This compact Victorian hole-in-the-wall pub with real-ale pumps and an astutely chosen handful of craft beers on draught is brought to you by the Mother Kelly’s team. With that knowledge, it’s hardly a surprise that the bottled beer selection is just as impressive. It’s usually cosy and blissfully music-free, apart from the odd hipster-trad jazz session around the old piano.
Finding a down-to-earth pub in the busy, busy King’s Cross neighbourhood is easy. This list delivers all the backstreet boozers you need to have on the radar – from places that champion craft beer from breweries around the world to gastropubs and watering holes which double up as extremely good indie music venues (The Lexington and The Harrison, since you asked). If you want lovely local bars, King’s Cross has got those too, as well as great neighbourhood restaurants. Cheers! Get stuck into our King’s Cross area guide if you want even more to do while you’re there.
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Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor and she used to work behind the bar at The Lexington, so she knows King’s Cross pubs better than most – and can serve a mean pint of Guinness. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.