London arguably has the most pubs per square block than any other city in the United Kingdom. All in all, there are over 3500 in the greater London area, from famous spots to quiet locals. London being a major filming location for the country as well means several of these pubs have appeared on cinema screens throughout the world, making them pretty iconic places to grab a pint. We’ve identified five such movie pubs that you can get a drink in the next time you’re in London and pretend that you’re part of the action. Let us know some of your favorite movie pubs in the comments.
The Black Prince (Kingsman: The Secret Service)
Even if you feel the need to teach rude patrons some manners, don’t expect that you’ll be able to lock the doors and start a fight at our first entry. The Black Prince Pub where Eggsy is wailed upon by a couple of thugs until someone intervenes and recruits him to Kingsman. The pub can be found on Black Prince Road in Kennington and has standard pub food on the menu. The Black Prince bills itself as “a traditional pub for modern times” and is happy to take advantage of its cinematic connections.
Jolly Gardeners (Snatch)
As with many Guy Ritchie films, Snatch is a tandem story involving many characters who are all caught up in a diamond theft. Serving as the heavy for a second time in a Ritchie movie, Vinnie Jones finds himself in a pub known as the Drowning Trout when three other characters attempt to hold him up, mistakenly believing he has the diamonds. Jones’s character, Bullet Tooth Tony, then proceeds to give his epic “Desert Eagle” speech here before the three go running off. The real Drowning Trout is actually the Jolly Gardeners, which can be found on Black Prince Road in Lambeth (and is just down the street from The Black Prince if you fancy a movie pub crawl).
Crocker’s Folly (Captain America: The First Avenger)
Crocker’s Folly is a Grade II listed public house located in the St. John’s Wood neighborhood of London, but that isn’t its greatest claim to fame. If you go into the pub and move towards the back, you may recognize it as the pub in which Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes, Peggy Carter, and the rest of the Howling Commandos share drinks. It closed down for a time (which is probably how Marvel got to film there in the first place), but reopened in 2014 as a Lebanese bar and restaurant.
The Royal Oak (Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels)
Guy Ritchie’s classic caper comedy delved into London’s criminal underground with hilarious results and made household names out of Jason Statham, Jason Flemyng, and Vinnie Jones. The Royal Oak on Columbia Road serves as “Samoan Joe’s” in the movie, where Statham’s character Bacon is served a large cocktail that he calls “a bleedin’ rainforest.” The real pub is more of a gastropub than a tiki bar, but that means you can expect good food and good pints here.
Salisbury Hotel (The Long Good Friday)
The Long Good Friday is one of the late Bob Hoskins’s most memorable roles in which he plays gangster Harold Shand. In the film, Shand makes a deal with the IRA that ends up going south and results in his death. Though scenes of the film take place in Northern Ireland, it was almost entirely filmed in London, and the bar at the Salisbury Hotel in Harringay doubles as the Irish pub “Fagan’s.” Even if you haven’t seen the film, the pub is worth visiting anyway because of its Grade II listed status.
Author: John Rabon
John is a regular writer for Anglotopia and its sister websites. He is currently engaged in finding a way to move books slightly to the left without the embarrassment of being walked in on by Eddie Izzard. For any comments, questions, or complaints, please contact the Lord Mayor of London, Boris Johnson's haircut.