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5 Best Breweries in London (2026)

Independently ranked by our review of ratings, reviews and reputation · How we chose

Thorne Savarin
By Thorne Savarin, Culinary Explorer · ✓ Data verified July 2026 · 8 min read

Finding a real brewery taproom in London, not just a pub that stocks craft cans, means knowing which of the crowded options actually brews on site. The breweries on this page have logged just over 7,000 Google reviews between them, and review counts swing wildly, from 416 up to 4,229, which says more about how long each has been open than which pours better.

Short answer: The Craft Beer Co. Covent Garden is the most-reviewed brewery bar on this list at 4.5 stars across 4,229 reviews, known for the UK's largest keg and cask selection. 3 Locks Brewing Company holds the highest rating at 4.8 across 609 reviews from its Camden Market canal-side arch, while Howling Hops brews on site at its Hackney Wick tank bar with 1,137 reviews at 4.5.
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London's Breweries, Compared

# Business Rating Reviews Best for
1 The Craft Beer Co. Covent Garden 4.5 ★ 4,229 Biggest beer selection, pre-theatre pints View ›
2 Howling Hops Brewery and Tank Bar 4.5 ★ 1,137 Tank beer brewed on site, industrial setting View ›
3 3 Locks Brewing Company 4.8 ★ 609 Highest rating, canal-side setting in Camden View ›
4 Gipsy Hill Brewing Company - Taproom 4.7 ★ 616 South London taproom, family and pet friendly View ›
5 Anspach & Hobday: The Arch House 4.5 ★ 416 Bermondsey Beer Mile stop, porter specialists View ›
5 Best Breweries in London (2026)

Our top picks, reviewed

The Craft Beer Co. Covent Garden logo
#1 Overall🕑 Open 7 days

The Craft Beer Co. Covent Garden

4.54,229 Google reviews

The Craft Beer Co. Covent Garden is a beer hall on High Holborn with 30 keg lines, 15 cask pumps, and over 200 bottles and cans, which its own site calls the largest tap selection in the UK. Opened in 2014 as the group's sixth pub, it has also hosted tap takeovers with breweries like Firestone Walker, Siren Craft Brew, and Beavertown.

What people praise

  • CAMRA Good Beer Guide entry, with reviewers naming up to 12 real ales available on a single visit
  • Staff repeatedly praised for helping customers narrow down choices from an overwhelming selection
  • Short walk from Tottenham Court Road and Covent Garden tube stations, useful before a show

Worth knowing

  • Wine selection described by one reviewer as limited to a few standard varieties
  • Gets busy around 6pm, especially with the pre-theatre crowd, and reservations are recommended
Reputation scorecardrank in London
Rating4.5 / 5
Review volume4,229 · 98th
Confidencevery high
Recency3 weeks ago
Info completenesssite · phone · hours
Rating breakdown62% 5-star
✓ VerifiedSource: Google

Our take: Ranks first here on volume by a wide margin, over 4,000 reviews, more than the next three combined. Less a brewery in the brew-on-site sense and more the place to go if range and pre-theatre convenience matter most.

Website+442078365485 Directions

168 High Holborn, London WC1V 7AA

Howling Hops Brewery and Tank Bar logo
#2🕑 Open 7 days

Howling Hops Brewery and Tank Bar

4.51,137 Google reviews

Howling Hops is a microbrewery and tank bar in Hackney Wick, brewing on site since 2014 with ten tanks lined up behind a ten-meter bar. Beer is served unfiltered and unpasteurised straight from the tank, and the venue includes a kitchen with a rotating food residency alongside the brewing operation itself.

What people praise

  • Reviewers consistently note the beer is served straight from the tank, with visible brewing equipment on the walk to the bar
  • Kitchen residency (Latin Fusion at time of review) praised alongside the beer
  • Bookings accepted for groups over six, useful for larger visits on busy weekends

Worth knowing

  • One detailed review describes an uncomfortable interaction with staff over non-alcoholic drinks and outside food
  • Interior described as warm and occasionally smelly by at least one reviewer, with the outdoor area preferred
Reputation scorecardrank in London
Rating4.5 / 5
Review volume1,137 · 93th
Confidencehigh
Recency4 weeks ago
Info completenesssite · phone · hours
Rating breakdown69% 5-star
✓ VerifiedSource: Google

Our take: The clearest brew-on-site experience on this list, with reviewers specifically calling out the direct-from-tank pour. Worth knowing the one negative review describes a specific staff interaction rather than the beer itself.

Website Book now+442035838262 Directions

Unit 9A Queen's Yard, White Post Ln, London E9 5EN

3 Locks Brewing Company logo
#3🕑 Open 7 days↩ Responds to reviews

3 Locks Brewing Company

4.8609 Google reviews

3 Locks Brewing Company is Camden Market's first on-site brewery, opened in 2022 in an arch overlooking the canal at Hawley Wharf. It's independently owned and runs both a taproom and brewery tours, alongside private event hire for the space.

What people praise

  • Brewery tours specifically praised, including a guide (Mick) described as knowledgeable and easy to follow for beginners
  • Reviewers highlight tasting a pour straight from the tank as part of the tour experience
  • Space used successfully for private parties and repeat annual events, including multi-year bookings from the same group

Worth knowing

  • Site requires an over-18 age gate before showing any content, so browsing the beer list online takes an extra step
Reputation scorecardrank in London
Rating4.8 / 5
Review volume609 · 83th
Confidencehigh
Recency4 weeks ago
Info completenesssite · hours
Rating breakdown90% 5-star
✓ VerifiedSource: Google

Our take: The highest rating on this page at 4.8, and the newest brewery here (opened 2022) building that score in three years rather than over a decade. The tour add-on is a genuine differentiator from the others.

