Our Favourite Cosy Neighbourhood Pubs
It's the time of year for the pub. It gets dark early, it's cold out, and there's nothing better than a seat somewhere warm, a good pour and a plate of food. On Sundays, that means a roast.
Here are the pubs we go to ourselves, each different for its own reason. A handful near the hotel, in the pocket of Notting Hill and Maida Vale, and a few further out East that earn the journey because they still feel like our locals.
Close to home
1. The Cleveland Arms
Tucked away on Chilworth Street, a short walk from Paddington Station. A classic British pub, kept simple: a small menu that changes often, locals in after work and a pavement that fills by late afternoon. The easy pint close to home.
Getting there from The Pilgrm: A 5-minute walk away, 4 minutes if you're a fast walker.
2. The Cow, Westbourne Park
Tom Conran's institution, open since 1995 and unchanged in its template. Its own motto is to "eat heartily and give the house a good name" and downstairs the saloon does exactly that, with Guinness, oysters and shellfish. Upstairs, a calmer room with white tablecloths and proper plates. A favourite among locals for good reason.
Getting there from The Pilgrm: About a 10 minute walk or a couple of stops to Royal Oak or Westbourne Park.
3. The Hero, Maida Vale
Standing on Shirland Road since 1878, the old Truscott Arms reopened as The Hero in 2018 and is now run by the team behind The Pelican. A different mood on each floor: pub classics and cask ale on the ground floor, a grill room above, an intimate cocktail bar tucked in at the top.
Getting there from The Pilgrm: a 25-minute walk or 2 stops to Warwick Avenue.
4. The Fat Badger, Portobello
At the top of Golborne Road lies The Fat Bader, announced by little more than a small picture of a (fat) badger by the door. An intimate pub downstairs for cask ale, no-fuss nostalgic British plates and live music until late into the night. Above, a set-menu restaurant that cooks meat and fish over an open fire, while still honouring the comfort of a pub. The wine list is better than the entrance suggests, and so is the Sunday roast.
Getting there from The Pilgrm: 1 bus ride or 3 stops on the tube to Labroke Grove.
5. The Ladbroke Arms, Notting Hill
A neighbourhood pub on a quiet residential backstreet, recognisable by its hanging baskets and an unhurried, country-cottage air. It calls itself a home away from home, and dogs are welcome. The Sunday roast is the main draw: aged beef, pork belly or chicken with all the trimmings, Yorkshire puddings to match, and a mushroom and goat's cheese Wellington that makes you want to come back for more. Book ahead.
Getting there from The Pilgrm: A 30 minute walk, 1 bus ride or 2 stops to Notting Hill.
6. The Latimer, Ladbroke Grove
From the Spiteri family of St John and Rochelle Canteen lineage, The Latimer reopened this April on (you guessed it) Latimer Road, with one aim: to feel homely and welcoming. Reclaimed crockery, recycled furniture, wooden floors. A relaxed front bar for pints and chips, a simple dining room behind and a terrace that stays open all year. We'd go before everyone else does.
Getting there from The Pilgrm: A 4-stop underground ride to Latimer Road station.
Further Out and worth the trip
7. The French House, Soho
A small building on Dean Street, The French House serves its beer in halves and has no music, no television and no phones, so conversation is truly the only entertainment. Opened in 1891, it took its name from the Free French who drank here during the war, and it is said that de Gaulle wrote his appeal of 1940 at one of its tables. Upstairs, Fergus Henderson also once cooked before he even conceptualised St John. Some places improve by changing. This one has improved by staying as it is.
Getting there from The Pilgrm: Elizabeth line to Tottenham Road, just 17 minutes door to door.
8. The Marksman, Hackney Road
Run by another two St John alumni, who set out to make a pub first and foremost, a proper London boozer and since named the first pub in London to win Michelin's Pub of the Year. Dark wood and banquettes downstairs, a bright, skylit dining room above. Serious about food without being solemn: you can still drop in for a pint and the Sunday roast is one of the best in London. Mark our words.
Getting there from The Pilgrm: Elizabeth Line from Paddington to White City
9. The Horses, Clerkenwell
The old Coach & Horses on Ray Street was reborn under the team behind The Hero and The Fat Badger, with the sea in mind as a nod to the fish market nearby. The four-floor building has a pub on the ground floor for pints and pork pies, an oyster bar above and above that, a seafood-forward dining room built around an open kitchen and grill. On the very top floor, a room reserved for private hire.
Getting there from The Pilgrm: Jump on the Hammersmith Line to Farringdon for 6 stops.
10. The Eagle, Farringdon
Opened in 1991 on Farringdon Road, The Eagle has long been credited as London’s first gastropub. You order and pay at the bar from a blackboard menu that changes daily, cooked in a kitchen you can see. No reservations, no fuss, and all of it before it was a trend. Thirty-five years on, it still works the way it began.
Getting there from The Pilgrm: Add one extra stop on the Elizabeth line and get off at Farringdon instead.
A short walk or a longer one: there's a pub for both to keep you warm during these colder months.
Staying with us this autumn? Book direct for up to 15% off with our Autumn Promo for Yew.
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