Pub

Almost a decade after getting into the pub business, singer James Blunt is doubling down by buying a second London pub. Following on from his purchase of The Fox and Pheasant in Chelsea back in 2017, he's just announced that he's taking over The Carpenter's Arms in Hammersmith.

It's a quick turnaround for Wren Pubs, who have had the 19th-century boozer for just two years. They also run other popular West London pubs The Surprise and The Walmer Castle, and are next opening up on Sloane Square.

In a post on Instagram, Blunt said of the decision to take it over: "It’s an

21/7/26 - updated with more details about the opening, including an opening date

The Queen Adelaide pub in Shepherd's Bush closed last summer, but the pub is now returning under a new guise, called The Talli Queen. 

It comes from chef Avi Shashidhara, who previously worked at Claude Bosi's Hibiscus and then had a long stint at The River Cafe before launching the kitchen at Pahli Hill Bandra Bhai in Fitzrovia (which won a Michelin Bib Gourmand). He also won the starter section of Great British Menu in 2023, so you might also remember him from that

The roll-out of new restaurants and bars at the huge Battersea Power Station development continues with the reveal last week that one of the next openings will be a pub. The Hero's Return sees the same group behind pasta restaurant Bancone, moving into the pub market. And they've brought an interesting chef into the mix to help them.

Jonathan Woolway will be the pub's executive chef, looking after the menu here. He's also the chef patron of the highly rated restaurant The Shed in Swansea and, before that spent a formative 17 years at St John. He and his team are promising the

10/7/26 - updated with photos

Last December, after over 30 years, Ryan's Bar closed its doors for good in Stoke Newington. But now the space has been relaunched as a brand new pub, The Mary Wollstonecraft (who, of course, has a fairly memorable sculpture in nearby Newington Green). 

The pub comes from Nick Bailey, who opened The Robin Ale & Cider House in Stroud Green back in 2023. An independent pub with a big focus on real ale, one of the main aims of The Robin was to be a proper neighbourhood pub, and that's what he has planned with his latest

It's one of Old Street's newest pubs, which is turning out great roasts and pizzas in an absolutely massive space. We went down to try Old Street Tavern. 

It's been a long time since Andrew Wong has concentrated on anything other than his two-Michelin-starred restaurant A Wong, last opening the short-lived Kym's in Bloomberg Arcade, back in 2018. 

But now he's getting ready to head to Shoreditch, opening Kong in the Nolton Folgate development (where you'll also find Osteria Angelina). He's taking over the address that was The Water Poet in the area, but that whole space has been completely redeveloped so we're not sure just what remains of that old pub. 

For this, he's teamed up with Dishoom co-founder Amar

Back in 2022, chef Max de Nahlikl regenerated West Kensington pub The Holland. Now, just half an hour's walk away, he's done the same with Brook Green pub The Bird in Hand. 

While The Holland is "British ingredient-led", Max has taken a different approach with his latest opening, instead going for an Italian/Mediterranean mix of dishes and pizzas. On the smaller plate side, you'll find smoked cod's roe with toasted focaccia and beef carpaccio with crispy kale, walnuts & lemon vinaigrette. On the larger side, there's a whole fish of the day and a pork chop

The Spiteri family have joined forces as a hospitality super group to open this new West London pub, fronted by the sibling duo behind Caravel. We went west to check it out. 

22/5/26 - updated with confirmed details

Love them or loathe them, Wetherspoons pubs are among the most successful in the country. That said, there are surprisingly few in the centre of town, but that's about to change as they're getting ready to open an enormous 300+ seat pub on Shaftesbury Avenue called Piccadilly Hall 

We write about this a few months ago, but now we have confiramtion - Wetherspoons is taking over the Coyote Ugly site, which itself only lasted a year and a half (although apparently a West End musical is being

They run Faber seafood restaurant in Hammersmith and The Somers Town Coffee House in King's Cross and now the same team are celebrating their 20th anniversary with a new opening. This time, it's a new pub in Canary Wharf. 

It's early days on what to expect from the opening, but it will be much more like a proper pub than their seafood offering. The menu here promises to feature classic pub dishes as well as "celebrating British ingredients with a wholesome, sustainable focus." That should translate into traditional dishes like pies, shellfish and fish and chips. They're also

The team behind Papi have opened their first pub on Green Lanes. We went in to see just how they have adapted their menu for the pub and it turns out they've done it incredibly well. 

Last month, Papi moved on from their London Fields restaurant, quickly replaced by the soon-to-open Auguste. And now we know what Papi themselves have planned - they're opening a pub on Green Lanes, just north of Newington Green. They're taking over The Leconfield and renaming it The Golden Tooth. 

Chef Matthew Scott and wine merchant Charlie Carr are apparently taking a more "grown-up" approach to this neighbourhood pub. They'll be splitting up the space with half

We've been hearing murmurings about changes at Chelsea pub The Botanist for a while, and now we have confirmation. After 18 years of being run by the ETM group, it's being taken over by Wren pubs, the people behind The Walmer Castle, The Surprise, and The Carpenter's Arms.

The new pub won't be called The Botanist any more, but they also haven't decided on a name yet. The plan is to start a refurb in June, and return it to being a proper neighbourhood pub (something Sloane Square could really benefit from). As such, it's a little early to discover just what the plans are for the

Things have been busy around Broadgate of late. Recently, there has been the launch of a new Vagabond wine bar and the arrival of US import Velvet Taco and now there's a new American-Irish "pub and clubhouse" arriving. And, let's face it, Irish pubs are certainly doing rather well in London at the moment. 

Originally planned as The Horsemen, it's now going to be The Horsemen and Fitzgerald's, both with a bit of a horsey theme. 

First off, and at the front of the venue, is The Horsemen. That's a "traditional Irish Freehouse", and yes, there will be Guinness alongside a big

We look at some of the best pub gardens in London, where the alfresco space is more than matched by a great food menu.