Best London gastropubs

Since launching in 1991, The Eagle has maintained a reputation for gastropub food of the best sort. The daily menu, which is scrawled on blackboards, features robust flavours from all over the globe, including southern Europe and the Med and everything is spot on. You might have to wait for or share a table – it’s always packed – but it’s an experience worth waiting for.

Bar stools, real ales and excellent Scotch eggs keep the local drinkers at this warm Chelsea gastropub happy, while low-hanging industrial lights, rustic panelling and booths provide a cosy restaurant setting for some polished British grub at the back of the pub. Sunday roasts are particularly worthwhile, with whole roast chickens served ready for carving at the table.

Bermondsey favourite The Garrison prides itself on serving up fresh British produce sourced from local suppliers, farms and fishermen. Its decent prices, terrific breakfasts, all-day snacks, unusual beers and decent wine list ensure it’s always packed, so be sure to book ahead to guarantee a table.

Built in 1787, The Fox & Grapes is situated in a prime location on the edge of Wimbledon Common. Modern English menus deliver classics such as prawn cocktail and shepherd’s pie, while Sunday lunches are a local legend. Friendly and cosy, The Fox & Grapes is the perfect spot for a celebration lunch or a relaxed dinner.

Those heading for the dining room at this green-tiled beauty of a pub might be treated to farmhouse butcher’s sausages with buttered mash, gravy and crispy shallots, or else a vegan Yorkshire vegetable stew followed by sticky toffee pudding with salted caramel ice-cream. There are steaks and sharing platters available too and classic pub grub for anyone feeling peckish at the bar.

A special dining experience awaits at this 250-year-old Grade II-listed pub in Docklands. Boasting exquisite views across the Thames, excellent gastropub fare, a great selection of wines and a secret gin garden, it’s well worth the trip out east. If you’re craving a lazy Sunday roast, try the whole roast Suffolk chicken for two followed by bread and butter pudding.

Shellfish and crustacea are the perennial stars of the French-inspired menu at Tom Conran’s The Cow, though you’ll find plenty of British classics too. Weekdays sees a £12 dish du jour on rotation, available from midday right through until 7.30pm, so if you’re looking for a top-quality plate of food at a knockdown price, it’s a very good bet indeed. To drink, there’s Guinness and a refined wine list.

It may be the only Michelin-starred pub in London, but The Harwood Arms still trades as a proper local boozer, with plates of stupendous venison Scotch eggs, as well as thumping Sunday roasts on offer. The kitchen specialises in wholeheartedly seasonal British fare including veg, soft fruit and herbs from the pub’s rooftop garden, plus foraged pickings and bags of furred and feathered game. A must-visit for foodies.

Ox-blood walls, bistro chairs and dishes to share (rib of South Devon beef, say, or spit-roast chicken for two or four) make this Camberwell gastropub a brilliant place to while away a weekend with friends. At lunchtime, you’ll find a pared-down version of the evening menu and a first-floor cocktail bar adds drinks appeal.

Spanish influences hold sway in this Bloomsbury boozer, that’s almost always jam-packed with punters. Ornate plastered ceilings and prim window boxes make for a classic London pub setting in which to enjoy Mediterranean flavours such as Padrón peppers, chorizo in cider, and Serrano ham croquetas. Keep hydrated with draught beers or wine from a globetrotting list.

The frequently changing seasonal menu at this regal gastropub next to Victoria Park features quality produce from the restaurant’s neighbourhood suppliers. Meat hails from Swaledale foods, fish from Jonathan Norris, bread from E5 Bakehouse and coffee from Climpson & Sons. Other draws at this art-filled bistro include weekend brunch, £10 Monday suppers, BYO night and Sunday lunch.

Vited Michelin Pub of the Year, this stylish born-again boozer sports a quirky upstairs dining room in which you can enjoy British seasonal food cooked with flair. Inspired by the rich and diverse culinary history of London, you’ll find the likes of ox tongue, curried lamb neck and grilled red mullet on the meat- and fish-heavy menu. To drink, pick an Old World wine or a pint of Meantime Yakima Red.

