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 A Serious Take on the London Pub
The Devonshire




On Denman Street in London’s Soho, The Devonshire is easy to miss at first glance. There is no bold façade, no design-led attempt to announce itself as a “new restaurant.” You notice it instead through the crowd gathered outside, the low hum of conversation, and the dark pints of Guinness held casually in hand. Only then do you realise that something is happening here.

The Devonshire is one of those places. Frequently ranked by British media and food guides as London’s number one gastropub, it occupies a very typical old London building. From the outside, it feels understated, almost anonymous—but the constant buzz at the entrance gives it away. Downstairs is the pub: loud, packed, alive with the sound of glasses clinking and pints being pulled. Upstairs, the restaurant tells a different story. The lighting softens, the pace slows, and the atmosphere shifts from social noise to quiet focus.

It is not an easy place to book. Michelin-recommended, widely regarded as the best place in London to drink a perfect pint of Guinness, and one of the highest-selling Guinness venues in the world, The Devonshire reportedly serves around 20,000 pints a week.








Their obsession with Guinness borders on the scientific. Most British pubs use a standard gas mix of roughly 70% nitrogen and 30% carbon dioxide. The Devonshire, however, customises its system to an Irish-style ratio of 82% nitrogen and 18% carbon dioxide. This higher nitrogen content produces finer bubbles, allowing the beer to flow more smoothly down the glass and form a dense, velvety head with a creamy texture. To maintain this precision, the pub uses a bespoke gas-mixing system and ensures that the entire line—from the cellar kegs to the tap—is kept at a consistently low temperature, minimising carbon dioxide loss. The result is a pint that feels remarkably soft, clean, and balanced.

Food here is treated with the same seriousness. The Devonshire has its own in-house bakery, meaning every slice of bread is baked fresh on site each morning—something head chef Ashley Palmer-Watts is particularly proud of.

The building’s history dates back to the late 18th century. For generations, it functioned as a standard London pub, quietly witnessing Soho’s transformations—from entertainment and theatre district to a dense mix of nightlife, culture, and tourism. For a long time, it was simply part of the city’s fabric: not celebrated, but always there. That changed in 2023, when The Devonshire reopened. This was not a nostalgic makeover, nor an attempt to romanticise the past. Instead, its revival feels like a serious re-examination of what a London pub can be today.










Once seated, you are handed a handwritten menu and warm bread. The first thing to arrive is a complimentary soda bread. Honestly, the bread was what I was most looking forward to—I had heard too many people talk about it. The crust is lightly crisp, the inside soft and warm, carrying a gentle grain aroma. There is no elaborate seasoning, just balance and restraint. It is the kind of bread you keep eating without noticing how much is gone.

Among the starters, the scallops stood out the most. Paired with bacon, the saltiness and smokiness layered beautifully with the sweetness of the shellfish. The roasted steak and lobster were equally convincing—confident, deeply satisfying, and unpretentious.As for the Guinness: it may well be the best pint outside Ireland. I am not usually a devoted stout drinker, but this one was undeniably easy to drink—silky, finely foamed, with a clean bitterness that worked perfectly alongside the food.

There is something very London about The Devonshire. It does not perform sophistication, nor does it chase novelty. It simply does things properly—quietly, consistently, and with conviction. And somehow, that feels rare.


Address

17  Denman Street, Soho, London, W1D 7HW, United Kingdom

Website

https://devonshiresoho.co.uk/




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