Family-friendly pubs in London

Set opposite the Heath, The Bull & Last has a reputation for doing seriously good food, but it’s relaxed and pubby enough to welcome children. Gourmet mummies and daddies flock here to eat rabbit terrine and tuna carpaccio. The kids’ food ain’t bad, either.

Just a ten-minute stroll from Ravenscourt Park, this tavern’s riverside location and colourful history (Charles II and his mistress Nell Gwyn were regulars) makes visiting as a kid feel a bit magical. Watch the Thames go by from the vine-entangled conservatory, or just snuggle up by the open fire.

There’s a massive playroom choc-a-block with toys at this Brockwell Park local, and as if that wasn’t enough to make it a kid’s paradise, The Florence give out free ice cream to under-14s. Parents: there’s even a microbrewery on site to bring you back to life if you’ve braved a family dip in Brockwell Lido. 

This heathside local is the perfect place to refuel after a ramble across Greenwich Park. It’s child-and-dog-friendly which means if you go at the weekend you’ll see it packed out with high-chairs, but jaded parents should take note: the beer selection here is seriously grown-up.

This is London’s first co-operatively owned pub. Back in 2012, Nunhead locals raised £1 million to buy their beloved, Grade II-listed boozer – this place is a proper community gem. It’s perfect for a pitstop after a day out at Peckham Rye Park: there are books and games, as well as a children’s samba class. Best of all, the pints are cheap.

Spook your kids with tales of highwaymen – legend has it Dick Turpin’s dad was landlord here, and robbers were hanged on a tree just down the road. Most thrilling of all, though, is the location: it overlooks the Heath and has a roomy, top-notch garden.

Kids can roam free at this ancient inn, perfectly positioned between Hyde Park and Holland Park. Still intact are original, decorative wooden screens installed to separate the sexes while they got pissed – perfect for hide and seek, or for educating your brood about Victorian misogyny. 

Kate Moss – aka the yummiest mummy of them all – is a regular at this picturesque gastropub, set just yards from Primrose Hill. Channel Mossy and quaff champagne while your kids frolic like rock ’n’ roll royalty. 

If Kensal Rise is the new nappy valley, then this lovely neighbourhood gastropub is the mothership. Bugaboos spill out over the bustling terrace and children have a chalkboard wall to scrawl on. Just ten minutes from Roundwood Park, go here for a rosé and let your toddler run free.