The 11 best craft beer bars and pubs in London

London is a city with brewing tradition in its blood and a plethora of great venues to enjoy beer as varied as the city itself. From cosy traditional pubs to brewery tap rooms and bars with almost uncountable taps, there are options to suit everyone.

We pick our favourite locations for a pint alongside Jonny Garrett and Brad Evans, the founders of YouTube’s Craft Beer Channel and authors of The London Craft Beer Guide. We also feature a couple of favourites from Shortlist-reading London pub goers. Cheers!

The best craft beer bars and pubs in London: Brad and Jonny's picks

Jonny Garrett, Craft Beer Chanel co-founder, picks:

1. The Hope
48 West Street, Carshalton SM5 2PR

There aren't many reasons to go to Carshalton unless you live there – but the Hope might just be enough. There is simply no other place like it – a huge, mock Tudor building that serves as the unlikely setting for one of the best beer lists in the capital. There's a fantastic line-up for traditional and modern cask ale, the perfect mix of local keg beer and beautiful German imports, and a permanent Imperial Stout line where Guinness would usually be. Pair that with their iconic Hot Pot meals – cooked by a former school dinner lady and served with crusty bread – and a day-long buzz of locals and beer-geek pilgrims and you will never want to leave.

2. Beer Merchants Tap
99 Wallis Rd, London E9 5LN

There is no brewery, bar or pub in London that has a better tap list. Owned by the folks who run Beermerchants.com, the 24 keg lines and two cask lines are complemented by well over 300 beers in the fridges. That means you can find everything from 14% pastry stouts to gluten-free lagers, via hazy IPA from just about every hype brewery you can think of. Better yet is the collection of wild ale and often very rare lambic, a real rarity in bars these days. All of this is hosted in a former book warehouse in Hackney Wick, which makes for a diverse crowd, some of whom are just there for foamy pints of Paulaner and others hosting impromptu bottle shares as they mine the fridges for gold.

3. Ye Olde Mitre
1 Ely Ct, Ely Pl, London EC1N 6SJ

If you're looking for great beer in proper central London, choices are pretty limited. Most people will send you to the Harp, which great if you can get inside the place. When things are liable to get busy, I prefer to take the detour to Hatton Garden and duck down an alley between two of the jewellery shops. There you'll find one of London's oldest surviving pubs in Ye Olde Mitre. Once inside you'll be transported back about 500 years by the gorgeous oak decor, endless trinkets on the walls and almost medieval furniture. It's a Fuller's pub where the Pride and ESB are always on perfect form, but it's one of the few that has license to buy whatever it likes outside of those core beers – so expect some surprising additions to the beer list.

4. The Sutton Arms
6 Carthusian Street, London, EC1M 6EB

Just a short work from Farringdon Station, the Sutton Arms is a beautiful old corner pub that's been a family business for decades, in a place where family businesses are becoming far less common. We're not quite in the East End here, but there are definite echoes of cockney culture. There are tasty pies in a heater on the counter, four hand pulls of delicious mostly-London brewed beer, and a real traditional pub atmosphere. The owners have brought the beer list up to date while leaving the vibe completely as it is. They frequently host tap takeovers with the likes of Other Half, Verdant and DEYA, but also have a real love of great central European lagers, so you'll often find Tegernseer, Augustiner and Ayinger on the bar.

Brad Evans, Craft Beer Chanel co-founder, picks:

5. Hop Burns & Black
Arch 1, Deptford Station, Deptford High St, London SE8 4NS

Being a bonafide south Londoner my whole life, beer miles and great pubs are no stranger to me, but if you asked me to pick one street in London that does it all you’ll find me telling endless tales of Deptford High Street. There are some fantastic spots like Villages Brewery and The Lucky Anchor, but my favourite place to be is indie bottle shop legend Hop Burns and Black. It’s where I pick up my take away beers and hot sauces from their well-stocked and amazingly curated beer fridges, but if the sun’s out, I’ll be drinking a crispy Augustiner out front, straight from the bottle while watching street life pass me by.

