Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese

Many London pubs claim that Charles Dickens drank in them, but here it’s a sure thing: There’s a solid mention in A Tale of Two Cities. The pub has that unmistakable Dickensian darkness—downstairs has a downright cavernous dungeon vibe. And the place fairly oozes literary credentials: R.L. Stevenson, Tennyson, and Conan Doyle were also frequent punters. There has been a pub on this spot since 1538, and there is evidence to suggest it was a brothel before it became a pub. These days it’s full of people grabbing a post-work drink, and the sordidness has been dialed way down.