London’s most cosy pubs

You have to pull back a thick, velvet curtain to even get inside this cosy pub down a Kentish Town backstreet. Then, battle it out for front row seats by one of its fires. Our personal favourite is found down one side of the pub and is flanked by a stack of board games. Get settled in; it’s cosy o’clock.

Time Out tip The Thai food here makes for an ideal winter warmer. 

Year-round, this central London pub has a jumble of old ornaments hanging from its ceiling and making it feel a bit cramped (in a really great way, obviously). But add to that the seasonal tinsel and you’ve got one of the most festive-feeling pubs in London.

Time Out tip Take time to enjoy the tat on the walls, there are some seriously cult items here - many of them Beatles-related.

Once a mellow backstreet local, the George now swarms with Hackney hipsters. Despite this, it’s still a homely spot, with a roaring fire and a mixed coterie of longtime Dalstonians and recent arrivals shooting the breeze over pints. There’s also a back room with a pool table.

Time Out tip Get on the jukebox, which is stacked with a soundtrack of classic cuts and cool obscurities.

Located behind the Royal Courts of Justice, the tiny, charismatic Seven Stars is the spot where barristers bring their clients for celebratory champagne or commiseratory scotch after a big case. History practically drips off the walls here, and unlike most London pubs, you can order a martini. 

Time Out tip Seek out the house cat, which is always wearing a Elizabethan ruff, for some reason. 

The Holly Bush is a maze of tiny rooms that prove popular with many punters as a place to nurse a quiet pint by the fire. Those who don’t come from London can pretend they’re back in the shire thanks to the villagey feel you get from the Hampstead location.

Time Out tip Go early in the afternoon if bagging a table is important to you.

Friendly, committed staff welcome locals for locally brewed ale, carefully sourced pub food (including generous Sunday roasts), and events ranging from live music to yoga classes, knitting circles and kids’ dance lessons. It’s all housed in a Grade-II listed building, with original beams, wall-to-wall wood panelling, leaded windows and an open fire.

Time Out tip Check out the gig listings for some surprisingly impressive folk-leaning acts, as well as free Sunday afternoon jazz.

Stroll down a quiet back road in Hackney and you’ll be delighted to come across this handsome pub, its exterior like something on a postcard from the countryside. Claret-coloured walls inside make it cosy as hell, with a fireplace for extra warmth and Scrabble for when you really want to make it a session. 

Time Out tip Hungry punters can order in from Yard Sale Pizza.

Deptford’s Dog & Bell has much to charm local creatives and ale aficionados, serving up good beer and real cheer from a quiet backstreet near the river Thames. Sit outside on wooden benches in the picturesque alley outside, or warm up within by the gas fire. The CAMRA-approved selection of real ales and craft beers, includes a rotating list of guest ales.

Time Out tip The pub’s autumn Pickle Festival is one of the biggest events on the fermenting calendar. 

Who’d have thought you could find such sweet shelter in central London? This pub has been turned to for cosy sessions for centuries, since strangers here are just friends you haven’t met yet. If you can bag the prized corner seats, the atmosphere will warm you through and through, especially with a glass of vin rouge in hand.

Time Out tip Remember, the French House only serves half pints. Don't embarrass yourself by asking for a full one.

‘Cider, ale, meat’: so reads a white painted sign on the exterior of this boozer (the best in Gospel Oak by a long shot). The ambience is low-key and unpretentious, with meaty bar snacks that deliver on the pub’s promise (the pork bap is heaven), but there’s also a raffishly artistic air to the Southampton Arms. You’ll find an open fire, as well as an old piano with ivories that remain regularly tinkled.

Time Out tip It’s super close to the mighty Hampstead Heath, so makes for the ideal place to sink a post-big walk pint.

This sprawling Belgian beer pub on Broadway Market is great for getting the circulation going again after a chilly saunter down the market. Get rosy-cheeked on wheat beers and blondes and find further warmth in overflowing bowls of moules marinière. There are plenty of corner tables at the rear and nooks at the back for small group gatherings.

Time Out tip Get stuck into the massive stack of board games.

A petite, low-ceilinged, old-school boozer down the Islington backroads where bullseye windows get frosty on busy evenings. The Compton used to be favoured by George Orwell for cosy sessions, and he knew a thing or two about drinking in style. Grab a pint of ale and head to the saloon bar. You may have to share your table with strangers, but that’s all part of the cosy charm.

Time Out tip Eat! Compton Arms has been home to incredible food pop-ups, from Tiella to Four Legs. Rake are currently in residence, and do an epic Sunday roast. 

The Churchill has been dubbed London’s most festive pub thanks to the display of Christmas trees and lights that covers the inn's exterior each year. But duck in early for a tipple and feel just as comforted by old-school carpets, bric-a-brac on the ceiling, and a roaring fire.

Time Out tip The food is great; and they claim to be the first ever London pub to servce Thai cuisine.

Find Greenwich’s second most famous Cutty Sark down by the river, where three floors of cosy-cornered spaces all offer a view of the Thames. Soft furnishings, low ceiling beams and a menu of rich pub grub complete the warming line-up, even if the walk by the river to get here can be fairly brisk.

Time Out tip Embrace the riverside vibes and order a pint of prawns.

Down a deeply poetic London backstreet, this traditional Belgravia boozer has walls are cluttered with everything from cartoons to baseball reports, garden tools to vintage penny-slots. Bliss. 

Time Out tip Bring cash! Minimum card spend is £16 (but pints are also £8, so it’s not too hard to reach).

This perfect pub has a horseshoe bar at its centre and is surrounded by Victorian carved wooden doors and partitions. Enjoy the villagey feel of drinking pints of real ale delivered to the pub from Lewes' Harveys brewery, great for washing down a pickled egg or two. Head here after a trip to Borough Market for a festive day to remember.

Time Out tip The pub quiz here is legendary and happens every Wednesday evening.

Etched mirrors, tall ceilings, greenery and a ridiculous amount of comfy sofas make this backstreet Islington pub a great go-to in groups. Bag yourself an armchair in the pub’s parlour for added cosiness and revel in the slightly out-there colonial vibe the pub seems to reach for.

Time Out tip Visit on Tuesdays for the camaraderie of quiz night.

It’s a diddy little pub near King’s Cross, but the Queen’s Head makes its own atmosphere with jazz nights round the piano and with board games to help happily pass the time in quieter moments. The craft beer selection is cracking and should give you that edge on the next round of dominoes.

Time Out tip They've got some wonderful whiskey if you want something punchier than a pint.

The best things come in small packages – particularly when they’re micropubs. And squeezing into Tottenham’s diddy boozer The High Cross feels even more thrilling given that it used to be public bogs. Just trust us; the setting has been appropriately spruced for an extra-cosy sesh.

Time Out tip Avoid the pub on a Spurs at home match day – a gaggle of rowdy footie fans make it less than cosy.

Welcome to snob screen city. This wood-clad Victorian pub is so divvied up, you can have a little area all to yourself if you time your trip well. Duck down to get through tiny doors and pretend you’re living back in ye olde days when everything was 100 percent more cosy.

Time Out tip Music fans come on down; the Grade II listed pub can be seen in David Bowie's Grammy Award-winning short film Jazzin' for Blue Jean, which was the music video for his single Blue Jean.