A Victorian pub on Charterhouse Street with an early morning license that dates to the days when Smithfield Market butchers needed a pint at 7am after a night shift hauling meat. The art nouveau tile work on the facade is stunning — green and cream Doulton tiles that survived the Blitz — and the interior has been restored with respect for the original character. The early morning fry-up (available from 7am) and the pint that accompanies it are a London experience that exists almost nowhere else: legal drinking at breakfast in a building designed for exactly that purpose.
Location
Clerkenwell, London
Map
Insider Intel
The full English breakfast with a pint of bitter at 7am — this is why the pub exists and why the license was granted. At normal hours, the cask ales are well-kept and the pub food is above average. The Scotch egg is good.
Early morning (from 7am) for the authentic Smithfield experience — breakfast and a pint while the market operates around you. Lunchtime for a calmer pub visit. The Smithfield area is excellent for walking: Charterhouse, St Bartholomew's, the Barbican.
Early morning license from 7am — one of the few pubs in London where you can legally drink at breakfast. Charterhouse Street, beside Smithfield Market. Farringdon and Barbican tubes. The Doulton tile facade is Grade II listed. Also operates as a boutique hotel with rooms upstairs. Pints £5-7. Cash and cards.