The best Brixton pubs

We should be cherishing pubs like the Prince of Wales on Lyham Road (not to be confused with the nearby pub of the same name at the foot of Brixton Hill). There was once a time when wet-led, interwar community locals like this one were ten-a-penny; as commonplace as Pret a Manger is now. There’s a pool table, there’s a jukebox, and there’s a high chance it’ll become your new favourite pub before the night is out.

A Brixton staple with a huge beer garden, the Duke of Edinburgh ticks all of the boxes of a classic pub. If you’re in the mood for a great tasting brew - and who isn’t - why not try one on tap from the very local and incredibly good Brixton Brewery. Menu wise, soul food with Afro-Caribbean flavour by Jerk Valley takes centre stage.

Four-pint pitchers of Red Stripe, ska turned up nice and loud, tip-top Guinness, jerk chicken and rice, unfeasibly friendly bar staff, two pull-down screens for sports – this is a real home from home for many Brixtonians and an Afro-Caribbean community hub. Don’t miss the pub’s live jazz nights.

This small and eccentric pub and venue in a back street off Brixton Hill has live music almost every night of the week. Come here for anything cultish, underground and generally leftfield. The Windmill is rough and ready, but also candlelit and welcoming and takes its name from an adjacent actual windmill, which was built in 1816.

That the people behind the light, modern Florence care about beer is obvious from the phenomenal range on offer and the helpful tasting notes on all the pumps. Scotch eggs and sausage rolls are readily on offer to line stomachs and their events calendar is well populated; DJ nights every Friday and Saturday, and sip and paint nights happen monthly for budding artists. 

This smart pub with a long bar has one of the mightiest beer selections around. Visiting at off-peak times will allow you to spend time Googling the niche breweries which feature among the many brews on tap and in bottle (or asking the lovely staff). It’s one of the only pubs with a menu that boasts a sausage platter among other hearty grub offerings. If you find yourself searching for a watering hole north of the river, their sister pub in Stoke Newington, the Jolly Butchers, is equally delightful.

On a charmingly old-fashioned square backing the main drag of Brixton you'll find this Young's pub. It's primed for slightly more peaceful pre-gig pints in an old-timey setting. Round the back you’ll find a fire pit in the garden, perfect for those (far too regular) chilly evenings.

Hidden down a maze of neat, terraced side streets, in the hinterland between Stockwell, Clapham, and Brixton, the Marquis of Lorne is the kind of pub the oft-overused term ‘hidden gem’ was created for. It’s Grade II-listed, and approaching it from the street you can see why: the striking gold, jade, and umber glazed tiling; the sun-faded corner sign; the impressive, imposing height of the building when set against the terraces. Step inside and you’ll find a down-to-earth, community local, with an old-school interior and a friendly clientele. 

The large airy pub that is the Prince Regent in Herne Hill has an outdoor terrace and plenty of room for pushchairs, making it a great choice as the evenings draw out. Good food is a strong selling point for the boozer, which reopened at the start of 2026 after undergoing a massive revamp.

Herne Hill’s The Half Moon pub – a cavernous pile and bona fide south London institution – combines old school charm with style under mega-brewery Fuller’s guiding hand. In summer months, their outdoor kitchen serves up a cracking BBQ menu - pair with a craft local brew and you’re onto a winner.

This branch of the Craft Beer Company is nestled on a busy street market next to Brixton rail station, facing the Brixton Recreation Centre. It’s a small bar, not very pub-like, with high stools to perch at small tables. However, the bar snacks are very much trad staples – pies and pork scratchings. If you prefer a bit more privacy, there’s space on the first floor where you can work your way through an array of lesser-known ales on tap, on keg and by the bottle.

The Commercial is a pleasurable pub in which to spend some time, mixing old-fashioned pub culture with new school pub cooking, and a comparatively enlightened approach to beer. On draught you’ll find an enviable range of craft beers rotating daily.