This fancy north London pub has been crowned the third best gastropub in Britain

The Red Lion & Sun in Highgate has just been named the third best gastropub in the UK. The north London institution scooped the honour in the 2026 list of Britain’s top 50 gastropubs, which featured 13 London gastropubs overall. 

The Red Lion & Sun offers what it calls ‘rustic modern British pub food’. On the current menu you’ll find the likes of braised beef cheek, bone marrow and pancetta pie, gnocchi with wild mushrooms and sage, and a wagyu double cheeseburger. It’s also known for very good Sunday roasts. 

Heath Ball, who runs the pub, commented: ‘As a team, we feel humbled to be ranked number three in the Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs. Moving from 6th to 3rd place is a huge achievement for us and reflects the consistency, care and hard work that goes into everything we do. We’re proud to see that recognised.’

The Devonshire in Soho topped the 2026 edition of the Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs list, after placing second in 2025.

As for the other London boozers? The Canton Arms in Stockwell came 11th, The Baring in Islington was 17th, The Marksman in Hackney came 23rd, The Hero in Maida Vale was 24th and The Kerfield Arms in Camberwell placed 25th.

After that, The Waterman’s Arms in Barnes was placed at 33, The Tamil Crown in Islington at 35, The Harwood Arms in Fulham (London’s only Michelin starred pub) at 36, The Bull and Last in Highgate at 39, The Knave of Clubs in Shoreditch at 43 and The French House in Soho at 47. 

The Unruly Pig in Woodbridge, Suffolk had topped the Estrella Damm-sponsored list for the previous three years.

London pubs in the Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs 2026 list

Here are all the pub-grub establishments that made it into this year’s list (with the overall ranking of each).

• The Devonshire, Soho (1)
• The Red Lion & Sun, Highgate (3)
• The Canton Arms, Stockwell (11)
• The Barling, Islington (17)
• The Marksman, Hackney (23)
• The Hero, Maida Vale (24)
• The Kerfield Arms, Camberwell (25)
• The Waterman’s Arms, Barnes (33)
• The Tamil Crown, Islington (35)
• The Harwood Arms, Fulham (36)
• The Bull & Last, Highgate (39)
• The Knave of Clubs, Shoreditch (43)
• The French House, Soho (47)

Fancy a nice meal and a pint? These are Time Out’s Top 20 London gastropubs.

Plus: the best Sunday roasts in London, according to Time Out.

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