Raise a Dram: Three London Pubs Serving Burns Night the Proper Way

Burns Night in London rarely lacks enthusiasm, but every so often it finds real focus. On Monday 26 January, three of the capital’s most characterful pubs are stripping the celebration back to its essentials: good whisky, honest Scottish cooking, and a room full of people willing to raise a glass with intent.

Across Chelsea, Fitzrovia and Chiswick, The Cadogan Arms, The George and The Hound will each host a Burns Night dinner in partnership with The Singleton 12 Year Old Whisky, pairing a four course Scottish menu with a dram that deserves centre stage.

Guests can expect the rituals that matter. A live bagpiper. The unmistakable cadence of Robert Burns’ Address to a Haggis. Long tables, warm rooms and the kind of atmosphere that makes January feel briefly generous rather than restrained.

Chiswick: A Single Sitting, No Distractions

At The Hound, the evening is deliberately intimate. One sitting at 7pm. No rush, no second wave. The menu opens with a Cullen Skink croquette enriched with Isle of Mull cheddar, before moving into venison carpaccio layered with pickled mushroom and cep mayonnaise. The main course is unapologetically robust: Highland Wagyu bavette with rumbledethumps, haggis, greens and a whisky sauce that earns its keep. Dessert comes in the form of a traditional Ecclefechan tart.

The £85 menu includes a ‘Bonnie Bramble’ welcome cocktail and a dram of The Singleton 12 Year Old Whisky, with a vegetarian alternative available at £70. It is a confident, composed take on Burns Night, designed for those who prefer depth over spectacle.

Fitzrovia and Chelsea: Classic, Elevated

At The George and The Cadogan Arms, the structure is shared but the settings bring their own character. The evening begins with whisky-cured Scottish salmon served with pickled cucumber, dill and crowdie crème fraîche, followed by a haggis, neeps and tatties croquette sharpened with whisky mustard cream.

The main course keeps things traditional but polished: roast rump of Scotch beef with bone marrow gratin, smoked bacon, cabbage and red wine sauce. Dessert leans darker, with a chocolate and peated whisky tart finished with salted caramel and Atholl Brose ice cream.

Priced at £85 per person, the experience again includes the Bonnie Bramble cocktail and a dram of The Singleton 12 Year Old Whisky. Vegetarian menus are available at £70, ensuring no one is sidelined from the celebration.

Why It Works

Burns Night can easily tip into theatre. What makes this trio of dinners appealing is restraint. The focus remains on flavour, heritage and atmosphere rather than novelty. Whisky is treated as a partner to the food, not a garnish. Scottish cooking is presented with respect rather than reinvention for its own sake.

For those looking to mark Burns Night properly this year, these three pubs offer a rare alignment of setting, menu and mood. No gimmicks. Just poetry, whisky and food that understands the occasion.