London pubs with fireplaces are one of the best things about the colder months in the capital.
Toasting your toes by a roaring open fire with a drink is as welcome after a long chilly walk or a hard day at work. There are lots of London pubs with fireplaces – these are our favourites:
North London Pubs
The Spaniards Inn, Hampstead
The smell of the log fire is the first of your rewards having reached this out-of-the-way boozer located at least a mile’s walk from the nearest tube.
But that’s not all: wooden rooms upstairs and a rich (possibly apocryphal) history, plenty of beers (a rotating selection of cask and tap), make for a very cosy boozer. It is popular, so do get in early if you want a seat within sight of the crackling logs.
King Charles I, Kings Cross
This diminutive drinking hole has masses of character and is exactly the kind of place you nip into ‘just for one’, only to find yourself so ensconced in its warmth (of welcome and temperature) that before you know it, it’s closing time. Wood panelling, wide selection of beers and a bloody good jukebox…why are you still reading this?
The Wrestlers, Highgate
Recline with a mug of porter in this snuggly, wood-panelled hostelry, while putting your feet up in front of the roasting fire. The welcome here is warming in more ways than one; Heath dog-walkers and other Highgate locals give the bar a friendly atmosphere. Traditional English fare – roasts and sticky puddings – will heat you up from the inside and set you up for the bracing walk home (or more sensibly, the nearby tube).
The Southampton Arms, Kentish Town
There’s a Victorian tiled fireplace at this no-nonsense boozer with an excellent beer selection. 12 hand pumps dispense cask ales from independent brewers, a further six are dedicated to ciders, and the food selection is very meat-oriented. It’s a popular spot, but always retains a relaxed vibe.
South London Pubs
The Crooked Billet, Wimbledon
Get the best of a countryside village pub without leaving London at The Crooked Billet in Wimbledon. Two warming fires mean you don’t have to be first through the door at the weekend to get a toasty hearthside spot.
Drinks on offer are the usual fare for a Young’s pub. Plus proximity to the Common mean it’s a very dog-friendly place, so you can take along your pooch for a post-walk pint.
Plume of Feathers, Greenwich
Feel smug as you bypass some of the more tourist-y places in Greenwich and slip into this proper local’s pub, where the welcome is as warm as the roaring fire. One of the oldest pubs in the area, there’s decent-enough food and a fair selection of beers, but it’s the cosiness you won’t want to leave. Just one more? Oh, go on then.
The Old Sergeant, Wandsworth
A charming pub mixing some odd decor (look out for the chrome stag’s head) with traditional seating and, if the weather demands it, a roaring fire. Snuggle into the cosy interior and order some tasty pub grub to go with your beer (Twickenham, Grandstand, Naked Lady and Sambrooks on tap) or glass of wine. The eclectic theme continues down into the menu: depending on the day, you can sample pies, pizza or roast python…
The Old Red Lion, Kennington
It’s not just the crackling fire or the whiff of mulled wine as you walk into this Antic-owned pub that makes it a perfect winter spot. It’s also the way they’ve converted old toilets to provide tight alcoves to cosy up in and make your own. Should you need to venture out into the garden for a cigarette (or the pub’s packed) blankets are provided to keep you snug. There’s well-above-average pub food, a regularly changing ale selection and a friendly welcome to boot.
East London Pubs
King William IV, Leyton
You can get a very good pint here for £2.60 and sit next to a fire. Yes, that’s right – £2.60 for a pint of very good ale. And a fire.
The Gun, Isle of Dogs
This Isle of Dogs institution melds gastropub with traditional boozer, as if it that were the easiest thing in the world. Nautical paraphernalia and deep leather armchairs provide traditional touches, while a stonking view of The O2 lends The Gun wow factor. Those armchairs we mentioned also happen to flank a rather wonderful fireplace. Sink into your seat, sink a real ale or two, and watch the boats (hopefully not sink) on the Thames outside.
West London Pubs
The Dove, Hammersmith
Aged beams and cosy corners combine with a delightful view of the Thames to make this one of those pubs so lovely it’s worth travelling across town for.
Hunker down by the open fire in a proper pub chair with a pint of one of the nearby Fuller’s brewery beers and you’ll soon forget it’s raining again.
The Fox, Hanwell
If in your mind’s eye you think a fireplace isn’t complete without a dog warming itself nearby, this is your kind of place. That, plus a bar stocked with more ales than you can count make this an excellent stop-off if you’re visiting the fascinating area of Hanwell.
The Portobello Gold, Notting Hill
Apparently, Notting Hill’s longest-running pub and restaurant under the same ownership, it’s the crammed array of plants and nick-nacks which add to the cosiness of The Gold, along with the fire. Perhaps best of all, though, are the much-coveted raised balcony areas where you can nab a tree-house-style table or snuggle up like you’re in a boozy bunk-bed. Mulled wine, eight beers on tap, spiced nuts and a full food menu complete the package.
