34 Best Bars in London, England

A step from Blackfriars Tube station, this spectacular pub has an Arts and Crafts interior that is entertainingly, satirically ecclesiastical, with inlaid mother-of-pearl, wood carvings, stained glass, and marble pillars all over the place. Under finely lettered temperance tracts on view just below the reliefs of monks, fairies, and friars, there is a nice group of ales on tap from independent brewers. The 20th-century poet Sir John Betjeman once led a successful campaign to save the pub from demolition.

On the corner of Greek Street, Soho's most famous pub is as authentic as they come, complete with light oak saloon bar screens, spittoon troughs, sturdy bar stools, and occasional singalongs around the upright piano. Established in 1840, this was once the haunt for a mélange of Soho's finest writers, journalists, and artists—from painter Lucian Freud to Welsh poet Dylan Thomas. Today, you can still down pints of London Pride beer and drink with the best of Soho's modern-day bohemians.

A beautiful example of a High Victorian pub, the Dog and Duck has a majestic interior overflowing with thousands of ornate glazed tiles, etched mirrors, chandeliers, and polished wood, although it's often so packed it can be hard to get a proper look. There's a fine selection of cask ales at the bar and a restaurant serving superb pale ale–battered fish-and-chips with mushy peas. Originally built in 1734 and patronized by artists and poets like John Constable and Dante Gabriel Rossetti, the cozy upstairs dining room is named for writer and Dog and Duck regular George Orwell (who celebrated with a glass of absinthe here upon hearing that Animal Farm had won an American book prize). 

Read the list of famous ex-regulars, from Charles II and Nell Gwyn to Ernest Hemingway and Dylan Thomas, as you wait for a beer at this smart, comely, and popular 16th-century Thames riverside pub on the Upper Mall towpath in Hammersmith. If—as is often the case—The Dove is too full, stroll upstream along the bank to The Old Ship or The Blue Anchor.

This refreshingly ungentrified 17th-century pub was once known as "The Bucket of Blood" because the upstairs room and front yard were used as a ring for winner-takes-all, bare-knuckle fights—a popular form of live entertainment back in the day. Now it's a much friendlier place, serving British food and real ale. It's on the edge of Covent Garden, up a hidden alley off Garrick Street.

Named after a collier ship, this is one of London's oldest riverside pubs, dating to around 1520. Although a regular for Dickens, Pepys, Samuel Johnson, and the American artist James Whistler, once upon a time it was called The Devil's Tavern because of the lowlifes—sailors, smugglers, footpads, and cutthroats—who congregated here. With a 400-year-old flagstone floor and ornamented with pewter ware and nautical objects, this much-loved boozer has a terrace with views of the Thames, from where boat trips often point it out.

The front patio and wood-paneled bar of this traditional pub next door to Charles Dickens's former residence is invariably crowded, especially after work, but the restaurant to the rear is comfortable and more peaceful. Dishes range from elevated pub classics like cider-battered fish-and-chips to more sophisticated offerings like roast partridge with pommes Anna or beef Wellington with celeriac puree. Standards, of both the cooking and the selection of beer and wines, are high. Service is friendly, if occasionally erratic.

Located on the much quieter upper concourse of St. Pancras International's splendidly renovated Victorian station, this pub provides a haven from the hustle and bustle below. Inside, there’s a cozy warren of rooms or you can grab a seat on the concourse terrace and watch Eurostar trains come and go. A fine selection of ales, as well as some superior pub fare, is on offer.

Located between the British Museum and the West End, this pretty Victorian-era pub with its stained-glass windows and varnished wooden floors and paneling is the perfect place for a pit stop. Legend says it was the final watering hole for condemned criminals en route to Tyburn gallows at Marble Arch. A good selection of pub fare is served all day.

This boho-chic Irish pub is all about the Guinness and the superb, if pricey, seafood. Whether you're in the unpretentious downstairs saloon bar or the more formal dining rooms upstairs, the atmosphere is always warm, welcoming, and buzzing. It's long been a favorite haunt of fashion glitterati such as Stella McCartney, Victoria Beckham, and Alexa Chung.

Just around the corner from King's Cross mainline station, this popular pub is the perfect place for a late afternoon pick-me-up or as an evening destination in its own right. Cocktails, craft beers, and an impressive wine list are all on the menu, as is a winning selection of shared plates and more substantial pub fare (their Sunday roasts are legendary in these parts). There's also a cute rooftop terrace.

