A reliable Soho standard for decades, with pleasingly unmolested decor and interesting, well-kept beer. It’s a survivor of the literary Soho of old. Read more.
An evergreen haunt of Soho barflies, the French House should have 'La Marseillaise' playing as you walk in. Read more.
Where once fine and varied sausages were the main selling points of this well-hidden pub near Charing Cross post office, now it's sought-after ales. Read more.
Bradley’s may call itself a bar, but it’s indisputably one of the West End’s few great pubs, and home to London’s most appealing jukebox, a vinyl-driven, genre-spanning monster. Read more.
There's been a business located at this gateway to a cobbled alleyway since 1730. But as a pub it had its heyday in the mid 20th century, when George Orwell was a regular. Read more.
One of the most exciting beer selections in the city sees 37 of them on draught and a doorstopper of a list that includes rarely seen brews from the world over. Read more.
Outstanding British food, interesting real ales and a sympathetic restoration make this Smithfield stalwart a real treasure; pints in pewter tankards add to the cordiality. Read more.
This pub isn’t big but it is still possible to get lost in its two rooms. That might be down to the oddly green colour scheme or the cracking beer from St Peter’s Brewery in Suffolk. Read more.
In its favour: a Shepherd Neame pub with well-kept ale and the welcome of a proper local in the back streets of Bloomsbury. The downside: it’s closed at weekends. Read more.
This spooky ancient tavern is where Dan Brown would buy a beer if he was in town. Shadowy alleys lead into a medieval courtyard where a sign reveals Ye Olde Mitre was built by Bishop Goodrich in 1546. Read more.
A secretive drinking den in an alley that manages to evoke memories of countless handshakes, tip-offs and clandestine collusions. Read more.
This Fleet Street landmark was rebuilt back in 1667 ('in the reign of King Charles II'), and its seventeenth-century history is in large part responsible for its twenty-first-century appeal. Read more.
This princess is actually the queen of Yorkshire brewer Samuel Smith’s collection of central London pubs. Read more.
A super little neighbourhood pub in Bloomsbury with an inspired beer selection, cheese and meat boards, and thoughtful design touches. There’s live music, comedy and a regular quiz. Read more.
