The best pub in Britain has been crowned at the 2026 Pub and Bar Awards

Ah, the pub. Come rain or shine, there’s always an excuse for a quick one down the local. In the dark and gloomy months, there are few simpler pleasures than curling up next to the fire in a country boozer, hot toddy in hand to warm your cockles. Come summer, sipping a crisp pint in a beer garden is basically a national pastime.

If you’re on the hunt for the tippity top taverns to taste a tipple, we’ve got you covered. Each year, the National Pub and Bar Awards crown the very best public houses across all 94 counties in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. For 2026, a shortlist of 252 of the country’s best boozers has been whittled down to 18 regional winners.

Plus, an overall champ is also crowned each year, with one pub named the best across these Great British Isles.

So which pub officially pours the perfect pint? Well, in 2026, the ultimate accolade went to (drumroll please) The Gunton Arms in Norfolk. 

Set in a historic park near Cromer, north Norfolk, the pub has everything you expect from a traditional British boozer, pool table and dart board included. Opened by former art dealer Ivor Braka in 2011, it’s also home to a fine collection of modern art (works by iconic artists like Tracey Emin and Damien Hirst dot its walls) and has one of the UK’s best chefs (Stuart Tattersall, the ex-head chef with Mark Hix).

Time Out’s food and drink editor Leonie Cooper has tried The Gunton Arms out first hand, and said: ‘Rustic and rugged, but romantic too, there are 16 bedrooms for the DFLs (down from Londoners) to crawl into after an epic feed, but there’s also a traditional pub space complete with pool table, dart board and thirsty locals that make it feel like a boozer for everyone, not just those with a Tate membership who’ve travelled via vintage Land Rover.

‘There’s a roaring fireplace and cosy armchairs as soon as you enter, and welcoming staff serve reasonably priced pints for you to sink in various spaces across the maze-like pub, including a perfect William Morris-wallpapered nook.’

As for the rest of the winners, read on to find out which pubs were crowned as this year’s regional champions.

All regional winners at 2026 National Pub & Bar Awards 

• East Midlands Pub & Bar of the Year: The Tollemache Arms
  
• East of England Pub & Bar of the Year: The Gunton Arms
  
• London Pub & Bar of the Year: The George, Fitzrovia
  
• North East Pub & Bar of the Year: The Kirkstyle Inn and Sportsman's Rest
  
• North West Pub & Bar of the Year: Church Inn, Mobberley
  
• Northern Ireland Pub & Bar of the Year: Guildhall Taphouse
  
• North Scotland Pub & Bar of the Year: The Ferry Inn, Isle of Skye
  
• South Scotland Pub & Bar of the Year: The Noble, Glasgow
  
• South East Pub & Bar of the Year: The Mason’s Arms, Clanfield
  
• South West Pub & Bar of the Year: The Bath Arms, Warminster
  
• Wales Pub & Bar of the Year: George III, Dolgellau
  
• West Midlands Pub & Bar of the Year: The Bull’s Head, Craswall
  
• Yorkshire and the Humber Pub & Bar of the Year: The Woolly Sheep Inn, Skipton

All of the 2026 National Pub & Bar Awards winners, including county and regional, can be found here. Read about the top-rated London pub here.

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