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The most beautiful pubs in London

Twelve London pubs worth a trip for the room alone: etched glass, green tiles, ceilings you could fly a kite in and walled gardens that make a Tuesday feel like a holiday. Every one is picked by us, locals who actually drink in them and pay for the pints. The beer matters, obviously, but here we're mostly in it for the fabric of the place.

  1. The Talbot
    1. The Talbot

    Balcony bevvies

    Islington

    The balcony is the whole point, so get up there before it fills and watch the world go by, then move to the walled garden when the sun swings round. Shuts at ten, so line up the second half.

  2. The Wenlock Arms
    2. The Wenlock Arms

    All The Ales

    Islington

    A proper little corner boozer that nobody has been allowed to ruin: bare boards, mismatched chairs, handpumps all down the bar. Bag the window seat and let the canal crowd drift in.

  3. The Young Prince
    3. The Young Prince

    A Classicist’s Dream

    Bow

    Roman Road classicism, all dark wood and etched glass, with the walled garden waiting out the back. Best on a Sunday afternoon when the light comes through the front windows and nobody's in a rush.

  4. Prince George
    4. Prince George

    Pints & Pool

    Hackney

    Victorian bones on a Dalston back street, big windows, proper bar. Get in early enough to claim the corner table by the glass, then stack your £1 coins up for the pool table.

  5. The Scolt Head
    5. The Scolt Head

    Four Seasons Pub

    Islington

    A freestanding pub on its own triangle, which means light on three sides and a garden that wraps around the building. The inside is far bigger than it looks and comes into its own in January.

  6. The Camel
    6. The Camel

    Pints, Pie, Mash

    Bethnal Green

    Green tiles outside, etched windows, a front bar nobody has modernised. Take a pie and mash at a table by the glass at lunchtime and let the sun do the rest.

  7. The Palm Tree
    7. The Palm Tree

    Jazz Matazz

    Bow

    Standing alone on the park like the Blitz never happened, with a gold oval bar, flock walls and boxing photos everywhere. Thursday to Sunday for the jazz. Cash only, we're not joking.

  8. Crooked Billet
    8. Crooked Billet

    Big Beer Garden

    Clapton

    Handsome old corner building, but it's the garden that earns its place here: long benches, real trees, room for 20 of your mates. Book it the second a heatwave is forecast.

  9. The Clapton Hart
    9. The Clapton Hart

    Pints At Its Hart

    Clapton

    Ceilings you could fly a kite in, tiles, mirrors and enough separate rooms that there's always somewhere to land. Back room in winter, front terrace the second it's warm.

  10. The Hemingway
    10. The Hemingway

    Vicky Park Pints

    Hackney Wick

    A big Victorian corner with its windows pointed straight at Victoria Park. Go at golden hour after a walk, sit in the garden, watch everyone else still doing laps.

  11. The Haggerston
    11. The Haggerston

    Kingsland Road Racer

    Hackney

    Plain Kingsland Road frontage hiding a long, dark room built for staying too late. Sunday evening with live jazz in the corner is the version to see it at.

  12. The Hunter S
    12. The Hunter S

    Neighbourhood Boozing

    Islington

    Panelling, old lamps and taxidermy staring at you from every wall, more Victorian parlour than Dalston pub. Take the back with a pizza and stay put until they turf you out.

Every place on Nuff has been visited and chosen by us. Real people who love London's food, pubs and culture. Tried, tested and argued over. No ads, no algorithms, nothing pay-to-play.

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