Guide to the best beer bars in London

The largest BrewDog bar on the planet, the multinational brewery’s newly opened Waterloo branch spans two floors and 26,000 square feet. The huge complex includes not just a beer bar with a broad range of BrewDog beers and guest brews, but also a restaurant with comfy favourites such as burgers and pizza, a brunch café in collaboration with Grind Coffee, a Hackney Gelato ice cream van, co-working areas, a bowling alley and more.

Aiming to redefine what it means to be a brewery, the acclaimed Signature Brew brewery provides community venues that bring together fresh crafts beers, music, and other entertainment. Their flagship industrial venue on the Blackhorse Beer Mile has a stage among the shiny vats, as well as a taproom & kitchen and an outdoor terrace, while their E8 taproom is tucked away in a railway arch with canalside seating.

The Stein’s beer gardens in Kensington and Richmond offer a taste of Oktoberfest in a laidback setting with plenty of outdoor seating. The eponymous steins of Munich lager and other imported German beers are complemented with authentic German specialties such as wursts, schnitzels and pretzels for the full Bavarian experience.

Located in Hackney Wick, this craft beer bar has 20 keg taps as well as serving a range of over 500 bottles and cans from the best breweries around the globe. In the dim exposed-brick setting, you can also snack on cheese and charcuterie platters or grab a heftier dish from the partnered food vendor.

At its taprooms, the independent London brewery Mother Kelly's offers a wide assortment of some of the finest craft beers from around the world. Its locations boast a selection of bottles and cans numbering in the hundreds, as well as draught lines with a rotating line-up of quality beers.

Occupying a former passenger information kiosk next to Euston Station, The Euston Tap is somewhat starved for space, though a large beer garden alleviates the issue in nice weather. The beer bar doesn’t lack for variety, however, with a varied assortment of beers, ales, ciders and more from all over the world on its many taps. It often hosts guest brewery takeovers on its taps, as well as stocking plenty of bottles and cans in the fridge.

Though Italy might not be at the top of the list when it comes to traditional beer powerhouses, the country's artisanal breweries are more than capable of delivering a standout pint. That's the idea behind The Italian Job, whose flagship two-storey pub in East London showcases some of the best craft breweries in the country, as well as serving pizza and other authentic snacks. The Italian Job stalls can also be found at several other locations.

Anspach & Hobday is at the forefront of London’s new wave of independent craft breweries, offering bold choices such as a sea salt & chilli stout in addition to its core range of classic beers. At its taproom on the Bermondsey Beer Mile, you can enjoy one of the brewery’s twelve beers in an arched space with a high ceiling. The venue also often hosts different events, from craft beer festivals to stand-up comedy and tastings, and can be booked for private events.

When you need an escape from busy Covent Garden, ducking into The Harp and relaxing in the peak pub-ness of the place is a welcome solution. The award-winning ale house with oodles of character spans two floors, leaning into its role with an array of classic cask ales and rotating guest brews on tap. Their assortment of ciders and perries from all over the country is a particular point of pride for them.

With the Howling Hops brewery making all their beer on-site in their lively bar in Queens Yard, you can get a pint poured straight from the tank. The Howling Hops Tank Bar and Kitchen has an outside courtyard where you can relax with a glass of unfiltered, unpasteurised beer, as well as a kitchen serving up a variety of tasty dishes.

The Beer + Burger Stores keep their wall-to-wall fridges stocked with an impressive selection of bottles and cans from around the world, as well as maintaining a changing tap lineup of independent brewers. The second part of the offer at the trendily furnished venues are, of course, burgers. These come in both meat and plant-based versions, with a plentiful selection of sides to go with them as well.

Known particularly for its Hells Lager, the Camden Town Brewery is a regular presence at pubs in London. At its brewery taproom, you can try 24 different taps, accompanied by flavourful food designed to pair perfectly with a pint, for example mixed platters and beef and ale pie. The lively railway arch is open to all, including pawed pals, and you can also join a tour of the brewery itself to see how the beer is made.

Juju’s Bar and Stage offers an abundance of entertainment along its varied selection of local and global craft beers, mezcal spirits and cocktails, regularly programming live music, DJ nights, film screenings, art shows, talks and more. Situated in a vast warehouse in the former Truman Brewery building next to Brick Lane, it also boasts outdoor seating and a street food vendor.

Big Penny Social on the Blackhorse Beer Mile showcases Big Penny core and limited-edition beers and guest brews across its 20 draughts. The spacious warehouse provides a welcoming setting with wooden tables and benches, as well as boasting a sunny outdoor garden. There are also workspaces for hire above the main floor. The venue regularly hosts a wide variety of events, including live music, film screenings, sports broadcasts, performances and more, and has become a local socialising fixture.

