Category · 57 spots
Neighborhood gems away from the tourist trail
Fulham · Local Pubs · Hammersmith
A tiny riverside pub in Hammersmith with a beer garden that overlooks the Thames. Hemingway and Graham Greene drank here.
West Ham United · Local Pubs · Hackney Wick
A canalside brewery, bar and pizzeria built out of reclaimed materials in an old print factory. House lagers, sourdough pizzas and a deck right on the Hertford Union Canal.
West Ham United · Local Pubs · Hackney
A floating bar moored on the Hertford Union Canal serving coffee, natural wine, beer and ice cream from a converted boat with a sun-soaked deck.
Fulham · Local Pubs · Fulham
The oldest surviving tavern in Fulham, right by Putney Bridge station. Fielded oak panelling, a horseshoe bar and a real ale focus, a home pub for Chelsea days and an away pub for Fulham days.
Millwall · Local Pubs · Rotherhithe
Named after the ship that sailed to America. A 16th-century pub right on the Thames with a deck that practically hovers over the water.
Millwall · Local Pubs · Southwark
The only surviving galleried coaching inn in London. Dickens drank here, and it's managed by the National Trust.
Arsenal · Local Pubs · Stroud Green
A pub disguised as a jungle. The terrace climbs three storeys of foliage, fairy lights and rickety wooden decks.
Queens Park Rangers · Local Pubs · Shepherd's Bush
Grand 1828 gin palace restored to its glory, vaulted ceilings, horseshoe bar and a serious wine list.
Queens Park Rangers · Local Pubs · Brook Green
Corner gastropub between QPR and Hammersmith with a daily-changing blackboard and a tiny back patio.
Charlton Athletic · Local Pubs · Greenwich
Wood-panelled East Greenwich pub with live music, real ales and a fish-and-chips kitchen out back.
Arsenal · Local Pubs · De Beauvoir Town
Victorian corner gastropub on the Hackney and Islington border, known locally as the DB Arms. Food led, no TV, no music.
West Ham United · Local Pubs · Victoria Park
A classic Victorian pub on the north-west corner of Victoria Park with a huge beer garden, a wraparound terrace and one of the most reliable matchday atmospheres in east London.
Chelsea · Local Pubs · Kensington
Famous for being completely covered in flowers outside. Inside, it's a Thai restaurant upstairs and a cozy pub downstairs.
Chelsea · Local Pubs · Chelsea
A proper Chelsea backstreet pub with a wood-panelled bar downstairs and a serious dining room above.
Eighteenth-century Chelsea pub with a glass-roofed back room and pots of geraniums spilling off every windowsill.
Tottenham Hotspur · Local Pubs · Tottenham Hale
Brewery tap a bus ride from the stadium. Their full range plus guest kegs and a long communal hall.
West Ham United · Local Pubs · Stratford
Victorian gem on Stratford Broadway with etched glass, mahogany and a beer garden round the back.
Crystal Palace · Local Pubs · Selhurst
Crystal Palace triangle pub with craft on tap, sharing plates and a sunny front terrace.
Fulham · Local Pubs · Parsons Green
The 'Sloaney Pony', landmark Parsons Green pub with a beer garden onto the green and a serious ale selection.
Tucked-away East Greenwich corner pub with craft beer, board games and friendly bar staff.
Charlton Athletic · Local Pubs · Charlton
Eighteenth-century coaching inn on Charlton Village green with low ceilings and roaring fires in winter.
Leyton Orient · Local Pubs · Leyton
Sympathetically restored Victorian street-corner pub with cask ales and a small kitchen doing pub classics.
Light, friendly Leyton High Road pub with a small back garden and a rotating cask line-up.
AFC Wimbledon · Local Pubs · Wimbledon Common
Pub on the edge of Wimbledon Common with a long bar, a fireplace and a smart menu.
AFC Wimbledon · Local Pubs · Wimbledon Village
Young's coaching inn on the village high street with a cobbled courtyard and roaring fires.
Barnet · Local Pubs · Edgware
Grade II Art Deco pub right by Edgware station with a magnificent oak-panelled saloon bar.
Barnet · Local Pubs · East Finchley
East Finchley gastropub with a butcher's-counter approach to meat and a dog-friendly bar.
