Marylebone has always been a bit of a middle ground. Not quite Soho, not quite Mayfair, the W1 neighbourhood – neatly divided into Fitzrovia and Marylebone – tends to welcome tourists who have stumbled across it accidentally, rather than made it their destination. But ask any Londoner worth their salt and they’ll tell you there are plenty of happenings to be had here – and most of them start or end with a good pub. Not sure where to drink and dine in Marylebone and Fitzrovia? Read on for our favourite pubs. 

The Hart

Anyone with their finger on the pulse of London’s food scene knows the Public House Group – created by Phil Winser, James Gummer and Olivier van Themsche – is home to the coolest portfolio of proper pubs. Spanning The Bull in Charlbury to outposts in Notting Hill and Maida Vale, Chiltern Street’s The Hart, continues the group’s commitment to community, sustainability and quality. Opened last autumn, interiors showcase British woods, leather, Victorian-style partition screens and unique architectural details resulting in a seriously Instagrammable look. All of which pairs perfectly with a nostalgic menu of crab cakes, steak and potatoes, and banoffee pie featuring ingredients sourced from British farmers, producers and the group’s Market Garden at Bruern Farm.

56 Blandford Street, W1U 7JA, visit thehartw1.com 

The George

Housed in a three-storey, 18^th-century, Grade II-listed building, which reopened after an extensive restoration in February 2022, The George is the sister pub to Chelsea’s The Cadogan and Chiswick’s The Hound – so expect great things. Drawing inspiration from their former life as the living quarters of bygone writers, poets and political movers and shakers, three rooms for dining, socialising and drinking are serviced by an all-day menu designed by executive chef John Sparks, featuring plates of black pudding Scotch egg, chicken and bacon Cobb salad, and a signature cheeseburger. Pair with spring cocktails, including the green apple highball, rhubarb gimlet and, our personal favourite, the Oopsie Daisy with gin, elderflower and fizz. Rumour has it that The George serves the creamiest pint of Guinness in Fitzrovia, too… 

55 Great Portland Street, W1W 7LQ, visit thegeorge.london 

The Cavendish

Dating back to 1779, when it served as the home of the Masonic Lodge of Unanimity, this Marylebone address has undergone several transformations in its time, including a stint as a tapas restaurant called Fat of the Land, and its latest incarnation as The Cavendish pub. Located at 35 New Cavendish Street, this charming establishment pays homage to its storied past while treating guests to standout dishes curated by Italian-born chef Laura de Filippis. Offering a seasonally rotating menu of elevated European small plates, enjoy mussels in nduja on chunky sourdough, lamb chops with pistachio gremolata, and chocolate tart. Seasonal cocktails are also on offer, including a pickled beetroot and red cabbage martini and fig and sloe Manhattan. Yes, please. 

35 New Cavendish Street, W1G 9TR, visit 35newcavendish.co.uk 

The Wheatsheaf

Recently reopened after a major refurbishment, The Wheatsheaf is a historic, Tudor-style pub famed as the haunt of London’s bohemian set in the 1930s. A regular watering hole for what became known as the ‘Wheatsheaf Writers’, former famous patrons include Dylan Thomas, Edwin Muir, and George Orwell – the latter supposedly vomited over the bar and, in remembrance, The Wheatsheaf named one of its dining rooms after him. 

Pints of ale and glasses of gin have been served here for nearly 300 years – and continue to do so alongside welcome additions of limoncello spritz, margaritas and espresso martinis. On the food front, order beef brisket nachos, rustic garlic mushrooms on toast, and sausage and mash, or opt for something from the vast pie collection, before rolling out onto nearby Oxford Street, Tottenham Court Road and Charlotte Street. 

Rathbone Place, W1T 1JB, visit nicholsonspubs.co.uk 

The Wigmore

Pubs don’t get posher than The Wigmore, housed in The Langham which opened in 1865 as Europe’s first ‘grand hotel’. Alongside the afternoon tea-serving Palm Court, award-winning cocktail bar Artesian, and state-of-the-art cookery school Sauce, visitors will also find the more casual but no less delectable Wigmore pub. Overseen by culinary icon Michel Roux Jr and set in a former bank hall, wines, house punches, ‘hoptails’, cask ales, and craft beers – including The Wigmore’s very own brew, Saison – are served underneath soaring green ceilings alongside a refined food menu. Tapping into Roux’s classical background, expect dishes of buttered crumpets with citrus-cured salmon, braised beef featherblade, and a homemade mandarin and chocolate Jaffa cake. The Wigmore is also famed for its rotating menu of toasties – we love the sound of the three cheeses and mustard. 

15 Langham Place, W1B 3DE, visit the-wigmore.co.uk 

The Lucky Saint

The Lucky Saint pegs itself as a ‘pub for our times’ and, with demand for non-alcoholic options only increasing year on year, we certainly agree. Opened in 2023 off the back of huge investment by the 0.5 per cent beer of the same name, the pub was unsurprisingly a huge hit with both Marylebone locals and out-of-towners. While its low and no-alcohol offering is extensive – you’ll also find zero Guinness and Asahi here – The Lucky Saint does also serve the usual alcoholic line-up, including Cheltenham-based brews from Deya, St Austell’s Tribute hailing from Cornwall and London’s own Camden Hells. It is, therefore, the perfect meeting place for all manner of drinkers, occasions and celebrations. There are only bar snacks available, but when they sound as good as pork pies with Montgommery cheddar, anchovies on toast with beef tomatoes, and classic pickled eggs and homemade bread, it’s impossible to not be tempted. 

58 Devonshire Street, W1W 5EA, visit luckysaint.co 

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