Nottingham
Carved into the cliff below the castle, this atmospheric alehouse claims to be England's oldest pub. Founded in 1189, it supposedly slaked the thirst of…
Nottingham
Carved into the cliff below the castle, this atmospheric alehouse claims to be England's oldest pub. Founded in 1189, it supposedly slaked the thirst of…
Anglesey & the North Coast
Born out of a collaboration between four Welsh craft breweries (Purple Moose, Conwy, Nant and Great Orme), this heritage-listed 1920s boozer is a serious…
Belfast
In a cobbled alleyway off buzzing Hill St, the snug, traditional Duke feels like a living museum. There's regular live music; local band Snow Patrol…
Clerkenwell, Shoreditch & Spitalfields
The monarch of London's after-hours scene, Fabric is a huge subterranean rave cave housed in a converted meat cold store. Each room has its own sound…
Kensington & Hyde Park
Seasoned with age and decades of ale-quaffing patrons (including Charles Dickens, who lived on the same road, and DH Lawrence), this old-school pub boasts…
Leeds
So successful has this craft brewery become that its beers are now stocked in UK supermarkets. But it's best drunk at the source, in the brewery's Grade…
South Bank
The views from Oblix on the 32nd floor of the Shard aren’t quite as impressive as the panoramas from the 69th-floor viewing platform, but you’ll still be…
Leeds
A former textile mill and one-time grotty dive pub, the historic building that now houses Headrow House was given a hefty makeover to transform it into…
North Star Coffee Shop & General Store
Leeds
This minimalist cafe and coffee emporium is attached to the production facility of Leeds' first independent roastery, near the Royal Armouries. Watch the…
Oxford
Squeezed down an alleyway and subdivided into endless nooks and crannies, this medieval rabbit warren dates from around 1381. The definitive Oxford pub,…
Leeds
Locals have Laynes to thank for the complete reinvention of the Leeds coffee scene; when it opened in 2011 there was nothing else like it in the city. Now…
Clerkenwell, Shoreditch & Spitalfields
In an area famous for its edgy, don't-give-a-damn attitude, this exquisite cocktail bar stands out for its classiness and cocktail confidence. The drinks…
Clerkenwell, Shoreditch & Spitalfields
Behind the Fox & Anchor's wonderful 1898 art-nouveau facade is a stunning traditional Victorian boozer, one of the last remaining market pubs in London…
Brixton, Peckham & South London
Before Shrub and Shutter opened, this part of London was devoid of well-crafted cocktails. Call it gentrification or a sign of the times, but drinkers now…
Clerkenwell, Shoreditch & Spitalfields
Behind a nondescript, gold-knobbed door just north of the Old Street roundabout is this bona fide speakeasy, pouring award-winning libations from a four…
Richmond, Kew & Hampton Court
In a line of small riverside cottages facing wooded Oliver's Island (where Cromwell is alleged to have taken refuge), this excellent pub looks straight…
Richmond, Kew & Hampton Court
The riverside location and fine food and ales make this bay-windowed pub – on the site of a former friary – a winner. There are entrances for low and high…
London
Down a darkened alley through the eerie evening quiet of Smithfield Market is an unlikely spot for one of London's best cocktail bars, but the journey of…
South Cornwall
At the bottom of a hill by Restronguet Creek, this thatched inn is one of Cornwall’s landmark pubs, in situ since the mid-1600s. It’s the picture of a…
Notting Hill & West London
On a comparable spiritual plane to Paris' Shakespeare and Company bookshop, this eccentric, time-warped and convivial boho bar-cafe has been serenading…
The West End
Perpetually busy, the pint-sized Lamb & Flag is full of charm and history: there's been a public house here since at least 1772, when it was known as the…
The West End
Home of the Lonely Street, Concrete Jungle and other house cocktails named after iconic songs collected in the 'Savoy Songbook', the seriously dishy…
Whitby
Walkers are pleased as punch when they find this place on the clifftop behind Whitby Abbey. There's just enough room inside the modern brew plant for…
Notting Hill & West London
This classic tavern on the brow of Campden Hill Rd has history, nooks and charm on tap. Alongside a decent beer selection and a solid gastropub-style menu…
Belfast
In a city full of buzzing bars, the Sunflower is an authentic corner pub, free from gimmicks and commercial glitz. There are local craft beers on tap, a…
Clerkenwell, Shoreditch & Spitalfields
Tucked away like a hidden seam, Discount Suit Company is one of the city's finest speakeasies – though on weekends you'll see that this closet-sized space…
West Cornwall
The Tinner's may well be Cornwall's most venerable boozer; it's believed to have been built around 1271 by the masons who constructed the village church…
Belfast
At the Titanic Hotel, one of Harland & Wolff's two historic drawing offices has been transformed into a light-filled bar with an impressive barrel-vaulted…
London
There's something Great Gatsby–ish about The Ned hotel: the elevated jazz pianists, the vast verdite columns, the classy American-inspired cocktails. Of…
Plymouth
This gloriously unreconstructed Barbican boozer is all scuffed tables, padded bench seats and an authentic, no-nonsense atmosphere. Feeling peckish? Get a…
The Midlands & the Marches
Dating from 1650 and hosting Bonnie Prince Charlie's soldiers in 1745, this history-steeped black-and-white inn was valiantly restored by local…
West Yorkshire
Magic Rock is in the student town of Huddersfield but worth the half-hour train ride from Leeds or Manchester. There are excellent tours and a cavernous…
The Midlands & the Marches
Dating from the 14th century, and claiming a resident ghost, Worcester's oldest and grandest pub retains original features, including timber panelling and…
Swansea (Abertawe)
Once frequented by Dylan Thomas (it appears as the Wine Vaults in his story 'The Followers'), the No Sign stands out as the only vaguely traditional bar…
South Devon
There are scores of craft beers to choose from at this trendy town hang-out, from Trappist-style wheat brews to imperial stouts, all with witty names …
Brixton, Peckham & South London
In the centre of the Bermondsey Beer Mile, this microbrewery's raison d'être is experimentation. Everything from its 'scientific' branding (the numbers…
Oxford
For a summer-evening riverside drink, central Oxford holds no finer setting than the Thames-facing terrace of this imposing former warehouse – hence the…
Aberdeen
The winner of Scotland’s Best Cocktail Bar 2017 is a relaxed and welcoming spot, quietly confident in its wide-ranging knowledge and expertise. Offers…
North Yorkshire
Small and bohemian, this cafe takes its drinks seriously, with names of coffee growers and altitudes of their plantations displayed proudly on the walls…
North York Moors National Park
This microbrewery began life in a garage in 2011 and surprised even itself when its beer won a prestigious CAMRA Beer Festival award within the first two…