BEST PUBS IN LONDON

A few of our favourite pubs in London…

On The History of London in Four Drinks tour we visit one of the City of London’s most beautiful pubs and we walk past a few others but we know that people often want to know good pubs in London, especially if they fancy carrying on and move on to maybe the fourth and fifth drink!

It seems like everywhere you walk in London, you walk past several pubs. It is easy to be overwhelmed by all your options when it comes to different pubs to visit. It is hard to simply crown the best pub in all of London, since all of them have their unique quirks, however we will highlight some of the more notable or interesting pubs in the whole city. 

Pubs to visit after the end of the Four Drinks tour:

The Old Bank of England

This pub was in fact at one point an operational branch of the Bank of England, which was active until 1975. They certainly knew how to make a grand banking hall in Victorian times and this element of grandeur is a welcome surprise as you walk for a simple pint. Look out for their beer garden complete with Routemaster double decker pub and if you fancy a bit of history, ask if you can see the bank vaults and just imagine all that money that used to be stored here. 

https://www.oldbankofengland.com/

Ye Olde Mitre

If you are looking for one of London’s oldest and most historic pubs, Ye Olde Mitre is your spot. This pub is hidden in an alley, but it is a must visit for pub lovers in London. This Holborn pub had guests including William Shakespeare as well as Queen Elizabeth I. This hidden pub is well worth a visit as it is one of the most iconic London pubs.

https://www.yeoldemitreholborn.co.uk/

Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese

If you enjoy literature, then the Olde Cheshire Cheese pub in the City of London is a must visit for you. Literary figures such as Oliver Goldsmith, Mark Twain, Samuel Johnson, and even Charles Dickens were all said to be frequent visitors at this historic pub. 

https://www.cheshirecheese.pub/

Lamb and Flag

This Covent Garden pub was originally established in 1772. This is another one of London’s most historic pubs. The pub’s upstairs area used to be home to illegal bare knuckle fights. One of the Lamb and Flag most notable guests was Charles Dickens, who was a frequent visitor of this Covent Garden pub.

https://www.lambandflagcoventgarden.co.uk/

The Anchor Bankside

What better way to start off a guide to London’s pubs than by starting off talking about the oldest pub in the city. This Southwark pub was first established in 1616, making it over 400 years old. While the pub has been open since the early 17th century, the building has been redone several times, the first was after the Great Fire of London in 1666, and the most recent was in the 19th century. 

https://www.greeneking-pubs.co.uk/pubs/greater-london/anchor-bankside/

The Churchill Arms

This Kensington pub may be the most visually appealing pub out of all the London pubs. The exterior of the building is completely covered in flowers. The Churchill Arms is one of the very few pubs to win at the Chelsea Flower Show. Inside the pub, the Churchill Arms differs from others in its menu. Their menu is fully Thai inspired, and in fact it is the only London pub to have a fully Thai menu.

https://www.churchillarmskensington.co.uk/

The Dickens Inn

In the eighteenth century the Dickens Inn was a tea factory by Tower Bridge, since then the building has been repurposed as a three story pub. The fact that the building is so large means that there is always something going on at the Dickens Inn. A visit to the Dickens Inn makes you feel like you are in a different part of London’s history.

https://www.dickensinn.co.uk/

The Dublin Castle

London has always been the starting grounds for plenty of massive musical acts over the years, many of them performing at pubs all over the city in order to gain popularity. The Dublin Castle in Camden is one of the most important pubs in the London music scene, acts such as Blur, Coldplay, Arctic Monkeys, The Killers, and Amy Winehouse all performed at this pub before their fame. To this day, there are still plenty of up and coming artists performing here most nights.

https://thedublincastle.com/

The Seven Stars

The Seven Stars is one of the oldest pubs in all of London. This Holborn establishment has been open since 1602, even predating the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. The Seven Stars even survived the Great Fire of 1666. If you want a glimpse of what life in London was like centuries ago, a visit to the Seven Stars would be well worth your time.

https://www.thesevenstars1602.co.uk/