If you’re going to a concert or a show at the Royal Albert Hall in Kensington, London the chances are you’ll be looking for a drink and a bite to eat nearby. And where better than one of Kensington’s lively and historic pubs. So here’s a local’s guide to the best pubs near the Royal Albert Hall: the top watering holes in the area, each with its own unique character and charm.
The Royal Albert Hall in Kensington, London SW7 is an iconic concert venue. Built in 1871, its distinctive oval shape with glass domed roof makes it a famous tourist attraction as well as a stellar concert hall. Across the road from RAH lies Kensington Gardens and Kensington Palace. And some of the finest of London’s free museums, the Victoria and Albert, the Natural History and the Science museums are all close by. So there’s plenty to see and do when you visit Kensington.
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Places to eat near the Royal Albert Hall
Kensington High Street and Gloucester Road are the two main highways that link the nearest tube stations to the Royal Albert Hall. Here you’ll find restaurants with menus from around the world as well as some iconic pubs.
If you’re looking for places to eat near the Royal Albert Hall then a pub is an excellent choice. The atmosphere’s relaxed and the best pubs have a varied food menu so you can choose a pre-show snack, a sharing plate or a classic pub supper. Pair your dishes with a pint, peruse the wine list, or pick traditional gin and tonic or a low alcohol treat. Then stroll to the RAH for a very British evening to remember.
Luckily Kensington is stuffed with classic pubs with period charm, good beer and pub food favourites on the menu for hungry and thirsty concert-goers. As well as historic gems you’ll find good pubs with modern menus, traditional London food, craft beers, artisan spirits and non-alcoholic offers too.
Ordering food and drink in a pub
NB if you’re visiting a London pub for the first time it’s worth knowing a few tips. Customers find their own tables when they go into a pub, rather than waiting to be seated as they would in a restaurant. They also go to the bar to order drinks and food which they pay for in advance. Waiters bring food to the table but they don’t come to the table to take an order. That’s just the way pubs work 😀.
Best Pubs near the Royal Albert Hall
I lived in Kensington for 10 years and still visit regularly. Here’s my round up of the best pubs near the Royal Albert Hall.
NB opening hours can be subject to change. Please check direct with the venue before your visit.
The Queens Arms, Kensington
Get a taste of authentic London mews life at The Queens Arms, an attractive pub on a corner site, tucked away in Queen’s Gate Mews. Though once the homes of horses, stable lads and chauffeurs, today a Kensington mews house can cost several million pounds.
In this discreet byway The Queen’s Arms has had its moment of celluloid fame. Daniel Craig’s pre-Bond character in 2004’s Layer Cake lived just across the cobbled street.
The Queen’s Arms Kensington is a charming neighbourhood pub, frequented by RAH and museum goers, music students and visitors. And it’s just a short walk from the Royal Albert Hall. You’ll find it has a selection of cask ale and craft beers on rotation: this summer’s included gluten free, plus a Granny Smith cider. Cocktails, fine wines and non-alcoholic choices are on the menu list too.
If you’re looking for places to eat near the Royal Albert Hall, The Queen’s Arms Kensington is a top pick for a pre-show supper. The kitchen serves seasonal menus, freshly prepared, with upscale British classics like rib-eye steak or scallops. Customer favourite is, as always in these parts, fish and chips, but in the case of the Queen’s Arms the fish is delivered fresh, three times a week. Be sure to book ahead to secure a table.
30 Queen’s Gate Mews, SW7 5QL. A Castle pub from Mitchells & Butlers
- Open 7 days a week: 12 noon to 11pm (Sun 10.30pm)
- Check website for kitchen hours
- Nearest tube station: Gloucester Road 10 mins walk
- Walking distance to Royal Albert Hall: 9 mins
https://www.thequeensarmskensington.co.uk/
The Gloucester Arms
Rumour has it that orchestra members from the RAH pop along to The Gloucester Arms to quench their thirst after performances. It’s one of the closest pubs to the concert hall and unlike many local hostelries its license allows customers to use the outdoor seating until 11pm.
The corner site with big windows makes the Gloucester Arms an airy space. Reviewers rave about the friendly service and visitors call in repeatedly to enjoy the welcoming atmosphere and premium beers. Live sport is a feature here with a projector as well as screens for big matches from football and rugby to tennis and golf.
The menu includes plenty of pub plates for sharing like crispy squid, nachos and plant-based nuggets, along with pub classics like fish and chips and flat iron steak.