Chelsea · Local Pubs · Stockwell
Gastropub sibling of the Anchor & Hope, doing some of the best pub food in South London. Foie-gras-on-toast famous, and a proper pint of cask at the bar.
Historic Thames-side pub on stilts over the river at Rotherhithe. The terrace looks straight across to Tower Bridge and the City. Captain Cook is said to have planned voyages from a back room here.
West Ham United · Local Pubs · Wapping
Claims to be the oldest riverside tavern in London, dating back to 1520. A flagstone floor, a pewter bar, a beer garden over the Thames and a gallows replica out the back. Smugglers, sailors and Samuel Pepys all drank here.
Arsenal · Local Pubs · Islington
Grand Victorian gin palace on a quiet Canonbury back street. Big arched windows, a high ceiling and a serious cask line-up. One of the most beautiful neighbourhood pubs in North London.
Brentford · Local Pubs · Richmond
Iconic riverside pub right on the Thames at Richmond, with a garden that floods at high tide. Open fires inside, a huge terrace outside, and one of the best river views in London.
An iconic Hackney Wick power house right on the canal, with fresh beats, eats and drinks, and a huge waterside terrace overlooking the Hertford Union.
Arsenal · Local Pubs · Marylebone
A Marylebone local with excellent ales and a proper Sunday roast. No tourists, just regulars who know each other by name.
Fulham · Local Pubs · Brackenbury Village, Hammersmith
A refurbished Fuller's pub on a quiet Brackenbury Village side street, light and airy, known for wood-fired sourdough pizza, real ale and Sunday roasts.
Arsenal · Local Pubs · Finsbury Park
Backstreet boozer five minutes from the Emirates with a pool table, jukebox and proper bar staff who pull a slow pint.
Crystal Palace · Local Pubs · Crystal Palace
Light, airy corner pub at the top of the triangle with a good wine list and a steady weekend crowd.
Compact Triangle pub on Westow Hill with a focus on cask ale, a back room and a regulars-first feel.
Brentford · Local Pubs · Brentford
Riverside pub overlooking the Brent and Thames meeting at Brentford Lock. Big terrace, easy food.
Leyton Orient · Local Pubs · Leytonstone
Antic-style Leytonstone corner pub with craft on tap, sourdough pizzas and a steady neighbourhood crowd.
AFC Wimbledon · Local Pubs · Wimbledon
Big Wimbledon Hill pub with a roof terrace, Sunday roasts and Young's beers on tap.
Sutton United · Local Pubs · Cheam
Converted Cheam Village bank, vaulted ceilings, oversized windows and a wide cask range.
Barnet · Local Pubs · Mill Hill
Mill Hill landmark pub with a cosy front bar, a sun-trap garden and a Sunday roast queue from 1pm.
A Geronimo Inns pub on the Fulham Road, close enough to Stamford Bridge to be a regular pre and post-match stop without ever feeling like a stadium pub.
Tottenham Hotspur · Local Pubs · Tottenham
Right opposite the new stadium. Refurb pub with stone-baked pizzas, big screens and a yard that fills up on matchdays.
Bistro pub inside Westfield with a Guinness pour worth queueing for and oysters at the bar.
Traditional Crystal Palace Triangle boozer with cask ales, big screens and a steady mix of locals and Eagles fans.
Antic-style corner pub on the Westow Hill junction with mismatched furniture, big windows and a sprawling matchday crowd.
Antic pub in a converted post office with stripped floors, big windows and rotating cask ales.
Fulham-end of the King's Road gastropub with a heated garden, log fires and decent burgers.
Properly local Brentford boozer, darts, dominoes and a landlord who knows everyone.
Millwall · Local Pubs · Bankside
Converted spice warehouse on the river by the Golden Hinde with vast oak beams and a wide terrace.
Sutton United · Local Pubs · Sutton
Reliable Sutton High Street pub with cask ales, big screens and an upstairs room for live music.
Old-school suburban locals' pub near Sutton Common station, darts, pool and a back garden.
Chelsea · Local Pubs · Kennington
Theatre pub on Kennington Park Road with a tiny fringe stage upstairs and a proper South London local downstairs. Good cask, good company, and a straight Northern then Victoria Line run to Stamford Bridge.
Wetherspoons on the High Road but with character, high ceilings, cheap pints and a steady crowd of regulars.
A straightforward Brentford pub with sports TV, outdoor seating and a solid post-match burger.
