Time Out's best 50 London pubs

[editor]

I've been to a surprisingly large number of them, but everyone knows the best boozer is your local where your mates are.

Here’s the Top 10.

1. Skehans, Nunhead​

2. The Southampton Arms, Gospel Oak​

3. The Coach & Horses, Soho​

4. The Duke, Bloomsbury​

5. The Chesham Arms, Hackney​

6. The Tavern on the Hill, Walthamstow​

7. The Blythe Hill Tavern, Catford​

8. The Cow, Notting Hill​

9. The Salisbury Hotel, Harringay​

10. The Ivy House, Nunhead.​

 

[flypanam]

haven’t been to Skehans but it sounds like the faultering fullback in Finsbury Park, love the Southampton arms especially around noon on a Sunday. I really like the Blythe, but rarely get an opportunity to go these days. Just glad the conquering hero didn’t make the list.

 

[marty21]

Been to 4 , must check out the Walthamstow one , never heard of it

Southampton Arms , pop in occasionally
Chesham Arms , glad it was saved, almost lost following an encounter with a developer .
Coach & Horses, when in Soho.
Salisbury Hotel - beautiful Victorian pub.

Checked the top 50 , been to 26 !

 

[pbsmooth]

Seemed a bit East London heavy if you ask me!

 

[wtfftw]

Poor south west london.

 

[Callie]

Love the Southampton Arms

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Been to four of those. Feels like a slightly random choice.


Went to Skehans a long time ago, I think. If it's the pub I'm thinking of, I liked it well enough.

Coach and Horses. Is it any different from the other small Soho pubs? Jeffrey Barnard drank there seems to be its main thing.

The Duke is alright, nothing special.

The Salisbury was my local for a while. Drank there a lot. Great pub.

 

[Callie]

Think there were urban drinks in the Ivy House

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Did any 'Spoons get in there?

I genuinely think the one in Stoke Newington is a very nice pub. First Spoons I ever went to.

 

[ouirdeaux]

Of the top 10, I only know the Coach and Horses and the Blythe Hill Tavern. I first went to the C&H in 1990, shortly after coming back from Germany, because I had read Jeffrey Bernard going on about it in his column. I ordered a pint of Löwenbräu. The pump emptied halfway throuigh the pint. The barmaid asked the manager (not the famous landlord) what to do, and he told her to top it up with another lager. Nobody had consulted me about this. I asked the manager what was going on, and he got rather indignant -- apparently one was supposed to accept this. I walked out.

I did go back, in the days when Bernard hung out there and Norman Balon reigned, but it was a quirky place, not a real favourite. Not much in the way of beers, and they haven't done cheap doubles for years. Have other new characters taken over?

I've never understood the Blythe Hill Tavern love, although everyone I know raves about it, so maybe it's just me. It seemed a supremely ordinary pub the one time I went in to see what all the fuss was about. There was nothing wrong with it, but there didn't seem to be anything to distinguish it from any other neighbourhood pub to attract anyone who wasn't local. Can someone tell me what I missed?

 

[pbsmooth]

I think you just have to include it now as it always gets on these lists (never been)

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Of the top 10, I only know the Coach and Horses and the Blythe Hill Tavern. I first went to the C&H in 1990, shortly after coming back from Germany, because I had read Jeffrey Bernard go on about it in his column. I ordered a pint of Löwenbräu. The pump emptied halfway throuigh the pint. The barmaid asked the manager (not the famous landlord) what to do, and he told her to top it up with another lager. Nobody had consulted me about this. I asked the manager what was going on, and he got rather indignant -- apparently one was supposed to accept this. I walked out.

I did go back, in the days when Bernard hung out there and Balon reigned, but it was a quirky place, not a real favourite. Not much in the way of beers, and they haven't done cheap doubles for years. Have other new characters taken over?

I've never understood the Blythe Hill Tavern love, although everyone I know raves about it, so maybe it's just me. It seemed a supremely ordinary pub the one time I went in to see what all the fuss was about. There was nothing wrong with it, but there didn't seem to be anything to distinguish it from any other neighbourhood pub to attract anyone who wasn't local. Can someone tell me what I missed?

