Our favourite Hammersmith river bars

Located on the bend of the River Thames between Hammersmith and Chiswick, The Old Ship is well-known and well-loved for its terrace and balcony with panoramic views of the river. It’s also well-loved for its seasonal menu featuring Britsh classics, but especially for its Sunday Roasts dishing up prime cuts from Aldens, a family-run Oxfordshire butchers who have been in business since the 18th century.

With an interior design and decor that not surprisingly evokes the cabin of a ship, The Old Ship is a quintessential Hammersmith river bar with a terrace at ground level and a balcony above. It’s a popular venue for special occasions and milestone moments, and between the food, drink, hospitality, and views, we understand why.

The Black Lion is a Grad II-listed building and comes with everything you would expect from a historic pub – low ceilings, a fireplace, whitewashed walls, and they even have an old skittle alley when it’s not being used for special occasions and private parties.

We like The Black Lion for its charm, dishing up the hearty food we want when we’re in an old pub, and for maintaining a lovely little beer garden. This Hammersmith river bar is also the best place to catch the annual Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race if that’s your thing.

The narrow alley where you can find The Dove is the only remnant of the riverside village of Hammersmith, and a pub has stood on this site since the 17th century. It’s picturesque, a Grade II-listed building, with a stunning riverside terrace and balcony.

This Hammersmith river bar holds the Guinness World Record for the smallest bar room in the world – a small space to the right of the bar. Its claims to fame don’t stop there. It has hosted the likes of Charles II as he wined and dined with his mistress Nell Gwynne, and was frequented by authors Ernest Hemingway and Graham Greene and 18th-century poet James Thomson.

We like the little alleyway you have to traverse to find the pub’s entrance, and the traditional interiors, relaxed ambiance, and views of the River Thames. We rate The Dove for preserving its history and being unpretentious about it. It’s a good pub with good food, drink, and hospitality.

The Rutland Arms lost its top floor and balcony in the Blitz, but today it’s still a beautiful two-storey Victorian brick building. Outside the pub’s front, there are outdoor picnic tables on a riverside walkway offering lovely views of the River Thames.

Inside, the traditional dark wood and spacious interior is still well-lit by the pub’s many tall windows, and its upstairs dining room and bar are ideal for private hire. It’s casual yet still picturesque and offers a great view of the Hammersmith Bridge.

The Blue Anchor has had its license since the early 18th century and is still a true local’s pub today. It’s a short walk from Hammersmith Bridge and offers incredible views of the bridge and the River Thames. Inside, it’s cool and casual, and you can sip wine by the fireside – we’ll take that, thank you.

Downstairs is a traditional, wood-panelled 17th-century pub, and upstairs is the refurbished ‘River Room’ with contemporary touches and nautical decor. It’s a great spot for a casual pint or gastropub favourites, and its terrace is sweetest in the sunshine with a cold cider or signature cocktail.

The Blue Boat is a modern Fuller’s pub both in design and decor. With only subtle nods to a nautical theme, the contemporary interior is spacious and well-lit by trendy lights, white tiles are offset by warm wood panelling and accents of blue paint. The furniture evokes mid-century minimalism, and modern bookshelves display the occasional kitschy item alongside books.

The open kitchen at The Blue Boat is as good as any Hammersmith gastropub, and with several function rooms on offer, it’s a good contender for private hire amongst the many other pubs in the area. But the true star of this Hammersmith river bar is its terrace with its views – think sunlight sparkling on the Thames whilst you sip an Aperol Spritz.

The Crabtree is a lovely old pub in an old brick building on the quiet Rainville Road. Its front opens onto the road while its beer garden and dining room windows look onto the river path and the Thames itself, with great views of both the Hammersmith Bridge and Putney Bridge.

The Crabtree is the epitome of rustic with decor that has old time-y charm rather than just being dated. The Restaurant offers those sweet river views and is an ideal spot for an intimate gathering with a capacity of 48. It’s the terraces of this Hammersmith river bar we love the most – leafy and green from the many trees and a healthy number of outdoor heaters to catch those autumn and winter sunsets over the river.

Opened in 2019, Sam’s Riverside is a brasserie, private dining room, and riverside terrace all wrapped up into one. The modern building and contemporary European-style decor give Sam’s the feeling that you could be somewhere in the south of France, and its seasonal menu that emphasizes Anglo-French cuisine adds to that feeling.

Sam’s is sophisticated yet relaxed with spacious booths in a light and airy space with high ceilings, and the open kitchen dishes up fresh seafood the likes of which you usually find somewhere in the Mediterranean.

The private dining room could be a work of art with its views of the River Thames and contemporary art on the walls. But like all river bars, it’s the terrace we’re most interested in, and Sam’s is where we’d sit in the sunshine, dine on oysters, and drink champagne.

Neverland London has mastered the themed bar. By summer this Hammersmith river bar masquerades as a beach-club-style lounge complete with day beds, huts, cabanas, and cocktails. With summer BBQs and beach games, Neverland Fulham Beach is ideal for private parties, and with a total capacity of 400, it can accommodate any special occasion you may be planning.

In the colder, darker months of the year, Neverland transforms into Winterland, an Alpine club with winter lodges serving delicious fondues, festive bites, and mulled wine. And Winterland’s offerings don’t stop there, there’s also an outdoor forest, ski huts, igloos, and ski lift bubbles, proving that Hammersmith isn’t all quaint pubs and Sunday Roasts, it’s themed and activity-heavy as well if that’s your cup of tea.

Just at a short distance from Imperial Wharf and Fulham Broadway stations, tucked away on the bank of the Thames, the Waterside’s river views have earned it a place on our list of Hammersmith river bars.

The decor is a little too floral in some areas, but refreshingly contemporary and minimalist in other areas. It’s spacious and bright with many windows that look onto the river. Having said all that, all river bars are judged by their terraces, and the Waterside’s terrace is a great space for a bespoke event to celebrate a special occasion riverside. Green, spacious, and an ideal spot for a cold pint and a spritzer in the sunshine.