Not every pub is also a Grade I–listed, National Trust property, but this is London's last surviving galleried coaching inn. Dickens once frequented the inn's Coffee Room (now the Middle Bar) and name-checked The George in Little Dorrit. The gallery overlooks a cobblestone courtyard where plays may have been performed in Elizabethan times (galleried inns were frequently used as production venues), although the current building dates back only to 1677 after the original was destroyed in a fire. The interior is a maze of 18th-century low-ceilinged rooms replete with wood-paneled walls and period features. The cozy Parliament Bar, where passengers would have waited for the coach, is on the ground floor, while a restaurant is upstairs on the galleried level. Luckily the pub is not just a museum piece—it also has modern amenities like a beer garden and Wi-Fi.

This is the sort of friendly flower-decked local pub you might find on some out-of-the-way backstreet, except that it's right in the middle of town, between Trafalgar Square and Covent Garden. As a result, The Harp can get mighty crowded, but the squeeze is worth it for the excellent cask beer and cider (there are usually 10 carefully chosen ales, often including a London microbrew, plus 10 ciders and perries) and a no-frills menu of high-quality British sausages, cooked behind the bar.

Located in a charming, quiet, residential enclave just off Notting Hill Gate, this friendly local pub is the perfect place for a pit-stop. Find a spot inside the snug wood-paneled bar or outside on the terrace where you can watch the world go by. Excellent pub food is also served.

Located a short walk up the hill from Hampstead Tube station, the friendly Holly Bush dates back to the 18th century and retains something of the country pub it was before the city spread this far north, thanks to the stripped wooden floors, walls paneled in dark wood, and big open fires. The combination of great ales and organic, free-range gastropub food makes it perennially packed with locals. Try the roast pumpkin and sage ravioli or the pan-roasted hake loin with celeriac, leek, and a mussel velouté; and don't miss the hot cider in the wintertime.

Charles Dickens and his contemporaries drank here, but today's enthusiastic clientele make sure this intimate and eternally popular pub avoids the pitfalls of feeling too old-timey. One interesting feature: for private chats at the bar, you can close a delicate etched-glass "snob screen" to the bar staff, opening it only when you fancy another pint.

If you find yourself craving a drink at 11 am, this traditional London pub, dating back to 1638 (although the name was changed in 1890), is for you. The early opening hour is not because it caters to alcoholics but for the Borough Market stallholders, who have already put in several hours by opening time (in fact, the pub is actually also open weekdays from 6 am to 9 am for this very reason although it doesn't start serving alcohol until 11 am). The S-shape Victorian-era bar, with its walls and ceiling covered in pump badges and beer mats, is packed when the market is busy but calms down during off-peak hours. There are 12 real ales on draught, and decent pub grub using seasonal produce from the market is served in the restaurant upstairs. The pub also provided the location for the Third Hand Book Emporium in the movie version of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

With a solid claim to being the oldest pub on the Thames, this deeply atmospheric riverside inn dates back to the mid-16th century (although it was rebuilt in the 17th) and comes with exposed beams, mullioned windows, open fires, and nautical design touches. You can sit outside on the heated-deck jetty that overlooks the Mayflower's original mooring. When the ship sailed for America in 1620, it was here that Captain Christopher Jones took on the 65 passengers who became some of the original Pilgrims before proceeding to Southampton and then Plymouth (Jones is buried in the nearby church of St. Mary's in Rotherhithe; legend has it that he moored here to avoid paying taxes farther down the river). The Mayflower, formerly known as The Spread Eagle, is also the only pub licensed to sell U.S. and U.K. postage stamps (inquire at the bar), a tradition dating back to the 1800s when time-pressed sailors were able to order a pint and a postage stamp at the same time.

Across the street from the British Museum in Bloomsbury, this friendly and classy Victorian pub makes an ideal resting place after the rigors of the culture trail. Karl Marx unwound here after a hard day in the British Museum Library. If he visited today, he could spend his kapital on its excellent selection of craft beers and spirits.

