When the nights draw in and the temperature drops, Vauxhall comes into its own. We know how to do a good pub round here: low lighting, proper pints, delicious wine lists and boozers that feel lived-in rather than styled to death.
And there’s plenty of choice. You can hole up in a historic neighbourhood boozer, find a snug corner for a bottle of red, work your way through some seriously good craft beer or head riverside and watch London light up across the Thames.
These are places for the kind of drinking we really like: no rush, no elaborate plan required. Find a table, order something good and stay for another. Whether you’re ducking in after work, meeting mates for a long-overdue catch-up or looking for somewhere to lose a lazy Sunday afternoon, these are some of our favourite cosy pubs and drinking spots in and around Vauxhall.
1.
The Black Dog
For: Proper neighbourhood pub energy
The Black Dog is exactly the sort of pub you hope to stumble across when you’re looking for somewhere to disappear for a few hours.
Tucked away on Vauxhall Walk, it has all the ingredients of a great London local: good beer, proper pub food, a relaxed atmosphere and enough character to make you want to settle in rather than sink one and scarper.
It’s particularly good for a post-work pint that accidentally turns into dinner, or a Sunday afternoon when you have absolutely nowhere else you need to be.
In other words: exactly what you want when it’s cold, dark and thoroughly miserable outside.
Where: 112 Vauxhall Walk, SE11 5ER
More info: @theblackdogvauxhall
2.
The Jolly Gardeners
For: Victorian charm and a proper pint
Dating back to the 1800s, The Jolly Gardeners is one of those pubs that reminds you just how much history is hiding in the streets around Vauxhall.
Inside, it’s everything you want from an old-school London local: cosy corners, bags of character and the kind of atmosphere that works equally well for one quick drink or an afternoon that gets pleasingly out of hand.
There’s good pub grub if hunger strikes and plenty happening throughout the year, but frankly, you don’t need an excuse. Grab a pint, bag a table and enjoy one of SE11’s best-loved neighbourhood boozers.
Where: 49–51 Black Prince Road, SE11 6AB
More info: thejollygardeners.co.uk
3.
The Pilgrim
For: Classic pub atmosphere and local buzz
The Pilgrim is a straightforward, proper pub — and we mean that as a very big compliment.
Set on Kennington Road, it’s a favourite with locals and the sort of place where popping in for one can quite easily become three. There’s sport when the big games are on, plenty of pub chatter and none of the unnecessary bells and whistles.
On a chilly evening, find yourself a spot inside, order a pint and let the rest of London carry on without you for a few hours.
Lovely stuff.
Where: 247 Kennington Road, SE11 6DB
More info: @thepilgrimpub
4.
The Windmill
For: Old-school South London pub charm
If your definition of cosy involves a traditional London pub, a well-poured pint and somewhere you can actually hear the person sitting opposite you, The Windmill deserves a place on your list.
This much-loved local has the comfortable, unpretentious feel that makes finding a genuinely good London pub feel increasingly like striking gold.
The appeal is precisely that it isn’t trying to reinvent anything. It’s simply the sort of pub London has always done brilliantly.
Come for a pint after work, settle in with friends or make it your destination for an easy Sunday. Just don’t be surprised if you end up staying for another.
Where: 86–88 Lambeth High Street, SE1 7JS
More info: @the_windmill_pub_lambeth
5.
The Riverside
For: Thames views without freezing beside the Thames
Look, we love a riverside drink as much as the next Londoner. We just don’t necessarily want to lose all feeling in our fingers while having one.
Enter The Riverside.
Sitting right on the Thames at St George Wharf, this place gives you the best of both worlds: big Vauxhall river views and a warm pub to enjoy them from.
It’s spacious yet welcoming, making it an easy choice for after-work drinks, a leisurely lunch or the kind of Sunday catch-up that requires several hours and at least one bottle of wine.
Grab a table, order something good and watch the lights come on across the Thames.
London looks particularly lovely from inside a warm pub.
Where: Hamilton House, 5 St George’s Wharf, SW8 2LE
More info: riversidelondon.co.uk
6.
Mother Kelly’s
For: Craft beer and laid-back drinking
Okay, technically not a traditional pub. But leaving Mother Kelly’s off a list of Vauxhall’s best places for a drink would be ridiculous.
The Albert Embankment taproom is a dream for anyone who takes their beer seriously but doesn’t want to spend the evening talking seriously about beer.
There’s an ever-changing selection on tap, plenty more waiting in the fridges and a stripped-back, easy-going atmosphere that makes working your way through something new dangerously easy.
It’s particularly good when you’re drinking with that group of mates who can never agree on anything. Ask what’s pouring, pick a few favourites and settle in.
Where: 251–253 Albert Embankment, SE1 7TL
More info: @motherkellysse1
