Best Pubs 2025

2025 was not a vintage year for pub ticking – less trips away compared to 2024 but trips to West Yorks, West Midlands and London were successful.  Visited some great pubs and despite all the doom and gloom around pubs in the media, the pubs I visited seemed to be thriving.  Hopefully they will continue to thrive in the tough environment 2026 promises to be. My favourite 10 pubs of the year, 5 new and 5 re-visits are as follows:-

 

New pubs

 

Big Six, Halifax

 

Is Halifax the best pub town in the UK (not city – that’s Sheff)?  I was very impressed by the quality and variety on our annual Uni friends pub visit in January.  But it was the Big Six that really blew me away and was closest to the Perfect Pub in 2025.  Everything about it shouted ‘quality’ – the location, mid terrace in a quiet cobbled street, the warren of cosy rooms warmed by coal fires, a great selection of real ales and friendly locals.  It was the first pub of our pub tour and was a wrench to leave.

 

Buffet Bar, Stalybridge

 

The legendary Buffet Bar had been on my radar for years and it didn’t disappoint.  We arrived on opening so it was relatively quiet and hadn’t warmed up, but the quality still shown through.  The rooms are cosy and beautifully decorated but it’s the excellent selection of very well kept beers that stood out.  We were doing the Trans-Pennine rail trail with replacements buses so couldn’t stay for long, this turned out to be a mistake as this by far the best of the rail trail pubs we made it to.

 

Tapping the Admiral, Camden London

 

I thought I had a pretty good handle on the best pubs in London, although a GBG regular Tapping the Admiral didn’t appear in any of the other 10 or so guides I have for London pubs and I had therefore never visited it.  I’ve since rectified that mistake on a number of occasions as it’s a cracker.  It doesn’t feel like a London pub: it’s full of regulars rather than tourists for a start.  It’s got a slightly scruffy feel but in a good ‘lived in’ way and has a really good vibe that is difficult to put the finger on.  The beer is great and it’s a regular outlet for Kent brewery and their reliably good beers.  On one visit I was lucky to enjoy a collab between Kent & Two by Two which was one of the best beers I drank in the year.

 

Vine, Wednesfield

 

I had a really good visit to Birmingham in November.  The West Midlands and the Black Country, in particular, are really fertile territory for excellent  traditional pubs.  One of the reasons for this is the brilliant small chain of Black Country Ales pubs.  I visited four during my visit and really enjoyed all of them.  I’ve picked the Vine as my favourite largely due to it’s National Inventory 3* interior – a simple urban, working class pub with 3 separate rooms and intact inter-war furnishings.  The beer was great and the cobs looked filling!

 

Snowdrop, Lewes

 

A late November walking holiday with old school friends saw us stay in Lewes.  I really like Harvey’s beers and there are plenty of pubs in the town but on the whole I found them underwhelming.  The Snowdrop was the pick of the bunch, different to the other Lewes pubs in that there was a focus on craft beer,  after drinking plenty of Best this made for a pleasant change.  The best part was the food – great quality and great value and we were lucky to be able to sit 7 of us is on a Saturday night.

 

Re-visits

 

Sair, Linthwaite

 

I’d last visited the Sair on a walking holiday in 2014 when it had blown me away and was my favourite pub of that year.  At first I was slightly disappointed with my second visit – the pub was packed and the only space was in the slightly chilly side room.  However after a while we were able to squeeze ourselves into the snug at the side of the bar, in front of the fire and amongst all the action – where you are in a pub can really impact the experience.  The Sair really is a unique and fantastic pub.

 

Masons Arms, Branscombe

 

If Halifax is the best pub town in the UK then Branscombe is the best village!  It has two fantastic pubs: The Fountain Head, my favourite pub, at the top of the village and the Masons in the centre of the village.  25 years ago the pub was fantastic with great food including roast dinners cooked on a spit in the huge inglenook fire.  After various owners it became a St Austell managed house, the food went downhill and the focus was on accommodation.  The Masons seemed to be on much better form on our visit this year, it felt much more pubby with plenty of drinkers, dogs, roaring fire and nice atmosphere.  Throw in St Austell’s excellent Menu Dhu stout and it was a very enjoyable way to while away a wet afternoon.

 

Shipwright’s Arms, Hollowshore Faversham

 

I had some great experiences in Kent pubs this year – sometimes I forget that my home county is pretty decent for pubs.  Visits to the Little Gem, Aylesford and Rock, Chiddingstone were great but my visit to the Shipwrights on a warm Summer evening was memorable.   We visited in the best way – walking from Faversham along the sea wall.  We sat in the garden with delicious Kent Quiet American and a really tasty chilli.  The only downside was that we were kicked out at 8pm but by that time we were the only customers so understandable.  A walk back across the marshes to the Elephant was a pretty good consolation.

 

Cittie of Yorke, Holborn

 

I worked in Holborn over 20 years ago and the Cittie of Yorke was a regular haunt.  I hadn’t been back since those days but visited on a Central London pub crawl this year and was blown away by the interior – it really is gob-smacking.  I don’t think I was as obsessed by the National Inventory 20 years ago as I am now so probably didn’t appreciate it as much as I do now.  On the same night I visited the Princess Louise which I found equally as impressive.  The only downside (and it’s quite a big one) is that they are both Sam Smith’s pubs and the beer isn’t great.  I drank their Oatmeal Stout but at over £7 a pint their beer wasn’t as cheap as I had remembered.

 

Craven Arms, Birmingham

 

The Craven Arms was another highlight of my West Midlands visit in November.  It’s a truly great pub – the exterior one of the most inviting in the country.  It had a really buzzy, friendly atmosphere when I visited, largely because I was buzzing myself at that stage,  I therefore really didn’t need a pint of Titantic Cherry Porter Grand Reserve at that stage but it was delicious.  Also has a great pint of this in the Harp on 23^rd December so probably my most memorable beer of the year.