In a bucolic spot on the edge of the wide expanse of Richmond Green, The Prince's Head is every bit the charming London boozer. Part of the Fuller's chain that has outposts all over the city, the pub is comfortingly familiar with its traditional wood-paneled interior and pub grub food menu. Two elements set the pub apart: first, there's the outside terrace, which seamlessly blends into the street, making it a prime spot to soak up the neighborhood buzz during warmer months. Second, there is the pub's supporting role in the hit TV show Ted Lasso, where it plays Ted's local pub (The Crown and Anchor in the show), turning it into a worthy pilgrimage for fans of the show and the fictional A.F.C. Richmond. 

This fine pub, popular with academics from the nearby British Museum and King's College London, is an exquisite museum piece of a Victorian interior, with glazed tiles, mosaic floors, and intricately engraved glass screens that divide the bar area into cozy little annexes. There's an excellent selection of real ales on tap, too.

In a quiet corner of Mayfair, the cozy little Punch Bowl dates to 1729 and the interior remains steadfastly old-fashioned, with a painting of Churchill, candles, polished dark wood, and engraved windows. Try the place's own ale, made specially in Scotland by Caledonian. A dining area at the rear buzzes at lunchtime with locals who come for the upscale English pub food, and there's a fancier restaurant upstairs.

Queen Charlotte, the wife of "mad" King George III, is said to have stored food for him here in the basement while he was being treated nearby. The interior of this tiny pub preserves its antique feel, with dark wood and old posters, and in the evenings fills up quickly with office workers, medics, and students from the nearby hospitals. It's located on the corner of pleasant Queen Square; if the weather's good, grab one of the outside tables.

There's been a tavern with this name on this site since 1788, but the interior of the current pub dates back to the 19th century; its specially commissioned engraved glass panels and dark wood detailing are a perfect example of Victorian pub decor. You'll find a few wines available by the glass, but the star here, as is the case at most traditional pubs, is the cask beer. The leather banquettes fill up fast when the after-work crowd descends. For those on the hunt for something to soak up that ale, they also serve freshly toasted sandwiches with fancy fillings like pastrami and oak-smoked cheddar, jalapeños, pickled gherkins, and American mustard. Or, if you're after something quintessentially British, opt for one of Mr. Barrick's pork pies—all food is available only between noon and 5 pm, Monday to Saturday.

Given its proximity to both the Houses of Parliament and Downing Street, it's no surprise that this traditional old boozer should be so popular with politicos of all stripes. Portraits of former prime ministers—several of whom also drank here—line the walls, and the bar room is one of a handful of premises outside the Palace of Westminster fitted with a "division bell" that recalls members of Parliament to the chamber for important votes.

Perched on top of Richmond Hill, The Roebuck has perhaps the best view of any pub in London. The most sought-after seats are the benches found directly across the road, which look out over the Thames as it winds its way into the countryside below. Friendly and surprisingly unpretentious, given its lofty surrounds, it is well worth the long climb up the hill from the center of Richmond.

Originally established in 1602 to cater to Dutch sailors (the seven stars refer to the seven medieval provinces of the Netherlands), this charming, award-winning hostelry somehow survived the Great Fire of London to become the little gem it is today. Located at the rear of the Royal Courts of Justice, you can often find barristers and their clients celebrating or drowning their sorrows. Scrumptious pub food is also served.

Ideal as a refueling point when you're hiking over Hampstead Heath, this atmospheric oak-beamed pub has been serving customers since 1585 and comes with a gorgeous garden that was immortalized in Dickens's Pickwick Papers. Other notable former patrons include infamous highwayman Dick Turpin as well as local resident Keats and fellow poets Shelley, Blake, and Byron. Fresh takes on traditional pub food and a wide selection of cask beer ensure a crowd, especially on Sunday. And if you've brought your furry friend along, there's a doggy bath in the garden.

Although the number of bells in its name has varied between 8 and 12, depending on how many bells were used by neighboring Christ Church Spitalfields, this pub retains its original mid-Victorian interior and tiles, including a frieze depicting the area's French Huguenot silk-weaving tradition on the north wall and particularly fine floral tiling on two others. Urban legend says that Jack the Ripper's third victim, Annie Chapman, had a drink here before meeting her gory end. The pub is also depicted in Alan Moore's acclaimed graphic novel From Hell.

With its excellent vista of the Thames, there is no more handsomely situated pub in Greenwich than the Trafalgar Tavern. Open at 11 am every day, it's still as grand a place as it ever was to have a pint and a quick tasty meal.