Thomas J. Vosper, aka The Pub Guy, Shares His Top London Boozers

There should be more pubs like Skehans in London. In fact, ALL pubs should just be exactly like Skehans. Located on a quiet residential street in Nunhead, Skehans has got it all: pool table, darts, sports on the telly, and a great beer garden out back. The drinks list is a good mash up of your standard beers like Heineken and Fosters together with Beavertown and Hop House 13 lager. They also do a banging little menu of Thai food, probably some of the best we’ve had in London. Add to that regular live music, a jukebox and general good vibes and you’ve got one of the most fun pubs in London.

The Devonshire was opened by publican Oisín Rogers, the recognisable face and name behind Mayfair’s Guinea Grill until his departure in 2022, and Flat Iron founder Charlie Carroll at the end of 2023 and became an instant hit. It’s based out of a historic inn on Denman Street that dates back to 1793, with a top-quality pub downstairs and a restaurant upstairs (headed up by Ashley Palmer-Watts of The Fat Duck and Dinner by Heston). The food’s all about the restaurant’s wood-ember grill – the menu includes beef chops and ribeyes, Iberico pork ribs, lamb hotpot, creel-caught langoustines, hand-dived scallops and prime day boat fish on offer – but there’s also a selection of bar food, like scotch eggs, bacon sarnies, sausage rolls and cheese & ham hock toasties. It’s also arguably got the best pints of Guinness in town, so it’s worth fighting for that spot at the bar.

Built in 1857, the Grade II-listed Warrington Hotel is a Maida Vale stalwart. Rumoured to be an upmarket brothel when it first opened, it was turned into a pub complete with a fireplace, bar and staircase from an old ship, which are all still in place today. The stained glass windows and mosaic floors are also original, so this place is a real looker. They’ve got a fully stocked bar, darts and pool, plus sports on the telly if you’d rather spectate. As well as being a boozer, it is actually a hotel too, boasting ten guest rooms so you can book yourself in for a sleepover if you don’t fancy the journey home after a few beers.

If The Marquis is good enough for Green Day and Charles Dickens then it’s defo good enough for us. The Covent Garden pub is known for having an extensive and eclectic record collection behind the bar and it plays host to musicians, bands and DJs five nights a week – Green Day even played an impromptu gig there in 2023 – so it’s a must for all music lovers. It’s also got plenty of history (the building is Grade II-listed), has a menu of crowdpleasing pub classics, and does a decent pint of Guinness.

The George in Borough is the last surviving galleried inn in London, so it really is a unique pub. It’s likely that Shakespeare drank in The George and the pub was mentioned by Dickens in Little Dorrit. Rebuilt after the Southwark fire of 1676, the former coaching inn was used as a depot by the Great Northern Railway, and now it’s owned by the National Trust. Once you’ve had a chance to soak up the history, you’ve got a fully stocked bar, a menu of pub grub, sports on the telly, and a big beer garden to enjoy.

If you don’t know this Richmond pub by name, you’ll almost certainly know it as the pub that floods. When high tide rolls in, the outdoor area at the riverside pub floods, so you either wade through the water (or climb over the tables) to dry land or you sit and brave it while the wellied-up pub stuff keep serving. You really should experience high tide at least once but if you really don’t want to get wet, the pub’s got cosy fireplaces, proper pub grub (including Sunday roasts and sandwiches) made with seasonal British produce, and Young’s ales inside.

The Mc & Sons Group, founded by Irish brothers John and Ryan Mc Elhinney alongside their father Jack, is all about bringing Irish pub culture to London. There’s family memorabilia adorning the walls of all of their pubs, including the one in Vauxhall, there’s regular live Irish Trad music, a roof terrace, a beer garden that’s open late, Guinness on tap and spicebags on offer. There’s also a Thai food menu available, so you can tuck into prawn fritters, drunken noodles, pad thai, pad graw pow, and crispy massaman chicken.

You wouldn’t want to miss having pint at one of the tables Charles Dickens sat centuries ago, would you? Rebuilt after the great fire in 1666, the pub is one of the oldest in London. With low lighting, wooden walls and a labyrinth of rooms and corridors, one step inside really does feel like you’ve turned the clock right back. It’s defo one for the tourists but every Londoner should drink in here at least once in their lives.

Located right next to Bunhill Fields and about halfway between the Barbican and Old Street, the Artillery Arms makes for a great post-work pint as it doesn’t get as busy as some of the other pubs further into the City. It’s got a smart interior, plenty of classic beers on draught and in the fridge, there’s regular stand-up comedy and pub quizzes, and there’s a toastie menu should you get peckish.

The Prospect of Whitby has been around since 1520. Overlooking the Thames, the traditional boozer is a great place to sink a few pints and enjoy some pub grub. Being a bit off the beaten track, you don’t have to be there by lunchtime to get a table either.