Bunch of Grapes

You'll find yourself wedged between the market stalls and the railway arches on St Thomas Street, where Bunch of Grapes does what London pubs do best: shows up and does the job well. It's the sort of place where you can nurse a pint of something interesting—they take their ales seriously here—without the theatre of trendier spots nearby. The food is proper pub fare, nothing fancy, but executed with enough care that you'll actually want to come back. Weekends get rammed with market-goers and locals, so aim for a weekday if you want to actually hear yourself think.