Smithfield, EC1M
The Fox & Anchor is a Grade II listed Young's pub beside Smithfield Market, built in 1898 with a tiled Art Nouveau-influenced front by W J Neatby for Doulton....
Barbican 4 min · Walk-in
Walk-in
Cover story
Pubs you can book for after-work drinks
Central pubs you can book - shortlist here, rank fairly, then reserve before anyone leaves the office.
The little black book
Pubs you can book for after-work drinks
Central pubs you can book - shortlist here, rank fairly, then reserve before anyone leaves the office.
Fitzrovia, W1T
Lore of the Land is Guy Ritchie's pub on Conway Street in Fitzrovia, with food cooked over charcoal, ember and flame. Its house beer comes from Gritchie,...
Warren Street 5 min · Bookable
Bloomsbury, WC1B
The Bloomsbury Club is a low-lit basement bar inside The Bloomsbury Hotel on Great Russell Street. It mixes jazz-inspired cocktails alongside the classics, and...
Tottenham Court Road 4 min · Bookable
Clerkenwell, EC1R
The City Pride is a Clerkenwell pub on Farringdon Lane with a proper Italian kitchen. It opens only Monday to Friday, so it is built for after-work drinks. The...
Farringdon 5 min · Walk-in
Walk-in
Clerkenwell, EC1R
The Clerkenwell Tavern on the corner of Exmouth Market has been a Farringdon staple since 1876. It is known for salt beef sandwiches and Reubens, with natural...
Farringdon 9 min · Bookable
Marylebone, W1U
The Coach Makers Arms is a restored Victorian pub on Marylebone Lane, run by Cubitt House. The ground-floor bar suits a drop-in crowd, and the dining room...
Bond Street 4 min · Bookable
Strand, WC2
The Coal Hole is a Grade II listed Nicholson's pub at 91-92 Strand, right beside the Savoy. Its Edwardian interior is one of the more ornate on the Strand. It...
Charing Cross 4 min · Walk-in
Walk-in
Bloomsbury, WC1E
The College Arms is a one-room pub on Store Street, near Goodge Street. Its green-and-white tiled floor and mirrored screens give it plenty of character....
Goodge Street 3 min · Walk-in
Walk-in
Clerkenwell, EC1R
The Crown Tavern is a Clerkenwell Green pub that claims Lenin and Stalin met there in 1905, though historians doubt it. It has two hire rooms: the Apollo Room,...
Farringdon 7 min · Walk-in
Walk-in
Grafton Way, W1T
The Grafton Arms is a Fitzrovia corner pub on Grafton Way, near Warren Street, with 11 bedrooms upstairs. It serves pan-Asian food with real ales, wine and...
Warren Street 5 min · Walk-in
Walk-in
Northington St, WC1N
The Lady Ottoline is a corner pub on Northington Street in Bloomsbury, on a site where there has been a pub since at least 1756. It is named after Lady...
Chancery Lane 8 min · Walk-in
Walk-in
Chancery Ln, WC2A
The Last Judgment is a gilded, theatrical pub in the former Union Bank building on the corner of Chancery Lane and Carey Street. The kitchen runs a Steak &...
Chancery Lane 3 min · Walk-in
Walk-in
Devonshire St, W1W
The Lucky Saint is the alcohol-free brewer's own pub on Devonshire Street in Marylebone, in a lovingly restored historic building. It pours alcohol-free and...
Great Portland Street 5 min · Walk-in
Walk-in
Rathbone St, W1T
The Newman Arms on Rathbone Street has been a Fitzrovia pub since 1730, and it was once a brothel. George Orwell used it as the model for the proles' pub in...
Goodge Street 4 min · Walk-in
Walk-in
Leigh St, WC1H
The Norfolk Arms is a high-ceilinged Bloomsbury pub on Leigh Street that serves a big Mediterranean tapas menu with its pints. Small plates mostly sit between...
Russell Square 6 min · Walk-in
Walk-in
Market Pl, W1W
The Oxford Market is an independent pub and kitchen on Market Place, a couple of minutes from Oxford Circus, with a beer garden. Sing-along classics start at...
Oxford Circus 3 min · Bookable
St Martin's Ln, WC2N
The Salisbury is a Grade II listed Victorian pub on St Martin's Lane, built in 1899, with etched glass, gold chandeliers and carved mahogany. It does a roaring...
Leicester Square 3 min · Walk-in
Walk-in
Gate St, WC2A
The Ship Tavern is a Holborn pub on Gate Street, by Lincoln's Inn Fields, with a history going back to 1549. During the centuries when Catholic Mass was...
Holborn 3 min · Walk-in
Walk-in
Frequently asked questions
What does bookable mean on after-work drinks?
After-Work Drinks in Central London filtered for bookable keeps central pubs and bars where you can reserve a table or room - useful when six people leaving different offices need a confirmed spot.
Should we book before we leave work?
Yes. Rank fairly first so the venue is fair for everyone’s commute, then book before anyone sets off - a fair journey to a full pub still wastes the evening.
What if we need a private room or big group?
Combine or switch filters for private room and big groups on this Placelist, then let FairWhere reorder the shortlist by journey fairness.
How do we stop after-work drinks defaulting to the nearest Zone 1 pub?
After-Work Drinks in Central London is a curated set of bookable central pubs. Add each person's office or station in FairWhere and it ranks the shortlist by journey fairness, so the person finishing in Stratford is not always the one with the nightmare commute.
Do these pubs take group bookings?
This Placelist focuses on pubs with bookable space or private rooms for groups. Filter for bookable, private room, or big groups, then rank the shortlist fairly before you request a table.
How does FairWhere rank places on After-Work Drinks in Central London?
FairWhere ranks venues on this Placelist by FairWhere Score: journey fairness for your whole group, not by popularity, sponsorship, or who suggested the place first. Open Plan a fair meet to add origins and see the ranked shortlist.
Where next
- Pubs Near Big StationsWhen the group arrives on different trains: meet by the terminus.
South Bank Meeting PointsNeed a pin before drinks? Pick a foyer or terrace first.
Quiet pubs, bars and cafés in LondonWhen the catch-up needs conversation, not a roar.
More from FairWhere
- Square Mile WeeknightsCity restaurants and wine bars when the group is staying out after work.