Tucked down a narrow alley called Ely Court off Hatton Garden in Holborn, Ye Olde Mitre is often called the best historic pub in London — and one of the easiest to miss. It's a tiny, wood-panelled drinking spot that dates back to 1546, built for servants of the Bishop of Ely, whose palace once stood on this ground. Because of that old ecclesiastical connection, the pub technically sits in a small pocket of Cambridgeshire rather than London, a quirk that still gets history buffs excited.
The entrance is easy to miss: a discreet gateway in a wall that you could pass a hundred times without noticing. Inside, it's compact and atmospheric — low beams, dark timber, snippets of history on the walls, and a bar known for real ales and the pub's own cherry beer, a nod to Queen Elizabeth I, who is said to have danced around a cherry tree that once stood on the site. Prices are refreshingly reasonable for the area, and there's no music, no gimmicks — just a proper pub doing what it's done for centuries.
Opening hours are limited: typically it opens around 11am on weekdays and shuts early evening, and it's usually closed on weekends, so plan a weekday lunchtime or after-work pint. It gets busy with City and Hatton Garden workers, so arriving early or mid-afternoon gives you the best chance of a seat or a spot in the small outside standing area under the trees.
Why bother seeking out a pub you can barely find? Because this is the good stuff of London — the city's drinking history compressed into one tiny alleyway. You're a short walk from Fleet Street, Smithfield Market and the Inns of Court, so it slots neatly into any wander through historic central London. Pair it with a couple of other old-school boozers nearby and you've got yourself one of the best free (well, nearly free) history tours in the city.
For locals, it's a lunchtime institution; for visitors, it's the kind of place you brag about finding. Just don't tell everyone — it's still small enough to feel like a secret.
