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Best pub restaurants in London
Published 05 September 2024

In London, the line between a good meal and a great pub experience is deliciously blurred; why shouldn't a comfortable pub setting and top-notch food go hand in hand? If you enjoy the laid-back vibe of a pub but don't want to compromise on food quality, these pubs stand out for their great food and prove that pub dining can be about more than just the basics, offering dishes that are as thoughtfully prepared as any you'd find in the city's restaurants.

 

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Brook House

Fulham, London £££

Brook House may be noisy and lively, but it has kept the warm, welcoming ethos and atmosphere of a pub. It's hugely popular with locals (often with kids and dogs in tow), while close-packed tables mean that you can earwig oth… Read more

65 New Kings Road, Fulham, London SW6 4SG

Camberwell Arms

Camberwell, London ££

Describing their venue as a neighbourhood restaurant inside a 19th-century pub, the good folk at The Camberwell Arms have an appealing proposition on a busy road that slices through SE5. 'Compelling, simple, seasonal' food is the … Read more

65 Camberwell Church Street, Camberwell, London SE5 8TR

Harwood Arms

Fulham, London £££

Brett Graham (The Ledbury) and Mike Robinson (game specialist) opened the Harwood Arms on a quiet residential street near Fulham Broadway in 2009, and the kitchen shows a long-running commitment to prime British produce, deliverin… Read more

Walham Grove, Fulham, London SW6 1QP

The Anchor & Hope

Waterloo, London ££

In the two decades since the Anchor & Hope poured its first pint, reassuringly little has changed at this now-classic London dining pub. Behold the oxblood walls, the weathered wooden tables, and the crowds of theatregoers pou… Read more

36 The Cut, Waterloo, London SE1 8LP

The Baring

Islington, London £££

Adam Symonds and Rob Tecwyn (former head chef at Dabbous) met while working at north London's Bull & Last, and The Baring is their personal take on a modern urban hostelry. Their aim to provide great food and drink in a no-fus… Read more

55 Baring Street, Islington, London N1 3DS

The Barley Mow

Mayfair, London £££

From the Cubitt House group, this transformed Mayfair pub comes across as a genuine local, refreshingly free of affectation and resolutely faithful to its pub roots. The impressive ground-floor bar has held on to its darkly varnis… Read more

82 Duke Street, Mayfair, London W1K 6JG

The Bull & Last

Hampstead, London ££

Sited close to Hampstead Heath, this updated 19th-century coaching inn is much loved for its comfortable country pub atmosphere, contemporary British cooking and on-the-ball service. Major refurbishment has added several guest bed… Read more

168 Highgate Road, Hampstead, London NW5 1QS

The Cadogan Arms

Chelsea, London ££

This King’s Road institution has new custodians in the shape of JKS Restaurants, the go-getting group behind such destination venues as Gymkhana, Lyle’s and Trishna. It turns out they can do pubs too. The Cadogan Arms … Read more

298 King's Road, Chelsea, London SW3 5UG

Best Sunday Roast

The Canton Arms

Stockwell, London ££

Classically pubby Stockwell boozer with a far-reaching, eclectic menu

Those familiar with the Canton Arms’ siblings (Stoke Newington's Clarence Tavern, Southwark’s Anchor & Hope, Oxford’s Magdalen Arms) will know what to expect. There’s a resolute commitment to classic pu… Read more

177 South Lambeth Road, Stockwell, London SW8 1XP

The Clarence Tavern

Stoke Newington, London ££

Stripped back in terms of both decor and dining, this Stoke Newington sibling of the Canton Arms and The Anchor & Hope is the embodiment of everything you’d expect from a London dining pub. Straightforward, concise cooki… Read more

102 Stoke Newington Church Street, Stoke Newington, London N16 0LA

The Crossing Barnes

Barnes, London ££

As a sensitive and family-friendly re-imagining of an old pub, it seems that owner Christian Arden has got this place finely tuned to the local neighbourhood – with excellent service to boot. The spacious bar/dining roo… Read more

73 White Hart Lane, Barnes, London SW13 0PW

The Culpeper

Whitechapel, London ££

Nicholas Culpeper was a 17th-century botanist, physician and astrologer – and the Whitechapel pub that bears his name is equally adept at playing many roles. Starting from the top, there's a vegetable garden on the roof, wit… Read more

