Last week, after months of pulling up stools, sinking pints, scoping out beer gardens and tucking into pub grub, Time Out brought to you its guide to the best pubs in the UK for 2026.
We know, we know – everyone will have different opinions over what makes a great pub. But there are certain criteria that help boozers stand out above the rest. Every pub on our newly updated list has exceptional staff, charismatic decor, a perfect line-up of drinks and an unshakeable sense of community. On top of that, some sit within magnificent landscapes, some have a long history of legendary DJ sets and others have a quality food menu to boot.
The guide is mostly made up of pubs outside of London, but there was one special boozer in the capital that snuck onto the list. And that boozer was the Old Nun’s Head in the southeast of the city.
During the Reformation, the pub’s Nunhead site was home to a nunnery. Its name comes from the story of a rebellious Mother Superior who was murdered and had her head stuck on a pikestaff on the green. Thankfully, these days it’s a far less macabre place. In fact, our writer called it the ‘funnest’ pub in London. It’s also currently top of Time Out’s list of the best pubs in the city.
Rosie Hewitson, Time Out London’s things to do editor, wrote that the Old Nun’s Head is ‘an excellently offbeat, queer-friendly boozer in the bones of a grand 1930s building’ and in recent years has become southeast London’s favourite unofficial queer venue. That’s thanks to its calendar of campy entertainment from drag-king cabaret to the NSFW Cake Sit. It’s also got a shrine to Britney Spears and serves whopping New York-style pizzas from its resident kitchen Slice Circle. That’s pretty close to perfection if you ask us.
In this year’s Time Out ranking of the top boozers in Britain, we crowned Manchester’s Peveril of the Peak the greatest in the land. Time Out contributor Kyle MacNeil wrote: ‘The Pev is the kind of pub that’s so perfect, it deserves to serve as the venue for the wetting of your head, your wedding and your wake. And, preferably, as much life in between.’
🍻 Thirsty for more? Here’s the full list of Britain’s best pubs.
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