Bars
The 6 Best Brewery Taprooms in London
Six London brewery taprooms worth the trip, from a Bermondsey railway arch pouring beer at five degrees to Hackney Wick's tank bar. Real opening days, real addresses.
In short: our top picks are The Kernel, Cloudwater Brew Co and Anspach & Hobday: The Arch House. 6 places in total, chosen on merit, with the full reasoning below.
A taproom is the brewery’s living room, and you drink the beer about as fresh as it gets, sometimes straight from the tank a few feet behind the bar. That’s the appeal. No long supply chain, no warm keg that’s been sitting in a cellar since March. London does this better than almost anywhere, partly because so many of the breweries cluster under railway arches in Bermondsey and out east in Hackney. A word on timing: most of these open Wednesday to Sunday and nothing else, so a Monday pilgrimage will leave you standing outside a shuttered arch feeling foolish. Check the days before you go. The six below are the ones we send people to, weather and thirst permitting.
| Place | Area | Price |
|---|---|---|
| The Kernel | Bermondsey | ££ |
| Cloudwater Brew Co | Bermondsey | ££ |
| Anspach & Hobday: The Arch House | Bermondsey | ££ |
| The Five Points Brewing Company | Hackney | ££ |
| Howling Hops Tank Bar | Hackney Wick | ££ |
| Gipsy Hill Brewing | West Norwood | ££ |
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Editor’s choice
The Kernel
Why we pick itThe Kernel moved round the corner to a bigger Spa Road space in 2024, and it's still the one beer people name first when they talk about London brewing. The Table Beer is a low-strength session pale that drinks like something twice its size, and the Export Stouts are properly serious. Yagi Izakaya runs the kitchen through 2026, doing gyoza and karaage. Open Wednesday to Sunday.
Brewery taproom, pale ales and stouts
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Cloudwater Brew Co
Why we pick itNineteen taps, a cask handpull, and an evolving slice of their Barrel Project, all flowing from a cold store kept at five degrees right next to the bar. So the beer reaches you cold and fast, which matters more than you'd think. Dog-friendly, kids welcome until eight. The Manchester brewery's London outpost, and one of the better arches on the strip. Closed Mondays.
Brewery taproom, hazy IPAs and barrel-aged
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Anspach & Hobday: The Arch House
Why we pick itBrewing has shifted to a larger Croydon site, but the original Druid Street arch stays open and it's the one to know for their porter, which has quietly become a London benchmark. Up to two casks and a dozen kegs, plus cans to take away. Small, friendly, properly a taproom rather than a bar dressed as one. Wednesday to Sunday.
Brewery taproom, porters and cask
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The Five Points Brewing Company
Why we pick itEighteen lines on Mare Street, six of them stainless-steel tanks drawing beer at its absolute freshest straight from the brewery behind the wall. The courtyard is the draw on a warm Saturday, and From The Ashes handles the food. Their Best is a cracking ordinary bitter if you want a break from the hop arms race. Thursday to Sunday only.
Brewery taproom and courtyard
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Howling Hops Tank Bar
Why we pick itBilled as the UK's first dedicated tank bar, and the gimmick is the whole point: ten tanks behind the bar, the beer poured directly from them, no kegs, no lines to speak of. New beers most weeks. You can order anything from a third to a four-pint pitcher. Open every day from noon, which makes it the rare taproom that won't catch you out on a Monday.
Tank bar, beer poured from the tank
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Gipsy Hill Brewing
Why we pick itSouth London's contribution, a five-minute walk from Gipsy Hill station with twelve taps and Yard Sale pizzas coming out of the kitchen. Hepcat, their session IPA, is the house staple and rightly so. Less polished than the Bermondsey crowd, more of a neighbourhood feel, which is exactly why the regulars like it. Wednesday to Sunday.
Brewery taproom, pizza and pale ale
Before you book
Most open Wednesday or Thursday through Sunday, so plan midweek-to-weekend, not Mondays. Pints run roughly 6 to 8 pounds. The Bermondsey arches (Kernel, Cloudwater, Anspach & Hobday) sit within a short walk of each other off the beer mile, so do them as a crawl. Many are dog-friendly and take kids until early evening. No bookings needed for the bar; tours and tastings usually do.
Common questions
What are the top picks in this guide?
The Kernel is our editor's choice: The Kernel moved round the corner to a bigger Spa Road space in 2024, and it's still the one beer people name first when they talk about London brewing. The Table Beer is a low-strength session pale that drinks like something twice its size, and the Export Stouts are properly serious. Yagi Izakaya runs the kitchen through 2026, doing gyoza and karaage. Open Wednesday to Sunday. The Kernel, Cloudwater Brew Co and Anspach & Hobday: The Arch House lead the guide, with 6 places in total, all chosen on merit.
How does Lamplit London choose its recommendations?
Every place is chosen on merit, after first-hand visits where possible, with no pay-for-placement. Read our full method at https://www.lamplitlondon.com/how-we-choose/.
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