Devonshire, London

The Devonshire has been one of the most successful pub launches of the 2020s and as such deserves a full writeup by CAMRA.

Previously a Victorian public house and most recently a Jamie's Italian restaurant and then chicken and burger concept Coqbull, this site has now blossomed again as The Devonshire. Publican Oisín Rogers, Flat Iron founder Charlie Carroll and Ashley Palmer-Watts, the former Fat Duck executive chef, joined forces to open the new pub and restaurant in November 2023.

The ground-floor pub is a “relaxed, top-quality pub honouring the building’s history as an inn since 1793”. Decor is authentic pub-style, burgundy leather banquettes, wood-panels and gleaming brass. The best seats in the house are three snugs literally behind the bar, but you will have to be invited or ask permission to come across! The owners want the pub to be as democratic as possible: "it doesn't matter if you are a binman or a chairman, you are welcome".

There is home-made bar food including bacon sandwiches, scotch eggs, sausage rolls and cheese and ham hock toasties. Drinks in this free-house of course include cask ale, up to four ales from six handpumps, but there are in addition a large number of keg fonts with a major focus on Guinness. The latter has already been described as "perfect" and in December 2024 news reports stated that the pub sold between four and six thousand pints of Guinness a day. Diageo has said that this site is now "the biggest Guinness account in the world". In August 2024 the pub became the first in the country to sell Guinness 0.0 no-alcohol on draught. The pub has gone viral on social media but if this starts to fade, the owners are confident that their obsession with getting every detail right will carry them forward. As at date of this entry the venue continues to be very popular indeed and hence often crowded.

Upstairs, there are three dining rooms with a total 150 covers and a wood-ember grill for steaks and seafood. A three-course set-price menu is on offer at both lunch and dinner featuring the likes of prawn and langoustine cocktail, steak and chips and sticky toffee pudding. The two-page wine list contains a fair selection including many bottles reasonably-priced for the area. A rooftop area is also there for sunny days. The upstairs restaurant does take over 100 walk-ins each day but you need to be patient!

NB the pub management requests no laptop usage or loud phone calls whilst in the pub.

Winner in the 2024 National Restaurant awards of the Gastropub of the Year and of the Opening of the Year awards. Second in the Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs Awards, 2025.