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London's best bars and pubs with open fires

Find the best pubs and bars in the capital that are perfect for a warming winter drink

More pubs and bars in London

Southampton Arms Southampton Arms - © Ed Marshall

Whether it's in a trendy gastropub, a hip new bar or an old man's pub, there's an open fire waiting for you somewhere this winter. The pubs with wood fires have that authentic touch, but gas fires are equally warming. Check out our guide to London's best pubs and bars with open fires.

Think we've missed any great pubs and bars with open fires? Let us know and leave a comment in the box below.

Real fires | Gas fires

Pubs and bars with real fires

  • Bedford

    77 Bedford Hill, London, SW12 9HD

    The main room might seem soulless when empty, but this vast Balham institution attracts a diverse crowd in droves. There's a canopy-covered back yard and three further bars, with a wood-burning fire to provide a warm glow.

    Read more on Bedford

  • Earl Spencer

    260-262 Merton Road, London, SW18 5JL

    An inviting Southfields gastropub complete with a shelf packed with cookery books and jars of colourful pickled savouries lined up along the top of the wine rack. All the seating is at rustic farmhouse dining tables of various sizes and there's a pleasing selection of beers on tap. Pull up a pew next to one of the pub's two fires – one coal burning and one wood burning.

    Read more on Earl Spencer
  • Book online

    Holly Bush

    22 Holly Mount, London, NW3 6SG

    This welcoming Dickensian pub in Hampstead has an ancient interior, reasonably priced food and wooden booths to slide into. The perfect place to perch by one of the two coal-burning fires after a stirring walk across the heath.

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  • Jerusalem Tavern

    55 Britton Street, London, EC1M 5UQ

    Proof that not all newbuild pubs have to be homogenised chains, the Jerusalem Tavern serves in a building that dates from the early 1700s, but it has only been a pub since the 1990s. Beer on tap is from the superb (and organic) St Peter's Brewery in Suffolk. The coal-burning fire fits perfectly with the surroundings.

  • Book online

    Palmerston

    91 Lordship Lane, London, SE22 8EP

    This gastropub is adorned with a gorgeous mosaic floor and the the walls are clad in original wood panelling. The beer selection isn't as notable as it once was, but the food draws both crowds and critical acclaim. Take a seat by one of the wood-burning fires and settle in for a weekend afternoon.

    Read more on Palmerston

  • Prince George

    40 Parkholme Road, London, E8 3AG

    Make merry with Czech beer and real ale (Pride, Brakspear Bitter, Woodforde's Wherry) – there are plenty of good wines by the glass too. Another draw is one of the best free jukeboxes in London. No wonder there's always a party going on. Maybe not the quietest place to have a nap alongside the wood-burning fire, then…

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  • Rose

    1 Harwood Terrace, London, SW6 2AF

    More of a pub with food than a gastropub, the Rose has seen a few name-changes over the years, including the Legless Ladder and, most recently, the Fulham Tup. The muted walls are dotted with prints of ladies in various states of undress (more tasteful than it sounds). Candles twinkle and locals lounge on church pews and leather sofas. Eat, drink and get cosy on one of the armchairs surrounding the wood-burning fire.

    Read more on Rose
  • Southampton Arms

    Southampton Arms

    139 Highgate Road, London, NW5 1LE

    The bulbs are bare, the floorboards worn. It's sparse, it's simple and it's really rather splendid. The regulars are more mature than in most pubs, and some bring along their canine companions. Purchase some traditional snacks, a pint of scrumpy (this is a cider and ale house, after all) and seat yourself beside the enticing wood-burning fire.

    Read more on Southampton Arms

  • Three Kings of Clerkenwell

    7 Clerkenwell Close, London, EC1R 0DY

    This popular pub is decorated with an eclectic selection of bric-a-brac, which includes a fibreglass rhino head, a plaster of Paris Egyptian dog, an autographed photo of Dennis Bergkamp and old maps of Islington. There are plenty of mismatched wood chairs and tables to sit at and on while you sip on one of the traditional ales and bask in the warmth of the roaring coal fire.

    Read more on Three Kings of Clerkenwell

  • William IV

    7 Shepherdess Walk, London, N1 7QE

    A couple of couches next to the fire (which burns a coal/log combo) make this gastropub an exceedingly cosy spot to spend a cold day. Reliable British food and a couple of real ales complete the picture.

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Pubs and bars with gas fires

  • Commercial

    212 Railton Road, London, SE24 0JT

    There's a lot to like amid the noise (aural and visual) in this pub, not least the most interesting selection of beers and spirits in the area, including Budvar Dark, Paulaner and guest ales such as Pedigree, served in dimpled pint mugs and warmed by a total of three toasty fires.

    Read more on Commerical

  • The Golden Heart

    110 Commercial Street, London, E1 6LZ

    There's a proper community vibe here with old blokes propping up the bar alongside market geezers and tattooed foreign exchange students. This is nonetheless a pub where old-fashioned manners and old-school decor rules – small rooms, crowded tables, pub-industry memorabilia and a couple of open gas fires which look so real that people chuck paper on them.

    Read more on The Golden Heart

  • Grand Union

    45 Woodfield Road, London, W9 2BA

    Situated by a desolate stretch of the canal after which it's named, this Fuller's pub comes as something of a welcome surprise. The interior is both light and airy, but also cosy – fireside sofas and a snug bar await at the bottom of the spiral staircase.

    Read more on Grand Union
  • Book online

    Sir Richard Steele

    97 Haverstock Hill, London, NW3 4RL

    This old boozer oozes battered character: hand-painted Sistine-esque friezes, dripping candles and weird papier-mâché oddities hanging from the ceiling. Clientele is an eclectic mix of older regulars and the Primrose Hill set and there's a roaring yet pretend fire in the back room.

    Read more on Sir Richard Steele
  • Book online

    Waterway

    54 Formosa Street, London, W9 2JU

    The bar area, which is separate from the restaurant, has a sloping wood-panelled ceiling and a minimalist decor making it look a bit like a trendy Alpine ski lodge. Add the warming gas fire and a sprinkling of live music and you have a pleasing canalside escape in view of the longboats moored along the banks.

    Read more on Waterway
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Comments

By Matteo - Jan 15 2012

The Approach Tavern (47 Approach Road E2 9LY, Bethnal Green) also has a fireplace

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By Kim Chi - Dec 27 2011

There is one pub I would have hoped to never see on a Time Out list. Adios secret gem status, thanks to whoever compiled the list.

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By Ed - Dec 26 2011

The Blind Beggar in Stepney, despite its gangster past, is a surprisingly lovely winter pub, complete with roaring fire, good wines and a couple of decent ales and very nice nibbles.

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By Taffy Apple - Dec 26 2011

You forgot the wonderful Kings Head Theatre Pub, Upper Street, islington, which has roaring fires all winter.

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