Just moments from Old Street station, this 18th-century pub is a Mecca for hipsters and city slickers who appreciate its no-nonsense pubby vibe and simple but effective food. Book ahead to secure a table in the subdued upstairs dining room, which puts seasonal produce centre stage and enjoy the likes of burrata with pickled radishes, crispy quinoa and mint salad or Swaledale lamb chops with pumpkin pistou, sprouting broccoli and buttermilk dressing.

The sensibly short daily menu of heritage-inspired pub grub at this green-tiled Victorian pub in Stokey pairs perfectly with the affordable wines, spritzes, fizzes and a trio of seasonal cocktails made with locally-distilled spirits, homemade syrups and cordials on the bar menu. The Prince also offers a wide selection of locally-sourced craft beers and real ales via 20 individual draught lines.

This posh pub near Chancery Lane boasts a meaty chophouse menu (with a few vegan options too, naturally) that can be enjoyed either in the convivial surrounds of the ground floor pub or in its quieter first-floor dining room. The menu champions provenance and bold flavours, meaning you’ll find the very best of British ingredients cooked skilfully by The White Swan’s passionate chefs.

With its stag’s heads on the bare brick walls and strung-up rabbits by the toilets, The Jugged Hare is an unabashed celebration of hunting, fishing and shooting, with top-quality game as a standout feature of the seasonal menu. To top it off, portions are huge, wines are carefully paired to each dish, and staff are friendly.

Its tagline is ‘make it fun, make it memorable, make it Parlour’, which actually sums up this Kensal Green gastropub pretty well. Fans report that Parlour is "a really fun place" thanks to its consistently good food, infectious vibe and generous hospitality, so if you’re looking for the whole package, you’ve found it. Open for hearty breakfasts, brunch, lunch and dinner, and welcoming of kids and dogs, it’s a great spot for family dining.

Chef Henry Harris oversees The Coach’s menu, which blends French and British cuisine and takes guests through from breakfast to dinner. Guests can expect signature dishes such as grilled rabbit with mustard sauce and smoked bacon or onglet, frites and aioli, along with traditional roasts on Sundays. The setting is stunning and the bar stocks every drink you could want.

Tucked down a City side street, this gastropub comprises a buzzy ground-floor bar and a quieter dining room upstairs where the kitchen produces a succession of pleasingly simple, well-executed dishes. Daily-changing cuts of steak and chops, accompanied by pommes frites, salad and a choice of sauces and flavoured butters are served alongside signature dishes such as steak tartare or confit duck with lentils. Chatty service and a cosy atmosphere seal the deal.

This Pimlico pub has the best of both: a buzzy downstairs pub where you can get a pizza fresh from the wood-fired oven, and an elegant upstairs dining room that resembles a country pub dining room. Here you’ll find more cheffy dishes such as grilled sardines with coddled egg and sheep’s cheese, balsamic braised lamb pie with sour-cream mash, and gingerbread with port figs and brown bread parfait.

Billed as a ‘proper English pub’, The Culpeper is a stripped-back, all-day venue that serves patriotic grub with some Gallic overtones. Breakfast, weekend brunch and Sunday roasts are part of the offer, while the drinks list features local bottled beers and cocktails created with home-grown herbal tinctures. A simple, weekly-changing menu of three starters, three mains and three desserts is available in the first floor restaurant.

This traditional Victorian pub, complete with a courtyard garden and gorgeously decorated dining room on the first floor is worth a trip out west. The all-day menu is overseen by chef Henry Harris whose mastery of ‘Franglais’ is spot-on. Expect the likes of grilled onglet, cod with brown butter and capers, and lemon posset.

Situated on scruffy South Lambeth Road, this superb neighbourhood boozer serves up a daily menu full of pared-down British and European flavours. Everything here is delicious, from soups to the Sunday sharers such as seven-hour Salt Marsh lamb shoulder with potato and olive oil gratin. Be warned: tables are first-come-first-served and once the room is full it operates a waiting list that can get pretty long on weekends.

