Sticky carpets, pickled eggs and pints for a fiver: why there’s life in the old-school boozer yet

In the Palm Tree pub, east London, barman Alf is taking only cash at the rattling 1960s till. The building, which is Grade II-listed, stands in the middle of Mile End Park, and Alf has worked here since 1976. “It’s a wonderful pub,” he says.

It is also ranked fifth in Time Out’s 50 Best Pubs in London list, published this month, and marks a clear preference that has emerged for traditional boozers.

The majority of pubs in the top 50 are old-school, with carpets, karaoke or Irish music nights. Pickled eggs are often the extent of the culinary output. Some – whisper it – even sell pints for under a fiver.

...

According to the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA), “wet-led” pubs, which rely on their beverage offering and often don’t have a food menu, have closed at faster rates than food-driven establishments.

When pubs do open – especially in the capital – many pitch themselves as a gastropub: £30 roasts, Aperol spritz, posh crisps and pints north of £7. Among London’s most successful openings since the pandemic are the Devonshire in Soho and the Plimsoll in Finsbury Park, both most celebrated for their food. However, it seems that the traditional boozer is far from serving its last pints. “Maybe we’re old romantics, but old-school boozers are the beating heart of this city,” wrote the Time Out food and drink editor, Leonie Cooper, when launching the top 50.

“The pubs on this list are heavy with the powerful whiff of history – though that just might be the sticky carpets – and throbbing with heat, soul and community charm.”

“There will always be a desire for well-managed pubs serving amazing beer in our communities,” says Ash Corbett-Collins, national chair at Camra, the campaign for real ale. All the finalists of Camra’s 2024 Pub of the Year competition were “fantastic examples of pubs that prioritise their well-maintained drink selection, as opposed to an extensive food menu.”