The historic queer boozer that is officially the best pub in London in 2025, according to Time Out

The arrival of autumn means that not only is cosy pub season finally here: it’s also time to announce Time Out’s annual 50 best London pubs list.

There’s a new number one for the 2025 list, with south London’s excellent The Old Nun’s Head named the best pub in London. Congratulations to the pub, which Time Out writer Rosie Hewitson praised as ‘southeast London’s favourite unofficial queer venue, thanks to an array of campy entertainment including speed-dating, drag king cabaret, and nights like Pop-Up Dyke Bar and the messy, cream-splattered and highly NSFW Cake Sit.’

The Old Nun’s Head – which has its very own Britney Spears shrine – can be found just around the corner from 2023’s Time Out Pub of the Year, Irish boozer Skehan’s. The Old Nun’s Head is also home to the best pizza in London, Dough Hands, a pop-up kitchen from chef Hannah Drye which you can also find at The Spurstowe in Hackney. 

The Old Nun’s Head takes the number one slot from the Army & Navy in Dalston. Other pubs new to the list include the Prince Edward in Holloway, The Britannia in Shoreditch, The Old Coffee House in Soho and The Warrington Hotel in Maida Vale. The list was curated by Time Out Food & Drink editor Leonie Cooper with help from Jimmy McIntosh of London Dead Pubs. 

‘Old school boozers are the beating heart of this city, and the ones on this list are heavy with the powerful whiff of history – though that just might be the carpets – and throbbing with heart, soul and community charm,’ wrote Leonie. 

In a city with well over 3,000 pubs, not everything can make the cut. If you’re looking for posh pubs with fancy food, you’ll find them in our list of the best gastropubs in London. Wondering where London’s most legendary drinking dens are? They’re all in this list of London’s most historic pubs. 

Explore Time Out’s top 50 pubs in London for 2025 here.