A traditional London boozer with a large beer garden has been crowned the capital's best pub, offering a taste of country tavern charm alongside a lively local atmosphere complete with its own shrine to Britney Spears.
The charmingly named The Old Nun's Head in Peckham boasts everything you could wish for in a traditional gastropub: a log-burning fireplace, exposed brick walls, and delicious Sunday roasts that were named the second-best in London by TimeOut magazine last year.
Award-Winning Pub
More importantly, the pub won the magazine's celebrated Best London Pub of 2025 title. Besides Sunday roasts, the pub is famed for its top-class pizza. Pizza duo Slice Circle will take up residency at the pub from May 6, offering five classic New York-style 14-inch pizzas priced from £13.
The current brick and timber building dates from the 1930s, although it is thought that a pub has stood on the site for over 300 years. Legend has it the pub got its name from the mother superior of a nearby convent, who refused to leave when Henry VIII shut down the abbeys in the 1530s and was summarily beheaded.
Haunting and Modern Events
Rumours of a haunting from the headless nun lend an added charm to the old building, which has kept its old-world feel as a traditional working pub while embracing the 21st century with disco and LGBT-themed events, including drag nights and cabaret.
Time Out writes that it is "the funnest pub in London", adding: "The Old Nun’s Head is incapable of standing still. In recent years it’s become south east London’s favourite unofficial queer venue, thanks to an array of campy entertainment including speed-dating, drag king cabaret, and nights like Pop-Up Dyke Bar and the messy, cream-splattered and highly NSFW Cake Sit."
Sunday Roasts and More
The Old Nun's Head's roast dinners include rolled lamb shoulder, beef, pork belly, quarter chicken, and veggie haggis, all affordably priced between £20 and £22. A TripAdvisor reviewer raved "the roasts are my favourite in London" while another says "the gravy is epic, thick and flavoursome".
The Old Nun's Head is located at 15 Nunhead Green, Peckham. For bookings, visit their website.
