Britain’s 100 Best Pubs 2026: London winners
Published 10 November 2026

‘A centre point and leader in the Camberwell neighbourhood,’ this popular hostelry doubles as a local drop-in boozer and a reasonably priced restaurant. 'Compelling, simple, seasonal' food is served in a series of relaxed, pared-back spaces where the bones of the old pub remain (note the stripped floors, fireplaces and high Victorian ceilings). A hatch window out front means that drinks can be passed to drinkers on the pavement, and there's also a private dining room with its own bar. A fiery snack of 'Scotch bonnet pork fat on toast' throws down the gauntlet, ahead of a tempting selection of sharing plates ranging from onion squash fritti with pickled chilli and Kentish honey to Newlyn bluefin tuna tartare with bottarga. For something more substantial, look to the grilled fish, Saddleback pork belly with kalibos cabbage or a sharing dish of ‘farmer Tom Jones’ bratwurst with sauerkraut. To finish, the honeycomb ice-cream sundae is a current favourite. Sunday lunches catch the eye, and drinking options include ‘excellent pints’, cocktails and ‘interesting but accessible wines’.

Embedded in a bit of Hammersmith known as Brackenbury Village, the Andover has been here since the outset of the Victorian age. Its relationship with its neighbourhood is mutually beneficial, with locals drawn to its warm ambience, regular music events and community initiatives, as well as the sterling quality of its food. It's an agreeable scene indeed, with green wood panelling and Victorian photos, candles on the tables and potted plants – soothing natural tones amid the city's bustle. Dining could hardly be more informal: people drop in for nibbles, dipping whitebait in garlic mayo, ahead of big, serious burgers, pork chops or cod blitzed with pink peppercorns. Fillet steak cross-hatched from the chargrill, with a bunch of leaves, a cone of chips and salsa verde, is a meat course for the ages. Oysters in season are snapped up with abandon, by the dozen or as singletons, while old-school puds such as Pimm's Eton mess round things off. Carefully curated cask ales and regularly changing, mainly European wines form the backbone of the drinking options for thirsty locals.

For anyone with misgivings about pubs with restaurant inclinations, this ‘characterful’ urban hostelry should set you straight. As befits a sibling of Southwark’s Anchor & Hope and others, the Canton Arms is fully committed to its role as an old-fashioned city boozer. ‘Buzzy and unpretentious’, there’s pretty much a 50/50 split between drinkers knocking back pints of real ale and nibbling toasties in the front bar, and those who come for the consistently delicious food served in the dining area at the back. Ingredients are seasonally spot-on, while the daily changing menu ‘makes you want to come back and try something else’ – perhaps celeriac and potato pithivier ahead of East Coast skate grenobloise or slow-cooked Provençal-style lamb shank with white beans and parsley. After that, you might fancy steamed blackberry jam sponge pudding or a little custard pot with raspberry compôte. It’s all considered good value – and that includes a line-up of drinks ranging from a terrific selection of regularly rotated real ales and an impressive selection of classic cocktails to a perfectly judged European wine list.

Launched by Tom Conran in 1995, the Cow wears its age well. Regulars agree that the old girl’s still got it – and it doesn’t feel artificially designed to be ‘authentic’. If it’s distressed in parts, that's funky old age. Much of the atmosphere is, of course, down to the customers: a jazzy mix of punters who like a decent pint and a plate of good grub in a great boozer. A large Irish flag sets an expectation of good old 'Oirish' tropes. Thankfully, any pastiche fits in unassumingly with the pub's signature oysters and stout. In the rear snug, dishes are chalked on a hanging board. The vibe is raffish and relaxed, and the rhythm is easy: no pretension, nothing faddish or super-fancy, simply a clear focus and excellent ingredients. The menu has a timeless, aristocratic domesticity: stay downstairs for capacious, fill-your-boots portions of bangers and mash, seafood platters and daily specials such as grilled lemon sole on the bone with peppery watercress; head upstairs to the intimate restaurant for suave dishes including roasted venison fillet with pommes purée, pickled girolles and kale. For afters, banoffee pie is an evergreen, as is the excellent Guinness ice cream. 

Are Oisín Rogers, Charlie Carroll and chef Ashley Palmer-Watts champions of a new era in pubs? The Devonshire is certainly one of the most enjoyable places to eat in the capital (if you can get in) and looks set to become an institution. Ingredients are impeccable and the strong meat-focused menu delivers hugely appealing dishes in the lively environment of a central London watering hole. If you’re after value as well as quality, look for no further than the fixed-price lunch, which delivers prawn and langoustine cocktail, skirt steak with duck-fat chips and béarnaise sauce, plus luscious sticky toffee pudding – all for £29. Otherwise, flames are at the heart of things, with wood-fired Ibérico pork chops, lamb cutlets, steaks and lobsters keeping company with the likes of lamb hotpot or ‘a pile of langoustines’ on the hand-scrawled menu. On Sundays, roast ribs of beef carved from a silver-domed trolley have helped to restore the tradition in this part of town. Guinness is the tipple of choice in the permanently rammed bar, but you can also drink well from the mainly European wine list. The pub has a rooftop terrace for fine-weather dining, too.