34 Gloucester Road, SW7 4RB. A Greene King pub
- Open 7 days a week: 12 noon to 11pm (Fri, Sat to 12am; Sun to 10.30pm)
- Check website for kitchen hours
- Nearest tube station: Gloucester Road, 6 mins walk
- Walking distance to Royal Albert Hall: 11 mins
https://www.greeneking.co.uk/pubs/greater-london/gloucester-arms
Goat Tavern
A tavern called The Goat has stood on the same site in Kensington for more than 300 years. In the 1700s its profits helped pay the salary of the local parish schoolmaster. Nowadays it still has a Dickensian style bow window facing into the street, a long panelled bar, twinkling with glasses and fairy lights, and comfy leather armchairs. It’s surprisingly light inside given its narrow street frontage.
This is a popular pub near Royal Albert Hall as it’s handy for the High Street tube and only 10 minutes walk to the concert hall. Plus it has a lot of historical appeal. As a Greene King pub, you can expect a menu of traditional pub food classics from fish and chips to steak and ale pie, along with some sharing plates and of course, the Sunday roast. Specials change from week to week. Premium beers are on tap along with wine by the glass, spirits and spritzes.
3A Kensington High Street, W8 5NP. A Greene King pub
- Open 7 days a week: Mon to Wed: 12 noon to 11pm; Thurs to Sat: 12 to 12; Sun 12 to 10.30pm
- Check website for kitchen hours
- Nearest tube station: High Street Kensington, 5 mins walk
- Walking distance to Royal Albert Hall: 10 mins
https://www.greeneking.co.uk/pubs/greater-london/goat-tavern
The Greyhound
This is a big airy locals’ pub at the entrance to pretty Kensington Square. With craft beers and six screens for sports fans it’s popular with office workers as well as visitors. It’s a good one to try if you’re looking for a typical English local pub near the Royal Albert Hall.
Built in Italianate style in 1899 it has an attractive wide bay window frontage with lanterns and hanging baskets. Reviews praise the ‘fabulous staff’ and friendly welcome, key factors in a good local.
Food wise, expect the usual suspects: fish and chips and pies or sharing plates are the most popular with the regulars. But like the Grosvenor Arms its menu has a modern flavour with lots of contemporary pub plates which are great for gatherings of friends or family.
1 Kensington Square, W8 5 EP. A Greene King pub
- Open 7 days a week: 12 noon to 11pm (Sun 12 noon to 10.30pm)
- Check website for kitchen hours
- Nearest tube station: High Street Kensington 4 mins walk
- Walking distance to Royal Albert Hall: 14 mins
https://www.greeneking.co.uk/pubs/greater-london/greyhound
Prince of Wales
Like the Goat Tavern, the Prince of Wales has a Dickensian style facade that’s notable amongst the contemporary shopfronts of bustling Kensington High Street. To be fair, it’s actually on the lower end of Kensington Church Street, but it’s still just across the road from the Tube station.
The Victorian style black pillars and gold and cream painted bow window welcome you into a deep narrow bar room, that’s bound to be cosy on a wet, wintry day. Here locals and visitors can enjoy classic pub food, a good selection of beers – and gins – as well as sports on the screens.
The Prince of Wales was once called the Artichoke. History doesn’t relate which PoW it references in its name. Perhaps Edward VIII of Mrs Simpson fame, who abdicated from the throne in favour of his brother George VI. Whatever, it has a classic traditional pub vibe.
8 Kensington Church Street, W8 4EP. A Greene King pub
- Open 7 days a week: 12 noon to 12pm (Sat 12 noon to 1 am). Check website for kitchen hours
- Nearest tube station: High Street Kensington 3 mins walk
- Walking distance to Royal Albert Hall: 14 mins
https://www.greeneking.co.uk/pubs/greater-london/prince-of-wales-kensington
Elephant and Castle
At a touch under a 20 minute walk, the Elephant and Castle is an outlier in this list of pubs near the Royal Albert Hall. But I’m including it because – well it’s just so charming!
Plus it’s located in a quiet neighbourhood that will give you a taste of the rather refined life that goes on behind the busy-ness of Kensington High Street.
Set on a corner site on posh Holland Street, you can’t miss the gleaming gold elephant on the frontage above the pavement-side seating. Inside you’ll find traditional panelling, framed newspaper cuttings and leather seats beneath the multi-paned bow windows. It’s a cosy little pub if you’re visiting London in winter.
This is another good bet if you’re looking for food near Royal Albert Hall. The menu majors on traditional pies with a creative twist, the Elephant’s speciality, plus other pub classics and reviewers are enthusiastic about the delicious food. On the day I visited the bar snacks menu featured nibbles like mini chorizos and padron peppers for companionable sharing.
