These 18 on the map
The 18 pubs on this page, pinned where they actually are. Tap a marker to see which one it is — all 50 are on the map in the Whosly app.
London's pubs
The oldest hide in the lanes of the City and Holborn, the best views are on the Thames from Wapping to Hammersmith, and the cosiest are up the hill in Hampstead and Highgate.
18 of the 50
Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese
Fleet StreetHistoric tavern£Rebuilt soon after London burned in 1666: a warren of dark, low rooms and vaulted cellars down an alley off Fleet Street. Dr Johnson and Dickens are among the regulars it claims; it's a Samuel Smith's house, so the beer is the brewery's own and cheap.
The Lamb & Flag
Covent GardenHistoric pub££A Covent Garden pub on a narrow lane, on the books since at least 1772, with creaky floors and low ceilings in the upstairs bar. After work the crowd spills out onto the cobbles.
The George Inn
BoroughGalleried coaching inn££London's last galleried coaching inn, now looked after by the National Trust and set back in a yard in Southwark near London Bridge. On summer evenings the courtyard is one big party; in winter, take a table in the old panelled rooms.
The Seven Stars
HolbornHistoric pub££A narrow pub that has stood in the lanes behind the Law Courts since 1602, with gingham tablecloths, low beams and a lunchtime crowd of barristers. Mind the steep old stairs up to the loos.
Ye Olde Mitre
Hatton GardenHidden historic pub£Down a narrow alley off Hatton Garden, a tiny pub on a site that dates to 1546; the front bar keeps the trunk of a cherry tree that Elizabeth I supposedly danced around. Real ales and toasties, and not much elbow room.
The French House
SohoBohemian Soho pub££Soho's bohemian pub since 1891, where beer still comes in half pints only and photos of its famous drinkers cover the walls. The small dining room upstairs is made for a long lunch.
The Lamb
BloomsburyVictorian pub££A Victorian Young's pub in Bloomsbury that still has its snob screens, small swivelling glass panes that once hid drinkers from the staff. Dickens lived a few streets away.
The Devonshire
SohoPub & grill room£££The Soho pub everyone wants into: a scrum for perfectly poured Guinness in the bar, and an upstairs grill room doing chops, pies and suet puddings.
The Churchill Arms
KensingtonFlower-covered pub££The pub buried under thousands of flowers on Kensington Church Street, with Churchill memorabilia covering the walls inside and a Thai kitchen in the back conservatory.
The Mayflower
RotherhitheRiverside pub££A Rotherhithe pub named for the Mayflower, which left from this stretch of river for America in 1620. Sit out on the wooden deck over the Thames; it's a short walk from Rotherhithe station.
Prospect of Whitby
WappingRiverside pub££A Wapping pub that traces its story back to 1520, with a pewter-topped bar, flagstone floors and a mock gallows on the foreshore out back. Turner sketched the river from here.
The Grapes
LimehouseRiverside pub££A slim 18th-century pub on the river at Limehouse, with Sir Ian McKellen among its owners; Dickens wrote it into Our Mutual Friend. Squeeze onto the tiny riverside balcony at the back.
The Dove
HammersmithRiverside pub££A 17th-century pub on the Upper Mall in Hammersmith with a terrace over the Thames and a front snug that record books once named the world's tiniest bar room.
The Spaniards Inn
Hampstead16th-century inn££An inn on the edge of Hampstead Heath since 1585, with Keats and Dickens on its list of old regulars. After a walk, take a pint to the big garden or a seat by the fire in the panelled rooms.
The Holly Bush
HampsteadHilltop pub££An old Hampstead pub hidden up a backstreet at the top of the hill, all open fires and small wood-panelled rooms. The pint to aim for on a cold Sunday after the Heath.
The Southampton Arms
Kentish TownAle & cider house£A Kentish Town alehouse pouring ale and cider from small independent producers, with pork baps from the counter, bare boards, a real fire and a little garden.
The Pride of Spitalfields
SpitalfieldsEast End boozer£A small, carpeted East End boozer just off Brick Lane that hasn't changed with the neighbourhood: real ales, a few stools and a mixed crowd of regulars.
The Duke of Edinburgh
BrixtonPub & big beer garden£A 1930s Brixton pub whose enormous back garden fills the moment the sun comes out, with a giant screen for sport and DJs on summer Saturdays. Handy before a gig at the Brixton Academy.
The other 32
The 50 are spread across 34 neighbourhoods. Soho (4), Kensington (3), Borough (2), Covent Garden (2), Finsbury Park (2) and Hackney (2) have the most; the other 28 have 1 to 2 each.
+32 more in the app
A Grade II-listed pub that doubles as a music venue, a Highgate village pub on a site with a pub since the 1500s, a Victorian free house locals saved from redevelopment, a Twickenham terrace the highest tides cut off, a joyfully queer pub on Nunhead Green, and more.
Add all 50 to your Whosly mapEvery one lands on your own map in a tap — save them, rate them, plan around them. City Packs are included with Planner Pro.
Or search “Whosly: Plans, Places & RSVPs” on the App Store
For Sunday lunch, see the best Sunday roasts in London.
Common questions
What is the oldest pub in London?
What are the best riverside pubs in London?
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Where can I see all 50?
All 50, on your own map
This page is 18 of them. The London Pubs pack in Whosly has all 50 — add it and every one drops onto your map, ready to save, rate and turn into a plan your friends RSVP to from a text, no app needed to answer. The pack is included with Planner Pro.
Get Whosly — free on iPhoneOr search “Whosly: Plans, Places & RSVPs” on the App Store
“Whosly: Plans, Places & RSVPs”.
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