Craft Beer
Best Craft Beer Bars in London
The 14 finest taprooms, bottle shops, and brewery bars from Shoreditch to Borough, curated by our editorial team.
The 14 finest taprooms, bottle shops, and brewery bars from Shoreditch to Borough, curated by our editorial team.
East London's craft beer heartland. From Mikkeller Bar to BrewDog, this area has the highest concentration of ambitious taprooms and experimental breweries. Walk down Brick Lane and you'll pass at least five quality beer bars.
The Beer Mile is a pilgrimage for serious drinkers. New breweries open here constantly, and the bottle shops are world-class. Spend an afternoon hopping between Bermondsey distillery, Young's, and independent operations.
Northeast London's brewing renaissance. Wild Card, Signature Brew, and several other independent breweries have made this a destination. The vibe is less polished than Shoreditch but the beer quality is exceptional.
The Craft Beer Co. anchors this neighbourhood, but you'll also find excellent bottles in independents around Exmouth Market. More upscale than East London but genuinely welcoming to beer geeks.
A quieter craft beer scene, but Hops & Glory remains a quiet champion. This neighbourhood suits those who want craft beer without the scene. The back garden is perfect for evening sessions.
The Rake punches far above its tiny footprint. Borough Market itself has become a food and drink destination, with The Rake at its heart. Come for the beers, stay for the atmosphere and the market stalls.
The best craft beer bars in London share one thing in common: they treat beer not as a commodity but as a thing worthy of care and attention. This is visible in everything from the temperature of the fridges to the knowledge of the staff. The craft beer movement in London has matured from novelty to mainstream, and that means the bars have too.
A great craft beer bar has a point of view. It's not about pouring every beer in the world, it's about understanding what they pour and being able to explain why they've chosen to stock it. The Craft Beer Co. in Clerkenwell succeeds because the staff genuinely know their selection. The Rake in Borough succeeds because it's been curating since before curation was trendy. London's broader bar scene has learned from these originals that people will travel for quality and expertise.
Neighbourhood matters too. Walthamstow has emerged as the city's brewing hotspot because Wild Card and Signature Brew created anchor institutions. Shoreditch dominates because density creates choice. But even in quieter areas like Islington, a single great bar like Hops & Glory can define a neighbourhood's entire beer identity. When you're exploring bars across 60 cities worldwide, you'll notice this pattern everywhere: one great bar lifts an entire area.
The future of craft beer in London isn't about novelty anymore. It's about sustainability and community. Our deep dive into London's craft beer history shows how these bars have become genuine local institutions, places where people return week after week. That's the sign of a truly great craft beer bar. For a compelling contrast, the Dublin craft beer scene shows how a city with deep stout culture — where Guinness is still the default — has nonetheless built a serious independent brewing movement around breweries like Porterhouse, Rascals, and Trouble Brewing.
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