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Best Gastropubs in London
Best Gastropubs in London
With pubs being such a major part of British culture, it wasn't long until someone decided we needed an excuse to spend even longer in them; hence the creation of the Gastropub. When David Eyre and Mike Belben took over The Eagle in London, they combined pub culture with British dining and introduced this delicious concept. Many pubs soon latched onto this innovation and Londoners are now spoilt for choice on where to spend their weekends relaxing over a traditional ale and high end pub grub.
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The Thomas Cubitt
44 Elizabeth Street, SW1W 9PAThe Thomas Cubitt - named after the great Belgravia architect - is a perfect paneled pub, enclosed by French windows on two sides which open out on to the pretty Elizabeth Street and the huddles of tables outside, adding to the light, airy feel. The menu is focused on unfussy British country house cuisine, with occasional nods to traditional French food. Crisp crackling, slow-cooked Sunday roasts, fresh seafood, chocolate sponge, and lots of seasonal game and cheeses are the mainstays. The dining room prices are eye-watering (not surprisingly given the location, and the stunning building), but the short bar menu is excellent value, and it packs out at weekends. If you like this sort of thing you're in luck, the owners also run The Pantechnicon, The Orange (their first pub with rooms), and The Grazing Goat which are unique but all have the same Cubitt House feel with light, airy dining rooms and decent gastropub menus.
The Anchor & Hope
36 The Cut, London, SE1 8LPThis is a gastropub that takes both parts of its name seriously, and you can certainly have a good evening just popping in to sample some of their excellent selection of draft beers. However, it's the food that has made this a London landmark, and if you want to eat here, be prepared to arrive early. There's no table booking, and a no-nonsense attitude to customers, however demanding they may be. If you want your beef well-done, you'll be politely asked to choose something else, and if you want a light, vegetarian snack, then you'll be sorely disappointed. However, if what you're after is an imaginative menu, enormous platefuls of meaty goodness, and sensible prices, then this will be paradise for you. The best meals here are for sharing - rib of beef, cassoulet, whole leg of lamb - so it's a good place to go in a large group. The no-booking policy means you should turn up early - before six if you want to be seated immediately, though a forty-minute wait in a pleasant pub won't ruin your evening - but it also gives you the immense pleasure of watching posh foodies and pushy tourists being turned away while you tuck into your foie gras soup. It's almost unbelievably good value, as well, for though the presentation is relentlessly unflashy - and the dining room frankly hideous - the cooking is Michelin-star standard.
The Pantechnicon
10 Motcomb Street, SW1X 8LAFrom the people who brought us The Thomas Cubitt gastropub comes this Motcomb Street venture with two dining rooms: one (more casual one) on the ground level and another (formal affair) upstairs. But this being Motcomb Street (ie posh), even the less formal menu includes such extravagant delicacies as oysters and foie gras. In fact, the upstairs/downstairs differ largely in the setting - rustic wooden tables at street level versus white table cloths above stairs. The menus only really differ when it comes to the main course: choices of plaice fillets and braised rabbit are comparatively less indulgent than the Dover sole and roasted pigeon on offer upstairs. The prices too reflect the lofty ambitions of the upper floor compared to the bar below. So, cleverly, The Pantechnicon has something to suit whatever the occasion and the beautiful building - with its Doric columned facade dating back to 1874 - sets an altogether civilised tone.
The Garrison Public House
99 - 101 Bermondsey Street, London, SE1 3XBOh how we wish we lived in Bermondsey, then we could call this gem of a pub our local. We'd stop in for a regular drink at least once a week and treat ourselves to a slap up meal every month. It's the kind of place that we'd like to claim as a second home with a convivial atmosphere, plenty of drinks variety and great food - though the prices would prevent us from making this a daily ritual. They even have their own cinema in the basement, available to book for private parties, which is even better than our previous favourite place to go to the movies, the Electric cinema in Notting Hill. With eateries like this, along with nearby Village East, The Bermondsey Kitchen, Delfina Studio Cafe, and not forgetting The Hide Bar... oh how we wish we lived in Bermondsey.
The Orange
37-39 Pimlico Road, SW1W 8NEThe Orange on Pimlico Road is a pub with rooms that does both rather well. The mid-19th century building has been lovingly restored by the team behind The Thomas Cubitt and The Pantechnicon with four en suite bedrooms above the gastropub, each with a king size bed, marble en-suite, air conditioning, iPod dock and free Wi-Fi. In the pub on the ground floor wood fired pizzas with interesting toppings (like fig, prosciutto, gorgonzola and walnut pesto, and prawn, red pepper, chilli and capers) are served along with dishes like Devon lamb rump and roast turkey which can be washed down with real ales, fine wines or cool cocktails. Children can have a small wood fired margherita and home made ice cream or choose from many of the main dishes at half the price for smaller portions. Food is carefully sourced, partly from the nearby Pimlico Road Farmers' Market which takes place every Saturday.
