The little black book

Quiet pubs, bars and cafés in London to talk

Filtered for Fireside & Cosy + Good For A Serious Chat, then ranked by journey fairness for your group.

Central London

Chapter 1 · 3 pubs, bars and cafés

The Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon is on the fourth floor of Fortnum & Mason at 181 Piccadilly. Queen Elizabeth II opened it on 1 March 2012, and it serves a full...

Green Park 2 min · Walk-in

Walk-in

The Lamb is a Grade II listed Young's pub on Lamb's Conduit Street in Bloomsbury, dating back to the 1720s. It keeps its hinged snob screens around the bar,...

Russell Square 5 min · Walk-in

Walk-in

The Queen's Larder is a small pub on the corner of Queen Square in Bloomsbury. You can book a table in the upstairs lounge, or the whole room, by calling 020...

Russell Square 6 min · Walk-in

Walk-in

North London

Chapter 2 · 1 place

The Wells is a Georgian pub on Well Walk in Hampstead, close to the Heath. It serves lunch and dinner every day on the ground floor, and the first-floor dining...

Hampstead 1 min · Bookable

East London

Chapter 3 · 1 place

The Grapes is a narrow riverside pub on Narrow Street in Limehouse, and its history goes back more than 500 years. Charles Dickens drank here and wrote it into...

Limehouse 2 min · Walk-in

Walk-in

Frequently asked questions

What does the “Fireside & Cosy + Good For A Serious Chat” filter show on Quiet pubs, bars and cafés in London to talk?

This view narrows Quiet pubs, bars and cafés in London to talk to venues tagged for Fireside & Cosy + Good For A Serious Chat. FairWhere can still rank that filtered shortlist by journey fairness when you start a plan, so the activity fit and the commute both work for the group.

When are these places quietest?

Earlier in the day, almost everywhere. Weekday mornings and early afternoons are the calmest at most of these quiet pubs, bars and cafés in London, and evenings get louder, with after-work crowds at places like Gordon's Wine Bar and The Wigmore. Several are daytime only. Each venue note says when it's calmest, and where a place is livelier than quiet, we say so. For a livelier after-work pint, see After-Work Drinks. For a louder City dinner when quiet isn't the point, see Square Mile Weeknights.

Can I work on a laptop in any of them?

In some. Store Street Espresso and Prufrock Coffee are the easy ones, and Age Exchange Cafe, Ink@84, Petitou, St John's Bakery and The Gallery Cafe also carry a laptop-friendly tag. Monocle Café is the exception: laptops are discouraged there. Most of these are daytime venues, so check hours before you plan a long session.

How does FairWhere pick a fair place?

Here, fair means the journey. Add where everyone is starting from and FairWhere ranks these quiet pubs, bars and cafés in London by how evenly the travel is shared across your group, using the FairWhere Score. The shortlist is picked for quiet. The ranking is not about popularity, sponsorship or who suggested it first.

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