The best pubs in Victoria

You want character? The tiny Nags Head has buckets of it, from the landlord’s name printed in bold on the canopy of this traditional Belgravia pub, to its mobile-phone ban and walls cluttered with everything from cartoons and baseball reports to garden tools and vintage penny-slots. Bring cash however - minimum bar spend on card is £16 and pints are a whopping £8.

A prince among pubs, The Grenadier feels like a secret we shouldn't be sharing, and yet it would be foolish not to let everyone know about this historical corker. Tucked away on Belgravia's Wilton Row, it started life as the officers' mess for the senior infantry regiment of the British army – the 1st Regiment of Foot Guards. Handily, it was in the courtyard of their barracks.

Thomas Cubitt is a handsome figure of a pub, best known for its food offering on both the ground floor and in its formal, first-floor dining room. Punters are just as welcome for the drinks – think cocktails and glasses of Old World wine rather than pints of the fizzy stuff.

Sister pub to the Thomas Cubitt, The Orange is a similarly smart gastropub that doubles as a hotel. Expect a well-heeled clientele, especially on Sundays when Norfolk lamb and Speyside sirloin do a roaring trade. There are plenty of upmarket wines by the glass.

Frosted glass and carved wood interiors as well as the pub’s short distance from the Houses of Parliament make The Albert a tourist favourite. But the Greene King pub will please locals too thanks to a spacious main bar stocked with well-kept British ales.

Down towards Pimlico, you’ll find one of London’s beery pioneers. Cask had fridges and a cellar stocked full of weird and wonderful brews before anyone had even heard of a ‘craft beer’. Stop by for the beer of the week – or work your way through them all, if you like.

Another of the area’s old-school pubs, the Plumbers has a boxy interior since it used to separate the classes. You can rub shoulders with any old riff-raff now, though, while you chow down on fish and chips and swill trad ales and lagers.

This pub bills itself as central London’s smallest. It’s certainly a cutie, with pretty hanging baskets outside and a cottage-like interior. Join loyal, chatty regulars for no-frills drinking – stick with what’s pouring from the pumps and you’ll be just as happy as they are.

The Speaker declares itself to be ‘a real pub’ on its outward-facing signage, so don’t come looking for sports on big screens and fruit machines. Indeed – it’s all about speaking here. It’s also about great real ale. Proper.