The best pubs in London have to have certain qualities. Blooming good beer and ale for one, a bit of their own unique personality and one of Movebubbles key requirements…no playing of loud ridiculous music. First, lets travel over to North London…
North London
If you’re a huge beer and ale fan then this is where you need to go. This pub sources new brewer’s from all over the country. They keep up to date on the best ales out there by keeining in “constant contact” with beer writers and reviewers and others in the industry – sticking with the out and out favourites whilst also taking chances on newer brews. Some sample casks you won’t find on the website as they are just being tried out so check at the bar for what the new treats are!
Address: 204 Stoke Newington High St, London N16 7HU
BrewDog was first distilled up in bonny Scotland and BrewDog in Camden was the first to hit south of the border. The pub is within a stone throws distance of both Camden’s under and over ground stations and is a stalwart for craft beers in an area where crazy, indie chic bars can often overpower the good old-fashioned craft beer bars.
Address: 113 Bayham Street, Camden, London NW1 0AG
The same owners as The Trafalgar in Chelsea, The Washington has less of an English Country feel than the Trafalgar and is a bit more of a smart city pub. It’s a great place to go when you fancy something authentic but a bit more civilised. The interior is beautiful polished wood and gold trimmed mirrors and you’ll be able to grab yourself a comfy leather chair, booth or table if you want to get an extremely good bite to eat.
For a good old fashioned Irish pub, look no further than the Auld Shillelagh. It opened almost a quarter of a century ago with a bar, some stools a toilet and a dartboard! It now boasts a sunny beer garden and serves the best Guinness you’ll find in the big smoke! It shows all sports and live music weekly. A cracking Irish Bar with a sporty twist.
Address: 105 Stoke Newington Church St, London N16 0UD
The Lansdowne has been open since 1992 with an aim of bringing “high quality pub eating” to Primrose Hill. The inside is shabby chic and the wine list is good with a choice of different beers on tap. The Lansdowne is very popular with the locals which is always a good sign… Gwyneth Paltrow is even a fan.
Address: 90 Gloucester Ave, Primrose Hill, London NW1 8HX
Phone: 020 7483 0409
To go to the polar opposite of the bars above then head to the truly-uniquely named Island Queen in Islington. This bijou bar has outlandish furniture and original features that go hand-in-hand with the high ceilings and crazy attention to detail! The bar offers a long list of speciality drinks that can be enjoyed in comfy, cosy settings in this backstreet bar.
Address: 87 Noel Rd, London Borough of Islington, London, Greater London N1 8HD
Best pubs in Central London
When you want a traditional English pub with a touch of glamour, this is where you should head. A glamorous but comfy interior give that great traditional pub feeling but just without any of the shabbiness that put some people off hanging out in pubs. This is the kind of place you go to celebrate your mum’s birthday or enjoy a hungover Saturday brunch with your new Chanel pumps on. The Trafalgar is also renowned for its tasty Sunday Roasts.
If you’ve spent the day shopping in Sloane Square and the King’s Road then a pint in this traditionally decorated pub in Belgravia will go down fantastically. The bar dates back to the 17th century and it offers a fine selection of ales, food and welcomes families.
ddress: 22 Eaton Terrace, London SW1W 8EZ
Best pubs in South London
This pub in New Cross encapsulates ‘London’ and ‘pub’ perfectly. The charming and higgledy piggeldy inside with its thick velvet drapes cocoons you away from the high street and you enter a cosy world of worn in leather sofas, pub games, grandma chandeliers, strong cider and good food. It’s popular with the older Goldsmith student crowd and a few work there so it has a young bohemian vibe. You can spend hours playing battleships on Sunday over a hot chocolate and a roast dinner. When the pub quiz starts, you may as well settle in for the night!
Address: 460 New Cross Rd, London SE14 6TJ
Photo credit: www.intertitles.com
The Old Brewery is located within the grounds of The Old Royal Naval College, right next to the last tea clipper The Cutty Sark. They boast on-site, experimental brewers as well as 50 classic beers from around the world. A lively café by day and a vibrant restaurant in the evening with an outside courtyard surrounded by flowers leading into a small bar and pub (by far the best part of the venue), The Old Brewery certainly offers something a little different to the average bar and eatery.
Address: The Pepys Building, The Old Naval College, Greenwich, London SE10 9LW
Don’t be put off by the plain website. If beer and laughs are your thing then the Priory Arms is made for you! With 5 real ales and ciders on tap along with some of the best Belgian, German, American and English beers on offer there’s plenty to quench the thirst. Food is served till 10.30pm but the icing on the cake is the theatre upstairs that holds comedy, improv and even cabaret nights!
Address: 83 Lansdowne Way, London SW8 2PB
Best pubs in East London
This is one of the most popular and fashionable pubs in E8 with London’s leading names in fashion often spotted in the beer garden on a sunny afternoon. The bar is crammed on weekend evenings full of fashionistas and its local creatives.
Address: 68 Greenwood Rd, London E8 1AB
Photo credit: www.spitafieldslife.com
This bar dates back almost 300 years and is rich with culture and history. One of the joint owners of the bar is Sir Ian McKellen aka Gandalph and the pub has been mentioned by Dickens, Welles and Arthur Conan Doyle, who sent Sherlock Holmes there in search of opium in one of his novels. You’re guaranteed a story with every pint in this ancient tavern.
Address: 76 Narrow St, London E14 8BP
This listed building is a pub with all the fantastic charms of old, blended with a fresh new refurbishment. It boasts intimate booths and comfy sofas but the real selling point is the rooftop garden which has its own bar and space for thirty people, available for private parties. The food is modern classic with great snacks available too; sausage rolls and salt and pepper squid amongst the picks of the best.
Address: 68-70 Whitfield St, London W1T 4EY
Best pubs in West London
pic found on londonist.com
A collaboration of some great minds, Harwood Arms aims to deliver quality British food and excellent wines and beers in a relaxed, friendly, proper pub-like atmosphere! Along with this they want to keep the pub’s traditions alive and host a busy pub quiz on the first Tuesday of each month.
Address: Walham Grove, London SW6 1QP
When a London bar serves Cornwall’s Doom Bar, it’s our duty to tell you about it! The Angelsea Ams is a picturesque traditional British pub with plenty of outdoor seating for when the sun comes out. High quality gastro pub style food is available along with a choice of 6 ales.
Set right on the River Thames, The Dove has been offering high quality food and ales for a long long time! Their riverside Terrace offers alfresco dining with cracking views of the River and the pub is also a great spot for the annual boat race between Oxford and Cambridge.
Pic from pub-explorer.com
A complete gem of a pub. It may look small from the front but go in and the cavernous interior opens up into one of the best pubs in West London. It has a huge outdoor beer garden that’s an oasis on a hot day, especially when it’s quieter at the weekend. Busiest times are on summer weekday evenings as workers from Hammersmith flock there in droves. The food is particularly good too, don’t miss the Sunday roasts! Sitting in the sun with a cider and a plate full of beef and Yorkshire pudding is our favourite way to spend Sunday.
Easily one of the prettiest pubs in the UK, the flowers outside this pub have won the ‘London in Bloom’ awards for two years running. The pub serves authentic Thai food cooked by the Thai chefs in the pub kitchen. It’s recommended you reserve a table as it can get busy
Address: 119 Kensington Church Street, London W8 7LN
