The Best Pubs in London for a Proper Pint

London has thousands of pubs and a fair few of them are very good at being pubs. The trouble is that most lists of the best ones are written from other lists. This guide takes a more careful line. It names a small number of pubs that turn up repeatedly in recent coverage, says plainly what is and is not known about them, and gives you a way to check the one thing that matters most: whether the beer is any good.

What a proper pint actually means

For this piece it means cask ale, kept and served by people who care about it, in a room that has not been redesigned around a cocktail list. An open fire in winter is a bonus rather than a requirement. A television showing nothing in particular is forgivable. A menu that runs to four pages is a warning sign.

Cask ale is a living product. It is conditioned in the cellar and served by handpump, and it can be excellent or dismal depending on cellar care. That is why a pub's reputation matters more than its decor, and why a handsome room is not proof of a good pint.

How to check before you go

Three habits will save you a wasted journey.

• Use Whatpub. It is the pub database run by CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, and it records whether a pub serves cask ale and what else it offers. Check it for any pub in this guide.
• Look at the awards. CAMRA names a Greater London Pub of the Year each year, and its local branches pick winners across the capital, from Bexley and Croydon to Enfield, Richmond and Kingston. Time Out has covered the latest results, and they are a better starting point than any listicle. Many winners sit outside the centre, so the best pint in London may not be near a tube station you already use.
• Check the pub's own site. Opening hours, kitchen times and whether the fire is lit all change. Check before you go.

North: Hampstead

The Holly Bush

This is the most consistently praised pub in the research behind this guide. It is a Grade II listed building, and Fuller's lists it among its pubs with open fires, with one fire downstairs and another in the upstairs dining room. Stylist describes it as an 18th century pub with wood panelling and a fire, and Sunny in London files it among traditional Hampstead pubs run by Fuller's.

That is a good deal of agreement. Two caveats apply. The Stylist piece is no longer fresh, and Fuller's is the operator, so its page is marketing as much as reporting. Fuller's is a brewer, so cask ale is a reasonable expectation, but confirm the range on Whatpub. Fires are usually a cold weather feature, so a summer visit may find the hearth empty.

North: Islington and Highbury

The Albion

Stylist places this pub in Highbury, while other listings call it Islington, so check the address before setting off. Both Stylist and The Nudge mention an open fire, and Stylist adds a garden. That combination is rarer than it sounds: a fire for the dark months and outdoor space for the rest of the year.

One note of caution. Stylist's mention of a house take on an Old Fashioned suggests the drinks list leans towards cocktails. That does not rule out a decent pint, but it does mean this is a pub to verify rather than assume. If cask ale is your priority, look at Whatpub first.

South East: Rotherhithe

The Mayflower

A riverside pub in Rotherhithe, listed by Sunny in London and featured in the headline of the Stylist piece on cosy pubs. The research behind this guide does not confirm its beer range, opening hours or whether it has a fire, so treat it as a promising lead. The reason to go is the setting: the river is the point, and a pub on the water has an advantage that no refit can supply.

What this guide cannot tell you

The honest position is that independent, recent evidence is thin for most of London's best known pubs. Plenty of old favourites appear on every list, yet reliable details on their current cask ale, prices and opening hours were not available when this was written. Rather than repeat a long list on trust, this guide keeps to the pubs it can support, and none of them has a price given here. Pint prices vary widely across London, so check before you go.

There are also some places to be wary of. Gastropubs, including those that have won Michelin recognition, are excellent at what they do but are not the pub this guide is about. If a pub's pitch is its tasting menu, it is a restaurant with a bar attached.

A sensible way to plan a pub day

• Pick one area rather than crossing the city. Hampstead rewards a walk before and after.
• Go in the colder months if you want a fire. Many pubs light them only when the weather asks for it.
• Arrive early on weekends, especially if you want a table near the hearth.
• Check the cask range on Whatpub, then confirm hours with the pub.
• Order a half of something unfamiliar. A good cellar usually shows itself in the least obvious pump.

A proper pint is a small thing, and that is rather the point. It needs good beer, a warm room and nobody insisting you have a good time. London still has plenty of places that manage all three, and the best way to find them is to trust local awards, check the details, and let a good fire do the rest.