40 Commercial Street, Whitechapel, London E1 6LP

The Eagle

Clerkenwell, London ££

Genre-defining foodie pub

Since landing on Farringdon Road in 1991, the Eagle has staked its claim as one of the originators of the so-called ‘gastropub’ genre. This lively, ever-popular boozer has resisted all forms of gentrification over the … Read more

159 Farringdon Road, Clerkenwell, London EC1R 3AL

The George

Fitzrovia, London

A central hub for political radicalism in the latter years of the 18th century, this gorgeous Grade II-listed Fitzrovia boozer has been revitalised as a hostelry for the ages by the JKS restaurant group. We recommend the ground-fl… Read more

55 Great Portland Street, Fitzrovia, London W1W 7LQ

Best Sunday Roast

The Holland

Kensington, London ££

Chic neighbourhood hostelry with a punchy seasonal menu

A short walk from Holland Park and the Design Museum, the Holland is a proper neighbourhood pub that stands out from the area’s many chains with its laudable commitment to social responsibility and sustainability. The rustic… Read more

25 Earls Court Road , Kensington, London W8 6EB

The Marksman

Hackney, London ££

On a rainy Friday evening, this former Hackney Road boozer – identifying since its 2015 makeover as a ‘public house and dining rooms’ – glows with pubby welcome. Glimmering light spills out onto the street,… Read more

254 Hackney Road, Hackney, London E2 7SJ

The Pelican

Notting Hill, London £££

*Owen Kenworthy has left the Pelican to take up the role of chef-patron at Julie's in Holland Park. Watch this space. * Big, solid and glamorous, this strikingly converted Notting Hill corner pub has the exceptional atmosphere of… Read more

45 All Saints Road, Notting Hill, London W11 1HE

The Plimsoll

Finsbury Park, London ££

A requisitioned side-street pub near Finsbury Park, the Plimsoll has been converted with only the lightest touch, its former shabbiness given a good scrub-up, but not so antiseptically that it no longer feels like a boozer. An ori… Read more

52 St Thomas's Road, Finsbury Park, London N4 2QW

The Princess Royal

Westbourne Grove, London ££

This historic Victorian hostelry on a quiet road in Notting Hill has been given a new lease of life by Cubitt House, owner of a number of London dining pubs – and it's by far the best in the group, in our opinion. The makeov… Read more

47 Hereford Road, Westbourne Grove, London W2 5AH

The Tamil Crown

Islington, London ££

Trendy South Indian eatery in a converted boozer

Following on from the Tamil Prince in Barnsbury, Prince Durairaj (of Roti King fame) has repeated the formula in what was the old Charles Lamb pub on Elia Street, just behind Angel station. The Tamil Crown is almost a carbon copy … Read more

16 Elia Street, Islington, London N1 8DE

The Tamil Prince

Islington, London ££

Occupying a former pub in the Barnsbury quarter of Islington, this regional Indian restaurant has become a huge hit with knowledgeable locals. Set up by chef Prince Durairaj (previously at Roti King) and JKS GM Glen Leeson, it off… Read more

115 Hemingford Road, Islington, London N1 1BZ

The Victoria

East Sheen, London

An upmarket pub with rooms that’s also a true local hangout. Here you’ll find folk having business meetings alongside yoga mums and smart families (drawn by the pretty playground out back). There's something for everyo… Read more

10 West Temple Sheen, East Sheen, London SW14 7RT

The Waterman's Arms

Barnes, London ££

Reborn riverside hostelry with distinctive food and a cosy vibe

At a time when so many pubs are closing down, it's heart-warming to see the revival of this riverside hostelry. The revamped Waterman's Arms now sets out its stall as a neighbourhood pub-cum-restaurant where exposed brick wal… Read more

375 Lonsdale Road, Barnes, London SW13 9PY

The Wigmore

Marylebone, London ££

A centrally located watering hole with food that's worth knowing about

Beamed unexpectedly into the middle of the Wigmore, you might easily imagine you were in a London pub, albeit one that has been spruced and burnished to a high degree. A happy babble fills the air, there are cask ales and craft be… Read more

15 Langham Place, Marylebone, London W1B 3DE

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