Website Book now Directions

Arch 14, 15 Water Ln., Hawley Wharf, London NW1 8JY

Gipsy Hill Brewing Company - Taproom logo
#4🕑 Open 5 days/wk

Gipsy Hill Brewing Company - Taproom

4.7616 Google reviews

Gipsy Hill Brewing Company runs its taproom in Norwood, South London, inside a small industrial estate near Gipsy Hill station. The brewery is known locally for its core Hepcat Session IPA and Bandit Pale Ale, with guest beers and food trucks rotating through alongside the regular lineup.

What people praise

  • Hepcat Session IPA named repeatedly by reviewers as a standout, described by one as their favorite London beer
  • Large indoor and outdoor seating with long tables suited to bigger groups and board games
  • Families with children and well-behaved pets specifically welcomed in the early evening

Worth knowing

  • Gets busy enough that finding a seat can be difficult on popular nights
  • Limited weekly hours compared to city-centre venues, open from Wednesday rather than every day
Reputation scorecardrank in London
Rating4.7 / 5
Review volume616 · 88th
Confidencehigh
Recency2 months ago
Info completenesssite · hours
Rating breakdown83% 5-star
✓ VerifiedSource: Google

Our take: A strong 4.7 rating from a genuinely local South London crowd rather than a tourist-heavy postcode. If you want an authentic neighborhood taproom over a Zone 1 beer hall, this is the pick.

Website Book now Directions

Unit 5, 160 Hamilton Rd, Norwood, London SE27 9SF

Anspach & Hobday: The Arch House logo
#5🕑 Open 5 days/wk↩ Responds to reviews

Anspach & Hobday: The Arch House

4.5416 Google reviews

Anspach & Hobday runs The Arch House on Druid Street in Bermondsey, one stop on the well-known Bermondsey Beer Mile circuit of railway-arch breweries. The company, born in Bermondsey with production now based in Croydon, is known in particular for its London Black porter.

What people praise

  • London Black porter named by multiple reviewers as a standout, including from people who don't usually drink porter or stout
  • Staff member Matt praised repeatedly by name for knowledgeable, friendly pours
  • Part of a wider Beer Mile crawl, with reviewers noting the venues along it recommend each other

Worth knowing

  • Limited opening hours, closed Monday and Tuesday, and shorter afternoon-to-evening windows the rest of the week
  • Site requires an over-18 click-through before showing any content
Reputation scorecardrank in London
Rating4.5 / 5
Review volume416 · 78th
Confidencehigh
Recency8 weeks ago
Info completenesssite · phone · hours
Rating breakdown76% 5-star
✓ VerifiedSource: Google

Our take: A 4.5 rating built on a smaller but consistent set of reviews, all pointing to the same standout beer. A strong single stop if you're already doing the Beer Mile rather than a standalone destination trip.

Website Book now+442086179510 Directions

118 Druid St, London SE1 2HH

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Watch: 5 Best Breweries in London (2026)

How we score

Rating is the live Google average for each brewery. Review volume tracks how many customers actually left a review, ranked against the others on this page. Confidence blends rating and volume, so a high score built on a smaller review base carries less weight than one backed by thousands. Recency checks how recently people are still reviewing. No business can pay to change any of these numbers.

How much does a pint cost at a London brewery? (2026)

Reviewers on this page cited real prices from their own visits rather than a fixed menu, so treat these as spot examples rather than a guaranteed rate. One visitor to The Craft Beer Co. Covent Garden noted cask ale pints from around £6, and Google’s own price-per-person review tags across these venues cluster mostly in the £10 to £20 range per person for a sit-down visit, with a smaller share reporting under £10 or over £20 depending on how much food and how many rounds were involved.

JobTypical price
Cask ale pint (Covent Garden)From around £6
Typical visit, per person (drinks, some venues include food)£10 - £20

Compiled July 2026 from customer-reported prices in Google reviews for the businesses on this page (not a published price list).

Serving all of London

These breweries span central London (Covent Garden), East London (Hackney Wick), North London (Camden), and South London (Norwood and Bermondsey), so wherever you’re searching for a brewery near me, there’s likely one of these within reach on the Tube or Overground. Bermondsey in particular clusters several railway-arch breweries within walking distance of each other.

What to ask before you visit a London brewery

  • Do they brew on site, or mainly serve beer brewed elsewhere?
  • Do they take bookings, and is it walk-in only on busy nights?
  • Is food available on site, or do you need to order in from a nearby kitchen?
  • What’s the current tank or tap lineup, since it often rotates?
  • Are tours available if you want to see the brewing process, not just drink the result?

Frequently asked questions

Are these rankings paid?

No. Rankings come from public Google data. A business can pay to be a Featured Partner (badge and top placement), but that never changes another business’s score or position.

How did you choose these breweries?

We pulled real Google ratings and review data for brewery and taproom businesses operating in London, then ranked them on a mix of rating, review volume, and how recently people are still reviewing.

How often is this updated?

This page was last verified in July 2026. Ratings and review counts shift over time, so we refresh the data periodically.

Which of these actually brew on site?

Howling Hops, 3 Locks Brewing Company, Gipsy Hill Brewing Company, and Anspach & Hobday all brew or have brewed on site. The Craft Beer Co. Covent Garden is a beer hall with a huge selection rather than an on-site brewery.

What’s the Bermondsey Beer Mile?

It’s a walkable trail of railway-arch breweries in Bermondsey, South London. Anspach & Hobday’s Arch House is one of the well-known stops on it, and reviewers note the venues along the route recommend each other.

The bottom line

For the widest selection under one roof, The Craft Beer Co. Covent Garden is the safe central pick. If you want to actually watch and taste beer brewed on the spot, 3 Locks Brewing Company’s canal-side tour edges it out on rating and gives you the full experience in one visit.

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