Looking that up, I might have been there too, years ago. And I might have been to the Chesham Arms. It's hard to remember...

 

[littlebabyjesus]

I think you just have to include it now as it always gets on these lists (never been)

I doubt appearing on one of these lists has ever improved a pub, tbh.

 

[Winot]

The Duke is alright, nothing special.

Was great 20 years ago.

 

[ska invita]

I've never understood the Blythe Hill Tavern love, although everyone I know raves about it, so maybe it's just me. It seemed a supremely ordinary pub the one time I went in to see what all the fuss was about. There was nothing wrong with it, but there didn't seem to be anything to distinguish it from any other neighbourhood pub to attract anyone who wasn't local. Can someone tell me what I missed?

the interior is rare in london and grade ii listed
as well as interior its traditionalism extends down to the staff, the drinks and the drinkers
presumably the ales are well kept to keep the CAMRA types happy
hard to think of anything like it for miles, so a deserved regional winner

like a lot of post-covid pubs theyve done a great job on the garden in recent times - a massive drinking area

 

[ouirdeaux]

It was too dark for me to notice the interior, and too cold and rainy to notice the garden, as often. If the garden was there when I went years ago. I don't really know the area, but I pass by from time to time. I suppose it is a bit of a desert.

 

[ska invita]

its a funny quirk that so many of the best 'traditional' pubs in london are irish pubs. On my stomping ground Blythe Hill Tavern , Joiners Arms - opposite the police station in Lewisham, Marquis of Granby - New Cross, and Skehans. Also up in town i particularly like McGlynns

link to the full list

The 50 best pubs in London in 2023

An indisputable, irrefutable and 100 percent accurate list. We won’t be taking further questions at this time

www.timeout.com

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Quinns in Camden, although I think that's gone now.

SE is certainly well represented. For once.

 

[ska invita]

i dont think ive ever seen the crown and greyhound on any of these lists...i appreciate its dulwich village but its a seriously impressive pub

 

[ouirdeaux]

The Marquis is ace, and has the only quiz machine I know of in London (until recently it had two -- and no fruit machine), unless the Hole in the Wall still has one. Why did they vanish? OK, not as lucrative as the bandits, probably, but still profitable, and a draw for many.

 

[spitfire]

Oh man they mentioned the Palm Tree. Place is fucked now then.

 

[ska invita]

Oh man they mentioned the Palm Tree. Place is fucked now then.

no one reads time out anymore, it'll be fine

(new to me though, sounds good)

 

[spitfire]

no one reads time out anymore, it'll be fine

(new to me though, sounds good)

Haha. Fair point.

Yeah it’s a great little pub. Proper old school.

 

[oryx]

Glad to see two of my favourite local (or local-ish) pubs on there The Blythe Hill Tavern and the wonderful Dog and Bell in Deptford.

Never been to Skehan's despite it not being that far away. The two times I tried it, the Thai food in the adjacent restaurant was very far from 'terrific'!

 

[ska invita]

Glad to see two of my favourite local (or local-ish) pubs on there The Blythe Hill Tavern and the wonderful Dog and Bell in Deptford.

Never been to Skehan's despite it not being that far away. The two times I tried it, the Thai food in the adjacent restaurant was very far from 'terrific'!

surprisingly its about the only place you can sit down and eat thai food for a good way too

 

[Sue]

Been to 20. There are quite a few on there that I'm a bit about. Suspect it's very skewed by where the writers live tbh.

 

[oryx]

surprisingly its about the only place you can get thai food for miles too

Yes, no decent Thai food round here. Too many pizza places and not enough Thai! Nearest decent one is Forest Hill or Crystal Palace.

 

[ska invita]

Been to 20. There are quite a few on there that I'm a bit about. Suspect it's very skewed by where the writers live tbh.

also nothing past zone... 3?
i might make a list of favourite pubs within Bromley borough, but it feels a bit pathetic

 

[Sue]

also nothing past zone... 3?
i might make a list of favourite pubs within Bromley borough, but it feels a bit pathetic

There's a zone 3...?

 

[Magnus McGinty]

Been to 4 , must check out the Walthamstow one , never heard of it

It’s almost in Chingford!