More gastro than pub (despite the choice of cask ales), The Tommy Tucker serves up robust, fairly priced and confidently executed food made from elegantly arranged seasonal ingredients. Its metallic bar, open kitchen and scrubbed pine tables don’t make for the cosiest setting, but if it’s a civilised lunch out you’re after, it’s just the ticket.

Whether you pop in for a quiet beer, a hearty bar snack, a full meal or anything in between, you’re sure of a friendly welcome at this Bloomsbury boozer located a short walk from Chancery Lane and Holborn stations. The elegant yet comforting menu features British classics, including plenty of vegetarian options, while the handsome bar offers over 50 artisan and big name gins, craft beers and real ales.

This perfectly proportioned Regency townhouse sports a ground-floor boozer (including a fair amount of the pavement outside) and a pretty Regency dining room upstairs. Downstairs you’ll find an easy-going menu of pub staples ranging from chilli, salt squid to lamb burgers and fish and chips, while upstairs you’ll find a more refined selection of British dishes on offer.

Whether you stop in for breakfast, a lazy lunch, hearty dinner, weekend brunch or The Victoria’s epic Sunday roast, you’ll find well-presented modern British favourites on the menu. This stylish gastronomic bolthole is a good shout for families thanks to its large enclosed garden out back and its carefully-considered wine list and selection of craft lagers and cask ales.

With its sash windows and a feature wall of old doors, the upstairs dining room of this refurbished old boozer in Chelsea offers an elegant but straightforward menu of British-themed dishes that yields satisfying results. Burgers, sharing platters and classic pub snacks will keep hunger at bay while beers from Harviestoun Brewery will help wash it all down.

The birthplace of Camden Town Brewery and a well-loved Hampstead local for over a decade, The Horseshoe in Hampstead is known for its good, simple food, including legendary Sunday roasts. Food, which might take the form of beer-battered fish with mushy peas or twice-cooked Blythburgh pork belly, is served in both the whitewashed dining area at the back and in the breezy pub up front.

The good folk at The Havelock Tavern offer the best of both worlds – a proper pub and somewhere to eat first-rate grub with a modern rustic spin. Everything from the bread to the ice cream is made in-house and the menu crosses international borders with the likes of Thai green curry and pork ragu. The bar is stocked with beers from the likes of Battersea’s Sambrook’s Brewery and Truman’s of east London.

The Thames dining room at this hidden gem of a Fulham gastropub spills out onto an exceptional alfresco outdoor restaurant with beautiful views of the river. In summer, you can enjoy the likes of sea bass and gnocchi surrounded by weeping willows and delicate flowers, while winter brings the experience into the smart Victorian dining room. Sunday roasts here are amazing.

Rustic tucker, cracking real ales and European wines keeps punters happy at this Victorian tavern in Archway. The kitchen’s repertoire, listed on blackboard menus, is grounded in British cooking, yet looks to the European mainland for further inspiration. There’s plenty of provision for vegetarians and the kitchen cooks up a mean Sunday roast.  

A lovely setting we reckon the current Duke of Sussex might like, this characterful 19th-century pub’s menu celebrates the best of British, with a nod to Spanish culture. Diners will find a Spanish sharing menu alongside an a la carte filled with the usual pub classics, plus a hearty Sunday lunch menu that promises to leave you feeling content. The wine list sticks to Europe, apart from Spanish-speaking Argentina and Chile.

Housed in a Georgian building that’s retained its fine features, The Drapers Arms is the kind of gastropub you take your parents to (when they’re paying). The kitchen satisfies with its mix of modern comfort food, such as the house cheeseburger, and more refined dishes such as duck breast with roasted black plums, or guinea fowl, bacon and mushroom pie. To drink, there are real ales at the bar and a wine list offering glass and carafe options.