London Pubs

Have been to Olde Cheshire Cheese and had great food. But you probably realize, if you go to any pub listed in Rick's book or any other book there will be a lot of tourist. There is a great pub across the street from Kensington Gardens....The Swan...it has great food......http://www.pub-explorer.com/gtlondon/pub/swanbayswater.htm.....you would take the tube Central Line and get off at the Lancaster Gate tube station...as you exit the station turn to the right..at the corner cross and the pub is just a few steps down, it's a 3 minute walk to the pub.

I would not worry about being able to find a good pub filled with locals. One of the great things about London is that despite all the tourists, the city is too big to be overwhelmed by them (us). Just wander in your neighborhood, poke your head in a few doors, and you are sure to find what you seek. As long as you don't choose one across the street from a major tourist attraction you will be fine.

Olde Cheshire Cheeese is probably THE most touristy pub in all of Enhland. Just wander any street, poke your head in the pub and see if you like it. There are thousands. And the "non-tourist ones" are the ones you dont read about in the Guide Books

Coming in from Henley thia may not work for you. I like the Riverside pubs in Hammersmith- my favorites are the Dove and Old Ship. Or at Strand on the Green (riverside near Kew): City Barge and Bulls Head. In London- you should try the last galleried inn: The George just South of Tower Bridge

We love the food at the Hereford Arms on Gloustester Rd, two blocks south of the tube station.

If you want non touristy try Nagshead. It is off the beaten path between Knightsbridge and Mayfair on Kinneton St. Also nearby is the Grenadier. Both have good food and nice atmosphere.

Where will you be staying in London? We can then see if we can suggest something in that general area.

No...we'll be in Henley and going to London 1-2 days.

Lynn, Have a look at fancyapint.com.

I was at the Jugged Hare last month and it seemed to be mostly neighborhood locals, not tourists. I was there for an early dinner and had fish pie and it was delicious. I also tried one of their beers and enjoyed that, too. I would recommend it.

Use http://fancyapint.com/ to find excellent pubs. Most of the 4 and 5 star pubs should be fairly traditional. My favorites include Ye Olde Mitre Tavern, Carpenters Arms (12 Seymour Place), Golden Eagle (Marylebone Lane), and Ship Tavern (Holborn). My favorite real ales are St. Austell's Tribute and Timothy Taylor Landlord.

@Robin - OMG, The Swan is still there? Not sure why I'm surprised... this is "Merrie OLDE Englande" we're talking about. A few years ago my husband became an insta-local at The Volunteer on Baker Street. There were no tourists on any of the three nights he visited. In fact, he got a "You're an American then, mate?" from the guy behind the bar. They pour a nice pint of Guinness. Thing is - at a really LOCAL local pub (which The Volunteer appears be be) you might not be overwhelmed with that Rick Steves Approved Merrie Olde Englande charm. I mean that in the nicest way. Rick points out and recommends things that are atmospheric and give you the kind of experience that you crave from European travel. Old Worlde charm is fantastic, but a lot of local pubs have the real charm of nice people who live in the neighborhood and with who you can strike up a conversation. But they might not have dark old oaken beams and tons of trad pub charm. That being said, The Volunteer has "the look" - brocade stools, dark wood. It's a nice local place.

Kira is right, most of us ordinary folk do not (cannot afford to) live in central London. So most of the "locals" you see in the pubs there will be commuters and visitors like you. I used to visit the Princess Louise after work but these days I would find it too crowded and noisy (getting old!). Which is a shame because it's a lovely looking pub. If you go down the sidestreets you will find lots of little pubs. Do use the Fancy a Pint site above, it will tell you what to expect in customers , food etc.

I still like The Sherlock Holmes. The punters weren't probably local to Central London but they were certainly more local than I am. At The SH they pull a good pint and have really good pub grub.

I found that nearly every Pub I visited in the last week in London had a "local" feel, just not the one you may be thinking of. London any more is very multicultural, so what you may identify as local looking Brits may need some adjustment, plus when you add in the students, the afterwork crowd, plus of course the tourists...it is hard to tell what you have. What you do have is a pretty friendly lot of people wherever you go, though as someone mentioned, beware the afterwork crowd, it gets very crowded, fun, but a bit overwhelming. I would look at some of the resources mentioned, for old pubs, the Old Chesire cheese was interesting, The George Inn a very old example, Ye Olde Cock a nice old pub, could really go on and on....Just wander, if one looks good, pop in.