The taprooms at Wild Card Breweries' two facilities in Walthamstow are simple, stripped-down affairs in the area’s warehouse quarters that rely heavily on outside seating. There’s a charming workmanlike quality to the setting that makes it a fine choice for a well-deserved post-work pint and casual chatting.

At its branches around London, The Craft Beer Co. offers a massive assortment of craft beers in a traditional pub setting. The bars boast multiple cask lines and keg pumps, complemented by hundreds of bottles and cans from microbreweries across the country. The range on offer changes constantly at each venue, not just from branch to branch, so you can be sure there’s always a new brew to try.

One of London’s smallest bars, The Rake, tucked away in Borough Market, is also one of its most significant ones when it comes to craft beer, as evidenced by the signatures of leading global brewers on its walls. The tiny bar was at the forefront of the craft beer expansion in the UK, helping launch numerous craft beers and the industry to develop. Years later, the award-winning bar offers four cask and 16 keg lines with a frequently changing selection of beers, as well as bottles and cans from all over the world.

An Islington craft beer institution, The Earl of Essex is committed to showcasing a rotating selection of some of the best local and international beers. It places a particular spotlight on a specific subsection of those – sour beers. In addition to usual-sized sour beers in different varieties, you can even get big corked sharing bottles here, ideally to be enjoyed in the beer garden out back, with good company and a plate of tasty food from the pub’s kitchen in front of you.

Using their own innovative brewing kit, the Small Beer Brew Co. makes classic beer styles with an alcohol content of below 2.8% without compromising on flavour. Consequently, the resulting sugar content and calories are lower as well. You sample these game-changing brews at their taproom in South Bermondsey, a fun, friendly space where you can also throw down with a board game or grab a bite from one of the streetfood vendors.

A spacious and relaxing taproom on one end of the Bermondsey Beer Mile, the Fourpure Taproom is the place to go for a regularly rotating assortment of Fourpure brews and guest beers. With 43 different taps available, there’s truly a wide range for beer lovers. When you get peckish, a streetfood menu courtesy of weekly changing vendors is on hand to fill you up.

House of Hammerton in Holloway is a popular destination for craft beer enthusiasts, offering a bright, industrial setting with an informal vibe, filled with greenery and communal tables and perfect for tasting locally-brewed beer. The bar, situated in a building with a rich history, features 20 beer lines, four cask lines, and a bottle shop with over 60 beers, ensuring a high-quality experience for patrons. In addition to serving Hammerton Brewery beers, the venue offers selections from other UK and international brewers.

Heist Bank is a chic industrial-style space in Paddington that curates an intriguing assortment of craft beers. You can enjoy your pint with a slice of sourdough pizza or while playing board games, pool and other fun games. On weekends, you might even catch a DJ spinning music to add to the party vibe.

The Barrel Project lives up to its name with no fewer than 200 barrels stacked up against the wall of this Victorian rail arch. The barrels are used to age the London Beer Factory’s progressive brews, as well as providing a striking backdrop for this cosy taproom on the Bermondsey Beer Mile. Across 24 taps, you can sample the various house beers on offer, accompanying your pints with tasty food from the kitchen. The venue hosts a diverse programme of events as well.

Expanding on the traditional pub offer with a highly impressive range of ales, craft beers, ciders, lagers and stouts, Stokey’s The Jolly Butchers is a vibrant independent boozer that caters to even the most demanding beer aficionados. Thanks to its regular brewery features, you can often catch otherwise hard-to-find limited editions here, and the flavoursome Indian food coming out of the kitchen ensures you won’t go hungry.

Located at the National Theatre, The Understudy provides a highly convenient spot to grab a drink before or after a performance. The laidback pub with contemporary furnishings features a riverside terrace with splendid views across the Thames, and offers a diverse selection of craft beers in addition to wine and spirits. You can also order various beer snacks and sliders if you skipped the dinner part of "dinner and a show".

Walking around King’s Cross St Pancras on a sunny day, it’s hard to miss the crowds of punters happily chugging heavy steins of proper bier on the terrace of the German Gymnasium. The Meister Bar in this Grade II listed building pours double pints while the kitchens provide currywursts, schnitzels and other German fare to complete the Bavarian experience. There’s also a lively space in the elegant interior for when the weather isn’t cooperating.

Beer Rebellion has serious bar-in-your-garage vibes, with the welcoming atmosphere to match. The small bar near Queens Road Station offers a varied assortment of local casks and kegs on its 16 craft beer lines, as well as a sunny outside terrace. If you start getting peckish in Peckham, you can pay a visit to one of the takeaway options in the vicinity.

Stop at this award-winning bottleshop and bar while strolling along Brick Lane to grab a can or two from their selection of local and international craft brews. Skewing its curated stock towards bold and curious beer drinkers, Kill the Cat sources intriguing, lesser-known brews from around the globe. They also offer beer tastings. The Spitalfields branch also adds a small plates kitchen to the mix.

