Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the place strays from the traditional pub environment. The excellent Eldridge Pope
Royal is usually on tap.
54 Ladbroke Rd., W11.
&
020/7727-6648.
www.capitalpubcompany.com.
Tube: Notting Hill Gate.
North London
Holly Bush
The Holly Bush is the real thing: authentic Edwardian gas lamps,
open fires, private booths, and a tap selection of Fuller's London Pride, Adnams, and
Harveys. Hidden away in a quiet area of Hampstead, the Holly Bush provides a warm
welcome to those who can find it. After a hard day's shopping or walking on the heath,
settle into one of its many snugs and revive yourself with a quality pint and traditional
pub food from its well-regarded kitchen.
22 Holly Mount, NW3.
&
020/7435-2892.
www.
hollybushpub.com. Tube: Hampstead.
Lock Tavern
You're lucky if you can find a space inside the Lock Tavern: The garden
and roof terrace fill up within seconds when the sun shines, and the place is home to
some of the most painfully trendy people ever to have spent hours perfecting a noncha-
lant, messed-up look. Despite this if you're young (or just young at heart) the Lock Tavern
remains one of the best pubs in North London, and well worth a visit after an expedition
to
Camden Market
(p. 152). The pub's association with some of the best promoters in
London—and the annual Field Day Festival, held every August in Victoria Park and fea-
turing some of the biggest leftfield and indie bands around—ensure that you'll often find
some of the coolest DJs from around the world slumming it behind the decks upstairs.
35 Chalk Farm Rd., NW1.
&
020/7482-7163.
www.lock-tavern.co.uk. Tube: Chalk Farm.
East London
Camel
The pie's the thing at the Camel, a small but friendly backstreet hostelry
that has made a name for itself serving up some of the best pub grub in the East End.
On winter weekends few places can match this cozy, intimate space for a warm wel-
come, and some justly famous home-cooked pies draw in those in the know from
across the city.
277 Globe Rd., E2.
&
020/8983-9888.
Tube: Bethnal Green.
Griffin
One of the last remaining bastions of old Shoreditch, the Griffin comes
complete with a cast of almost Dickensian characters. There's hardly anywhere to sit,
the place is a bit (well, very) run down, and the less said about the toilets the better.
But like an old dog the Griffin has its own peculiar charm, and many of those who
can be found propping up the bar wouldn't have it any other way.
93 Leonard St., EC2.
&
020/7739-6719.
www.regent-inns.co.uk. Tube: Old St.
Prospect of Whitby
One of London's most historic pubs, the Prospect was
founded in the days of the Tudors, taking its name from a coal barge that made trips
between Yorkshire and London. Come here for a tot, a noggin, or whatever it is you
drink, and soak up the atmosphere. The pub has got quite a pedigree. Dickens and
diarist Samuel Pepys used to drop in, and painter Turner came here for weeks at a
time studying views of the Thames. In the 17th century, the notorious Hanging Judge
Jeffreys used to get drunk here while overseeing hangings at the adjoining Execution
Dock. Tables in the courtyard overlook the river.
57 Wapping Wall, E1.
&
020/7481-1095.
DLR: Shadwell/Train: Wapping.
Southeast London
Gipsy Moth
The food is variable and space inside is at a premium, but on a hot
summer day you'll find few nicer spaces to take the weight off your feet than the
Gipsy Moth's sizable garden. Parked up right next to the Cutty Sark—and within a
stone's throw of the Old Royal Naval College—it provides a welcome rest after a day
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