YE OLDE MITRE · AT A GLANCE
Location:📍1 Ely Court, Ely Place, London EC1N 6SJ
Nearest Tube: Chancery Lane (Central line) or Farringdon (Circle, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan and Elizabeth lines)
Best For: Curious wanderers, history lovers, solo travelers and cask ale drinkers
Pub Owner: Fuller’s
Drink Pick: One of the rotating guest cask ales
Why Ye Olde Mitre is Worth Seeking Out
⭐ Traveler’s Pick: Ye Olde Mitre is genuinely one of the hardest London pubs to find, but that’s part of the experience. Once you locate the hidden entrance and walk through the dark pedestrian passageway, you’ll emerge into a tiny open courtyard with the historic pub tucked inside. Peek into its two tiny bars, order a cask ale, and enjoy one of London’s great little pub curiosities.
Find the Hidden Entrance to Ye Olde Mitre
First, Find Ely Court
Walk along Hatton Garden and look carefully for the shops numbered 8 and 9. What looks like a narrow arched doorway between the two shops is actually the entrance to Ely Court—the passageway leading to the pub.
Walk Through the Arch
Follow the dark, narrow passageway through Ely Court. At the other end, the passage suddenly opens into a tiny courtyard open to the sky, surrounded by the much taller buildings of central London. Tucked into the corner is the timber-fronted Ye Olde Mitre.
Why Is It Called Ye Olde Mitre?
A mitre is the distinctive ceremonial hat worn by a bishop, which gives you the first clue to the pub’s unusual history. A tavern was established here around 1546 for the servants of the Bishops of Ely, whose London residence and gardens once occupied the surrounding area. The tiny pub you see today dates largely to around 1773.
Inside the pub, you’ll find the preserved remains of what is believed to be a cherry tree that once marked the boundary between the bishop’s garden and neighboring land leased to Sir Christopher Hatton—the same Sir Christopher Hatton who gave Hatton Garden its name.
Step Inside: Yes, It Really Is That Small
Ye Olde Mitre doesn’t suddenly get bigger once you walk through the door. The ground floor is essentially two tiny, wood-paneled drinking rooms wrapped around a central bar.
Find Queen Elizabeth’s Cherry Tree
When you walk through the pub door, look to the corner on your right. A glass enclosure preserves the weathered remains of the pub’s famous cherry tree.
According to long-standing local lore, sometime in the late 1500s, Queen Elizabeth I herself danced around the original tree with Sir Christopher Hatton, her famously charming “Dancing Chancellor.”
Order a Proper Pint of Cask Ale
Ye Olde Mitre is a great place to try a traditional British cask ale. The pub keeps seven real ales on tap, including at least three rotating guest ales, so rather than hunting for one specific beer, check the hand pumps and ask what’s pouring well that day.
If you’re unfamiliar with cask ale, don’t expect an ice-cold, heavily carbonated beer. It’s naturally conditioned, lightly carbonated and served at cellar temperature.
How to Order a Drink at Ye Olde Mitre
Where to Go: Ye Olde Mitre has two small ground-floor drinking rooms wrapped around a central bar. Head to the bar counter to order your drink.
What to Order: Choose one of the rotating guest cask ales—or simply ask the bartender what they recommend that day.
How to Order: Ask for a pint or half-pint and pay at the bar. Take your drink to your chosen spot.
Tipping: Do I Need to Tip When I Order a Drink at the Bar?
No. Tipping is not customary when ordering drinks at the bar in a London pub. You do not need to add a percentage, leave money on the bar or leave cash on your table when you go. If the card machine prompts you for a tip, you can skip it.
Also Looking to Order Food?
Ye Olde Mitre is primarily a traditional drinking establishment, with homemade bar snacks and toasties rather than a large pub menu. In one of the pub’s more endearing declarations of independence, it proudly does not serve chips.
Ye Olde Mitre: Things to Know Before You Go
Check the Hours Before You Go:
Ye Olde Mitre is open on Saturdays but closed on Sundays. Check the pub’s official website for current opening hours before you go.
Walk-Ins Welcome:
You can stop in for a drink without booking a table, but finding somewhere to sit is another matter. Ye Olde Mitre’s tiny bars can get particularly crowded after work, with customers spilling out into Ely Court. If you’d like to see the interior and take photographs, an earlier visit is a better bet.
Keep Exploring London’s Tucked-Away Pubs
If finding Ye Olde Mitre has you looking for more London pubs tucked behind passageways and easy-to-miss entrances, keep going with two very different places that reward a little hunting.
Duck through Wine Office Court just off Fleet Street to find one of London’s great historic pubs tucked away from the traffic, with a maze of old rooms waiting inside.
The Ship & Shovell
Head into Craven Passage near Charing Cross to find one of London’s strangest pub layouts—two separate pub buildings facing each other across the passageway.