The Grazing Goat
6 New Quebec Street, W1H 7RQThis huge gastropub is another ambitious project courtesy of the people behind Cubitt House (Stefan Turnbull and Barry Hirst, the guys behind The Thomas Cubitt, The Orange, and The Pantechnicon) who have been brought in by the Portman Estate who also own the nearby Portman Bistro and the Vinoteca wine bar, to re-hash what used to be the Bricklayers Arms in New Quebec Street. An expensive refurbishment has transformed The Grazing Goat into what appears to be a large country house, set in the Marble Arch end of Marylebone. Inside, you'll find a strong English theme, regarding both the interiors and the menu. Simple British food is the fare of choice here with fish and chips, steaks and Sunday roasts all found alongside more modern dishes, such as the chilli salt squid on the starter menu. And for those that can't bear to tear themselves away after a hefty meal, there are eight boutique hotel rooms upstairs, with six standard rooms and two suites.
Duke of Cambridge
30 St Peter's Street, London, N1 8JTThis pioneering organic pub has done a good job of going gastro without losing the atmosphere of a proper boozer. In part, this is due to the quantity of tables and chairs they've crammed into the stripped pine main bar, forcing people to share and creating a buzzy, convivial atmosphere that works well whether you're on a birthday party or a date. It's also due to an excellent range of organic micro-brewery beers, which keeps the CAMRA types happy, even though the decor's a bit lighter and airier than they might like. The short menu - pies, roasts, whole fish, stews, and a veggie option or two - seems pricy for such simple food, but you're paying for superb ingredients, and with it being the only gastropub in the UK to be certified by the Soil Association, everything on the menu is guaranteed to be organic. It's not hard to see why the Islington locals keep coming back for more.
The Wells Tavern
30 Well Walk, London, NW3 1BXTake an elegant, Georgian building on a side street in Hampstead - a sauntering five minutes walk away from the heath - add a chilled-out pub area complete with low tables, sinking sofas, real ales on tap, board-games and a simple, but top-notch, bar menu on the ground floor, and an intimate series of three dining rooms on the first floor serving an award-winning menu, and you've got the ingredients for a classic gastropub. Named after the famous mineral spa that first drew crowds to Hampstead's hallowed ground, The Wells Tavern in Hampstead is - like its namesake - continuing to attract those in need to refreshment and rejuvenation. The main draw is the food, which blends classics (calves liver, sausages and mash, lamb shank) with more modern European dishes (chorizo, feta cheese and chicory, squid and wild mushroom risotto) using fresh, seasonal produce. This place is prime Sunday Lunch territory - fill up on a traditional roast, washed down with a pint of ale or a glass of wine from the true connoisseurs wine list, then head to the heath for an invigorating walk; on which dogs can most certainly attend as they will be full of energy after feasting on the special dog treats provided on the menu. Keats and Constable, both former residents of the street (No 1 and No 40 respectively), would surely approve.
The Horseshoe
28 Heath Street, London, NW3 6TEWith its own microbrewery in the basement and good by-the-glass wine list this would be a good boozer by anybody's standards. But couple this with the simple, honest cooking using quality ingredients and you have a gastro pub that stands out from the over-priced restaurants in this affluent area. As a restaurant alone, it is the best thing in Hampstead; especially recommended is their Sunday lunch. The honest approach is evident before you even glance at the menu as the fuss-free interior, plain wood furniture and bare brick walls attest to the no frills attitude of owner Jasper Cuppaidge. When you've tried the Red Poll beef, seared scallops or their baked fig, goat's cheese and walnut salad you'll understand why it gets so busy. And, like the punters filling up the place, you'll be back.
The Holly Bush
22 Holly Mount, Hampstead, , London, NW3 6SGThe Holly Bush is the quintessential London pub. Built in 1643 it has changed little over the centuries. Hidden in the attractive back alleys of Hampstead The Holly Bush is a cosy warren of small rooms with low ceilings, giving it a distinct homely feel. With a rich gastropub menu including traditional favourites such as oxtail, pheasant and fisherman's pie combined with a roaring coal fire in winter and a spot out the front to enjoy a refreshing Pimm's in the summer; this is the ideal place to while away a weekend afternoon. With real ales on offer including Fuller's ESB, London Pride and Harvey's Sussex Best, it's more than worth the climb up the steep steps, just be careful on the way back down after a tipple or two.
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