Best pub in London crowned - and it serves a beef wellington feast
Fitzrovia's finest
The best pubs in the whole of the UK have been announced — at least the best according to the National Pub & Bar Awards.
Our big London winner is The George, in Fitzrovia’s Great Portland Street. It’s part of the Ardent Group, and hosts all sorts including traditional Irish music nights, pub quizzes and World Cup screenings.
You can also bag a roast there on Sundays, or with a bit of notice you can go all-out with a feasting menu. There’s a beef wellington feast at £100 per person, beef rib for £70 or a vegetarian feast (leek, potato and brie pithivier) for £55 a person.
These require 72-hour notice for the kitchen, and are for a minimum of four diners.
The George is a special pub, no doubt. But it didn’t win the National Pub & Bar Awards’s “best pub in the UK” award.
That went to The Gunton Arms in Norfolk, set within a scenic estate near Cromer.
A second London pub also won an award, but this one may get a few eyes rolling. Soho tourist trap and social media sensation The Devonshire won the Industry’s Choice Award — and to be fair to this perennial busy spot, it does have a proper restaurant within its walls. It’s not all just about the pub’s supposed top-tier Guinness pints.
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The Somers Town Coffee House in Euston and The French House in Soho also picked up the second and third spots in the Industry’s Choice top 10, followed by The Red Lion & Sun in Highgate.
Here’s the full top 10, and those regional favourites highlighted by the National Pub & Bar Awards 2026.
- National Pub & Bar of the Year: The Gunton Arms
- London Pub & Bar of the Year: The George, Fitzrovia
- East Midlands Pub & Bar of the Year: The Tollemache Arms
- East of England Pub & Bar of the Year: The Gunton Arms
- North East Pub & Bar of the Year: The Kirkstyle Inn and Sportsman's Rest
- North West Pub & Bar of the Year: Church Inn, Mobberley
- Northern Ireland Pub & Bar of the Year: Guildhall Taphouse
- North Scotland Pub & Bar of the Year: The Ferry Inn, Isle of Skye
- South Scotland Pub & Bar of the Year: The Noble, Glasgow
- South East Pub & Bar of the Year: The Mason’s Arms, Clanfield
- South West Pub & Bar of the Year: The Bath Arms, Warminster
- Wales Pub & Bar of the Year: George III, Dolgellau
- West Midlands Pub & Bar of the Year: The Bull’s Head, Craswall
- Yorkshire and the Humber Pub & Bar of the Year: The Woolly Sheep Inn, Skipton
- Industry’s Choice Award: The Devonshire, Soho
- Pub Group of the Year: Caledonian Heritable
- Bar Group of the Year: Albert’s Schloss
- The Tyrrells Tyrrellbly Good Taste Award: The Welldiggers Arms, Petworth
And here are the industry choice winners:
- The Devonshire, Soho
- The Somers Town Coffee House, Euston
- The French House, Soho
- The Red Lion & Sun, Highgate
- The Mason's Arms, Clanfield
- The Gunton Arms, Norfolk
- The Sportsman, Seasalter
- The Bull, Charlbury
- The White Horse, Brancaster Staithe
- The Woolpack, Slad
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Andrew Williams has written about all sorts of stuff for more than a decade — from tech and fitness to entertainment and fashion. He has written for a stack of magazines and websites including Wired, TrustedReviews, TechRadar and Stuff, enjoys going to gigs and painting in his spare time. He's also suspiciously good at poker.
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