by At the Palm Tree Pub in east London, barman Alf only accepts cash at the clattering 1960s cash register. The listed building stands in the middle of Mile End Park and Alf has worked here since 1976. “It’s a wonderful pub,” he says.
It also ranks fifth Time outThe list of the 50 best pubs in London was published this month and marks a clear preference for traditional beer drinkers.
Most of the pubs in the top 50 are old-fashioned, with carpets, karaoke or Irish music nights. Pickled eggs are often the pinnacle of culinary achievement. Some – one whispers – even sell pints for less than a fiver.
From the outside, the windows of the palm tree glow dark red. “Sometimes it may look locked, but always try this door. There is always a warm welcome for everyone,” says Alf. And punters agree. “It’s authentic,” says twenty-something Tabatha, drinking a Guinness. “Classic is coming back. Traditional has become a trend.”
Across the UK, pubs are struggling with rising costs and changing drinking habits. In the first half of this year, 378 pubs closed, the highest number since 2013.
According to the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA), “wet-run” pubs, which rely on their drinks offering and often have no menu, have closed more quickly than food-focused establishments.
When pubs open – particularly in the capital – many describe themselves as gastropubs: roasts for £30, Aperol Spritz, fancy chips and pints for more than £7. Some of the most successful new openings in London since the pandemic include Devonshire in Soho and Plimsoll in Finsbury Park, both known primarily for their food. However, it seems the traditional boozer is far from pouring out his last pints. “We may be old romantics, but old-school drunks are the beating heart of this city,” he wrote Time out Leonie Cooper, food and drink editor, at the publication of the Top 50.
“The pubs on this list have a powerful sense of history – although perhaps it’s just the sticky carpets – and they ooze heat, soul and community charm.”
“There will always be a desire in our communities for well-run pubs that serve great beer,” says Ash Corbett-Collins, national chair of Camra, the campaign for real ale. All finalists in Camra’s 2024 Pub of the Year competition were “fantastic examples of pubs that prioritize their well-maintained drinks selection over an extensive menu.”
Max Halley runs three wet-led pubs in the West Country, all of which have been open since the pandemic. “It was a great shame that so many pubs felt like they were bad business people if they didn’t serve food,” he says. A good traditional drunk means “being able to go alone and feel completely comfortable, being able to eat your own food, velvet banquettes, newspapers and a pricing structure based on selling a lot of beer at the lowest possible price,” adds Halley.
As for food, “pickled eggs and a good selection of chips are the only things you need.” There is no hot food in his bars: “How much alcohol can you drink?”
The Kings Head on Blackstock Road is rarely on the list of “best London pubs”. It’s small, there’s no kitchen, and if you leave your spot you might return to find Scruffy the cat in it. On weekends there can be loud karaoke until the early hours of the morning. Last week it ranked ninth Time out List.
“I try to keep it as cheap as possible,” says Mandy Davis, who has been the Kings Head’s landlord for nine years and has worked in pubs all her life. “When someone new comes in and buys a double they say they would pay £16 or £18 for it somewhere else. Here it’s £8.”
Davis attributes the bar’s growing popularity to the charm of its events, in addition to its free corned beef sandwiches.
“Young people take photos – my son dresses up as Elvis every now and then and puts on a little show,” she says, sitting under a photo of her uncle with East End gangster Reggie Kray. “You get along well with everyone here. We all know each other and are happy to meet new people.”
Jenny Rawe and Sean Robson were lured to the Kings Head by the sight of Scruffy sitting in the window. “What you see is what you get,” says 35-year-old Rawe. “It’s very comforting and you don’t have to pay £12 for a pint.”
Some publicans have speculated that last month’s budget could lead to a further rise in beer prices next year due to rising social security contributions for employers, a higher minimum wage and business tax relief.
Author Jimmy McIntosh, who runs and contributed to the Instagram account @londondeadpubs Time outThe list says drunkards are “the epitome of an English pub”. He cites the interiors—”richly patterned carpets, soft leather banquettes, lots of deep mahogany paneling”—and the ambience as key to their enduring appeal. “After about a decade of dreary millennial-core aesthetics—pared-down, strip-lit spaces that have all the warmth of a run-down morgue—people are coming to a kind of cozy, maximalist kitsch. They’re a lot more fun to hang out in and they look better too.”
They are also an important part of communities. “They usually have a real warmth to them… they’re real third spaces,” says McIntosh.
“In the best pubs you can spend entire afternoons filled with refreshments without worry.”
