Devonshire, London

Previously a Victorian public house and most recently a Jamie's Italian restaurant and then chicken and burger concept Coqbull, this site has now blossomed again as The Devonshire. Publican Oisín Rogers, Flat Iron founder Charlie Carroll and Ashley Palmer-Watts, the former Fat Duck executive chef, joined forces to open the new pub and restaurant in November 2023.

The ground-floor pub is a “relaxed, top-quality pub honouring the building’s history as an inn since 1793”. Decor is authentic pub-style, burgundy leather banquettes, wood-panels and gleaming brass. The best seats in the house are three snugs literally behind the bar, but you will have to be invited or ask permission to come across!

There is home-made bar food including bacon sandwiches, scotch eggs, sausage rolls and cheese and ham hock toasties. Drinks in this freehouse of course include cask ale, up to four ales from six handpumps, but there are in addition a large number of keg fonts with a major focus on Guinness. The latter has already been described as "perfect" and a month or so after opening Guinness was stated as taking 70% of the bar sales, though it was anticipated sales would fall in warmer months. At the start of 2024 news reports stated that the pub had run out of Guinness three times since opening!

Upstairs, there are three dining rooms with a total 150 covers and a wood-ember grill for steaks and seafood. A three-course set-price menu is on offer at both lunch and dinner featuring the likes of prawn and langoustine cocktail, steak and chips and sticky toffee pudding. A rooftop area is set to open in 2024. The two-page wine list contains a fair selection including many bottles reasonably-priced for the area.

The venue staff are stated by the owners to be women-led in order to counter the blokiness marring some other pubs.