Today, the Good Food Guide unveiled its inaugural list of the 100 best pubs in Britain, with 12 London pubs earning spots. Sitting at number seven is The Pelican in Notting Hill, closely followed by The Eagle in Clerkenwell at number 11 and Camberwell’s Kerfield Arms at 14.
The Pelican is owned by Public House, one of the UK’s most exciting hospitality groups, which recently added The Hart in Marylebone to its burgeoning stable. “The Public House Group have tapped into the zeitgeist of how Londoners use pubs,” Good Food Guide owner Adam Hyman tells Broadsheet. “A decade ago the crowd at their pubs might have been hanging out in trendy private members’ clubs but now they’d rather drink in their local, where you can get a great pint, excellent bar snacks and warm hospitality.”
Each of the 100 pubs on the list has been selected “to showcase proper pubs that serve great food”, Hyman says. The Eagle in Clerkenwell – which opened in 1991 – was one of the UK’s first gastropubs, and, according to the guide, still has the same spirit of “big flavours and rough edges”. Two other central London pubs have made the list (The Devonshire in Soho at 28 and The Anchor & Hope in Waterloo at 58). Camberwell is the only London neighbourhood to have two inclusions (the aforementioned Kerfield Arms and, at 46, The Camberwell Arms), while The Waterman’s Arms in Barnes (30) and The Canton Arms in Stockwell (43) cover more of south London. Joining The Pelican in west London are The Surprise in Chelsea (90) and The Anglesea Arms in Hammersmith (55). Making the list in north London are Kentish Town’s The Parakeet (22) and Islington’s The Tamil Crown (69).
The Highland Laddie in Leeds nabs the number one spot. Owners Sam Pullan and Nicole Deighton reopened this 100-year-old watering hole in April 2025 after finding the pub for sale on Rightmove. Good Food Guide editor Chloë Hamilton says it’s worth the visit from London: “It’s fiercely proud of its past, and Sam and Nicole have made sure it’s still a place where Leeds old-timers, who’ve been drinking there for decades, can – and do – stop in for a sub-£5 pint. But it’s also home to some of the most appealing, playful and beautifully executed cooking you’ll find anywhere.” Hamilton recommends the hot brown butter madeleines with potted shrimp, and the burger, which is inspired by April Bloomfield’s version at her now-closed New York gastropub, the Spotted Pig.
“The locals know very well what a gem they have on their doorstep, and any visitors from further afield would be charmed by what this proper Leeds institution has to offer.”
Find the full list of 100 best pubs on the Good Food Guide’s website.
Learn more about how the Public House Group – owned by Phil Winser, Olivier van Themsche and James Gummer – has raised the bar in four short years.
