The Hereford Arms.

The Hereford Arms

Licensed in 1857 and mostly rebuilt in 1865, this Gloucester Road pub counted Arthur Conan Doyle among its customers, and American troops drank here during the First World War (CAMRA).

Why go

It is a Fuller's house, so London Pride and ESB sit on the handpumps permanently with two changing beers next to them (CAMRA). ESB on a permanent line is the reason to bother, since it is the brewery's strong bitter and most London pubs will not commit a pump to it. The layout gives you one main bar and a separate dining room, and the kitchen runs a seasonal menu of pub classics from 11am (The Hereford Arms). Fuller's gave the pub its own Griffin Trophy in November 2017 as best City and London pub of the year.

Order this / avoid

• Order: a pint of ESB, and eat off the seasonal menu at lunch when the museums crowd is still queuing on Exhibition Road.
• Avoid: arriving hungry after 10pm. The kitchen closes an hour before the bar.

What locals & experts say

• CAMRA: Large comfortable pub with one main bar and separate dining area, with the historic note that The author Conan Doyle was a customer.1
• Fuller's Griffin Trophy, November 2017: judged the brewery's best City and London pub of the year.1

Good to know

• Timing: Monday to Saturday 11am to 11pm, Sunday noon to 10.30pm; food to 10pm and 9.30pm respectively (The Hereford Arms).
• Booking: tables can be reserved online, useful on museum weekends.
• Dietary: nothing published. No allergen, gluten-free or vegan statement appears on the pub's pages, so ask at the bar.
• Access: step-free entry, dog friendly, outside seating, five minutes from Gloucester Road tube.

Craft signals (a Fuller's tied cellar and a seasonal kitchen)

Two signals, both modest and both honest. On beer, CAMRA's July 2026 record is two regulars, Fuller's London Pride and ESB, plus two changing guest casks, which is what a tied house can do: the guests turn, the backbone is the brewery's own. The Fuller's Griffin Trophy for best City and London pub in November 2017 is a company award rather than an independent cask verdict, and it is nine years old. On food, the pub states refined pub classics from fresh seasonal ingredients on a summer menu, so the card moves with the year. Seasonal covers both; neither is a reason to cross London.

Jeff's take (his words)

• Note: Decent local pub

Verdict

listed — The Hereford Arms is a large Fuller's pub on Gloucester Road, licensed since 1857 and rebuilt in 1865, with London Pride and ESB permanent and two rotating casks. It took the brewery's own Griffin Trophy for best City and London pub in November 2017, and it is the sane place to eat and drink near the South Kensington museums. Nothing about the cooking argues for a special trip.