Pubs! They are Britain’s pride and joy and we’ve got absolutely tonnes of them. But as any seasoned drinker will know, not all boozers are born equal. Many Brits have their own markers for what sets apart the great from the good. Do they pour a perfectly crisp lager, serve a banging burger, have a lovely beer garden, or just have a particularly eye-catching carpet?
Helping to separate the wheat from the chaff, the Telegraph has just released its annual ranking of the 650 best pubs in the UK, featuring 500 joints from England and 150 from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Pubs were selected by a panel of experts for criteria including a welcoming atmosphere, high-quality drinks, and a strong sense of community.
The capital did us proud, with 44 London boozers featuring in the paper’s ranking including many Time Out favourites.
We love the Coach & Horses on Greek Street, a Soho institution that was once home to London’s self-proclaimed ‘rudest landlord’. He’s gone now, but these days the pub serves a rotating cast of excellent independent ales and an impeccable crisp selection. The Pembury Tavern in Hackney, which is home to one of our favourite ‘zas in the capital, Ace Pizza, is also worth a visit. Gospel Oak’s unpretentious Southampton Arms, known for its pork baps and real ales, is well deserving of a spot in the ranking according to us.
The 44 best pubs in London, according to the Telegraph
Here’s every London boozer in the newspaper’s latest nationwide pub ranking.
- The Cockpit – 7 St Andrew’s Hill, EC4V 5BY
- The Craft Beer Co – 82 Leather Lane, EC1N 7TR
- The Hand & Shears – 1 Middle St, EC1A 7JA
- Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese – 145 Fleet St, EC4A 2BP
- Ye Olde Mitre – 1 Ely Ct, EC1N 6SJ
- The Wild Swan – 99 Fetter Lane, EC4A 1AN
- The Blythe Hill Tavern – 319 Stanstead Rd, SE6 4US
- The Dog & Bell – 116 Prince St, SE8 3JD
- The Pelton Arms – 23-25 Pelton Rd, SE10 9PQ
- The Dacre Arms – 11 Kingswood Pl, SE13 5BU
- The Axe – 18 Northwold Rd, N16 7HR
- The Coach & Horses – 29 Greek St, W1D 5DH
- The Devonshire – 17 Denman St, W1D 7HW
- The Coach & Horses – 42 Wellington St, WC2E 7BD
- The Harp – 47 Chandos Pl, WC2N 4HS
- The Kings Arms – 25 Roupell St, SE1 8TB
- The Royal Oak – 44 Tabard St, SE1 4JU
- The Lord Clyde – 27 Clennam St, SE1 1ER
- The Sutton Arms – 16 Great Sutton St, EC1V 0DH
- The Carpenters Arms – 73 Cheshire St, E2 6EG
- The Hope – 48 West St, SM5 2PR
- The Bricklayers Arms – 32 Waterman St, SW15 1DD
- The Pride of Spitalfields – 3 Heneage St, E1 5LJ
- The Pembury Tavern – 90 Amhurst Rd, E8 1JH
- The Queen’s Head – 66 Acton St, WC1X 9NB
- The King Charles I – 55-57 Northdown St, N1 9DP
- The Southampton Arms – 139 Highgate Rd, NW5 1LE
- The Mall Tavern – 71 Palace Gardens Terrace, W8 4DY
- The Angel – 61 St Giles High St, WC2H 8LE
- The Cock Tavern – 315 Mare St, E8 1EJ
- Chesham Arms – 15 Mehetabel Rd, E9 6DU
- The Antelope – 87 Maple Rd, KT6 4AW
- The Jackalope – 43 Weymouth Mews, W1G 7EQ
- The Wenlock Arms – 26 Wenlock Rd, N1 7TA
- The Robin – 29 Crouch Hill, N4 4AP
- The Black Lion – 262 Kilburn High Rd, NW6 2BY
- The Trafalgar Freehouse – 23 High Path, SW19 2JY
- The Eagle Ale House – 104 Chatham Rd, SW11 6HG
- The Express Tavern – 56 Kew Bridge Rd, TW8 0EW
- The Masons Arms – 41 Walpole Rd, TW11 8PJ
- The Hand and Marigold – 244 Bermondsey Street, SE1 3UH
- The King’s Arms – 11A Buckfast Street, E2 6EY
- The Park Tavern – 19 New Road, KT2 6AP
- The Mitre – 20 St Mary’s Grove, TW9 1UY
Find the Telegraph’s full UK-wide list here.
🍻 The best pubs in London, according to Time Out.
Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.
Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.
