Best Pubs in Kensington: Where to Actually Drink in London's Pricy Neighbourhood

TLDR: Kensington is expensive, but its pub scene is genuinely good if you know where to look. The five pubs here range from London's most photographed exterior to a Grade II listed CAMRA treasure with a Thomas Paine rumour in the cellar. All five are within walking distance of the neighbourhood's main museums and attractions.

Kensington is not the obvious choice for a cheap pint. It's one of the wealthiest areas in London, and the prices reflect that. But the trade-off is a pub scene that skews heavily toward proper old buildings, real ales, and the kind of rooms that have been serving drinks for the better part of two centuries.

After several visits - including a few afternoons specifically spent working out which pubs are worth the detour - here's an honest shortlist.

1. The Churchill Arms

119 Kensington Church Street, W8 7LN

You'll see the Churchill Arms before you can read the sign - the Victorian building is entirely covered in hanging flower baskets from spring through summer, swapped for Christmas trees in winter. It's been photographed so many times it's become one of London's most recognisable pub exteriors, which does mean it draws crowds. That's the honest caveat.

Inside, the decor leans into its name: Churchill memorabilia covers most available wall space alongside an improbable collection of chamber pots hanging from the ceiling. The Thai kitchen at the back is the unexpected part; genuinely good food, not pub-kitchen Thai, and popular enough that there's often a queue at the hatch by early evening. The cask ales are well kept.

The pub dates to 1750, and Churchill's grandparents - the 7th Duke of Marlborough and Lady Frances Anne Emily Vane - were reportedly regulars in the 19th century. Winston Churchill himself isn't known to have drunk here, despite the branding.

Did you know? The flower displays reportedly cost the pub around £25,000 per year to maintain, requiring over 80 hanging baskets changed seasonally.

2. The Windsor Castle

114 Campden Hill Road, W8 7AR

The Windsor Castle is the pub that serious pub people come to Kensington for. It was built around 1826 and remodelled in 1933, and it's Grade II listed and sits on CAMRA's National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors — a register reserved for pubs with interiors of exceptional national significance.

The 1933 refit created three distinct bar rooms separated by full-height oak screens: the Campden Bar, the Private Bar, and the Sherry Bar, each entered from the street through its own door. To get between the Sherry Bar and the Private Bar, you pass through a connecting door that's only 3 feet 6 inches tall, originally intended for bar staff only.

The name comes from a story that on a clear day, Windsor Castle itself was visible from the upper floor of the pub when it was built — when Campden Hill was surrounded by fields rather than terraces. That view is long gone, blocked by a century of development.

The walled garden at the back is one of the better outdoor drinking spots in the neighbourhood. Dog-friendly, good real ales, and a Sunday roast that draws regulars from across west London.

Did you know? According to local legend, the bones of Thomas Paine - author of Rights of Man and one of the American Founding Fathers - are buried in the pub's cellar. His skeleton was shipped back to England after his death in America by social reformer William Cobbett, but was never given a proper burial; Paine's son is said to have eventually sold the bones to settle a debt.

3. The Britannia

1 Allen Street, W8 6UX

The Britannia sits just off Kensington High Street and has been here since 1834. The Victorian interior is intact: antlers on the walls, leather armchairs, a real fireplace in winter, and the kind of comfortable clutter that takes a century and a half to accumulate naturally. It's the most straightforwardly traditional pub on this list.

The food programme here is taken seriously, with a Sunday roast that regularly appears on local best-of lists and a menu built around classic British produce done properly. It's not a gastropub in the elevated sense - it's more a pub that happens to cook well. Prices are higher than a local in most other parts of London, but reasonable for Kensington.

Good for an early evening pint after the museums or a long weekend lunch.

Did you know? The Britannia has been trading on Allen Street since 1834, making it one of the longest continuously operating pub sites in Kensington - predating the Natural History Museum by nearly 50 years.

4. The Anglesea Arms

15 Selwood Terrace, SW7 3QG

The Anglesea Arms is the social pub of this list - the one where you'll find yourself staying longer than planned. It sits on a quiet residential street in South Kensington, just far enough off the main roads that it draws a predominantly local crowd rather than passing tourists. The beer selection is one of the better ones in the neighbourhood, with a rotating range of cask ales alongside the standard taps.

The kitchen holds an AA Rosette, which in practice means the food punches above the typical pub level without crossing into restaurant territory. The outdoor tables fill up fast on warm evenings, when the street takes on an almost village feel. Worth noting for anyone who wants a drink after visiting the V&A or Science Museum — it's a short walk from South Kensington station.

The Anglesea Arms has been linked to Charles Dickens and D.H. Lawrence as occasional patrons, though given the number of London pubs making similar claims, it's worth treating that with mild scepticism.

Did you know? The Anglesea Arms was one of the first pubs in the area to develop a serious food programme, earning its AA Rosette at a time when most Kensington pubs were still serving standard bar food.

5. The Scarsdale Tavern

23A Edwardes Square, W8 6HE

The Scarsdale Tavern sits on the edge of Edwardes Square, a private garden square a few minutes' walk from High Street Kensington station and close to Holland Park. The exterior is what most people photograph first - a traditional corner pub with window boxes, a hanging sign, and the kind of proportions that suggest it was built before the surrounding terraces rather than after. The interior continues the theme: low lighting, exposed brick, wooden floors, and a teal colour palette that somehow works.

It's a natural stop after the Kyoto Garden or a morning in Holland Park - close enough to walk to without committing to a detour, and calm enough on weekday afternoons to actually sit and think. The food is gastro-leaning, with a menu that goes beyond standard pub fare. Real ales on tap and a decent wine list.

The square itself is worth a look - Edwardes Square was developed from 1811 and has been one of west London's more attractive residential squares ever since, with a central garden that residents access by key.

Did you know? Edwardes Square, on whose edge the Scarsdale Tavern sits, was famously disputed in a legal case in the 1970s when developers attempted to build on the central garden. Residents won, and the garden has remained intact.

Is Kensington worth visiting for its pub scene?

It's not the first neighbourhood that comes to mind for a pub crawl - Soho, Bermondsey, or Notting Hill have stronger cases for that. But if you're already spending a day at the museums or the Kyoto Garden, Kensington's pubs are a genuinely good reason to stay into the evening. Just read our full guide to Kensington here.

Connecting the Churchill Arms, Windsor Castle, and Scarsdale Tavern on foot is easy - they're all within a fifteen-minute walk of each other. The StoryHunt app lets you build a custom audio walk through Kensington that ties the pubs together with the neighbourhood's hidden gems, museums, and streets, with context delivered as you go. Download StoryHunt for Android and iOS here.