Guinness: still a thing. The new Netflix drama House of Guinness is testament to that. The show, from Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, charts the lives of Ireland’s most famous family during the 1800s, about 100 years after the brewery was founded (in 1759).
House of Guinness begins in 1868, and the family patriarch has just been found dead in Dublin. His four children, each with dark secrets to hide, hold the brewery’s fate in their hands. Think Succession, but with pints.
It’s a welcome evolution in the Guinness story arc. All will remember the earlier stages of the hype, when TikTok was infected with influencers “splitting the G” (sod off) and pervily praising “the dome”.
Those who thought the hype was due to settle down, they were wrong. To go with talk about creaminesss, pints of plain, frothy heads now is a hot TV show to boot.
And so you had better know where to go for a pint in London. You must know: not every Guinness is poured equal. The beloved Irish stout is a delicate thing and needs an experienced hand. You’ve probably heard this, either from your boyfriend or his mate, but there’s a little pub science in it, something to do with the nitrogen, pressure, temperature, the cleanliness (or not) of the lines. The glass counts, so too the storage of the barrels. And then there’s all the theatre of pouring, the 45 degree angle, the famous pause, the chance to let it settle. Does it all matter? No factor on its own, but definitely altogether — no-one argues about where to find the best pint of Heineken, after all.
While a reported 40 per cent of the world’s Guinness is brewed on the African continent, every drop the UK drinks comes from St James’s Gate in Dublin, which can turn out some three million pints a day (not always enough). And while the stuff across the sea will always have a better reputation than what we’ve got here — and there is a difference, all to do with the pumps and the pressure and the gas — London certainly holds up its end, especially if you know what to look for.
It would be remiss not to mention Murphy’s and Beamish, two other Irish stouts of repute. Murphy’s is all over London and Beamish is starting to make its way over, too. Head to Gibney’s, in Old Street, for the latter.
shot from google maps, stoke newington pub The Auld Shillelagh
Stoke Newington might be a bit of a trek from anywhere that’s not Stoke Newington, but the Auld Shillelagh is a convincing enough reason to visit. Young for a pub – born 1991 – the place is an old soul. Curled into a tight corner and tiny from the outside, inside it opens up, though the space is kept cosy with old photos and newspaper clippings, as well as the odd sports trophy. Owned by Roscommon brothers Aonghus and Tomas Leydon, and run day-to-day by Tomas and wife Iwona, the Guinness really is quite perfect, rich as anything. Its reputation runs not just through London, but across the Irish sea, where the press there cite it as London’s best pint of the black stuff (although pole position is sometimes granted to the Coach & Horses, below). Accordingly, everyone from Shane McGowan to Brendan Gleeson has swung by, though there are countless stories of Irishmen in town heading up to test the stuff against their exacting standards. There’s always another round here.
Good for: Guinness, Murphy’s
Though one or two American accents can be heard barking in the one room bar, this devoutly old-fashioned boozer has managed, despite sitting at the east mouth to Covent Garden, to avoid a life as a tourist hell-hole. Guinness lovers will be drawn in from the bragging signs outside, that boast of being the best Guinness in London, as per the Irish Post. Inside, the walls are a ragtag of old newspaper clippings and pictures, and old-fashioned mirrors, while staff are friendly, chatting to their regulars, and service is quick. it serves as a reminder of why Freehouses can be so good. Pints here really are something special — they’re beautiful, actually, and entirely unrushed; the team is dedicated to giving it time to rest before topping it up for the proper head. The Murphy’s is given the exact same treatment, and may, in fact, be even better. A must.
Blythe Hill Tavern
Between Catford and Forest Hill is the Blythe Hill Tavern, a glorious Victorian local but also a pub worth travelling to. Inside, it is a traditional corner spot with a roaring fire, circular tables, low stalls and dark blue banquettes, as well as a solid pint of Guinness. Overseeing the place is Con Riordan, who moved to London from Limerick in 1974 to run the place. And so no wonder the Guinness is good. Enjoy a pint or two next to live music and top sourdough pizzas from Van Dough, a visiting food van that parks just outside.
