The 27 Best Pubs in London (2026): Historic Taverns, Sunday Roasts & Neighborhood Locals
London has ~3,500 pubs. Most are mediocre. These 27 aren't.
Some pubs are places you drink. A few are places you remember. This list is the second kind — the historic taverns Dickens actually drank in, the Sunday roasts worth crossing town for, the riverside terraces at golden hour, and the hidden locals most tourists never find.
Every pub below is verified for 2026 — current owners, real hours, whether it survived the gentrification wave. It's condensed from the full pub chapter of our 642-page London Travel Guide, which lists every one with addresses, nearest Tube, and the exact thing to order.
The famous historic pubs (the Dickens-and-Johnson tier)
| Pub | Area | Why it matters | Nearest Tube |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese | Fleet Street, EC4 | 1667 cellar bar — candlelit, low ceilings, 350 years of history | Blackfriars |
| The George Inn | Southwark, SE1 | London's last galleried coaching inn — National Trust owned | London Bridge |
| Lamb & Flag | Covent Garden, WC2 | The 18th-c 'Bucket of Blood' — bare-knuckle fights upstairs | Covent Garden |
| The Mayflower | Rotherhithe, SE16 | Oldest pub on the Thames — named after the actual ship | Rotherhithe |
Start with Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese. Go downstairs to the cellar bar. Order a pint of cask ale and sit in the wood-paneled gloom where Dr Johnson argued with Boswell. This is London pub culture at its most concentrated.
The best Sunday roasts in London (2026)
The Sunday roast is London's national dish. Choose wrong and you'll be furious at a dry Yorkshire pudding; choose right and you'll plan your next Sunday around it.
- The Canton Arms (South Lambeth) — the roast everyone in South London argues about, and the one that wins
- The Harwood Arms (Fulham) — London's only Michelin-starred pub; book Sundays weeks ahead
- The Camberwell Arms — beef dripping roast potatoes, a wine list that embarrasses restaurants
- Blacklock (Soho/Shoreditch/City) — £20 Sunday roast with all the trimmings; best value in central London
Riverside pubs — where to drink on the Thames
- Trafalgar Tavern (Greenwich) — Dickens drank here; the bow windows look straight over the river
- The Dove (Hammersmith) — Britain's smallest bar room, right on the towpath
- The Anchor Bankside (Southwark) — last riverside pub before Tower Bridge; upstairs terrace
- The Mayflower (Rotherhithe) — the terrace at low tide looking at Execution Dock
The correct Greenwich afternoon: boat down from Westminster, Cutty Sark, Painted Hall, then pints outside the Trafalgar Tavern as the tide turns. That's a day you'll remember.
Hidden gems and neighborhood locals worth crossing town for
| Pub | Area | Why you go |
|---|---|---|
| The Holly Bush | Hampstead | Georgian house on a lane — a country pub in Zone 2, real fires |
| The Grenadier | Belgravia | Hidden down a mews; haunted by a cheating card player; great Bloody Marys |
| The Churchill Arms | Notting Hill | Famous flower-covered exterior + bizarrely good Thai food inside |
| The Spaniards Inn | Hampstead | 1585 coaching inn on the Heath — Dick Turpin allegedly stayed |
Pub etiquette for Americans — the stuff nobody tells you
- Order at the bar, always. There's no table service in most pubs
- Round-buying: if a local buys you a drink, buy the next round. Skipping your round is social death
- 'Cheers' replaces both please and thank you
- Last orders is 11pm (sometimes 10:30). The bell rings, and that's it
- Pub quizzes (Mon/Tue) are deadly serious. Join one if you can — don't heckle
Take the whole trip with you
Every restaurant, walk, booking link, map, and backup plan here is expanded with full detail in our London Travel Guide PDF — 642 pages. Instant download, less than the service charge on one mediocre pint near the London Eye.
FAQ
What's the oldest pub in London?
Several claim it depending on definition — the Mayflower (Rotherhithe) and Spaniards Inn (Hampstead) both have 1580s roots. Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese (1667) is the most famous in its verifiable original building.
What should you order at a London pub?
A pint of cask ale (ask the bartender what's pouring well). Non-drinkers: lime and soda is the classic. Food-wise: Sunday roast on Sunday, handmade pies otherwise.
Are London pubs expensive?
Central pints run £5.50–7.50; Zone 2+ often £1–2 cheaper. Sunday roasts £15–28 depending on quality. Still one of London's best-value ways to eat well.
Can you go to a pub without drinking?
Completely. Most London pubs serve excellent coffee, soft drinks, and increasingly good alcohol-free beer. The historic pubs are worth visiting for architecture and atmosphere alone.