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The Best Pubs in W1: Eight Historic Pubs in Soho, Mayfair, Fitzrovia and Marylebone
The best pubs in W1 are not the ones on Oxford Street. They sit a street or two back, in buildings that have been pouring drinks since the 18th and 19th centuries: a Soho bar where beer comes in halves and phones are banned, a Mayfair inn on a site licensed since 1423, a Marylebone pub with wooden drinking booths that almost nowhere else kept. This list picks eight, across Soho, Mayfair, Fitzrovia and Marylebone, with what each is good for and how to get a seat. Every pub was checked as trading in early October 2026.
Oldest site: The Guinea Grill, Mayfair, where an inn has stood since 1423.
Best preserved interior: The Barley Mow, Marylebone, built in 1791, with two enclosed drinking booths.
Most talked-about pint: the Guinness at The Devonshire, Soho, opened in its current form in November 2023.
No phones, no music: The French House, Dean Street.
The eight at a glance
| Pub | Area | Go for |
|---|---|---|
| The French House | Soho, Dean Street | Conversation, wine by the glass, beer in halves |
| The Dog and Duck | Soho, Bateman Street | Victorian tiles and mirrors in a corner pub |
| The Coach and Horses | Soho, Greek Street | An old-school Soho boozer with a literary past |
| The Devonshire | Soho, Denman Street | Guinness and a pub dining room near Piccadilly Circus |
| The Guinea Grill | Mayfair, Bruton Place | A mews pub with a steak grill behind the bar |
| The Audley | Mayfair, Mount Street | A restored Victorian bar, walk-ins only |
| The Fitzroy Tavern | Fitzrovia, Charlotte Street | The pub that named a neighbourhood |
| The Barley Mow | Marylebone, Dorset Street | Drinking booths and a 1791 building |
Soho
1. The French House, 49 Dean Street
The French House is the pub people mean when they talk about old bohemian Soho. Its house rules are no music, no machines, no television and no mobile phones, which makes it one of the few places in W1 where you can hear the person next to you. It pours around thirty champagnes and wines by the glass, and beer is served in half pints. There are no reservations for drinks, so arrive early on a weekday and expect to stand in the evening. The dining room upstairs takes bookings.
2. The Dog and Duck, 18 Bateman Street
The site has been licensed since 1734, and the present grade II listed building went up in 1897. Inside, the walls are lined with Victorian tiling framing two large advertising mirrors, and a mosaic of a dog chasing a duck is set into the floor at the Frith Street entrance. CAMRA lists it as one of Britain's Real Heritage Pubs. It is small and gets crowded by 6pm; the upstairs room is quieter.
3. The Coach and Horses, 29 Greek Street
The Coach and Horses is the plain, unpretentious Soho pub of legend, long associated with the journalist Jeffrey Bernard and with the Private Eye crowd who drank there. It is now run by Fuller's, opens from midday, and closes at 11pm Monday to Saturday and 8pm on Sunday. Come for a pint and a sandwich rather than a meal.
4. The Devonshire, Denman Street
The newest name on this list is an old pub brought back. The building traded as the Devonshire Arms from 1793 and was a restaurant from 2012 until publican Oisín Rogers, Flat Iron founder Charlie Carroll and the chef Ashley Palmer-Watts reopened it as The Devonshire in November 2023. The ground-floor bar has become famous for its Guinness, and upstairs is a grill dining room that needs booking well ahead. The bar is busy from mid-afternoon; the pavement outside fills on warm evenings.
Mayfair
5. The Guinea Grill, 30 Bruton Place
Hidden in a mews behind Berkeley Square, The Guinea Grill stands on a site where there has been an inn since 1423. It is a Young's pub with a small front bar and a restaurant, open since 1952, that specialises in dry-aged steaks and pies. The bar opens at 11am every day and closes at 11pm Monday to Saturday and 9pm on Sunday. Drinkers spill into the mews on summer evenings; book the restaurant.
6. The Audley, Mount Street
The Audley Public House sits on the corner of South Audley Street and Mount Street and was carefully restored as a neighbourhood pub where, in its own words, history and contemporary art collide. The bar opens seven days a week from 11am, takes walk-ins only, and pours beer from Sambrook's in Battersea alongside London Pride and draught Guinness, with a short menu of pies, sausages, oysters and a Sunday roast. There is a separate restaurant upstairs.
Fitzrovia and Marylebone
7. The Fitzroy Tavern, Charlotte Street
Built in 1883 as the Fitzroy Coffee House and turned into a pub four years later, the Fitzroy Tavern took its present name in 1919. Between the 1920s and the 1950s it was a meeting place for artists and writers including Dylan Thomas, Augustus John and George Orwell, and the journalist and MP Tom Driberg coined the name "Fitzrovia" for the area around it. It is a Samuel Smith's pub, so expect the brewery's own beers at prices well below the West End norm. Our Fitzrovia guide covers the rest of the neighbourhood.
8. The Barley Mow, 8 Dorset Street
Built in 1791 and grade II listed, the Barley Mow is often described as the oldest building in Marylebone. Its rarity is inside: two small drinking booths on the left of the bar, enclosed by wooden screens about five feet high, a survival from the days when drinkers wanted privacy. CAMRA includes it on its National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors. It runs a Tuesday night quiz. See our Marylebone guide for nearby food.
Tips for a W1 pub crawl
- Go early or go midweek. Soho pubs are standing-room only from about 6pm on Thursdays and Fridays.
- Most close at 11pm. W1 pubs mostly call time at 11pm, earlier on Sundays. For a late drink, see our Soho night out questions.
- Walkable route: the four Soho pubs are within a ten-minute walk of each other; the Guinea Grill and the Audley are a 15-minute walk west across Regent Street, and the Fitzroy and the Barley Mow make a separate northern loop.
- Sunday lunch: several of these serve a roast; our best Sunday roast in W1 page has the details.
For the history behind the Soho names, read the hidden history of Soho, or head back to the W1 London home page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the oldest pub in W1?
The Guinea Grill in Bruton Place, Mayfair, stands on a site where there has been an inn since 1423. The Barley Mow in Marylebone, built in 1791, is one of the oldest surviving pub buildings in W1.
Which Soho pub has no music or phones?
The French House at 49 Dean Street, whose house rules ban music, machines, television and mobile phones. It also serves beer in half pints.
Where is the best Guinness in Soho?
The Devonshire on Denman Street, reopened in November 2023, has built its reputation on Guinness. The Audley in Mayfair also prides itself on its pint of Guinness.
Can you book a table at Soho pubs?
Mostly not for drinks. The French House and The Audley take walk-ins only at the bar, though both have dining rooms that take bookings. The Devonshire and the Guinea Grill restaurants should be booked ahead.
Why is it called Fitzrovia?
The name was coined by the journalist and MP Tom Driberg in the 1940s after the Fitzroy Tavern on Charlotte Street, where artists and writers gathered between the 1920s and the 1950s.
Sources
- CAMRA, Dog and Duck, Soho, heritage listing: camra.org.uk
- CAMRA, Barley Mow, Marylebone, heritage listing: camra.org.uk
- Fitzroy Tavern history: wikipedia.org
- The Devonshire opening: London Drinker
Pubs checked on 3 October 2026. Opening hours change; check before you go.