Method
How we rank
Every ranking on The Best Pint rests on public evidence, and every number behind a pub's place is printed on its card. Nobody pays to be listed. Each kind of guide uses its own evidence, set out below.
The best pubs in a city
Each city page ranks pubs on agreement. For every city we read the published lists and awards about its pubs, only those from 2025 or later, plus recent threads where locals recommend pubs on Reddit. Each city page lists its sources with their dates. In London that's eight lists and awards, from Time Out and Condé Nast Traveller to the Telegraph's best UK pubs, plus the r/london pub wiki and three threads. A pub scores 2 for each list that names it and 1 for each Reddit recommendation, up to 4. It needs two lists, or one list and two Reddit recommendations, to appear at all, so no single writer decides it. Google stars only break ties.
Each pub is matched to its exact Google listing, checked against the area or postcode its source gives, because a city can have several pubs with the same name (London has a lot of Royal Oaks). The "best for" line on each card says what the sources praise it for, and the quote under it is copied word for word from the page it came from.
The best Guinness
Every pub in a Guinness guide has at least one piece of public evidence that its Guinness is good. We add the evidence up into a score. Every number behind a pub's place is shown under "Why it's here".
- Google reviews. How many of a pub's Google reviews mention Guinness. One point per 25 reviews, up to 6.
- Published guides. 2 points for each published guide that names the pub for Guinness.
- Guinness's Harp Guide. 3 points if the pub is on Guinness's own list of pubs that pour it properly.
- Reddit. 1 point per local recommending it, up to 5, minus 1 for each negative comment.
What the Guinness score can miss
Google only shows the ten things reviewers mention most at each pub. A pub known for its food can pour a great pint and still score nothing on Google. That's why guides and Reddit count separately, and why a pub with only a few Google mentions can still rank well.
Beer gardens, quizzes, football and the rest
Situation guides use one number: how many of a pub's Google reviews mention that thing (the garden, the quiz, watching football, the roast, the music). The card shows the number. A pub can also qualify on a feature Google lists for it, such as a trivia night or welcoming dogs, and the card says so when that's the reason. Dog-friendly pubs are all listed by Google as welcoming dogs; the ones reviewers mention dogs at come first.
Area guides, such as pubs near London Bridge, rank on Google rating, pulled toward a typical London pub's rating until a pub has a few hundred reviews. That stops a new place with ten five-star reviews topping the list.
We only list pubs, bars and sports bars. Restaurants and cocktail bars are left out even when reviewers mention a roast or a garden.
Prices
A pint price appears only once we've checked it, by phone or in person, with the date. We never estimate. If you know what a pint costs somewhere, tell us.
Hours, busy times and features
Opening hours, typical busy times, live music, sport, food and dog policies come from Google and can change. Check before a special trip.
Pour scores
A pour score appears only where one of us has drunk there, with the date. We don't write about a pint we haven't had as if we had.