Duke Of Wellington

You're walking down Toynbee Street in Whitechapel and you duck into this place expecting the usual – sticky floors, terrible lager, the works. Instead you find yourself in a thoughtfully run pub that takes itself seriously without being annoying about it. The beer selection is genuinely good, they've got real ales worth ordering, and the crowd skews local rather than tourist. It's the kind of place where regulars chat to strangers at the bar and nobody minds. The space has character without trying too hard – all exposed brick and proper pub bones – and the food actually tastes like someone cares. Rare thing in London pubs these days, honestly.