Lynn, it's been some time since I was in Henley, but look there first for non-touristy pubs. I spent a fair amount of time in more than one in the nineties. Everything in the town center and along the Thames is very accessible on foot.

Katy and others, we're staying at the Lime Tree Hotel by Victoria Station if you know any pubs around that area.

Dellinda The Plumber's Arms in Lower Belgrave Street does a nice pint. http://www.pubs.com/main_site/pub_details.php?pub_id=177 We also often go to the Prince of Wales in Wilton Street http://www.fancyapint.com/Pub/london/the-prince-of-wales/2123 The Kazan next door is a good middle eastern restaurant but gets really busy. Cheers Alan PS Of course in Victoria you're only 50 minutes by train from Brighton which has a lot of really nice pubs!

One of the best pubs in the center of London that offers a really good pint of ale is The Harp (http://www.harpcoventgarden.com/). Its roughly half way between Trafalgar Square and Covent Garden. The Harp was voted National Pub of the Year 2010 by CAMRA and these are their words: "CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, is excited to announce that in the year of the organisation's 40th anniversary, The Harp, Covent Garden, is the first London pub to win its National Pub of the Year competition. CAMRA's National Pub of the Year accolade recognises all the criteria that make a great pub, including atmosphere, decor, customer service, value for money, clientele mix, and most importantly, the quality of the beer." So you should enjoy a visit, although it will be busy of course. Most importantly try an ale rather than lager! Cheers
Steve.

We visited four pubs in London while we were there and all of them served delicious English Ale. I also had half a glass of bitter at one, which was OK. We went to Cheshire Cheese and I ordered fish and chips. They left the skin on the bottom of the fish fillet, and I had to manually remove the skin before I ate it, which was a pain. We also sat upstairs from the main room, which was full when we got there. On our next trip to London this fall we'll skip the Cheshire, as I didn't see anything really too special about it. I'm more interested in good food/beer than atmosphere anyway, and the prices at Cheshire were pretty high. I look for a Pint for no more than £2.50, anything more is too much!! We also liked Hereford Arms near the Gloucester Road tube station, and will most likely return there again for dinner. The Princess of Wales Pub near Embankment, on Villiers St., was superb as well.

If you are a beer fan, I will second Steves mention of the Harp. Any pub that has more cask ale (8 taps) on tap than keg lager is a winner. They also have craft cider, a nice change from Bulmers. It is small though, and there will be a big after work crowd, but it is well worth the visit.

I sought out Jugged Hare (with map in hand) and it was worth the walk. Not crowded at all, locals were in one corner of the pub, very nice ambiance and good food and beer. We had the fish and chips and steak and ale pie - both delicious!

Lynn, I assume you mean Henley on Thames and not Henley in Arden? If you do, then as j.c. says you will find a lot of wonderful English pubs in the outlying villages, the Fox and Hounds at Christmas Common comes well recommended. My husband is from this area and knows all the pubs, (literally). I can send you a list of traditional local pubs if you wish. Sorry can't help much with London.

Good catch Shoni... if it is Henley in Arden there are good choices around there for those folk doing Stratford upon Avon.

My experience was to visit a pub around the corner from my B&B. It was definetly a local pub. The atmosphere was areotical and not what you would expect from a London pub but I had fabulous experienses as I sat there quietly. A woman walked in with 3 large dogs who sat quietly at her feet as she talked apparent people who she was familiar with. Another night I overheard a conversation of Mary with 2 younger men, one of who talked about his love life, sexual excapedes and Mary admitting she had never been to numerous popular museums in London (I thought of the thousands of dollars I spent to go to them, and she maybe only a pound or two) but then she began to talk about the war years and I, although embarrassed to be evesdropping) was fascinated with her memories. I was travelling alone and am not a very outgoing person but some of my best experiences were in the pubs. You plan and plot for a long time planning your vacation, but it is the odd little momentsd that really give you an "insiders" look into the people in the local you visit but it is their actual life. Have a great time. Buy a small journal you can tuck into your purse to capture those moments. I look back on my journal and I relive the experiences, but they also bring back memories of events I didn't necessarily write down but they rush over me as I read my entries. Enjoy!!