Good for: Guinness, Murphy’s
Helen Abraham Photography
“Purveyors of craic” is an amusing tagline for a place — not least because said out loud by uncultured British drinker it leaves some room for misunderstanding. Still, that’s about the only criticism of this Nunhead freehouse there is. Skehan’s earned a prestigiously high spot in our most recent list of top 50 pubs for good reason: it roars with music six nights out of seven, and there are quiz nights, karaoke, and writers’ meet-ups. It’s no surprise its following is so loyal: this is somewhere working for its crowd, who love them for it. And of course you can’t be a truly good pub without good Guinness, and often there’s Murphy’s too.
Clare Menary
Here it is. The pub that is always busy. It only opened late in 2023 and yet it is already famous across the UK and Ireland, not least because co-owner Oisín Rogers and his exceptional team put so much effort into ensuring the Guinness is golden. There are many reasons as to why it’s such a clean and crisp pint. One of the foremost is down to the amount The Devonshire gets through, which is a lot. But much credence must also go to Ross Culligan and Sam Donohoe, bar manager and assistant bar manager respectively and who moved from Dublin stalwart Kehoes for the gig — there are no better pourers in London today.
Flickr/Ewan Munro
This Irish pub in Wandsworth — absolutely not the posh side — is an ideal location to enjoy a Guinness or two. It has been for some time a classic south London bolthole, one filled with live music, sports, and warm hospitality. There’s a lovely little garden out the back as well, so if the weather is fine, there are few better locales. Guinness can vary a bit here but is usually on point. Anyway, it is as much about the setting as the drink.
Simon Brown
The Audley opened at the tail end of 2022 and has already become a Mayfair attraction in part down to its decent Guinness. The quality can, from time-to-time, dip when the place is particularly busy, but mostly the pub has settled in and found its pace. It is a beautiful room and hums nicely throughout the day; the best time to come is early afternoon, for a pint and a whisky, or maybe a Calvados. Or, if you’re sticking to beers but don’t fancy a stout, one of the Sambrooks beers. Something about it — probably that ceiling mural — lends the Audley a sense of occasion.
Sheephaven
An unassuming spot in Camden, this locals’ favourite is one of those pubs with a regular Guinness tap alongside one of those extra-cold ones built for unknowing Brits. The bar staff here tend to ask if there’s a preference. Only a fool wouldn’t go for the regular. The classic pints here are reliably creamy and always have that all-important dome. Sat in one of the booths, it’s the sort of place one could spend hours and hours in. Do. And when quiet, the team will bring the Guinness to the table, which is an old school move but always a lovely one. A cracking pub.
Homeboy
A gleaming den of utter joy. A neighbourhood bar executed with disarming charm, Homeboy comes from top Irish bartender Aaron Wall, who has stuck to a premise that should be fool proof — good drinks, fair prices — but which seems to befuddle so many others. Wall is dry, game for a laugh and an expert at all drinks, but knows his pints too. Wall and his (presumably long-suffering) Guinness rep spent a long old time fiddling with the taps for the right pressure, playing with the pipes to stop the beer coming out shiveringly cold, and is exacting about when the lines get cleaned. One for cocktails and Irish whiskey after the pints are done.
Gibney’s / Daffodil Mulligan
Good for: Guinness, Beamish, Gibney’s Stout
Down beneath the fun food of Richard Corrigan’s Daffodil Mulligan is the bar space, Gibney’s. Named for famed Irish landlord Tony Gibney and for a long time run by his son, Cormac — he who figures he poured his pulled his first pint around 11 — the bar is warm and happy; walking in is like coming over an old photo of a good time. Cormac has headed to New York but the bar is in very safe hands with a first-rate team, smart enough that they introduced Beamish to London (no surprise, it is often sold out within a couple of days). Brass taps shine at the counter where the Guinness toucan perches. They pour slowly here, carefully, taking care of the pint; it comes out silky. They’ve a dangerous amount of Irish whiskey to drink with it.
The grand exterior of this fine old Irish pub in Rupert Street is unmissable, but it’s inside where the place really comes alive. Go through the Covent Garden boozer’s doors and you’ll find a wonderfully ornate interior, a fantastic atmosphere and an agreeable pint. The pub quite rightly prides itself on the quality of its beers and when the pub comes alive on match days there are few better to enjoy a few pints in W1.
