Why Walk Into The Sherlock Holmes Pub?
You may have come looking for The Sherlock Holmes because you’re a fan of the famous detective, or perhaps you spotted the pub while exploring Trafalgar Square and the Embankment.
Despite the name, don’t expect a modern immersive attraction or movie-set experience. What you’ll find is a traditional London pub filled with Sherlock Holmes memorabilia and a special historic display tucked away upstairs.
It’s worth stopping in, especially if you’re a fan of Arthur Conan Doyle’s original stories. But even if you’re simply sightseeing nearby, it’s a fun place to enjoy a pint with a nod to London’s greatest detective.
Can Anyone Just Walk Upstairs and See the Sherlock Holmes Room?
Yes, provided the upstairs dining rooms are open to visitors and not closed for a private event. You don’t need a ticket or dining reservation to see the Sherlock Holmes sitting-room display. Visitors can look through the corridor windows, while guests seated in the dining rooms have a fuller view through the glass wall. You cannot enter the recreated sitting room itself.
Know Before You Go
Crowd Expectations — The Sherlock Holmes is popular with sightseers and after-work regulars, so it can get crowded in the early evening and on Saturdays. Finding an open table downstairs for a casual drink can be difficult during peak hours. Mid-afternoon on weekdays is generally a quieter time to visit.
Food & Dining — Both the downstairs bar and upstairs dining rooms serve traditional British pub classics, including fish and chips and savory pies.
Reservations — You can book a table upstairs for a sit-down meal. For a particularly good view of the Sherlock Holmes display, ask about the Holmes and Watson tables when booking.
Accessibility — The upstairs dining rooms and Sherlock Holmes display are reached by stairs, and there is no lift to the upper floor.
Where to Settle In: Downstairs or Upstairs?
Downstairs: The Pub Bar — Walk in for a pint or a casual meal in the traditional ground-floor bar. If you’re ordering food, find a table first, note the table number, then order and pay at the bar. Drinks come back with you, while food is brought to your table.
Upstairs: The Dining Rooms — For a sit-down meal with full table service, head upstairs, where diners also enjoy a fuller view of the Sherlock Holmes sitting-room display through the glass wall.
What’s the Pint Pick?
For the full Sherlock experience, order the house Sherlock Holmes Pale Ale or Dr. Watson’s Amber Ale. If neither is available, look for Greene King’s Abbot Ale as a traditional cask alternative.
Order your pint or half-pint at the bar and pay when you order. If the card machine prompts you for a tip, you can press skip. Digital prompts are increasingly common these days, but tipping is still not customary when buying drinks at a London pub bar counter.
A Little Piece of 221B Baker Street Upstairs
If it looks old, that’s because it is.
The room traces its history to the major Sherlock Holmes Exhibition held in London in 1951. The display eventually found a permanent home here when the former Northumberland Arms was renamed The Sherlock Holmes in 1957.
Fans of Arthur Conan Doyle’s original stories will recognize plenty of familiar details. But even if you’ve never read the books, you can peek through the glass and spot some of Holmes’s most iconic possessions.
Can you find Holmes’s violin, his pipe, the Persian slipper near the fireplace, and the letters pinned to the mantel with a jackknife?
The Pub or the Sherlock Holmes Museum?
Were you hoping to visit 221B Baker Street? This isn’t the Sherlock Holmes Museum. That’s a separate attraction a little farther away, over on Baker Street, where you can walk through a recreation of Holmes and Watson’s famous fictional home.
Read more: The Sherlock Holmes Museum: Is 221B Baker Street Worth Visiting?
Address: 10 Northumberland Street, London WC2N 5DB
Nearest Station: Charing Cross or Embankment
Website: The Sherlock Holmes
Keep Exploring London
Looking for more Sherlock Holmes in London? Explore the related guides below.
6 Iconic Sherlock Holmes Locations in London: From Baker Street to BBC Sherlock