I’m making a thread of good pubs in London. It’s not in any particular order and I’ll be adding to it sporadically.

The Spaniards Inn is at the top of Hampstead Heath. In the winter it is comfy with a fire, in the summer it has a big beer garden. It is a solid base for walking through the Heath. I have fond memories of trekking up here during the Beast from the East snowstorm in 2018.

The Old Bank of England is on Fleet Street. It’s a very lavish Italianate building which used to belong to the central bank. It’s good to visit en route to visiting St Paul’s, and since it’s a business area if you go on a Saturday you will have the place to yourself.

The Churchill Arms is in Kensington. They spend insane amounts of time and money on their plant decor. The interior is full of random junk. It can get very hot inside. Frequented by many American tourists, but also locals. It has a legit Thai restaurant affixed to it.

The Black Friar is a neo-medievalist ‘Arts and Crafts’ pub next to Blackfriars station. The building is out of keeping with the immediate area as the poet Betjeman helped to save it from being torn down during postwar redevelopment. Busy during the week, quiet on weekends.

The Red Lion is a small Victorian pub down an alleyway in St. James’s - one room, short bar. It’s a bit rough around the edges and hasn’t been refurbished in a while. It retains a genuine social mix of working-class and professionals. It’s independently owned I believe.

The Blue Anchor is by the Hammersmith riverside, next to the rowing club. It has a great view of Hammersmith Bridge, and in sunny weather everyone spills outside onto the Thames Path. Airy nautical aesthetic, blue colours in keeping with other nearby riverfront buildings.

The Flask is an old pre-Victorian pub up in Highgate, with most of the building dating from the 1720s. Compact inside but with a decently-sized outdoor area. George Michael used to live around here and the small nearby park served as a slightly strange shrine after he died.

Some might argue that the Tamesis Dock is not strictly a pub. It's a 1930s Dutch barge, permanently moored on the south side of Lambeth Bridge. It has great views over Westminster. Nice for watching the tide rise and fall. One smaller bar on the upper deck and another one inside.

The Coal Hole is on the Strand. It was historically the haunt of actors & other theatre people. It still gets very suddenly busy with theatregoers when nearby shows end. Its interior mixes Tudor revival wood with black-and-white flooring & wall friezes of women carrying grapes.

The Dove is a little pub on the Hammersmith riverside, in a narrow alley next to where William Morris used to live. The actual bar is supposedly Britain's smallest - it measures 4ft by 7ft 10in. It opens up outside to look onto the river and a small pier with houseboats.

Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese is a particularly historic pub, which was rebuilt in 1666 following the Great Fire. It has a nice fireplace in the main room in winter. It has a cavernous basement area (no phone reception) which is more sparsely decorated. Dickens used to drink here.

I often go to the Jugged Hare when I've been to the Barbican, which makes the well-developed country theme of stuffed animals and pictured wildlife all the more distinct against the brutalist estate. It has good food and a substantial dining area.