Generally regarded as triggering the phenomenon that was the ‘gastropub’, the Eagle landed on Farringdon Road in 1991 and has resisted all forms of gentrification over the years. Ever-lively and ever-popular, it parades its pubby credentials with ‘free eating’ at small tables and bar stools around the perimeter – although you can book. Order at the bar: choose one of the beers from the row of taps and pick your food from the day’s menu scrawled on the board over the stove. Edward Mottershaw cooks gutsy, country food from across Europe, but mostly from Italy and the Iberian Peninsula. The ‘bife ana’ rump steak sandwich has been on the menu since day one and still reigns supreme – although others prefer the heartier seasonally adapted dishes, perhaps smoked mackerel niçoise or grilled Napoli sausages with lentil salad, followed by panna cotta with raspberries or the near-ubiquitous burnt Basque cheesecake. Spain dominates the cracking list of quaffable and affordable wines, or you could plump for a well-mixed cocktail. ‘No fuss, no frills, and everything is done with a lot of love.’

Consider the Hawthorn an oasis on gritty, traffic-throttled Uxbridge Road. Reopened in 2025, it’s managed by the owners of a small group of Cotswold inns, yet it's not intended for city folk who like a little country living. It’s a proper urban boozer, a Brakspear-tied public house with a well-worn look that's just the right side of scruffy, backed up by welcoming dressed-down service. The confident kitchen does clever things with excellent produce across several menus – a blackboard of bar snacks, a good-value locals’ weekday lunch, and a carte – and the food is always poised. The 'immaculate' devilled lamb’s kidneys on toast have become something of a signature since Giles Coren’s rave review, while capers, olives and aïoli could pep up a starter of squid with tomatoes; elsewhere, rich, buttery crab sauce makes the perfect accompaniment for a well-timed piece of turbot. The compact, modern wine list has a decent, well-priced house selection by the glass, carafe and bottle, and there’s a small roster of cocktails competing with Brakspear ales at the bar.

Sibling to the Baring in Hoxton, this tastefully restored Victorian pub is already a hit with Camberwell locals. Stripped-back interiors, Art Deco-style lighting and neutral colours could be the template for a new-wave urban pub, but the quality of the food and unstuffy atmosphere raise this place above the crowd, while outdoor seating is a bonus in this neck of the woods. Jay Styler’s cooking is clever and confident, plays to its strengths and knows its limits, with seasonal British produce in the box seat. The menu is short and deceptively simple, bursting with big flavours that hit the spot. Halibut pastrami with buttermilk dressing and house pickles is a zesty starter, while desserts include a must-have fruit-topped doughnut oozing camomile custard. In between, there are grilled bacon chops, slabs of Highland sirloin to share, and seafood such as Peterhead cod with Jerusalem artichoke, spinach, and hazelnut sauce. With ‘incredible lunch deals’, real ales on tap, some terrific wines by the glass or carafe, and a rosehip spritz on the aperitif list, it’s the sort of pub you’d be happy to call your local.

Is there anything the Spiteris cannot do? Two generations of the family that has become hospitality royalty have now relaunched the Latimer, a Victorian pub on the fringes of Notting Hill. You could say it was near Portobello Market, but it's just far enough away to feel like a real neighbourhood oasis. With a small terrace out front, and a straightforward ambience of simple wood benches and bare boards inside, it gets a little more upscale in the dining area. Here, white tablecloths contrast with dark grey leather banquettes, with daily specials chalked on the board. The food is robust pub cooking, with an emphasis on substance: an average of four things at each course, plus side options of pickles and pink firs. Do not miss the chips, whatever you do. They'll sort out either an onglet or a hunk of hake. After that, desserts can be as light as a quivering buttermilk panna cotta. With good bottled beers, cocktails and wines by the glass, the whole package is what we sign up for in a good pub.

