Lucas Oakeley

There’s no place like E Pellicci. Stepping through the doors of the iconic Bethnal Green caff is like stepping through a portal into the past. Not because it’s dated or fusty, but because sitting down with a well-brewed cup of builder’s at Pellicci’s feels like a throwback to simpler times. It’s as if E Pellicci has been preserved in amber, sitting stubbornly and wonderfully unchanged on 332 Bethnal Green Road since it opened. Considering how long it’s been in business (it’s literally as old as the British Labour Party), that’s nothing short of a miracle.  Established in 1900, E Pellicci has been around for 125 years. Other notable events from that year include the Second Boer War and the death of Oscar Wilde. It has survived the Blitz, the seemingly never-ending wave of Pret A Mangers and the global pandemic. In 1999, there was a close call when a fire almost consumed the caff, but it was saved by a concerned passerby who saw the flames and called the fire brigade. In 2022, Harry Styles filmed part of a music video there, and it survived that, too.  Photograph: Andy Parsons for Time Out All that history has seeped into the building’s bones. Starry patrons include everyone from Anthony Bourdain and Rick Stein to the Kray twins and, for reasons I assume are related to contractual obligations, just about every cast member of EastEnders, ever. If only walls could talk. Pellicci’s was awarded Grade-II listed status in 2005 for its Art Deco-style panelled wooden décor, described

Hearing the squawk of a nearby gull while you inhale the salty sea air is almost as integral to the fish ‘n’ chip ritual as mushy peas and tartare sauce. But that’s not to say that excellent landlocked chippies don’t exist in the UK: you just need to know where to look. Thankfully, no matter where you are, you can trust that this list has got the best of the best when it comes to fish ‘n’ chips, whether that’s at a beachfront cafe frying up daily catches or a city-centre institution which has really mastered its batter craft. Get the salt and vinegar in hand and tuck in: here are the best places for fish and chips in the UK. RECOMMENDED:🍺The best pubs in the UK🍝The best restaurants in the UK☀️The best beer gardens in the UK🏖️The best seaside towns in the UK This list was written by Lucas Oakeley, a freelance food writer for Time Out. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

There are an awful lot of things to moan about in the UK, but pubs are not one of them. Pubs are for your friendly catch ups, your Sunday roasts, and your mid-summer sun traps, and we love it all. We really do.  Everyone’s got a favourite (probably the one closest to the end of your road), and so do we. But some pubs are really good for food. Others are great for craft beer. The very best pubs do it all. With that in mind, here we are: the best pubs in the whole of the UK. Happy drinking, folks.  RECOMMENDED:🍝 The best restaurants in the UK🍺 The best beer gardens in the UK📍 The best places to visit in the UK🏠 The cosiest Airbnbs in the UK

The UK is a glorious place to eat, drink and generally be merry. Sure, there are loads of great restaurants in London, but there are hundreds more across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland; ones where you'll make napkin-stained memories that you’ll carry with you for the rest of your life. Especially if you head to Cumbria, which is home of the most Michelin stars in the UK outside of the capital. But as well as the diner’s paradise that is the Lake District, here's where else you need to head in order to sample some of the finest food and downright transcendent restaurant experiences the UK has to offer. Eat up.  RECOMMENDED: The best things to do in the UK.

While it’s been the butt of many (mostly French) jokes for years, we Brits aren’t actually just a nation of wine drinkers – we’re pretty darn good at making the stuff, too. From chardonnay in Dorset and organic vinos in Kent to sparkling blushes near Cardiff, there are plenty of lovely vineyards dotted throughout the country.  And better yet, lots of these vineyards are open to the public, offering set menus, pairings, and dazzling countryside views. So, keen to see what all the fuss is about? These vineyards will prove that plenty of British wines can hold their own against the usual contenders in France, Italy, New Zealand and the like – here are our favourites in the UK. RECOMMENDED: 🌤️The best beer gardens in the UK🍺The best pubs in the UK🐟The best fish and chips shops in the UK🥗The best restaurants in the UK💕The best places to visit in the UK

In George Orwell’s 1946 essay, ‘The Moon Under Water’, he goes to great lengths to describe the perfect pub. According to Orwell, the ideal watering hole is a place where it is ‘always quiet enough to talk’, the staff ‘know most of their customers by name’ and ‘you can get a good, solid lunch’. Although The Moon Under Water he writes about is entirely fictional, good old George was inspired by a real pub in the London borough of Islington that he was a regular patron of. That perfect pub is The Compton Arms. And it’s a pub that desperately needs your help right now. The Compton Arms – which we just happened to name the second best pub in the UK – is currently being taken to ‘licence review’ by four nearby households. The four have alleged that it is a public nuisance, a danger to health, poorly run and that those in charge have no interest in communicating with them. If you think that this is simply a local dispute that has no wider significance to anyone who doesn’t live in the postcode, think again. The Compton Arms, tucked down a lovely backstreet of Highbury, has provided the local area with a safe place to sup pints since the 1800s. Pubs are a part of the fabric of any city’s social life and The Compton Arms was around long before those households moved in. It is, quite literally, a piece of history. Asking for its licence to be removed because you don’t like the fact it’s a pub would be like moving next to a football ground and complaining about the crowds at the weeke

Drinking with pals in a pub is a lot of fun during winter. We know this. But what about those times when you want to be with pals in a pub during winter, outside? Tricky, but manageable. London thankfully has a load of top pub gardens equipped with heaters, blankets and the like, meaning you won’t need to rely solely on your famous ‘beer jacket’ to stay warm. Here are our favourites.   NORTH The Faltering Fullback View this post on Instagram A post shared by Time Out London (@timeoutlondon) Yes, this pub is named after a rugby position and, yes, it is technically a ‘sports bar’ but don’t let either of those facts prevent you from travelling to Finsbury Park and cosying up under the heaters in The Faltering Fullback’s multi-storey beer garden. The sedgy outdoor terraces here are strategically spread across four floors, making the most of the Fullback’s limited space and allowing for you to safely distance yourself from anyone in boat shoes.   What’s the actual pub like? Sporty, to be sure, but Daniel Radcliffe once filmed a music video here, so I guess it’s got that going for it too? 19 Perth Rd, N4 3HB. The Spaniards Inn View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ju Shardlow (@jushardlow) Thought that the Heath was the only thing Hampstead had going for it? Well, you thought wrong. Located about a mile or so from the nearest tube stop, The Spaniards Inn is home to one of London’s best-looking beer gardens – the kind of manic pixie dream garde