There are few better ways to make the most of a sunny (or not-so-sunny) summer afternoon in London than by spending it in a beer garden. Drinking cold pints (or spritzes, or white wine with a couple of ice cubes) with your mates feels good anywhere, but there’s something seriously special about pints under London’s famous skies. And this city certainly has no shortage of spectacular beer gardens. Some have lush foliage and serene, chilled-out energy, while others are ideal for open-air day parties. Some serve up marvellous cocktails, while others provide for gorgeous river views. If you’ve had enough of the great outdoors, don’t forget to check out our list of London’s best pubs. Or, if you want to be outside but higher up, you might like our directory of the capital's finest rooftop bars.
RECOMMENDED: Excellent outdoor activities in London.
Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor, and once got lost in the Faltering Fullback's endearingly chaotic beer garden. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.
July 2025: We write to you mid-heatwave, and what better place to situate yourself this summer than on an al fresco picnic table with an pint/spritz in your hand. Here's our list of the finest places to do just that, featuring some old classics and waterside favourites, a fair of which also feature in our Best Pubs In London list (hello to the Army and Navy in Dalston and Anchor and Hope in Clapton) as well as in our Best Historic Pubs in London (Hampstead and Highgate heroes The Spaniards Inn and The Flask), as well as our Most Haunted Pubs in London list.