Stock image
Erik Jacobson/Unsplash
Alongside the Fullback, this boozer down on Seven Sisters Road helps to make Finsbury Park something of a Guinness goldmine, says @shitlondonguinness’s Ian Ryan, the all-knowing fanatic based nearby. In fact, the Twelve Pins muscled any of the local competition out of Ryan’s top five, and while it might not be the cosiest of places — and its proximity to the Emirates Stadium means it gets packed out whenever Arsenal are playing at home — there is something self-effacing about the place, which ticks over as a local boozer that’s quietly nailed the art of a Guinness. Just be aware that there have been sightings of the stuff in John Smith’s glasses, which was almost enough to get it booted off this list.
The Black Horse
The Black Horse is a relatively bonkers British boozer. The first iteration of a pub on the site dates back to the 1680s, when it was a traditional coaching inn, and it was for centuries owned and operated by long-standing East London families. Today, it is a lively spot, with rock music, darts, rugby, and regulars who are often up for a shot or two. As for the Guinness, it does the job. Take the time to visit.
The Black Horse, 40 Leman Street, E1 8EU, 020 7488 1406
The management at the Lord Nelson choose to serve Murphy’s over Guinness, even if stocks of the latter are abundant. Sadly, we can’t print why, but never mind all that. Know above all else that this Southwark boozer is a tremendous place for a pint, a mad place of floral arrangements, colour and song, old fashioned service and a lively beer garden. Is it, perhaps, a little chaotic? Sure, but why not. Murphy’s is poured expertly and comes thick and fast here, ideal for washing down a menu of fish finger sandwiches, wild boar burgers and falafel. It’s also named after Lord Nelson, so that’s another point in its favour. Absolute hero.
Good for: Guinness, Murphy’s
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Ewan Munro/WikiMedia Commons
Long before the Guinness shortages, this place was serving Murphy’s. Why? Because it’s a family-owned place, and they like to do things properly. It’s a pub with beautiful etched windows and a bare floor worn down by the regulars who have come and gone daily since it opened. There’s sport, but the telly is usually muted: you come here to chat, to socialise. And to drink pints, which are always reliably good.
28 Camberwell Church Street, SE5 8QU, 020 7703 3188
Good for: Murphy’s, Guinness
Alamy Stock Photo
Is this Marylebone’s best pub? Almost certainly. Why people must call these proper boozers “old man’s pubs” is beyond us, but this is one of those: velvet-capped bar stools, wood panelling everywhere, quiz nights, live music. It is one of London’s perfect pubs, nothing to change. And here, beside the Guinness, is Murphy’s. They don’t make a song or dance of it, but it is a fine pint nevertheless.
Two pints of Murphy’s at Nancy Spain’s
Courtesy
Nancy Spains appears to be a direct product of London’s much-reported Guinness boom. Or at least the city’s clear penchant for stout. There’s no Guinness here at this Irish pub; instead, Murphy’s, given the founders hail from Cork. It’s a busy, gloomy Shoreditch boozer, one with high tables, loud music and plenty of young bankers earning their stripes. Early success has led to a second branch set to open in the City. Murphy’s or Guinness, London cannot get enough.
ELLIOTT MORGAN
Mannions has made headlines — including the front page of The London Standard — for the way it has drawn the Gen Z fashion set. And, undoubtedly, it is one of London’s most fashionable pubs, even if at the same time it’s nothing more than a proper Norf Landan boozer. Will the models and DJs and all the rest probably come and eventually go? Perhaps, probably. But Mannions will remain, with its pool table and old Irish posters, and its regulars who’ve been coming since the Seventies. And, of course, for its Guinness.
Grove House Tavern
The group who own this place also own The Railway in Streatham, the Clock House Tavern, the Earl of Derby and others. A full list can be found here. All are excellent and at most, Murphy’s is readily available. Though they differ from each other, what binds them is a sense of comfort and community. So why choose the Grove House in particular? Because the food, coming from Mondo Sando, is a cut above. Mondo Sando are also behind Cafe Mondo, which the Standard gave five stars to, and which also serves Murphy’s. And excellent, tiny martinis.
