A SELECTION OF LONDON'S BEST PUBS
London has some absolutely fantastic pubs and, as part of our commitment to showing you the best that the Capital has to offer we’ve put together this guide to some of our favourite London pubs.
Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese
Wine Office Court, 145 Fleet Street, London, EC4A 2BU
Telephone: 020 7353-6170
Nearest Underground: Blackfriars (District and Circle Line and Mainline) or
Chancery Lane (Central Line)
Opening Hours: Monday to Friday 11am-11pm;
Saturday noon-11pm; Sunday noon-4pm.
Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese was “rebuilt” in 1667, after a previous building on the site had been destroyed by the Great Fire of London the previous year. Once inside you find yourself pitched into a rambling medley of warren-like corridors, low-beamed rooms and narrow staircases.
The George Inn
75 -77 Borough High Street, Southwark, London, SE1 1NH
Telephone: 020 7407 2056
Nearest Underground: London Bridge (Northern and Jubilee Lines)
Opening Hours: Monday to Saturday 11am to 11pm. Sunday noon to 10.30pm.
The George is London’s only surviving galleried coaching inn and harks back to pre-railway days. Built in 1667 it is now owned by the National Trust and boasts an interior that drips with atmosphere.
Ye Olde Mitre Tavern
1 Ely Court, Ely Place, London, EC1N 6SJ
Telephone: 020 7405 4751
Nearest Underground: Farringdon (Circle, Hammersmith and City and Metropolitan Lines); or Chancery Lane (Central Line)
Opening Hours: Monday to Friday 11am to 11pm. Closed weekends.
Ye Olde Mitre Tavern is one of London’s best kep secrets. It dates back to 1546 and is one of the most difficult pubs to find in London!
Cittie of Yorke
22 High Holborn, London, WC1V 6BN
Telephone: 020 7242 7670
Nearest Underground: Chancery Lane (Central Line)
Opening Hours: Monday to Friday noon to 11pm; Saturday noon to 10pm; Closed Sunday.
An unusually long entrance porch leads into the cavernous main bar of this Grade 11 listed hostelry which is as cosy a place as you could wish to find.
The Prospect of Whitby
57 Wapping Wall, London E1W 3SH
Phone: 020 3582 4875
Nearest Station: Wapping (London Overground)
Opening Hours: Monday to Thursday noon to 11pm;
Friday and Saturday noon to midnight; Sunday noon to 10.30pm.
With a history that reputedly stretches back to 1520 the Prospect of Whitby boasts the distinction of being London’s oldest riverside pub.
The Town of Ramsgate
62 Wapping High Street, Wapping, London E1W 2PN
Telephone: 020 7481 8000
Nearest Station: Wapping (London Overground)
Opening Hours: Monday to Saturday noon to midnight; Sunday noon to 10.30pm
Another historic riverside pub with a balcony that, literally, hangs out over the River Thames.
The Grapes
76 Narrow Street, London, E14 8BP
Telephone: 020 7987 4396
Nearest Station: Westferry or West India Quay (DLR)
Opening Hours: Monday to Wednesday noon to 3pm and 5.30pm to 11pm;
Thursday to Saturday noon to 11pm; Sunday noon to 10.30pm.
Website
This is an absolutely superb riverside pub that was mentioned by Charles Dickens and is part-owned by Sir Ian Mckellen.
Lamb and Flag
33 Rose Street, London WC2E 9EB
Telephone: 020 7497 9504
Nearest Underground: Covent Garden (Piccadilly Line)
Opening Hours: Monday to Saturday 11am to 11pm; Sunday noon to 10.30pm.
Website
One of Covent Gardens most historic pubs the Lamb and flag is a cosy place set back in a small courtyard with a narrow passageway running alongside it.
The Seven Stars
53- 54 Carey Street, London, WC2A 7JB
Telephone: 020 7242 8521
Nearest Underground: Holborn (Piccadilly and Central Lines)
Opening Hours: Monday to Saturday 11am to 11pm.
There used to be an old saying that equated financial disaster which went “you’ll wind up in Carey Street.” Today, however, Carey Street is the perfect place to wind down in and the place to do so is the Seven Stars, run by the wonderfully characterful Roxy Beaujolais.
Ye Olde Watling
29 Watling Street, London, EC4M 9BR
Telephone: 020 7248 8935
Nearest Underground: Mansion House (Circle and District Lines)
Opening Hours: Monday to Friday 10:00 – 11.30pm; Saturday noon to 8pm; Sunday noon to 5pm;
Website
This pub, said to have been constructed from old ships timbers, was, reputedly, built by Sir Christopher Wren as a hostel for his workmen who were rebuilding nearby St Paul’s Cathedral.
Williamson’s Tavern
1 Groveland Court, London, EC4M 9EH
Telephone:020 7248 5750
Nearest Underground: Mansion House (Circle and District Lines)
Opening Hours: Monday to Friday: 10am to 11.30pm
Website
Standing at the exact centre of the City of London Williamson’s Tavern is a true find.
The Sherlock Holmes Pub
10-11 Northumberland Street, London WC2N 5DB
Telephone:020 7930 2644
Nearest Underground: Embankment (Circle, District, Northern and Bakerloo Lines)
Opening Hours: Monday to Thursday 11am to 11pm;
Friday and Saturday 11am to midnight; Sunday 11am to 10.30pm
Sherlock Holmes’s most famous adventure The Hound of the Baskervilles began on Northumberland Avenue and some claim that this pub was the hotel where Sir Henry Baskerville was staying when he arrived in London. The pace is a veritable shrine to Sherlock Holmes, with Sherlockian memorabilia adorning its walls, and black and white films playing (albeit with the sound turned down!).
