The best pub in every UK region, according to beer experts

Here at Time Out, we like to think we know a thing or two about what makes a stellar pub stand out. Lip-smacking brews, trad decor and the perfect mix of old fogies and new recruits all add to a boozer’s brownie points. In the name of vital research, each year we scour the British Isles to find the tippity top public houses around the country, and those up to par make it onto our list of the best pubs in the UK.

And we’re not the only ones rating the UK’s taverns on their talents. The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) also aims to sniff out the best pubs across each region of England, plus Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The beer aficionados at CAMRA have already named their top London pub for 2026. That accolade went to independent ‘micropub’ The Cockpit in Chislehurst, which shares its space with a flower shop and deals in cask ale and fine cider. 

In Wales, the glory went to Mold Alehouse, another micropub (seems there’s a theme developing here) in Flintshire, northeast Wales, serving an ever-rotating roster of cask ales and keg beers as well as a range of ciders.

Dog-friendly pub and restaurant the Dog and Duck Inn in Lisbellaw, County Fermanagh, won the Pub of the Year title for Northern Ireland for the third year running in 2026, pouring an changing selection of independent drinks featuring house beers like its Sprocker Pale Ale, Paxton’s Hazy IPA and Penny Black Stout.

As for Scotland, you’ll have to travel to the country’s southwestern tip to taste its top brews, because the ultimate accolade went to the Steam Packet Inn on the Isle of Whithorn, located at the southern tip of the Machars peninsula in Dumfries and Galloway. Off the beaten track is one way to describe this ale house and restaurant, which serves up a food menu of locally-sourced fish and pies.

All 16 of CAMRA’s regional winners will go on to compete for the highest honour – The 2026 Pub of the Year – which will be announced in January 2027.

The best pub in every region of the UK, according to CAMRA

• East Anglia: Railway Arms, Saffron Walden
  
• East Central: Malt Shovel Tavern, Northampton
  
• East Midlands: Railway Inn, Ketton
  
• Greater London: Cockpit, Chislehurst
  
• Merseyside and Cheshire: Turks Head, St. Helens
  
• North East: Olde Cross, Old Ryton Village
  
• North West: Northumberland Arms, Marple Bridge
  
• Northern Ireland: Dog and Duck Inn, Lisbellaw
  
• Scotland: Steam Packet Inn, Isle of Whithorn
  
• South Central: Bell, Waltham St Lawrence 
  
• South East: Nelson Arms, Tonbridge
  
• South West: Fallen Tree, Clevedon
  
• Wales: Mold Alehouse, Mold
  
• West Central: Alma Inn, Linton
  
• West Midlands: Tamworth Tap, Tamworth
  
• Yorkshire: Countryman's Inn, Hunton

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Plus: Greene King is launching a brand-new pub concept in the UK.