What Are Micropubs – And Where Can You Find Them In London?

4 months ago

A tiny pub in Enfield has been crowned London's best

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This week, a pub in north London called The Little Green Dragon was crowned the best in London in the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA)’s annual awards. The capital is home to thousands of pubs, so this is an impressive feat – particularly considering its tiny size. Located in Winchmore Hill, the venue bills itself as Enfield’s first micropub, but what does the term mean?

What Is A Micropub?

The term micropub is generally used to describe a very small pub. It was coined by CAMRA, who used it in the 1976 version of its Good Beer Guide – citing examples like Circus Tavern in Manchester, and The Nutshell in Bury St Edmunds.

There’s no official definition for what size constitutes a micropub, but usually it is housed inside a single room. Some can be as small as your living room – often, they’re located inside converted shops. There may even be no space for a bar, so sometimes beer is served straight from the cask or through hand pumps. Usually they serve ale from local microbreweries, and no food other than traditional pub snacks (think crisps, pork scratchings and pies).

Alongside the size factor, micropubs tend to have a quirky feel, and a focus on togetherness and conversation. The Little Green Dragon, for instance, describes its aim as being to ‘provide somewhere the local community can meet each other for a drink and a chat.’ There’s no background music, TV or slot machines, but there are board games and table skittles, plus live music on Wednesdays. Here, the focus is on a high-quality, diverse range of real ales, alongside ciders, gins, wine and prosecco.

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Describing its London winner, CAMRA said: ‘Focusing on the quality and diversity of real ale, the Little Green Dragon has an ever-changing selection of four cask beers sourced from local microbreweries and other independent brewers from further afield, plus real cider, perry and four keg beers.

‘Traditional pub games such as table skittles and shove ha’penny are available for pub-goers to play. The Little Green Dragon’s interior features an eclectic range of seating, from wall mounted benches to low sofas, and even repurposed bus seats.’

The pub is now one of a number of regional and national finalists in the running for the UK National Pub of the Year award. Judges will whittle them down to just four in September, ahead of the overall winner being announced in January 2025.