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I’ve been to hundreds of London pubs: The capital’s hardest-to-find boozer is also a Hollywood star
PLUS, we round up some of London's best pubs
A MAN who has visited hundreds of pubs across the English capital has revealed the one that's hardest to find, despite appearing in a Hollywood blockbuster.
John Warland is the founder of - group walking tours that delve into the capital's lesser-visited pubs.
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The tour guide is also the author of two books on the subject, Liquid History and Local Legends Hidden Pubs of London, making him a proper pub expert.
In an exclusive interview with Sun Online Travel, John revealed one of his favourite pubs that's also pretty hard to find.
John told Sun Online Travel: "Just off the beaten track a little bit is probably the hardest pub to find in the whole of London, and that is Ye Old Mitre in the heart of Hatton Garden, the Diamond District.
"It has a date on the door that looks mid-1500s, but is realistically a lot later".
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Reportedly dating back to 1546, the pub was founded for the servants at the Bishop of Ely's London house.
But the crown took over the Ely Place site in 1772, with the pub retaining its early 20th century plan to this day.
John added: "It's a Fuller's pub now, so it's a well-stocked pub full of beautiful beers.
"For food, you can have a simple toastie and they do nice pork pie and pickles as well.
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"When you enter, you leave the modern world behind, with no music being played".
To name a few, pints of London Pride, Hop Head and Peckham Pale Ale are all on draught.
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Punters can also head outside for a beer, perching on one of the several beer barrels.
John continued: "You can just stand outside and meet shipbrokers from the city, people from the diamond industry, and random people too.
"And that's what a great pub is really, it's that mix, you might be the CEO of the shipbrokers around the corner, underwriting huge vessels going through the Suez Canal, or you could be someone who's just popped in randomly whilst buying their wife or girlfriend an engagement ring or something in Hatton Garden".
Although it's set in central London, John describes it as a "lovely secretive place".
Its moniker as the hardest pub to find in London might be down to its opening hours, with the pub closed during the weekends.
John added: "It's only open Monday to Friday, which shows its idiosyncratic London nature, that it's really open to serve those working in the capital between Monday and Friday."
Despite its limited opening hours, Ye Old Mitre has caught the attention of film director Guy Ritchie who used the pub as a backdrop for his gangster movie, Snatch.
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Ye Olde Mitre is a six-minute walk from Farringdon Train Station.
What about London's best pubs?
The Sun's Head of Travel (Digital) Caroline McGuire rounds up some of the best pubs in the capital...
LONDON is chock full of fantastic pubs.
Whether you're looking for an old man's boozer, a gastro pub or a cosy pitstop with a roaring fire, there is the perfect pub for everyone in the capital.
My top tip? Try and avoid the ones in the tourist spots of Covent Garden, Leicester Square and so on, unless you've got a recommendation. As no self-respecting Londoner would be seen dead in those.
Here is a selection of our favourite London pubs, from some of the heaviest drinkers we know...
Central London:
- Guinea Grill, Mayfair - great steak and pies
- The Portman, Marble Arch
- Star & Garter, Soho - proper spit and sawdust pub
- The George, Mortimer Street - great all rounder
- Burlington Arm, off Saville Row - Great scotch egg
- The Red Lion, Crown Passage - dark, old and interesting history with Charles II and his mistress Nell Gwyn
- Ye Grapes, Shepherds Market
- The Chesterfield Arms, Hertford Street - super cute
- The Newman Arms, Fitzrovia
- The Lamb & Flag, Mayfair
- Sun and 13 Cantons, Soho
- Dog And Duck on Frith Street, Soho
- The French House, Soho
- Coach and Horses (Greek St). Soho
- Ship & Shovel on Craven Passage, off Embankment
- The Crown & Two Chairmen on Dean Street, Soho
- Nellie Dean on Dean Street, Soho
- The Toucan, Carlisle Street in Soho - so small that you have to stand outside but still an institution
- Bradleys Spanish Bar, Hanway Street near Oxford Street
- Blue Post, Berwick Street, Soho - you can take your own lunch in
- The Eagle in Farringdon, cool gastro pub
- Lore Of The Land to this, Fitzrovia - owned by Guy Ritchie
Outside of central London:
- The George, Borough SE1
- Royal Oak, Columbia Road, East London
- Cutty Sark Greenwich, South East London
- The Royal Oak, Tabard St, SE1
- The Prospect of Whitby, Wapping, East London
- The Lord Clyde, Borough, SE1
- Dog and Bell (Deptford), South East London
- Efra Tavern (Brixton), South West London
- Skehan's in Telegraph Hill, South East London
- The Ivyhouse (London's first community pub) in Nunhead, South East London
- The Culpeper in Aldgate, East London
- The City Barge, Chiswick, West London
- Windsor Castle in Notting Hill, West London
- The Sun in Splendour, Notting Hill
- The Albert, Princess road, Primrose Hill, West London
- The Cow, Notting Hill, West London
- The Spaniards Inn, Hampstead, North West London
- The Parakeet Pub in Kentish Town, North West London
- The Lord Clyde in Borough, SE1 - proper old man's pub
- Golden Heart on Hanbury St, Spitalfields, East London
Meanwhile, the Sun's Head of Travel (Digital) Caroline McGuire thinks she's found the most child-friendly pub in London, with a bowling alley and a huge slide.
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