Five pubs between the courts and the old presses, where England's lies were printed and its verdicts drunk to. Counsel is advised to eat at stop three.
- 1 · The Cold Open
Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese
Rebuilt 1667, right after the Fire, and dark as a deposition ever since. Dickens drank here, Johnson lived next door. Take the cellar room. Mind your head and your billable hours.
rebuilt 1667 · from noon · verified Jul 2026
- 2 · The Detour
Ye Olde Mitre
Hidden down an alley that cabbies miss, technically Cambridgeshire soil for centuries by legal fiction, which is the best kind of fiction. A pint in the courtyard is obligatory. Finding it is the initiation.
est. 1546 · afternoon · verified Jul 2026
- 3 · The Anchor
Cittie of Yorke
A great hall of a pub with wooden booths built for conspiracies. Samuel Smith's prices, which in this postcode constitutes a clerical error in your favor. Eat the pie.
the great hall · dinner · verified Jul 2026
- 4 · The Wildcard
The Seven Stars
Behind the Royal Courts since 1602, serving barristers who won and barristers who deserve a drink anyway. The house cat traditionally wears a ruff. Objection overruled.
est. 1602 · evening · verified Jul 2026
- 5 · The Last Call
Princess Louise
The most beautiful Victorian gin palace left standing: etched glass, mahogany partitions, a museum that pours. Final submissions, then Holborn station and home.
est. 1872 · last orders · verified Jul 2026