The French House

Victor Berlemont banned pint glasses in the 1920s because French sailors kept smashing them over each other's heads. The half-pint rule has held ever since — no exceptions, no arguments. Charles de Gaulle drafted his “A tous les Francais” appeal to the French people in the upstairs dining room on 18 June 1940. Dylan Thomas left the only manuscript of Under Milk Wood under his chair and the staff had to rescue it. Brendan Behan, Francis Bacon, and Lucian Freud were all regulars. No TV, no music, and a no-phones-at-the-bar policy. The French House sells more Ricard than anywhere else in Britain, which makes sense once you've been. It's a small pub and it gets packed — don't expect a seat after six.