These are the capital’s best posh pubs to visit right now...
A Soho gastropub (which first opened as an inn in 1793) brought to life by legendary London publican Oisín Rogers, Flat Iron founder Charlie Carroll and former Dinner by Heston Blumenthal chef Ashley Palmer-Watts. Downstairs, the lovingly restored pub serves bacon sandwiches; house-made sausage on a stick and pints of Rogers' "fastidiously poured" Guinness. The upstairs grill restaurant covers two floors and a roof terrace and centre around a three-metre-long wood ember grill. Expect revisted pub classics (potted shrimp with melba toast, prawn and langoustine cocktail and beef cheek and Guinness suet pudding pie) alongside plenty of steaks butchered and dry-aged in-house.
Tom Kerridge has bought his Marlow pub Butcher's Tap and Gill to London, with a meaty British-centric food menu. Tucked away in the leafy streets behind Chelsea's iconic King's Road - the pub features a focal hardwood bar, chestnut leather booth seating and a bespoke timber staircase. There's an open plan kitchen with meat-ageing fridges. Tom aims to offer a blend of traditional pub ambience with his signature culinary touch. The menu includes a selection of British-centric butcher-cuts, burgers, hot dogs and small bites, such as grass-fed steaks.
An art-filled 'pub', in Mayfair, with rooms by Iwan and Manuela Wirth - the art world's famous couple behind Hauser + Wirth. The Audley offers three distinct, art-led experiences: a street-level public house, the first-floor Mount St Restaurant and four spaces on the upper three floors housing beautifully designed spaces available for private hire. Naturally, art is the backbone of the project, with a revolving showcase of important works throughout. The food at The Audley is overseen by Jamie Shears who has worked with Gordon Ramsay, Jason Atherton and was most recently executive chef at CUT, London. Expect a refined classic-contemporary fusion menu drawing inspiration from London’s culinary history. Downstairs, the bar offers a sophisticated twist on pub grub.
A trendy restored pub and dining room in Notting Hill serving a classic British menu alongside British beers and a concise wine list. Situated on Notting Hill’s iconic All Saints Road, a stone’s throw from Portobello Road, The Pelican (pictured) has been restored to it’s former glory from when it was first opened in 1870. The scrubbed up boozer is made up of stylishly pared-back traditional spaces. The understated design features leather banquettes, vintage furniture, and soft lighting. Chef Owen Kenworthy, whose background includes Brawn, Primeur, and The Wolseley, oversees the menu of modern and robust interpretations of classic British dishes - such as spit roast celeriac, and monkfish pie with lobster head gravy.
The Hero is a beautiful Maida Vale pub & restaurant from the top-tier team at The Pelican over in nearby Notting Hill. The pub has been through various renovations over the years but this one is keeping its Victorian charm intact, by stripping the interiors back and restoring original features like the lights and the staircase. There’ll be four distinct areas inside The Hero, starting with a cosy ground-floor pub with cask ales on the bar and British comfort food, like cheese & onion pie, on the menu. The first-floor Grill Room offers a more elevated dining experience, where Head Chef Ed Baillieu cooking dishes like lamb chops with mint & peas and four quarter of cod with brown butter over open fire.
A 19th century Grade II listed pub and restaurant in the heart of Mayfair - on a corner site in Duke Street - now owned by Cubitt House - owners of other modern pubs such as The Orange and The Grazing Goat. They have invested in a full refurbishment and restoration of the property. The pub retains its pub credentials (including the updated 'pub feel' design) by serving accessibly priced pub fare and a fine selection of ales and lagers. There's also a first floor 'clubby' restaurant overseen by Chef Director Ben Tish (Norma and the Salt Yard Group) - with a menu showcasing British classics such as steamed cockles with parsley butter, beef pie & mash with parsley sauce and also daily roasts from the Carvery - served at the table with the appropriate accompaniments.
Formerly The Princess Victoria, The Holland has been completely refurbished and is now a welcoming pub on the ground floor and an elegant, intimate dining room upstairs. The new look includes sage green walls, exposed brick and emerald tiles lining the repurposed floorboard bar in the pub and more reclaimed furniture up in the dining room. Max de Nahlik (Duke of Cambridge in Islington and co-founder of popular pop-up Oxalis) dishes up a seasonal, British-ingredient-led menu served across both floors. Highlights include: tomatoes with peach, chilli, pangrattato & smoked tofu and pork collar steak with greengage chutney, kohlrabi & beetroot.
A new food-focussed Islington bolthole tucked away in a quiet backstreet just off Regent’s Canal. The restrained and serene interiors - think painted brick walls and waxed wooden tables with green accents and feature lighting. Chef Rob Tecwyn (Dabbous, Orasay and Kerridge's) serves up a gastro-pub menu stuffed with crowd-pleasing plates - such as smoked eel and pig cheek terrine with horseradish and daikon and roasted gurnard with onion and taramasalata and salt marsh lamb rump with kofte, aubergine and shishito pepper.
A culinary-led pub and dining room in Kentish Town. With Ex-Brat chef Ben Allen at the helm, visitors to the 60-cover dining room can expect a selection of modern European dishes cooked over fire on their custom grill. Dishes include: Spider crab croquette, trout with sea herbs & butter sauce and wood roasted rabbit with kohlrabi & curry leaf. The Parakeet occupies the space of the former prominent Victorian landmark pub The Oxford Tavern, on Kentish Town Road, and retains much of its local character in the pub room.
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Pub crawls
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London's Poshest Pubs
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Pulling pints
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