The best pubs in Holborn

Decked out with scuffed wooden booths and painted an eye-watering rhubarb colour, The Duke is a 1930s throwback with a heart. A backstreet gem, it feels special from the moment you set foot inside. They literally don't make them like this anymore. 

Located behind the Royal Courts of Justice, the tiny, charismatic Seven Stars still sees its fair share of baristers through the doors. There are cartoon strips on the wall, a menu of retro bar snacks and a pub cat roaming freely and often dressed in a ruff (seriously).

In operation for nearly three centuries, this pub boasts a glorious Victorian interior, dating back to a time when stars of the stage and music hall were regulars here. Publicity shots form rows across the walls of a cosy, varnished-wood interior, while the central horseshoe bar is ringed with original etched-glass ‘snob screens’, used to confer anonymity on Victorian gentlemen when liaising with ‘women of dubious distinction’. A lovely little time machine.

Largely due to its location – down a barely marked alley between Hatton Garden’s jewellers and Ely Place – this little traditional pub, the foundation of which dates to 1546, is a favourite of ‘secret’ pub fans. There’s always a good range of ales on offer at the tiny central bar, but people come for the atmosphere: lots of cosy dark wood and some overlooked curiosities, such as the tree in the front bar. It’s a cherry tree that Good Queen Bess is said to have danced around, but now supports a corner of the bar.

This authentically dingy, wobbly and warren-like pub is the kind of place in which to film a period drama. The main room is lined with conspiratorial dark wood alcoves, with old barrels over the long bar and framed portraits from Vanity Fair c.1870. Get your booze fix from a range of Sam Smith beers on draught.

This Sam Smiths pub and former Victorian gin palace is one for your London bucket list, if only to hide in one of its frosted-glass booths for a moment. The pub is still beautifully ornate and drinking in such old-school opulence is a treat. 

The Lady Ottoline is an upmarket, recently spruced up pub that has big gastro energy. Expect Sunday roasts, seasonal fare the rest of the week and the occasional wedding. 

The Devereux first came into being in 1677 as The Grecian Coffee House, and became a local haunt for the likes of Sir Isaac Newton, Sir Edmund Halley and Hans Sloane. Although the decor hasn't changed much in 350 odd years, the pub is now a touch more modern, with a Monday night pub quiz and all the sports you can manage on big screen TVs. 

It’s a splendid little pub, this, with a young, international clientele drawn in no small part from the nearby London School of Economics. They’re treated to a decent selection of ales on draught and a seriously traditional menu of pub grub (soups, ploughman’s and chunky sarnies).