Near you
The best gastropubs near you are in our city guides for two dozen metros, from London and New York to Dublin, Edinburgh and Melbourne. Each city below names its top gastropub with a link to the full guide. Our editors rank on the kitchen first, then the beer and wine list and a room that still feels like a pub.
Last reviewed June 25, 2026 · How we pick bars
When April Bloomfield's Spotted Pig closed it took the original chef-driven gastropub template with it. The Smith on 11th and Third inherits the lineage: long bar, dark wood, a kitchen that takes the burger and the roast chicken seriously. Reservations help but the bar is walk-in. West Village · Anchor pick
Au Cheval is technically a diner but operates as a bar with a kitchen most of its hours. The cheeseburger is the most-recommended bar burger in America for a reason. Expect a 90-minute wait on Friday and Saturday. Sit at the bar on weeknights. West Loop · Anchor pick
No substitutions. No ketchup. The Office Burger remains the most-imitated bar burger in California, and the beer selection is the city's most opinionated. Order at the bar. Find a table. The rules are the point. Culver City and Santa Monica · Anchor pick
Zuni is a restaurant with a serious bar attached. The roast chicken for two is the city's most famous dish, but the burger served only at the bar from 11pm to closing is the secret. The wine programme is one of the best on the West Coast. Hayes Valley · Anchor pick
Eastern Standard reopened in 2025 after a four-year hiatus and immediately reclaimed its position as Boston's anchor gastropub. The cocktail programme remains city-leading; the brasserie menu still does the steak frites better than any room of its kind. Kenmore Square · Anchor pick
The Black Hoof defined Toronto's gastropub decade with a charcuterie programme and a long bar that knew how to pour. It still does. The horse tartare on the menu is the dish that put the room on the map. Dundas West · Anchor pick
Joe Beef is a restaurant by reputation and a bar by behaviour. The lobster spaghetti and the foie gras double-down on the bar side are the orders. The wine list is one of the best in the country and the staff will guide if asked. Little Burgundy · Anchor pick
A bakery, a beer garden, and a bar with a sausage board that has held its position on the Austin scene since 2012. Order the pretzel and a Bavarian-style lager. The Sunday brunch hour is the best time to land a table. East 6th · Anchor pick
The original gastropub. Opened in 1991, the Eagle invented the format that every other city later imitated. The chalkboard menu is still the chalkboard menu, the marinated rump steak sandwich is still the order, and the wine is still served in tumblers. Clerkenwell · Anchor pick
Yves Camdeborde's tiny bistro is technically a restaurant after 8pm but operates as a serious bar with food at lunch and during early evening service. The terrine, the steak tartare, and a glass of Cahors is the standing order. Saint-Germain · Anchor pick
A rib house and beer bar that has filled the same dark room since 1976. The spare ribs are the order. The Belgian beer list is deeper than most full beer bars in the city. Walk in early or queue. Reguliersdwarsstraat · Anchor pick
Two Dutch chefs cooking modern European bar food in a Kreuzberg backstreet. The tasting menu happens at the bar. The natural-wine list is one of the best in Germany. Book ahead for the small dining room or walk in for the bar seats. Kreuzberg · Anchor pick
The room is built around a long stainless steel bar where the kitchen plates everything in front of the customer. The tuna belly carpaccio and the bone marrow are the dishes that built the reputation. Reserve for groups, walk in for two. Chamberí · Anchor pick
A neighbourhood bar that takes its wine programme and its product seriously. The seasonal tasting menu happens at the marble bar most nights. The croquettes are the soft entry point. Reserve a seat at the counter for the full effect. Eixample · Anchor pick
A traditional Victorian pub that does a tight food programme weekday lunchtimes. The toasted ham and cheese is the order. The room itself is the reason to come, and the Guinness arrives properly settled. South Great George's Street · Anchor pick
Whisky bar first, pie shop second. The selection of Scotch is one of Britain's most serious, and the kitchen runs a small but well-executed pie menu through the weekend. No reservations, no music, no televisions. Old Town · Anchor pick
Skyline bars and sky lounges, vetted city by city.
Serious cocktail rooms, ranked by what they pour.
Taprooms with real rotation and pour discipline.
Big screens and cold beer, picked for match day.
Honest locals’ bars, cheap pours, zero pretense.
Our full global guide to the best pubs.
A serious yakitori bar in a small Aoyama basement, with a tight whisky and sake list to match the grill. Sit at the counter, order the omakase, and watch every cut of chicken cook in front of the customer. Reserve weeks ahead. Aoyama · Anchor pick
Modern Cantonese in a bar-led room where the cocktails sit comfortably alongside the food. The roast wagyu short rib and the prawn toast are the orders. The bar pours one of the city's strongest sake selections. Soho · Anchor pick
A regional Southeast Asian bar that runs a serious snack menu of ant-and-fermented-chilli foie gras and similarly inventive bar food. The drinks programme is the destination but the kitchen is no afterthought. Amoy Street · Anchor pick
A wine bar with a kitchen led by a former Quay sous chef. The menu changes constantly, the wine list is unusually deep for natural pours, and the dishes are designed to share at the counter. Book the bar. Darlinghurst · Anchor pick
Embla on Russell Street pioneered the natural-wine-plus-fire-cooked-food bar in Melbourne and the formula still holds. The whole fish from the wood oven and a bottle of skin-contact riesling is the city's most-recommended sit-down. CBD · Anchor pick
Lunch is the institution but the bar before lunch is the secret. Order the tuna tostadas and a margarita at the counter, then stay if a table opens. The whole-fish-split-two-ways is the dish the city sends visitors for. Roma Norte · Anchor pick
Hidden behind a working flower shop, Florería Atlántico runs one of South America's most awarded bar programmes alongside a kitchen of Spanish and Italian small plates. The empanada and a fernet-and-cola at the bar is the standard opener. Retiro · Anchor pick
A bar and restaurant that runs as Cape Town's most-recommended lunch spot and as a serious sundowner room. The bar menu is short but well-built and the Cape wine list is deep. City Bowl · Anchor pick
The thirty bars below are not the only good ones in each city. They are the anchor picks: the one address to hand a friend who is hungry, wants a drink, and does not want a tablecloth. For the broader list per city, follow the link inside each card.
When April Bloomfield's Spotted Pig closed it took the original chef-driven gastropub template with it. The Smith on 11th and Third inherits the lineage: long bar, dark wood, a kitchen that takes the burger and the roast chicken seriously. Reservations help but the bar is walk-in.
Au Cheval is technically a diner but operates as a bar with a kitchen most of its hours. The cheeseburger is the most-recommended bar burger in America for a reason. Expect a 90-minute wait on Friday and Saturday. Sit at the bar on weeknights.
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