Marksman Public House

This stylish born-again boozer is a co-creation from chefs Tom Harris (ex-St John) and Jon Rotheram (ex-Fifteen). They've gone with tradition on the ground floor, refurbishing the bar, but upstairs you'll find a highly original dining room with a woven ceiling and zany lino floor in primary colours. One menu is served throughout, with signatures such as kid goat curry, beef and barley bun or honey and brown butter tart alongside less attention-grabbing (but delicious) items including cod with leeks and brown crab or Tamworth pork with hispi cabbage and mustard. To drink, pick an Old World wine or join the locals for a pint of Meantime Yakima Red. Handy for Columbia Road flower market on Sundays, when the pub serves brunch and roast lunches.

Once named Michelin Pub of the Year, the Marksman Public House made a name for itself in an instant and has secured itself as many a Londoner’s favourite ‘local’ since.

This east London bolthole is less of a boozer and more of a classy gastropub, but all the same retains much of the charm of a nice neighbourhood spot. You can expect a dark wooden bar lined with all kinds of carefully chosen wines, spirits, and soft drinks. On tap you’ll find some lesser-known brews, like ale from Five Points – a local London brewery.

Chances are you’re interested in the Marksman Public House for its food as much as its drink. The a la carte is packed with crowd pleasing classics for starters like Scottish langoustine with homemade mayonnaise or a generous British seafood platter. Come mains there are incredible pies, sharing joints of meat like a succulent wing rib with wild mushrooms, and veggie favourites such as the Roscoff onion tart with goat’s curd and herb salad.

Aside from the main billing, there are also brunch, Sunday and feasting menus which complete the line-up. The weekend brunch menu pays the same attention to ingredient sourcing, seasonality, and providence as the main menu, but comes with the added benefit of a fantastic ‘hair of the dog’ offering. Think Black Velvet cocktails, Bloody Marys, and Mimosas. This time the wing rib of beef is served with onion rings, anchovies, and fried eggs, while sides like hash browns and ketchup keep things firmly in the familiar comfort food camp.

Come Sundays there’s also a three-course roast dinner for £40 per person. Starters might include crab soup with aioli while mains span from roast chicken with a roast tomato salad through to a whole plaice. Traditionalists are also catered for by way of the roast rump with Yorkshires and horseradish.