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Number 14 of 20 in London

Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese

The sign by the door lists every monarch who has reigned since the pub was rebuilt in 1667. Dickens drank here, and so did Mark Twain and half the newspapermen of Fleet Street.

What it is
Historic pub
Opened
1667
Area
Fleet Street
Nearest museum
St Paul's Cathedral, 600 m

London this week

    What Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese is known for

    1. The rooms

      A warren of small bars on several floors with sawdust, settles and black panelling, lit so dimly that you feel your way. The vaulted cellars are thought to belong to a monastery of the thirteenth century.

    2. The chop room

      On the ground floor, a dining room with high-backed benches and a fire, where steak puddings have been served for generations.

    3. Dr Johnson's corner

      Samuel Johnson lived round the corner in Gough Square while he wrote his dictionary, and his chair is shown in the pub, though no record puts him here. His house is open to visitors.

    What to know

    • Rebuilt in 1667, a year after the Great Fire
    • Its regulars included Dickens, Mark Twain and G. K. Chesterton
    • The entrance is in Wine Office Court, an alley off Fleet Street

    Where Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese is

    Address

    145 Fleet Street
    London EC4A 2BP, United Kingdom

    Nearest station

    Blackfriars (District, Circle) or Chancery Lane (Central)

    Museums and sights nearby

    Distances are in a straight line from the restaurant.

    After the fire

    There was a pub on this spot before the Great Fire. It burned with the rest of the City in September 1666 and was among the first buildings to go up again.

    For two centuries Fleet Street was the street of newspapers, and this was where their writers ate and drank. The papers have gone, and the pub has not altered.

    Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese: common questions

    Where is Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese?
    At 145 Fleet Street, in the City, London. The nearest station is Blackfriars (District, Circle) or Chancery Lane (Central).
    Which museums and sights are near Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese?
    St Paul's Cathedral is 600 m away, Tate Modern is 950 m away, The British Museum is 1.5 km away. Distances are in a straight line from the restaurant.
    What is Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese known for?
    The rooms, The chop room, Dr Johnson's corner. A pub rebuilt just after the Great Fire of 1666, down an alley off Fleet Street: dark panelled rooms, coal fires and cellars on several levels. Seven minutes from St Paul's Cathedral.
    When did Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese open?
    In 1667. Rebuilt in 1667, a year after the Great Fire.

    What visitors say about Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese

    Rating from Google

    4.4

    7,417 ratings on Google

    Google's figures as read on 8 October 2026.

    Read every review on Google

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