40 Holland Street, W8 4LT. A Nicholsons pub
- Open 7 days a week: 11 am to 11pm (Sun 12 noon to 10.30pm) Check website for kitchen hours
- Nearest tube station: High Street Kensington 5 mins walk
- Walking distance to Royal Albert Hall: 17 mins
https://www.nicholsonspubs.co.uk/restaurants/london/theelephantandcastlekensingtonlondon
Builders Arms
This traditional and handsome Kensington pub has recently re-opened after refurbishment. The Builder’s Arms was a long standing locals’ favourite when I lived nearby and by all accounts it still is.
A sister pub to the Queen’s Arms, above, the Builders Arms is another Castle pub along with famous names like The Spaniards in Hampstead. Located on a corner site on a quiet side street, it ticks lots of boxes if you’re looking for an up-market and traditional pub near the Royal Albert Hall. Check out its pretty flower-hung exterior, outdoor pavement seating, airy interior, traditional wood panelling and a fireplace for winter.
You can expect a rotating list of ales and craft beers and an upscale pub menu like the Queen’s Arms – the websites are very similar too. I’d recommend you book if you’re planning to eat here.
1 Kensington Court Place, W8 5BJ. A Castle pub from Mitchells & Butlers
- Open 7 days a week: 12 noon to 11pm (Sun 10.30pm) Check website for kitchen hours
- Nearest tube station: High Street Kensington 7 mins walk; Gloucester Road 11 mins walk
- Walking distance to Royal Albert Hall: 15 mins
https://www.thebuildersarmskensington.co.uk/
Hereford Arms
A historic neighbourhood pub with that rare (in Kensington) and desirable attribute of outside seating. The handsome white-stuccoed Hereford Arms is close to the bustling junction of Gloucester Road and Cromwell Road whilst being at the quieter end of the street. This, plus the outdoor space gives it a tempting air if you’re passing on the way to the Tube, so no surprises that it’s often busy with locals.
This South Kensington pub is owned by Fullers. So you’ll find the ales and the food menu differ to those of the Greene King pubs all around. The Hereford Arms prides itself on its traditional dishes and daily specials: beef cheek cottage pie and Sri Lankan sweet potato and green bean curry join burgers and fish and chips on the menu. It’s very handy for Gloucester Road tube station. If you’re looking for places to eat near the Royal Albert Hall it’s just a 15 minute walk away from the Hereford Arms.
127 Gloucester Road, SW7 4TE
- Open 7 days a week: 11 am to 11pm (Sun 12 noon to 10.30pm)
- Check website for kitchen hours
- Nearest tube station: Gloucester Road, 3 mins walk
- Walking distance to Royal Albert Hall: 16 minutes
https://www.herefordarms.co.uk/
Nearest tube to Royal Albert Hall
The easiest way to get to the Royal Albert Hall is by Underground (tube) or bus. The nearest tube station to Royal Albert Hall is South Kensington which is a 12 minute walk, Gloucester Road, which is the next stop along, is a 14 minute walk away. High Street Kensington tube station is also close to the Royal Albert Hall and is a 15 minute walk. The Knightsbridge tube stop is a little further away, a 19 minute walk.
The District, Circle and Piccadilly lines serve South Kensington and Gloucester Road tube stations. High Street Kensington is on the Edgware Road branch of the District line and so this is the stop you’re more likely to use if you’re approaching from the Paddington area. Use an app like Citymapper to plan your route.
Facts about the Royal Albert Hall
This beautiful concert hall was named by Queen Victoria in memory of her husband Prince Albert. It lies on Kensington Gore, between Kensington High Street and Knightsbridge in west London.
The Royal Albert Hall is a historic and memorable setting for concerts, ballet, opera, carols, spectaculars like Cirque du Soleil, even tennis events. During the summer it’s host to the historic classical concert series the BBC Proms and ‘Promenaders’ come from far and wide to celebrate the festival.
Please note that all visitor information here is for guidance only. Please check the relevant websites for the most up to date information eg. accommodation details, tickets, entrance requirements, opening times etc.
Map of Pubs near the Royal Albert Hall
Click here for a Google map of the best pubs near the Royal Albert Hall
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About the author Nancy Roberts is a former women’s magazine editor and writer who lives in London and is mum to two 20-something boys. In Map&Family she shares info and inspiration for curious travellers: singles and couples as well as families travelling with teens and young adults.
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