London doesn’t suffer a shortage of places to drink. From wood‑paneled Victorian boozers to sleek riverside taprooms, the capital’s pub landscape is as varied as its people. But in a city with thousands of watering holes, where do you actually find the standouts – the places that combine atmosphere, history, good beer and a proper sense of welcome?
Londonist’s “100 Best Pubs in London” is an attempt to answer exactly that. Drawing on years of pavement‑pounding, pint‑sampling and reader tips, this list charts the capital’s finest hostelries borough by borough. It’s not about the most fashionable bars or priciest cocktails, but the pubs that define London at street level: the backstreet locals, the riverside refuges, the ale havens, the corners where conversations stretch long into the night.
This is not a ranking,but a curated map of must‑visit drinking spots – a guide for visitors who want to drink like Londoners,and for Londoners who suspect their new favorite pub might potentially be just a few stops away.
Historic boozers and timeless taprooms where London pub culture was born
Slip behind the plate-glass of the 21st century and you’ll still find corners of London where the pint is poured much as it was in Dickens’s day. These are the wood-panelled snug bars and narrow, sawdust-sprinkled taprooms that once slaked printers, lightermen and market porters, and now harbour office workers and curious visitors.Their etched mirrors advertise long-vanished breweries, their ceilings are stained with a century of pipe smoke, and their back bars hide curios that double as a social archive: match-strikers, clay pipes, faded theater bills. Crucially, they’re not museums. Conversation still ricochets from bar to fireplace, dominoes clatter on table tops, and the landlord-never “bar manager” here-rules with a mix of banter and benign dictatorship.
Look out for small architectural tells that signal the city’s drinking DNA: snob screens separating public from saloon, leaded windows that blur the outside world, and handpulls polished by generations of regulars. In places like these, you’re encouraged to slow down, lean on the counter and treat the bar as a stage rather than a service hatch. Common threads include:
- Period interiors with Victorian or Edwardian woodwork, tiled passages and original bar fittings.
- Regulars at “their” spots, often with stories that pre-date your lifetime-and sometimes the pub’s current name.
- Cask ale line-ups dominated by regional stalwarts, guest brews chalked on a board, and cellars kept with near-religious care.
- Unamplified atmosphere: the soundtrack is clinking glassware, low gossip and the occasional burst of song after last orders is called.
| Pub Feature | What It Tells You |
|---|---|
| Snug bar | Once a discreet bolt-hole for deals and courtships |
| Etched brewery glass | Survivor from the tied-house era of London giants |
| Worn brass footrail | Decades of drinkers anchored to the same stretch of bar |
| Bell for last orders | Old licensing laws still echo in the evening ritual |
Hidden neighborhood gems beyond Zone One worth crossing the city for
Beyond the gravitational pull of the West End and the City, London’s outer boroughs harbour some of the capital’s most characterful pints. In backstreets of Walthamstow,Bromley and Harrow,you’ll find wood‑panelled locals where the same faces appear every Friday,alongside destination boozers with ambitious kitchens,tap lists that read like a hop‑head’s manifesto,and beer gardens that feel almost rural. These places thrive on regulars but welcome visitors, rewarding the Tube or Overground pilgrimage with proper cask ale, conversation that doesn’t need to compete with a DJ, and the sense that you’ve stepped into a community rather than a concept.
What makes them special isn’t just the beer, but the way they quietly define their corners of London. Many sit on the edge of parks or by sleepy high streets,luring walkers,cyclists and curious day‑trippers with chalkboard promises of Sunday roasts,live jazz,or a log fire in winter. Expect:
- Hyper-local identity – from brewery collaborations to walls lined with neighbourhood history.
- Serious cellarmanship – rotating cask lines, small-batch kegs and well-kept lagers.
- Spaces made for lingering – snug corners, sun-trap gardens and dog-friendly bar rooms.
