Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese

A warren of dark, sawdust-era rooms off Fleet Street, rebuilt just after the 1666 Great Fire and drunk in by Dickens, Twain and (probably) Dr Johnson. It's the real thing — gloomy, creaky, cheap beer from Samuel Smith's. Caveat: no music, no phones at the bar in practice, and the food is basic. Go for the building.

Key facts

Frequently asked questions

Which famous writers drank at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese?

Charles Dickens was a regular and referenced it in A Tale of Two Cities; Mark Twain, Arthur Conan Doyle and G.K. Chesterton all drank here. Dr Johnson lived around the corner and is claimed as a patron, though the evidence is thin — the pub doesn't care.

Why is it so dark inside Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese?

The pub has almost no natural light — small windows, dark wood panelling, and a maze of rooms over several floors including vaulted cellars. That gloom is the charm; you're drinking in something close to a 17th-century interior.

Does Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese serve food?

Yes, traditional pub and chop-house fare — pies, fish and chips, roasts. It's honest and old-fashioned rather than exciting; most people come for the rooms and the ale.

Is Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese open on Sundays?

Yes — roughly noon to 10.30pm on Sundays, and noon to 11pm Monday to Saturday. Fleet Street is quiet on weekends, which can actually be the nicest time to explore the pub's many rooms.

Is Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese expensive?

No — it's a Samuel Smith's pub, which means the brewery's own beers at prices well below the London average. It's one of the cheapest pints you'll find in a historic building anywhere in the city.

How old is Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese?

There's been a pub here since 1538, and the current building went up in 1667, immediately after the Great Fire destroyed the last one. The cellars are even older — parts likely date to a 13th-century monastery.

Are phones and music allowed in Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese?

Samuel Smith's pubs have a no-music, no-TV policy and famously discourage phone and laptop use. Treat it as a feature: conversation and a pint, the way the room has worked for 350 years.

What should I see inside Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese?

Wander every level — the ground-floor bar with its sawdust-history feel, the chop room, and the vaulted cellar bars downstairs. Ask about Polly, the famously foul-mouthed parrot whose 1926 death was reported in newspapers worldwide.

Nearby in Ask London

• The BlackfriarBar0.34 km · 4 min walk
• The Seven StarsBar0.44 km · 5 min walk
• Ye Olde Mitre, HolbornBar0.47 km · 6 min walk
• Cittie of YorkeBar0.61 km · 8 min walk
• St Paul's CathedralAttraction0.62 km · 8 min walk