Historic/Old London Pubs with Kid - Good Beer and Food

We’ve enjoyed The Hereford Arms and The Stanhope Arms near the Gloucester tube station, and the Churchill Arms near Notting Hill Gate tube station. The restaurant at it is Thai and not typical pub fare. Yes, most pubs are owned by a large brewery, such as Fuller’s. At least two of the pubs I mentioned are owned by it.

There used to be a publication, possibly available online now?, called the Good Pub Guide, and among other things it listed whether it was okay to bring children into the pub, and during what hours. When we traveled to the UK in 2004 with our sons, we enjoyed lunch at The Cutty Sark pub in Greenwich, and have booked lunch for the two of us this July. It's a Young's brewery pub, so at least some different beers than the Fuller's pubs. We also enjoy the already-mentioned Churchill Arms, but if your children are not adventurous eaters, then Thai food might not be for them.

I can't help much with particular pub recommendations but I will chime in on the chain aspect. It's true that many pubs have been bought up by some of the big breweries, Fullers and Greene King are two of the major ones but that doesn't mean the pub experience has declined as a result. All of the Fullers pubs in my area have retained much of their charm and character and the food offerings have improved in many of them. It's true that the beers on offer will primarily be those brewed by the brewery but there are usually guest beers plus the standard lagers. London Pride is a decent enough ale but if your husband is fortunate enough to find HSB on tap then he should definitely order a pint. HSB was originally brewed by Gales Brewery in Horndean, Hampshire before Fullers bought it. HSB was their flagship beer (Horndean Special Brew) and an agreement was made at the time of the purchase that Fullers would continue to brew it.

To fully appreciate some of the smaller breweries you really need to look for a 'free house' which is a pub not tied to a particular brewery. These will have a variety of beers (and ciders), usually in tapped casks behind the bar. Don't expect ice cold beer though, these will be served at "cellar temperature".

Yes, chains have taken over many of the historical pubs, not all bad, but as a personal opinion, I never hesitate to head to a Fullers pub for dinner, the food is nearly always top notch, lots of non-fried choices, menus are mostly decided by the establishment, with some standard Fullers fare added in. They do serve their beers, but nearly always have a few guest taps, usually something local. Greene King pubs are a notch down I think, their menu a bit more basic and standard. Then I would put Weatherspoons a couple notches down further, decent enough pubs and beer, menu is sort of standard pub fare, atmosphere ranges from "old pub" to sports bar.

The higher end pubs and gastropubs will have a good ranging menu, including lighter options. Vegetarian and vegan options are clearly marked, and you will be asked about allergies. Many offer a Sunday Roast, just be aware that it is a Lunch/Early afternoon thing, not evening.

As for real ale, yes you will find cask ales nearly everywhere, usually several choices. Try it, I drink that as a first choice in England, though it is a different animal. It is kept warmer, cellar temp, than a lager, less carbonation, and the malt body is a bit thinner, all this to help it keep a bit longer. You can tell it is a cask ale by the beer engine on the bar with a longer handle. It has been several trips since I got a bad pint, cask ales can go bad after a relatively short time, so best had in a busy pub. If your lips pucker a bit at first sip, say something to the bar keep.

not far from Greenwich - Prospect of Whitby and The Grapes

As Leslie touched on above, if you really want to have a great resource, it is CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide. This guide gets updated every year by the good folks of CAMRA. For each pub listed, it will clearly include a note on the pub’s child and dog policy. Also, it sounds like your husband is not a fan of the aggressive US IPA’s, however, don’t completely ignore the IPA’s on cask in pubs. English style IPA’s are lower octane, many coming in at 4% abv or lower. These are not your American IPA’s.

Also, I second the recommendations of Prospect of Whitby and The Grapes.

The Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese on Fleet Street is good if you plan on visiting St. Paul's Cathedral. It's not only one of London's oldest pubs but very atmospheric and family friendly. Good food too from what I recall. It's a sprawling place with several different rooms.

If you are seeing anything near Trafalgar Sqaure, you may want to try The Sherlock Holmes on Northumberland St.

Closer to where you are staying in Kensington, you can try The Anglesea Arms. Rick actually mentions it all of the time as his favourite pub in London. They have a dining room area in the back.

Most pubs will have at least a few real ales available, and yes, most pubs are not part of chains exactly but are owned by a particular brewery, which in London is usually Fullers or Greene King. So, you may experience walking into three different pubs but if they are all Fullers pubs then they might all have the exact same beers on tap. It's a little strange from the American perspective. A pub that's not associated with a particular brewery is called a "free house".

I find British beers to be mostly good, if not spectacular. It's certainly not Belgium or Germany, but if you've never had a real cask ale before then you are in for a treat. My favourites would be Fuller's London Pride, Fuller's ESB, Timothy Taylor Landlord, Harvey's Sussex Best Bitter, Threakston Old Peculier, and Wychwood's Hobgoblin. Even you don't like IPAs, don't let that stop you from trying a "bitter", as these aren't nearly as bitter as American style IPAs are.

I would second the rec for Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese. It dates back to 1667 AD, and included Charles Dickens and Samuel Johnson. as patrons. I had the roast beef with Yorkshire pudding, peas and a half-pint of ale when I was there, and it was delicious!

Dog and Duck
Ship and Shovel
The Royal Oak
The Mayflower
The Angel
Blackfriars
The Golden Fleece
Ye Old Mitre
The Old Bank Of England
EDIT: Forgot The Dove where I enjoyed a wonderful bowl of pumpkin sage soup on a chilly November day.

Thank you everyone for all these recommendations and information, very helpful. Good to know about chains too, I was worried they would lack personality. Both my husband and I do not like cold beer like they serve in the U.S. or super hoppy. I would be willing to try and English IPA, and would love to try a cask beer.

The George Inn, In Southwark, south of the river, 75 Borough High Street.
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/london/george-inn
Built in the 1600's, it is the only surviving galleried (with a balcony above) London coaching inn.
There has been a pub here since medieval times, but the present building was rebuilt after a fire damaged the original building in the late 1600's.
Charles Dickens drank here.
Chaucer's characters in "Canterbury Tales" set off on their journey from a pub that was next door. (No longer there.)
One of the oldest and most historic pubs in London.
It is listed in The Good Pub Guide and in CAMRA's (Campaign For Real Ale) book, "London Heritage Pubs – An Inside Story".

They have a Sunday roast.
https://www.greeneking-pubs.co.uk/pubs/greater-london/george-southwark/menu/

Even if you end up not having a meal there, do go by and have a look at this historic building. Have a pint and sit out on the terrace; hopefully you will have good weather to do this.

Contrary to what English people say about disappearing pubs, they are literally everywhere compared to NA.

Contrary to what English people say about disappearing pubs, they are literally everywhere compared to NA

Yes, the issue is a matter of context. The tradition of having a Pub on every block to serve as the neighborhood "living room" as has so often been touted, started declining long ago. Modern life means you have comfortable and varied options at home for drink and entertainment, as well as a host of other venues. Add to that changes in drinking habits for health, stricter drink/drive laws, cost (That pint of cask ale or craft beer will run you 5-8 GBP); all means fewer patrons and more competition.

Basically, a town can't support a bunch of pubs anymore, but that means that instead of 4-5 pubs within a couple blocks, there may only be 1 or 2, and they likely are going to be closer to high street. So no danger of not finding a pub, and while many used to have drinks only, and maybe a few snacks, now most serve a full menu, some even aspiring to fine dining.