6. The Dog & Bell
116 Prince Steet, London SE8 3JD

Many people don’t consider cask as craft beer, but for me it is the original example of it. The Dog & Bell was voted CAMRA pub of the year for Lewisham in 2025 and has been my spiritual home of beer for over two decades. It’s the best Irish pub in town, with great roasts, great cask and traditional Irish music sessions every Wednesday. It’s an absolute institution that has been the heart of the community with its festivals throughout the year (cider, pickle and Green Man to name but a few) and of course let’s not forget the impeccable Guinness that would blow the Prime Mutton’s pork pie hat clean off!

Shortlist Selects...

7. Howling Hops Brewery and Tank Bar
Unit 9A Queen's Yard, White Post Lane, London E9 5EN

Originally operating out of Hackney’s Cock Tavern, brewery Howling Hops moved to its current Hackney Wick location in 2015. In the process of setting up a bigger site, they created one of London’s most unique beer experiences. This bar serves the brewery’s extraordinary and ever-changing range of beers direct from the tank, as fresh as you can get. As you walk into the typically industrial feeling unit, you’re greeted by a row of gleaming stainless-steel tanks behind the bar, each of which will be dispensing a beer of immense quality.

8. Signature Brew Blackhorse Road
Unit 15, Blackhorse Ln, London E17 5QJ

Throughout London, drinkers are spoilt for choice when it comes to brewery taprooms, but among a crowded field, Signature Brew’s main site stands out. Nestled on the Blackhorse Beer Mile, the bar serves the brand’s excellent beers, such as Studio Lager and Roadie IPA bang fresh. They also boast pop up food vendors and, true to the brewery’s commitment to link everything with music, they host a stellar range of gigs. For anyone exploring the area’s breweries, Signature Brew is an essential stop.

9. The Rake
Borough Market, 14A Winchester Walk, London SE1 9AG

Operated by the folk behind the beer stall in Borough Market, the Rake will turn 20 in 2026. It’s not hard to see why it has weathered the storms that have done for many other pubs. It’s one of London’s smallest bars, being roughly the size of a show box, but it boasts a huge tap list featuring everything from golden European lagers to hazy pale ales, imperial stouts and fine traditional cask ales. The venue’s size is more than doubled by its enclosed yard and in the summer, drinkers pour out into the market. The Rake is nothing short of a London craft beer institution.

Your Picks...

Leila Al-Baldawi, from Herne Hill, picks:

10. Bullfinch Brewery
Rosendale Road, Herne Hill, SE24 9EH

Bullfinch Brewery in Herne Hill serves their own beers alongside an ever-changing rotation from across the country. The bar staff are knowledgeable, it hosts live music and has an atmosphere filled with kindred spirits. I've tasted incredible beers from all over and have become fiercely loyal to the place. The manager, Phil, really makes it feel like home – not just for me, but for so many of us who live locally. I come here early Friday evenings with my children, their friends, and other parent friends. The kids enjoy board games whilst we enjoy The Bullfinch's menu of those exceptional beers. It's equally popular with the younger, kid-free crowd too, giving the whole pub a welcome and safe atmosphere where everyone can just be themselves.

Gary Rolfe, from Islington, picks:

11. The Robin Ale and Cider House
29 Crouch Hill, Finsbury Park, London N4 4AP

If you’ve had enough of the cavernous, booming halls of the city’s taprooms and it’s a snug, intimate establishment you seek, there’s no better place to sup on a craft beer than The Robin. As you step inside, it immediately feels familiar: the soft crackle of vinyl, the lingering hum of conversation, and walls adorned with murals of the locals.

There’s a steady rotation of interesting craft beers on keg, but the main draw for me is the cask offering. Even for seasoned craft-beer fans, the ubiquity of straw-coloured, slightly effervescent keg pale ales can start to feel tiresome, and sometimes you just want a proper beer. There are usually three or four excellent cask beers available, and you can’t leave without trying The Robin’s collaboration with DEYA: No Champagne, No Bookings, No VIP!

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