer’s day, you’ll never want to leave. It’s in many ways the perfect traditional English pub: a patterned carpet and matching bar stools, a dart board centrepiece, and a dark and well-used wooden bar. 

Local knowledge There’s free pool on Mondays and Thursdays, and regular live music on the weekends.

Like something straight out of a moody, bitter-splattered Patrick Hamilton novel, The Duke is an elegantly wasted vintage space; all art deco mirrors, mahogany booths, pastel-painted walls and the small chance that you might contract rickets by the end of the evening. You’ll find it down a wonderfully atmospheric mews in boozy, literary Bloomsbury. Expect anyone you take here to be deeply impressed. 

Local knowledge It’s a surprisingly great spot to watch big footie games – never too full, but always vibey.

The Hare is a no-frills corner pub on the northern fringe of Tower Hamlets, and possesses both a pleasingly tiled exterior and an excellently preserved, proper interior. It’s as traditional an East End pub – once ten-a-penny in these parts – as you’re likely to find in today’s world of wine bars and gastro palaces. Cherish the ones that are still about before they disappear forever.

Local knowledge It’s one of the best places to watch sport in the borough, with plenty of screens and a massive projector screen. 

Fans of chaotic stuff on the walls will be in heaven upon entering the Nags Head, which is covered with so much utterly random tat you might think you’re at a car boot sale. Baseball reports? Sure. Garden tools? Why not. Vintage penny-slots? Order me a dozen. This tiny little pub is something of an outlier in Belgravia – if not London itself. There’s no swanky food menu and no mobile phones allowed on account of the famously crotchety landlord. What you get instead is far superior; a rarified, old school atmosphere and the chattiest clientele this side of the Thames.

Local knowledge This is another cash-only joint, with a card minimum of £16. But pints are a whopping £8 each (well, this is Belgravia) so it’s easy enough to hit.

A west London institution, the Cow is known throughout the city for its superior Guinness and wonderful seafood. Get yourself a pint of prawns or a tower of whelks, crab and oysters and settle down for some excellent people watching. Expect aged rockers, Ab Fab fashion girlies and serious drinkers. There's an upstairs dining room if you're after something a little fancier, but the best seats in the house are down by the bar or on the small tables on the street. 

Local knowledge The Cow Special is a classic order; Six Jersey Rocks with a pint of Guinness or glass of house wine.

A corner boozer on a quiet backstreet, the Prince George is perfectly placed to sink a few pre-pints before a bigger night out on Kingsland Road. More importantly, though, it has everything you need in a decent pub; a pool table, a well-stocked jukebox, living-room adjacent interiors, beer from local breweries, a buzzy smoking area, hangover-curbing food offering (you can’t argue with those burgers), as well as plenty of nooks and crannies for gossiping.

Local knowledge Get there before the after-work crowd and grab a table in the teeny back room with the dartboard and stage your own private tournament.

Far from the buggies and brunch crowd of Walthamstow, you’ll find the convivial snug that is the Coppermill. Decked out with a bizarre array of gnomes, models and figurines, there’s a pleasantly 1990s feel to the place. Friday night karaoke is a proper scene, and live bands occasionally prop themselves up at the end of the small room too. If the smugger spots of ‘the village’ don’t do it for you, wander to this E17 gem instead.

Local knowledge It’s right by the reservoir, making it ideal for a post-Wetlands pint.

With the sad closure of McGlynn’s in 2023, the mantle of Best Boozer in King’s Cross was passed over to The Dolphin, a mere 100m from the much-missed Irish pub. The Dolphin is a classic, two-roomed corner pub, ideal for a post-work cinq à sept or a long and languid Saturday afternoon spent watching football on one of the pub’s many screens. 

Local knowledge The Dolphin, somewhat incongruously for an Irish-adjacent pub, offers up an excellent Peruvian menu – the empanadas and tamales particularly are highly recommended.

On a quiet corner in Islington, just behind Pentonville Prison, is perhaps one of London’s most underrated boozers. Not only is it a treat for the eyes – the Hemingford Arms’ exterior is covered in a lush canopy of ivy – but it’s also pretty cheap, and does tasty Thai food. Because it’s a little bit out of the way, it caters to a solid group of trendy young locals and old regulars, and isn’t usually too busy. Inside, the décor is a mishmash of cute old man pub and wild quirkiness (see: a single prosthetic leg hanging from the ceiling). In the winter, the fireplace makes it the ultimate cosy hangout.

Local knowledge Get jiggy with it watching the Irish folk band that plays every Friday night.

It’s always a treat to see a well-preserved 1930s battlecruiser pub. Step into The Windermere, a large art deco boozer situated just next to South Kenton Overground station, and you can quite easily imagine what it would’ve been like to drink here as this Metroland suburb began to fill up in the interwar period. It’s spectacular, it’s Grade II listed, and well worth the trip out into the north western sprawl of the capital. 

Local knowledge Although the exquisite interior is the real star of the show, The Windermere's generously sized garden is a must if you’re visiting in the summer months.

With its yellow anaglypta ceiling wallpaper, stunning tiling, red banquette seating, and warm-toned L-shaped wooden bar, the Grade II listed Lord Clyde is giving serious 1930s glamour. A boozy bolthole in a semi-secret nook of Southwark, their extremely well-placed gathering of outdoor benches makes for one of the most enviable al fresco drinking areas in town. 

Local knowledge The ‘secret’ sideroom is the perfect place for a discreet meeting. Do your thing. We won’t tell.