William Wolfe’s 100 best pubs in Britain
The best pubs in London
The 14 pubs in London that made Mr Wolfe’s hundred: fires in the grate, landlords who remember you, and food and wine worth the journey.
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Finsbury Park, London5. The PlimsollEd McIlroy is the best landlord in the UK, and his Finsbury Park corner boozer serves the best burger in the land. A proper pub with proper…D
Soho, London9. The DevonshireA Victorian corner pub off Piccadilly Circus, reborn as the most exciting pub in London. Oisín Rogers pulls the best pint of Guinness in…A
Waterloo18. The Anchor & HopeNo bookings, a long wait and worth every minute. Slow-cooked dishes for the table, and a wine list for serious drinkers.C
Westbourne Park19. The CowTom Conran’s Irish-accented pub, a Notting Hill fixture for a quarter of a century. Oysters and Guinness upstairs, Beckham downstairs.E
Clerkenwell20. The EagleWhere the gastropub was born in 1991. The steak sandwich remains a national monument.G
Belgravia21. The GrenadierHidden down a cobbled mews where chauffeurs wash Bentleys. Bloody Marys, Beef Wellington and a ghost who was once an officer. You have to…G
Mayfair22. The Guinea GrillA pub has stood here since 1423, older than Berkeley Square by three centuries. Steak and kidney pie, a good claret, and the cognoscenti at…H
Fulham23. The Harwood ArmsLondon’s starred pub, and still the best place in town for game. Order the venison Scotch egg before you sit down.H
Brook Green24. The Havelock TavernA tiled Victorian local that was serving proper food long before anyone called it a gastropub. Unshowy, consistent and much loved by those…H
Shepherd’s Bush, London25. The HawthornAn unlikely jewel on the Uxbridge Road: a blend of country pub and London pub, and it really works. Venison with anchovy sauce, then sticky…H
Hampstead26. The Holly BushA Georgian warren up a steep lane, with low ceilings and lower lights. The ideal end to a winter walk on the Heath.K
Camberwell27. The Kerfield ArmsNew to the stars this year and deservedly so. South London has never eaten better in a pub.L
North Kensington28. The LatimerThe Spiteri family, en masse: Lorcan in the kitchen, Fin on the drinks. Oxtail with mash and horseradish, and a wine list from Uncharted.…P
Notting Hill29. The PelicanPhil Winser and James Gummer took a tired corner boozer off All Saints Road and made it the pub every other pub in London studies. Proper…
Finsbury Park, London5. The PlimsollEd McIlroy is the best landlord in the UK, and his Finsbury Park corner boozer serves the best burger in the land. A proper pub with proper…D
Soho, London9. The DevonshireA Victorian corner pub off Piccadilly Circus, reborn as the most exciting pub in London. Oisín Rogers pulls the best pint of Guinness in…A
Waterloo18. The Anchor & HopeNo bookings, a long wait and worth every minute. Slow-cooked dishes for the table, and a wine list for serious drinkers.C
Westbourne Park19. The CowTom Conran’s Irish-accented pub, a Notting Hill fixture for a quarter of a century. Oysters and Guinness upstairs, Beckham downstairs.E
Clerkenwell20. The EagleWhere the gastropub was born in 1991. The steak sandwich remains a national monument.G
Belgravia21. The GrenadierHidden down a cobbled mews where chauffeurs wash Bentleys. Bloody Marys, Beef Wellington and a ghost who was once an officer. You have to…G
Mayfair22. The Guinea GrillA pub has stood here since 1423, older than Berkeley Square by three centuries. Steak and kidney pie, a good claret, and the cognoscenti at…H
Fulham23. The Harwood ArmsLondon’s starred pub, and still the best place in town for game. Order the venison Scotch egg before you sit down.H
Brook Green24. The Havelock TavernA tiled Victorian local that was serving proper food long before anyone called it a gastropub. Unshowy, consistent and much loved by those…H
Shepherd’s Bush, London25. The HawthornAn unlikely jewel on the Uxbridge Road: a blend of country pub and London pub, and it really works. Venison with anchovy sauce, then sticky…H
Hampstead26. The Holly BushA Georgian warren up a steep lane, with low ceilings and lower lights. The ideal end to a winter walk on the Heath.K
Camberwell27. The Kerfield ArmsNew to the stars this year and deservedly so. South London has never eaten better in a pub.L
North Kensington28. The LatimerThe Spiteri family, en masse: Lorcan in the kitchen, Fin on the drinks. Oxtail with mash and horseradish, and a wine list from Uncharted.…P
Notting Hill29. The PelicanPhil Winser and James Gummer took a tired corner boozer off All Saints Road and made it the pub every other pub in London studies. Proper…