Picture this. You've got a cold lager in one hand, the other grabs for a salty crisp, and your comrades surround you in a gloriously sunny beer garden. Is there a sensation to match this? We think not.
With summer just around the corner, the capital is thirsty and poised to bag the best spots in London's beer gardens.
From leafy verandas, tipple-filled terraces, expansive lawns and pergola-covered retreats, London has an abundance of pub gardens and outdoor bars to get the al-fresco alcohol flowing.
But which takes the crown? To make your life a little easier, we've tracked down the booziest, biggest and best beer gardens and bars in all corners of the capital. They've got beer, wine, crisps and good vibes – you'll just have to hope the British weather plays ball.
London's best beer gardens
Grow
Main Yard, 98C Wallis Road, E9 5LN
Grow, Hackney Wick
Jan Hlavicka
Hackney has mastered the art of industrial container hospitality, and Grow is another prime example. It’s situated in a converted sausage factory in a disused car park, which, despite not being the obvious choice for a bar, works a treat. It’s got a prime location on the River Lea, complete with a waterside terrace, twinkling fairy lights, plenty of heaters and live performances from musicians and DJs on the weekends. The food served here is Middle Eastern and Mediterranean-inspired and predominantly plant-based, although some ethically sourced meat options are on offer. From using eco-electricity, sourcing drinks from suppliers who share similar values or involving local businesses, sustainability is at the core of Grow. So, if you want a riverside refuge to escape the capital’s chaos with a hearty side of ethical values, Grow is your girl.
Pub on the Park
19 Martello Street, E8 3PE
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With a name like Pub on the Park, you can only presume some greenery is involved. Situated on the very edge of London Fields close to Hackney Central, London Fields and Haggerston, this pub flaunts a lovely decked beer garden, complete with benches, twinkling lights, heaters and expansive views across the park. The food served here is the perfect sponge for relentless day drinking – think herculean burgers, BBQ ribs, sticky wings and loaded fries. The tipples served span beer, wine and cocktails, so the odd Aperol or Pimms is definitely on the cards.
People’s Park Tavern
360 Victoria Park Road, London E9 7BX
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Ask anyone why they visit People’s Park Tavern, and the unanimous response will always be its beer garden. This verdant, sprawling drinking den feels like an extension of Victoria Park, which it is based in. In winter, the garden is full of people and pups warming up in the heated outdoor ‘greenhaus’ and drinking in-house brewed beer. By summer, PPT is the open-air hacienda-style garden that warmer days were made for, filled with sunny seating, cocktails and alcohol-fuelled debauchery. Even better, there are year-round pub quizzes, DJs, comedy nights and a food menu serving up enormous BBQ trays, burgers and fries.
Pressure Drop Taproom
Unit 6 Lockwood Estate, Tottenham Hale, N17 9QP
Pressure Drop is making some of the best beer in London right now, with Pale Fire being one of the finest pale ales brewed in the UK. And what better place to try it than at the source? The brewery, which is a short walk from Tottenham Hale Tube, opens its doors every Saturday afternoon from 12-8 pm, inviting you to drink beer and eat street food on the benches in front of the brewery.
Open Saturdays 12pm-8pm; pressuredropbrewing.co.uk
The Faltering Fullback
19 Perth Road, N4 3HB
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You will struggle to find someone who doesn't hold the Faltering Fullback close to their heart. It's a charming Irish pub drenched in ivy and merriment, part of the dying breed of old-school boozers still thriving in the capital. Walk through the all-wooden interior complete with ceiling trinkets (think hanging skis, guitars and flags), and you'll make it to the pub garden. It's a deceptively large space resembling a multi-tiered wooden tree house with heaters, benches, sheltered spots and hanging plants. As you may expect from an Irish pub, ordering a pint of Guinness is a fantastic call, but in case you don't have a penchant for stout, there are plenty of draught lagers, ales, wines and spirits to sink.
