The Gipsy Queen

The owners of the nearby Grafton have grabbed this previously scruffy boozer by the scruff of its neck, restoring the pub to its 1940s heyday. Colourful punters of a seemingly similar vintage now rub shoulders with new mums and nouveau boho creatives, packing away the Pinot from a selection of wines on tap. At the handsome stripped-wood Victorian bar, lovely London ales from Fourpure, Truman’s, Camden and Hackney breweries figure among the draught beers and ciders. Cocktails include Spritzes, Negronis and frozen Margaritas (£7). There’s also a beer garden and a bottle shop (announced by a splendid old sign). Snack on Dingley Dell sausage rolls, toasties or charcuterie boards, or make a meal of it starting with scallops, apple, cucumber and crispy seaweed (£9), or smoked tongue with pickled red onion. Mains might include Barnsley chop with spring onion rösti, or vegetable risotto, then knickerbocker glory makes a glorious finale.