London’s best pub has just been crowned for 2024 by Time Out

The wait is over. Our brand new, inarguable ranking of the 50 best pubs in London is out now. 

After some serious deliberating, largely over Guinness, there’s also a brand new Number 1 - congrats to the Army & Navy in Newington Green. Handing the baton from south London to north London is former list-topper Skehan’s in Nunhead, which remains in the Top 50, but is joined by a whole load of brand new boozers in one of Time Out London’s most important lists. 

The Army & Navy topped the list because of its dedication to being a proper London boozer; from the swirly carpets to the velvet booths, little hidden snug bar area, and absolutely massive beer garden. It’s the kind of place where everyone can feel welcome – for local locals to the new wave of younger pintspeople – and for that we commend it. 

Other new entries into the Top 10 include the canal-side Anchor & Hope in Clapton, the footie-friendly Shepherd & Flock in Shepherd’s Bush and the deeply old school Olde Apple Tree in Peckham. This year our Top 50 focuses on less well-known and independent inns across the capital. With a worrying number of the UK’s pubs closing by the week, we wanted to focus on London’s unsung pub heroes. This also means we're shining a light on everything from Mannion’s in Tottenham, to Rose’s in Woolwich and the Windermere in South Kenton. 

Of course, there’s also space for London’s more well-known pubs in the list too. Look out for favourites such as the Coach & Horses and the French House in Soho, as well as Hackney’s always-rammed Chesham Arms, Notting Hill mainstay The Cow, the Bank of Friendship by Arsenal, and the Palm Tree in Mile End. 

The Top 50 was decided upon by Time Out London Food & Drink Editor Leonie Cooper and writer Jimmy McIntosh, who runs the Instagram account @londondeadpubs, with contributions from the Time Out London team. 

Of course, in a city with well over 3,000 pubs, not everything can make the Top 50 final cut. If you’re looking for fancy pubs with fancy food, you’ll find them in our list of the best gastropubs. Wondering where London’s most legendary drinking dens are? They’re here: London’s most historic pubs.

London’s top 10 pubs in 2024 according to Time Out

1. The Army & Navy, Newington Green
2. The Coach & Horses, Soho
3. The Blythe Hill Tavern, Catford
4. The Shepherd & Flock, Shepherd’s Bush
5. The Palm Tree, Mile End
6. The Anchor & Hope, Clapton
7. The Olde Apple Tree, Peckham
8. The Southampton Arms, Gospel Oak
9. The King’s Head, Finsbury Park
10. The Old Nun’s Head, Nunhead

Read the full top 50 here.

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