Barge East
Sweetwater Mooring, White Post Lane, E9 5EN
Barge East
Thankfully for the seasick among us, the Barge East beer garden isn’t actually on a boat but rather next to one. It’s one of the largest outdoor dining and drinking spaces in London that houses up to 300 people, complete with a garden that supplies the kitchen, rustic built furniture and some of the most scenic London riverside views. Barge East serves up beer, long drinks, cocktails from local brewers and distillers, and street-food-style small plates with fine-dining flourishes from head chef Stefano Camplone (whose CV includes stints at Clipstone and Roganic, to name a few). Even better, you can live it barge on Saturdays and enjoy 90 minutes of bottomless beer or bubbles in the garden from 11 am - 2 pm.
Mercato Metropolitano
42 Newington Causeway, SE1 6DR
Mercato Metropolitano
When it comes to everything you need to enjoy an evening of drinking and eating with pals, this market is a gold mine. There are plenty of bars, including an on-site microbrewery from German Kraft, and ample food traders in one spot, so everyone will be happy. There's a farmer's market shop, too, bursting with pickles, pasta and bread, and more street food than you could possibly try in one sitting. Sit back and relax as your friends praise your excellent taste.
Apollo Arms
13-19 Old Town, SW4 0JT
This food-focussed boozer flaunts one of the best beer gardens in South West London with a secret garden terrace around the back. Founded by Oliver Marlowe and Hubert Beatson-Hird, Appolo Arms is the third sibling to The Hunter's Moon and Ganymede, and features a food menu as handsome as the drink selection and sun-dappled terrace. There's no time of the day when The Apollo Arms isn't a good idea with its choice of craft beer, fine wines and tasty cocktails, including negronis, martinis and margaritas, as well as its menu for brunch, lunch, bar snacks, dinner and Sunday roasts. With confit duck leg, smoked ham hock and gruyere pithivier, and burrata with sauce vierge on the menu, warm ales and stale pork scratchings are a thing of the past.
Vinegar Yard
72-82 St Thomas Street, SE1 3QX
Vinegar Yard
Haydon Perrier
This popular outdoor dining space is the perfect lively spot for a few evening drinks with friends – not to mention a few snacks to go along with them, too. Think gravy-dipped burgers and croquettes from Nanny Bill's, 'Naanwiches' and pachos from Baba G's and devilishly sloppy pizzas from the Bad Boy Pizza Society. The Bramble bar is fully covered, and there's a large area where tables are protected by a massive stretched tent in case the British weather throws a tantrum. What's more, there are also pop-up container shops selling vintage goods and an electric mix of art.
Campfire
Tileyard Studios, N7 9AH
A hop, skip, and a jump from King’s Cross, you’ll find Two Tribes, a brewer that opened its taproom with the aim of showcasing great music and food alongside its range of new-school lagers and pales. Campfire, its outdoor space, has a fully stocked bar equipped with heaters, fire pits and live music performances. In keeping with its name, the food at Campfire is cooked analogue-style over a flame, so expect to eat some tender flame-grilled bavette steaks, six-hour smoked pork belly and plenty of vegan options too. All in all, Two Tribes is a great backdrop for tank-fresh beer and good vibes.
Smokehouse Islington
Canonbury Road, N1 2DG
As the name might suggest, Smoke House is renowned for serving up ridiculously good smoked meat and BBQ alongside a delicious range of draft beer to accompany it. This critically acclaimed gastro pub, located at the top end of Canonbury and just behind Upper Street, has a great pub garden hidden behind tall hedges adorned with fairy lights, making you feel a million miles away from the thrum of central London.
The Southampton Arms
Highgate Road, NW5 1LE
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A small, old-school boozer, The Southampton Arms has a great range of cask ales from some of the finest breweries in the country. The tap list is constantly rotating, so you'll get to try something new every time you pop in. The outdoor space, which is only small, can get quite busy – but that doesn't stop it from being the perfect place to stop for a pint of ale after spending an afternoon out on Hampstead Heath.
Beavertown Brewery’s Taproom and Corner Pin Pub
732 High Road, N17 0AG
Beavertown’s taproom and expansive beer garden at its Corner Pin pub is the perfect place to grab a cold one with pals. And with a location bang opposite the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, it’s a prime spot for footie fans. As expected, they’re serving up the entire Beavertown range on tap, alongside food from weekly changing local vendors (think burgers and loaded fries), in a huge sun-drenched outdoor seating area, which has now landed a big screen to watch the game.
