Skehan’s | 1 Kitto Road, SE14 5TW

There are Irish pubs, there are very Irish pubs, and then there’s Skehan’s.

The family-run joint doesn’t have a monopoly on the Irish blend of comedy, revelry, and hospitality (known as craic), but it certainly wears the crown. Perched on Telegraph Hill, overlooking all of London’s splendour, sits this temple of festivity.

Publican and Limerick man Bryan Fitzsimons presides over this city within a city, which regularly tops the best pubs list. Towering over three floors, a charming wooden decking greets you out front. Out back is less a beer garden and more a wooden labyrinth, with nooks, crannies, and M.C. Escher-like stairs pulsing with electric warmth. Inside, dark wooden interiors are appropriately Victorian but are jazzed up by red velvet drapes and eclectic instruments nailed to the wall.

Containing multitudes, there are pool tables and darts for the athletic; a two-decade-long residency from Madam Chai serving delicious and reasonably priced Thai food daily from 5–9:30; a Sunday roast; and Burger Tuesdays—for the downright outlandish price of £6.50—for the more sedentary amongst you.

For those somewhere in between, wanting to dust off your dancing shoes, Skehan’s takes a long smug sip from its perfectly poured pint of Guinness. There is something to entertain every night of the week: jam sessions on Monday, trad music on Tuesday, a writers’ circle Wednesday, quiz night Thursday, sacrifice yourself to the karaoke gods on Friday, Saturday’s big gig night to get you jumping, and soft Sunday folk to soothe your soul after all that frenetic activity.

All this pulls in a true melting pot, from trendy black-clad students to beaming locals and bouncing lads, united by liquid comradeship. You could easily never leave, and why would you want to?

Skehan’s is open daily. You can find out more, and make a booking atthe Skehan’s website.