London isn’t short on watering holes – but in a city of such abundance, you might just as easily find yourself in a lacklustre tourist trap as a local treasure. Wherever you happen to be, make a beeline for the best with the help of our handy guide.

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5 BEST PUBS IN LONDON

1. The Ship & Shovell (central): A really excellent pub – the really good Victorian kind, with real ale, wooden benches and flagstone floors – is often well hidden. You stumble upon it once, and never seem to be able to find it again. The Ship & Shovell is just such a pub – or rather, two such pubs, tucked on either side of a cobbled passage behind Charing Cross and linked by an underground cellar. Order a pint, find a quiet corner and settle in for the evening.

2. The Flask (north): Though it’s only ten minutes by tube from central London, Hampstead has a distinctly village-y feel, and nowhere is this more true than on Flask Walk. Past an assortment of boutique-y shops – a florist here, an antique store there – you’ll find The Flask, with its mahogany-and-glass partitions, cast-iron fireplaces and smart Georgian mouldings. While there’s a pretty conservatory for summer visits, this is a cosy spot that excels on damp winter days when the red wine’s flowing.

3. The Sun Tavern (east): The geniuses behind this Bethnal Green stalwart have successfully achieved that most illusive – almost alchemic – hybrid: the traditional pub cum contemporary cocktail bar. It’s tough to tell where dilapidated brickwork ends and industrial-shabby chic begins, but go with it. Beer drinkers are extremely well-catered for (plenty on tap, and frequent collaborations with local breweries), but don’t be fooled – the bartenders are all experienced mixologists, too.

4. Anchor Bankside (south): There are plenty of London pubs with outdoor seating, but very few can boast a view like this one. Sandwiched between Borough Market and Shakespeare’s Globe, the terrace overlooks the River Thames, Southwark Bridge and, beyond it, St Paul’s Cathedral. Inside, you’ll find a labyrinth of rooms dotted with fireplaces, oak beams and elaborate furnishings. There’s been a tavern on this spot for 800 years, so rest assured they know what they’re doing.

5. The Windsor Castle (west): Perfect pub gardens aren’t always easy to find: too often, signs promising sun-dappled picnic benches and creeping ivy deliver breeze-block walls and kitchen fumes. Not so at this Grade II-listed Notting Hill local, which – though often overshadowed by the nearby (and much-Instagrammed) Churchill Arms – is as full of character outside as in. The garden is all country-cottage charm, pretty flowerbeds and leafy canopies, and you’ll be hard pressed to find a nicer spot on a sunny day.

Special mention – The Bermondsey Beer Mile: A must for any self-respecting beer drinker, this string of breweries nestled into railway arches makes for a fantastic day-long bar crawl. Start at the Southwark Brewing Company just behind London Bridge station, then work your way south-east following the rumbling tracks above. The ambitious drinker can hit as many as 15 breweries, with Fourpure Brewing Co (beside South Bermondsey station) generally considered the end of the trail – though additional stops at Maltby Street Market (for spectacular street food) and the local branch of ramen spot Bone Daddies are highly recommended.

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15 BEST COCKTAIL BARS IN LONDON

WEST/WEST END

1. Swift (Soho and Shoreditch): The original Swift sits at the end of Old Compton Street in London’s buzzy, bohemian Soho, and was recently joined by a sister bar, Swift Shoreditch, on Great Eastern Street. The staff are amongst the friendliest you’ll find anywhere – but don’t be fooled by their easy chitchat: there is serious work being done. Come for the Irish coffee (it’s the stuff of local legend), stay for the 250-plus whiskies from around the world.

2. FAM Bar (Marylebone): Exactly the kind of bar you’d never expect to find within spitting distance of Mayfair, Oxford Street and Selfridges, FAM is a low-key spot with a friendly vibe and a menu geared towards locally sourced ingredients. It’s a popular hangout for bartenders, but professionals, regulars and newbies alike are treated as family (hence the name), which means they’ll even let you pick the music – though you’ll need a few cocktails while you peruse the wall of vinyl.

3. Murder Inc (Fitzrovia): This relative newcomer is part dive bar, part gangster hangout and all dingy drinking den. The ethos? Keep it simple – and that means the drinks are cheap, the neon’s bright and the nachos come piled high with cheese and chorizo. The cocktails are creative but accessible (you won’t need to google the ingredients), and the generous Americana vibe comes tongue firmly in cheek.

