Crown & Anchor

You're on Neal Street, wedged right into the heart of Covent Garden's maze, and this is where you actually want to be instead of fighting for elbow room in one of the tourist traps. The Crown & Anchor has that lived-in pub feel—sticky floors, loud banter, the kind of place where regulars have their own stools and everyone else just slots in around them. It's the sort of spot you'll find yourself coming back to because the beer's decent, the staff genuinely know what they're doing, and there's zero pretension. Come for an afternoon pint or stick around when it gets properly buzzy in the evenings; either way, you're getting an honest-to-god London pub experience without the theme-park vibe.