What Visitors Say
This place is not a pub serving food. It's a high end restaurant serving beer. Absolutely fantastic on every level. Service, decor, food and great beer and wine. Stunning venue and very traditionally English. Recommend this place for excellent food. Everything was tasty and the chefs know how to cook.
Lovely meal after my graduation yesterday! Our food items were really lovely. We got the salmon plate, pork ribs, butternut squash soup, the burger, chicken pot pie, and the beef brisket. The martini and the gin-let drinks were watery, but the sloe royal drink was very nice and not too sweet. Great service and great atmosphere in the Oak Room. Very nice to dine here around Christmas, they have beautiful decorations.
A cozy and atmospheric pub tucked away in an alley off of Kingsway and High Holborn. Booked a dinner reservation for our one chance at a Sunday Roast on or visit to London and it was everything we wanted in that regard. The cozy dining room was warm and comforting and the Butchers Board was luxuriously abundant. Loaded with roast beef, lamb and pork belly with roasted potatoes, carrots, parsnips and giant Yorkshire puddings, we ate the leftovers for days afterwards. The pub downstairs was bustling with energy. The service left something to be desired, we were left without silverware and staff were difficult to access to even fill this base requirement. We were right by the kitchen but the staff’s attention always seemed to be elsewhere tainting the experience with a mild feeling of neglect. As this was likely a personal experience and the food and location are very nice, I would overall recommend the experience but would hesitate to go back myself.
We visited The Ship Tavern on a Saturday evening and had a really lovely time! The decor was warm and inviting, and the staff were all super friendly and welcoming. We ordered the fish and chips, and it was delicious! It was crispy, and the portions were very generous. I also had a latte (yes, at 8pm… don’t judge!) and it was tasty!
Great hidden gem, pub downstairs which can get a little crowded but great atmosphere. Dining upstairs was brilliant, very tasty and beautifully prepared top quality gastro pub food and the prices are fair for central London. My only very very slight critique is I feel like the Guinness was not the best, not the worst but a little lacking
Highlights
Gate Street Hideaway
Tucked-Away SettingThe pub feels hidden despite being close to Holborn's busiest streets.
12 Gate Street, near Lincoln's Inn Fields
Upstairs Dining Room
Meal Worth PlanningVisitor reviews often describe the food as the reason they would return, not an afterthought.
Oak Room
1549 Tavern Story
Deep HistoryThe official timeline reaches back to the 16th century, giving the pub a longer memory than many grander rooms.
Whole pub
Opening Hours
Fun Facts
The Ship Tavern's official site dates the pub to 1549.
The pub is associated with Reformation-era stories of sheltering Catholic priests and holding secret services.
Its current reputation is unusually food-led for a historic pub, with roasts and classic British dishes appearing often in reviews.
The official site notes 2025 Great British Pub Awards finalist status.
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