4. Publik (Kensington): Small but perfectly formed, this bar and restaurant came under splendid new management in summer 2020. Formerly known as Le Petit Sud, it was rechristened in September, and is fast making a name for itself on the craft-cocktail scene. Don’t leave without trying the food, which is as good as any you’ll find in the capital. The goat’s-cheese-and-thyme butter, served with sourdough, is decadence itself, but worth every calorie.

5. Eve Bar (Covent Garden): You’ll find this sinful little bar beneath Frog, celebrity chef Adam Handling’s flagship restaurant. Inside, it’s dark and brooding, with low-lit velvet banquettes and shadowy statement art (the chain-mail sculpture of the eponymous biblical heroine is particularly striking), leaving the drinks – bold in flavour and concocted in the on-site laboratory – to take centre stage.

6. Fitz’s Bar (Bloomsbury): Prices at the Kimpton Fitzroy’s watering hole are low by hotel-bar standards, so this is a solid bet if you’re after an upmarket tipple. It’s glamorous, but with a proper personality (from the chatty bartenders and complimentary Twiglets, to the enormous glitter ball, silk ceiling and eruption of ostrich feathers), and the cocktails are as jazzy as the decor.

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CITY OF LONDON

7. Oriole (Farringdon): Down a covered avenue cutting through Smithfield Market, intrepid drinkers pass through an unassuming glass door and down a dark staircase, emerging into the incongruously warm glow of an elegant speakeasy. Take a seat amongst the tropical decor and tribal trinkets, and indulge in geographically eccentric concoctions to the accompaniment of live jazz, swing and blues.

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EAST

8. The Gibson (Old Street): There are wacky cocktail vessels, and then there’s The Gibson. Want your drink served in a hollowed-out bread roll, or in the outstretched gullet of a china hippo? This is the place. Throw in a shabby-chic ’20s aesthetic and some generous wine glasses, and you have a great little neighbourhood bar with more character than you can shake a stick at.

9. Callooh Callay (Shoreditch): When this retro dive bar opened its doors in 2008, craft mixology was still a pretty new concept in East London – but it soon caught on, thanks to Callooh’s lively concoctions and accessible ethos. Fall further down the rabbit hole when you creep through a wardrobe door in the back to a mirrored second space, or become a member and discover the secret Jub Jub bar upstairs.

10. Cocktail Trading Co (Shoreditch): Another spot which feels every inch the East End pub (wood panels, monkey nuts, velvet-topped stools and leather booths), this cosy cocktail bar has hidden depths in abundance. Whimsy is the name of the game, meaning you’ll find a menu overflowing with quaintly antiquated names and playful vessels – plus some classic bar snacks (the hearty scotch egg and steak-and-ale sausage roll are winners).

11. Tayēr + Elementary (Old Street): Split into two parts – Elementary, a minimalist wooden bar at the front, and Tayēr, a moodier chrome-and-tile affair with a large all-around counter at the back – this bar is industrial form and function to the letter. Pull up a stool at the latter (by your knees, you’ll find bag-holding carabiners, sockets and USB ports), and order an Iberian-pork katsu sando to go with your drink – it has quite the reputation.

12. Spitalfields Bar (Spitalfields): A bar beneath a chain restaurant famous for its steak might not scream sophisticated craft cocktails, but nevertheless that’s just what you’ll find in the boozy basement of Hawksmoor’s atmospheric original location. Try Shaky Pete’s Ginger Brew, the bar’s ‘ode to the power shandy’, and whatever happens to be churning away in the slushy machines behind the bar – preferably with a side of short-rib nuggets or a beef and bone marrow bun.

13. Satan’s Whiskers (Bethnal Green): If candlelight and taxidermy float your boat, you’ll be right at home propping up the bar at this characterful neighbourhood staple. Leather booths are complimented by the grimy edge which gives this spot its bite (think red neon, skulls and stuffed wildlife), but order a Miami Vice and a plate of tacos and you’ll be welcomed like long-lost family.

14. Coupette (Bethnal Green): Routinely found in the upper echelons of international bar rankings, this sleek watering hole is anything but pretentious (though it would have every right to be). Instead, you’ll find a scattering of Tiffany lamps atop a long coin-topped bar, an excellent selection of calvados (apple brandy) and a team whose knowledge is only matched by their enthusiasm. Try the champagne pina colada; you won’t be sorry.

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SOUTH

15. Funkidory (Peckham): Run by husband-and-wife team Sergio and Anna, this quirky little bar is all about Peckham pride, good music and big flavours. Come for the sumptuous vinyl collection – funk, soul, disco, hiphop: you name it, they play it – stay for the cocktails, amongst which you’ll find authentically funky ingredients like bergamot sherbet, saffron kombucha, strawberry grapes and fennel syrup.