holborn bridge

Holborn area guide

Explore the literary history of nearby Bloomsbury and discover Holborn’s best restaurants, bars and pubs in WC1 and WC2

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Holborn starts at the western boundaries of the historic City of London, and its central location makes it a popular place to work. But that also makes it a great place to play. Holborn restaurants serve a range of international cuisine, from Korean to North American. The bars and pubs in Holborn comprise some of London’s most historic hostelries as well as cutting-edge drinking spots. The shops in Holborn tend to be independent places that specialise in unusual stock. Where else can you buy an umbrella with a hickory crook when it unexpectedly rains on your way to the office?

What are your favourite Holborn haunts? Let us know in the comments. 

The best bits of Holborn

14 reasons to go to Leather Lane, EC1
Things to do

14 reasons to go to Leather Lane, EC1

Don’t be fooled by its sartorial-sounding name: leather is no longer readily available here. Instead this scenic street, nestled between the hustle and bustle...

Restaurants in Holborn

Asadal
Restaurants

Asadal

  • 3 out of 5 stars

With a discreet entrance just by Holborn station, Asadal has been the go-to venue for Korean food fans in central London for many years.

Great Queen Street
Restaurants

Great Queen Street

  • 3 out of 5 stars

A product of the noughties gastropub boom, Great Queen Street still turns out dishes in the tradition of its antecedents, and of the year it was founded...

Holborn Dining Room
Restaurants

Holborn Dining Room

  • 3 out of 5 stars
  • price 3 of 4

If there is a formula for the perfect British brasserie, it would undoubtedly involve plush leather upholstery, polished marble floors, a sprinkling of copper...

Roka Aldwych
Restaurants

Roka Aldwych

  • price 1 of 4

Rainer Becker and Arjun Waney - the guys behind this impressive Aldwych restaurant and bar - clearly know a thing or two about high-end modern-Japanese dining.

Holborn highlights

Sir John Soane's Museum
Museums

Sir John Soane's Museum

  • 5 out of 5 stars

When he wasn’t designing notable buildings (among them the original Bank of England), Sir John Soane (1753-1837) obsessively collected art, furniture and...

Hunterian Museum
Museums

Hunterian Museum

  • 4 out of 5 stars

The Hunterian Museum houses one of the oldest collections of anatomical, pathological and zoological specimens in the UK and is based on the items assembled by...

Bars and pubs in Holborn

All Star Lanes
Restaurants

All Star Lanes

  • 3 out of 5 stars

Styling itself on stateside ‘boutique’ bowling alleys, this retro-themed venue is the more upmarket of Bloomsbury’s two bowling dens (see also Bloomsbury...

The Duke
Bars and pubs

The Duke

  • 3 out of 5 stars

Tucked away on a backstreet between tourist-trodden Bloomsbury and start-up central Clerkenwell, The Duke is a good place to escape museumgoers and media types...

Cittie of Yorke
Bars and pubs

Cittie of Yorke

  • 3 out of 5 stars

The copper sign swinging over pedestrians on High Holborn speaks of ‘beer brewed at Yorkshire’s oldest brewery’; the sign just out from a mock-Tudor façade...

Lamb
Bars and pubs

Lamb

  • 3 out of 5 stars

In operation for nearly three centuries, this Young’s pub boasts a glorious Victorian interior, dating back to a time when stars of the stage and music hall...

Hotels in Holborn and Bloomsbury

The Bloomsbury Hotel
Hotels

The Bloomsbury Hotel

If you’re looking to really immerse yourself in the refined Bloomsbury experience, then this upscale pad might be just the thing. The Edwin...

Generator
Hotels

Generator

Located in an old police station towards the King’s Cross end of Bloomsbury, the Generator is a good option for those on handcuffed budgets. The hostel...

The perfect weekend in Holborn and Bloomsbury

See: Hunterian Museum
Museums

See: Hunterian Museum

  • 4 out of 5 stars

Get grossed-out and go back for more at this vast collection of anatomical, pathological and zoological specimens

Gawp and gulp: Princess Louise
Bars and pubs

Gawp and gulp: Princess Louise

  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • price 1 of 4

Gaze at the incredible interior of this ornate Victorian boozer – then get to boozing

Drink: Lamb
Bars and pubs

Drink: Lamb

  • 3 out of 5 stars

Step back in time, and order a drink while you’re there

Love London Awards: last year's winners

Store Street Espresso
Restaurants

Store Street Espresso

  • 4 out of 5 stars

The clientele at this coffee bar smack-bang in the centre of uni-land, just a minute from Tottenham Court Road, combines academia and commerce. Quite apart...

Sir John Soane's Museum
Museums

Sir John Soane's Museum

  • 5 out of 5 stars

When he wasn’t designing notable buildings (among them the original Bank of England), Sir John Soane (1753-1837) obsessively collected art, furniture and...