- Food that goes beyond beige – from Sri Lankan small plates to modern British pub classics.
| Area | Pub Vibe | Why Travel? |
|---|---|---|
| Walthamstow | Craft-heavy corner local | Rare kegs and courtyard sessions |
| Crystal Palace | Victorian hilltop boozer | Skyline views with Sunday jazz |
| Tooting | Bustling community hub | South Asian snacks with cask ale |
| Harrow-on-the-Hill | Storybook historic inn | Postcard lanes and fireside pints |
Craft beer havens and hop focused bars redefining the modern London local
Across the city, a new breed of pub has emerged where the pump clip is as carefully curated as a gallery wall. These places lean into taplists that read like a world tour of small-batch producers: hazy New England IPAs from Bermondsey, spontaneously fermented ales from the suburbs, and crisp German-style lagers brewed within the M25. Beer menus are often presented on chalkboards or digital screens, refreshed several times a day as kegs kick and new experiments are tapped. The atmosphere remains unmistakably London – chatter at the bar, steamed-up windows, the rustle of newspapers – but the emphasis has shifted from brand loyalty to flavor exploration, with staff trained to talk tannins, esters and IBUs as confidently as a sommelier.
- Rotating tap takeovers that spotlight a single brewery or style for one night only.
- Mini tasting paddles encouraging drinkers to compare pale, sour and stout side by side.
- Fridge lines stacked with limited-release cans and bottles, often available to take away.
- Food pairings that move beyond peanuts: think bao buns with pilsner, tacos with a punchy IPA.
| Style | Typical ABV | Best Enjoyed With |
|---|---|---|
| Session Pale Ale | 3.5-4.2% | Chips,scotch eggs |
| Hazy IPA | 5.5-7% | Spicy wings,loaded fries |
| Dry Stout | 4-5% | Oysters,beef pie |
| Sour Ale | 3-5% | Fried chicken,pickles |
This hop-first mindset has also changed how locals use their neighbourhood boozers. Regulars keep an eye on social feeds to catch the arrival of a cult double IPA, or a collaboration brew that will only pour for a weekend. Brewer meet-the-maker evenings, can-release launches and informal tasting schools bring a sense of occasion to a midweek pint, while long benches and shared tables keep things convivial rather than clinical. The result is a city where the corner pub can double as a crash course in contemporary brewing, and where discovering your new favourite beer is as much a part of the ritual as claiming your favourite seat by the window.
Sunday roasts riverside views and food led pubs that justify a special trip
There are pubs you drop into, and pubs you plan a day around. The latter tend to come with crackling fires, well-kept cask and the kind of roast that has North Londoners seriously considering a Zone 6 pilgrimage. Along the Thames, the Lea and the Wandle, dining rooms are now as carefully curated as the beer lists: think 48-hour brined pork belly, crisped just-so, next to Yorkshire puddings that rise like small monuments. Add in picture-window views of bobbing boats or winter-blue water and you have the capital’s most civilised way to waste a Sunday afternoon.
- Slow-roast joints carved to order, with proper gravy and seasonal veg
- Riverside terraces that turn lunch into a long, louche sitting
- Cellars of interest: low-intervention wines and obscure bitters on handpump
- Chef-led menus that change weekly but never drop the roast potatoes
| Pub Type | Why It’s Worth The Journey |
|---|---|
| Riverside Dining Room | Panoramic water views with plated roasts that rival city restaurants. |
| Country-Style City Local | Low beams, board games and a roast that feels like a mini getaway. |
| Modern Gastro Hub | Experimentally minded chefs reinventing the trimmings without losing the comfort. |
Closing Remarks
In a city as vast and fast-changing as London, pubs remain one of its few true constants: rooms where history, community and a decent pint all converge. This list of 100 is not a definitive canon so much as a snapshot of a living culture-one that shifts with every new landlord, refurbished snug and freshly pulled cask.
Some of the venues here are institutions, woven into the fabric of their neighbourhoods for generations; others are relative newcomers, already reshaping what a London pub can be. Together, they show the breadth of the capital’s drinking landscape, from riverside boozers and Victorian palaces to backstreet locals and modern beer halls.Use this guide as a starting point, not an endpoint. Explore beyond your postcode, revisit old haunts and seek out corners of the city you’ve never raised a glass in before.And if your own favourite didn’t make the cut this time, consider it a reminder of what makes London’s pub scene so compelling: there is always another great barstool, and another great story, just around the corner.
