London Pubs: Why They’re A Great Way To Experience London

London pubs are a great way for you to get to the know London and its locals, especially if you are from overseas.

The English pub is a very British institution. ‘Public Houses’ have been around for centuries and are still the most popular form of night time entertainment in the UK (although other things such as eating out and more international style bars are catching up). At their best they’re a home from home, more of a living room with a bar than a more American style bar/drinking den.

They also maintain the English ‘real ale’ tradition. ‘Real Ale’ is the term used for English type beer, darker and less gassy than other types of beers. It’s an acquired taste – the other name for most of this type of beer is ‘bitter’ – and so don’t worry if you don’t like it. All pubs have more international style beers (often called lager here) and wines/spirits/soft drinks too.

In many places, especially the more traditional working class suburbs, pubs are often a meeting point for the local community. Anyone watching a British soap such as Eastenders would be struck how much action takes place in the ‘local’ (the Queen Vic in the Eastenders case).

Anyway, if you want to get to know Londoners, then going to a good local London pub would be a good way to start.

Therefore, to help you out here are three great examples:

The Royal Oak, Southwark

A classic ‘local’ in the South London working class suburb of Southwark. Like many pubs, this pub is tied to a brewery, in this case Harveys, which won the prestigious ‘2016 Good Pub Guide: Brewery of the Year’ award.

The Dog & Bell, Deptford

Another working class pub, but one that has also made an effort to provide food options for its drinkers. It also has a great selection of English and Belgian (much stronger) beers.

The Bricklayers Arms, Putney

A pub from the times when many pubs catered to one particular profession (the ‘Butchers arms’, the ‘Tailors Arms’ etc) this one was (not surprisingly) a pub catering to the construction trade (due to the railway that passes through nearby). It’s now a great ‘free house’ – meaning that it isn’t tied to a particular brewery and can therefore offer a range of the best beers from all over England. Indeed it describes itself as a ‘permanent beer festival’. (It’s also, as of writing, struggling financially – which makes it even more important to support it…)

So there you have it. Three great traditional London pubs that offer a great, very British, experience. Go there now…