Reinvented, resurrected and reconstituted, but ‘deeply rooted in its neighbourhood’, this landmark hostelry is ‘everything great local pub should be’. The front bar keeps things affable for drinkers, while those after a bite to eat head to the dining area at the back. Impressive stained-glass windows, a scrawled blackboard menu and an open-to-view kitchen set an informal tone that suits the feel-good contemporary menu. Dishes cooked over fire are the highlights of Ben Allen’s bold, produce-led repertoire, creating an impression of sophistication and flair (ancho chicken with sweetcorn velouté) while remaining down-to-earth and wholesome (jerk pork chop). Elsewhere, one reporter raved about the wood-fired leeks – ‘a masterclass in how a humble ingredient treated with extraordinary skill can become one of the most memorable dishes you’ll eat anywhere in London.’ Combos such as Flourish tomatoes with redcurrants and horseradish are typical of the seasonally aware approach, while all-day Sunday roasts promise the likes of hay-smoked chicken and beef fore-rib (to share). There’s good drinking too, from cocktails and draught beer to a confident, modern wine list.

A stellar blueprint for the Public House Group, this strikingly converted Notting Hill hostelry has lost none of its appeal as an exceptional neighbourhood hangout. Good vibes and great service are a given and the place has a terrific community spirit, with lots of entertainment including perudo nights, ma jong and seasonal game dinners. The owners are also serious about provenance and biodiversity: vegetables are sourced from the group’s own market garden in Oxfordshire, and they cooperate with farmers who are championing regenerative methods. Regulars reckon there isn’t a dud on the menu, although dish descriptions are pared back to the bare necessities (‘trout, cucumber’; ‘pork collar, cabbage’). Whether you’re inclined towards something veggie (onion tart with watercress) or fancy a meaty fix (raw beef with runner beans), there’s always something tasty on offer. If you’re holed up in the bar, you can snack on cod cheeks with curry sauce or mince on toast while supping one of the superbly kept beers from London breweries and elsewhere (Portobello Pils, Dalston Sunrise IPA). There’s a carefully curated wine list too.

The team behind the Waterman's Arms in Barnes took over the Shaston Arms in 2025. Just a hop from Carnaby Street, it's been reborn as a modern dining pub with several smart spaces, booth seating, a little conservatory and a tucked-away alcove bar. The drinking options inspire much cheer, with well-maintained beers and knowledgeable wine choices. On-point service makes diners feel properly looked after, as does the menu, which hews to a snacks-and-small-plates format that allows for plenty of exploration. Lamb's heart au poivre with crispy potato, capers and sage as a bar snack? Fear not, it's delicious. There's a pleasing heft to many of the larger dishes, with merguez sausages, mackerel and Hereford onglet steaks on offer, while the cooking is precise enough to elicit genuine wows. Try not to miss the chips. A couple of intriguing desserts bring up the rear – perhaps caramel apple cake or pistachio treacle tart. In a part of central London where too many pubs know how to charge but not deliver, the Shaston is like a sudden bright light coming on.

‘Great food, superb beer and good hospitality… in a charming street near the canal,’ is one reporter's verdict on this sibling of the Tamil Prince in Barnsbury, which is run along similar lines to its predecessor. What was the old Charles Lamb pub on Elia Street has been spruced up with a first-floor dining room specialising in South Indian food and a ground-floor bar, complete with a cosy fireplace, candles and a sofa – ideal if you fancy a pint and a quick bite. Snacks such as okra fries and lime-leaf roasted chicken with pineapple regularly get the thumbs-up, but also consider the grills and regional curries – perhaps mango sambar or Chettinad lamb. The coconut pilau rice is ‘excellent’, as are the flaky roti breads. To finish, the preferred option is refreshing mango lassi. Also check out the unusual Sunday menu, with its masala-roasted chickens and lamb shanks, plus Indian accompaniments including mixed vegetable avial, stir-fried cabbage, mango pickle and poppadoms. Draught beers from Cornwall’s Harbour Brewing Co feature at the bar, and there’s a short list of interesting wines too. 

‘A warm welcome, unmatchable vibes, incredible views and outstanding hospitality’ are just some of the attributes of this revamped riverside hostelry, which now sets out its stall as a neighbourhood pub-cum-restaurant, complete with a balcony for gazing over the river. The kitchen is headed by Sam Andrews (ex-Camberwell Arms and Soho's Ducksoup), who has created a concise, Med-accented seasonal menu with daily specials chalked up on a board – market fish with wild oregano and chilli or steak with beef lardons, for example. The cooking is direct, and the kitchen teases out maximum flavour with the minimum of fuss – as in potato fritters with beef ragù and pecorino, mussels with cavolo nero and San Marzano tomatoes or aubergine and scamorza lasagne. Weekday lunches on Thursdays and Fridays are great value, and Sunday brings a choice of roasts in addition to the usual repertoire (perhaps spit-roast piri-piri chicken or porchetta with fennel relish). Service is everything you could wish for, and like everything here, the drinks selection has been put together with care and proper attention to detail.