If you’re a fiend for Belgian and Dutch brews, Lowlander Grand Cafe has the trappists, lambics and blondes to quench your thirst. A charmingly contemporary take on the grand cafés of continental Europe, the restaurant boasts an assortment of more than 100 beers from the Low Countries, complementing them with a menu of regional specialties such as mussels and waffles. The latter are also the main act of the bottomless weekend brunch.

The Blue Posts is a unique establishment housed in a Grade II-listed Georgian building, boasting a rich history since 1739 and revived in 2017 into a multifaceted venue. With a classic navy-blue exterior, Georgian windows, and a vibrant interior, the pub offers an assortment of British craft beers, along international wines, and gourmet bar snacks.

Part of the appeal of The Southampton Arms lies in its location, with its proximity to Hampstead Heath making it a popular choice for a pint after taking in the view from Parliament Hill. Its other draw, however, is that it's supposedly the only pub in the city dedicated to featuring only beers and ciders from small, independent UK breweries. The serious approach to indie brews has even won it a bunch of awards, so this might be just the place to find your new favourite brew.

Whether it’s the vast original beer garden in Elephant & Castle, a majestic deconsecrated church in Mayfair or a brewery incorporated into a hotel in Dalston, the German Kraft Brewery knows how to provide a suitable setting for its brews. With each of the sites having an actually brewery on hand, you can be sure the pilsners, lagers and other craft biers are poured fresh.

At the comfy Brewhouse & Kitchen venues you can discover a vast range of craft brews, including beers on tap, in a modern space that brews beers right there on the premises. When it comes to food, expect reliable pub grub such as burgers and sandwiches, as well as the beer-can chicken – it's steamed over a can of the house APA.

A new multi-purpose venue in Shoreditch, The Viaduct combines a vibrant restaurant with a terrace surrounded by street art, a taproom serving E1 Brew Co craft beer, and a spaced-out cocktail lounge with striking lighting and mixology expertise. The taproom provides plush booths in an industrial setting with exposed brickwork and pipes, timber panelling and its own year-round terrace.

Bermondsey Bierkeller is a slice of Germany in London, capturing the essence of German beer culture in a cavernous space adorned with slogans and communal seating. The award-winning venue, inspired by Oktoberfest, offers a variety of spaces including a traditional bierkeller and an Alpine chalet, complete with live bands, events, and an authentic menu. Patrons can indulge in a range of beverages from Bavarian beers to local brews, complemented by a German food menu.

Relocating to Covent Garden after shutting down in Liverpool Street, the expansive Bierschenke beer hall maintains its Bavarian ambiance with vaulted ceilings and flagstone floors. The staff, clad in genuine Bavarian lederhosen, serve generous steins of Munich biers, wursts, schnitzels, and other hearty German specialities. The atmosphere gets especially spirited during Oktoberfest celebrations.

Located within the Patchworks complex in Leyton, Blondies Brewery is an offshoot of the iconic dive bar Blondies in Clapton. Serving multiple purposes, the Leyton site not only brews its own beer and operates as a taproom, but also houses a café with a well-lit front section. Ample outdoor seating makes it a great choice in warm weather, and they often host pop-up kitchens and other events.

With its craft beer bottle shop feel, The Fox will feel familiar to any craft beer aficionado. This corner pub in Shoreditch has fridges full of intriguing brews from around the world, as well as all the usual pub comforts – tasty food, live sports, and a convivial atmosphere. There's also an outdoor roof terrace for when you need a breather, and you can even book a private karaoke den.

As the name suggests, it's all about beer at BeerKat. This is a buzzy local tap room and bottle shop in West London, with hundreds of bottled and canned beers available plus 12 tap lines. The finest brews are sourced from London, the UK, and around the world. This lively bar also puts on various events like live music, comedy, and life drawing.

Located in Greenwich, The Crown is the area's only pub dedicated to craft beer. Visitors can taste a weekly-changing selection of beers from London-based brewers and sometimes makers from further afield. Classics like Guinness are also available. The pub serves tasty pizza, has lots of events and activities going on, and has a buzzy and welcoming vibe.

You can get to grips with Belgian beer without leaving London thanks to The Dovetail. This well-established bar specialises in Belgian beers and also runs beer tasting evenings. Wine and hearty European dishes are on the menu too. This bustling bar in Clerkenwell is fuss-free but has plenty of quirks.

Unrelated to The Small Beer Taproom, Small Beer in Crouch End is a local bar dedicated to showcasing craft beer. Drinkers will find beers from London as well as further afield, in addition to wine, cocktails, and pizza. This compact and cosy venue is bustling, dog-friendly, and stays open until the early hours every night.