# Best historic pubs in London

Coaching inns, Dickens haunts and riverside taverns: London's most atmospheric old pubs according to historians, locals and pub lovers.

- 1643 votes · 12 items
- Oct 13, 2025 · Jessica
- https://even.best/en/l/1088/best-historic-pubs-in-london

## Top 10

1. **The George Inn, Southwark** (166 · ▲189 ▼23) — London's last surviving galleried coaching inn, owned by the National Trust.
2. **Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, Fleet Street** (145 · ▲159 ▼14) — Rebuilt after the Great Fire of 1666, with dark cellar bars.
3. **The Grapes, Limehouse** (140 · ▲153 ▼13) — Thames-side pub known to Dickens, co-owned by Sir Ian McKellen.
4. **Ye Olde Mitre, Holborn** (120 · ▲129 ▼9) — Hidden down an alley in Hatton Garden.
5. **The Spaniards Inn, Hampstead** (116 · ▲135 ▼19) — 16th-century inn on the edge of Hampstead Heath.
6. **Prospect of Whitby, Wapping** (91 · ▲110 ▼19) — Claims to be the oldest riverside pub in London.
7. **Lamb and Flag, Covent Garden** (82 · ▲104 ▼22) — Historic pub tucked into Rose Street.
8. **The Mayflower, Rotherhithe** (77 · ▲97 ▼20) — Riverside pub near where the Mayflower set sail.
9. **The Princess Louise, Holborn** (67 · ▲88 ▼21) — Victorian gin palace with etched glass and wooden snugs.
10. **The Black Friar, Blackfriars** (63 · ▲88 ▼25) — Arts and Crafts interior full of carved monks.
11. **The Holly Bush, Hampstead** (54 · ▲85 ▼31) — Cosy Georgian pub up a hillside lane.
12. **The Churchill Arms, Kensington** (48 · ▲69 ▼21) — Pub covered in flowers that serves Thai food.

How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.