‘Comfortably familiar’ Stone pub named best in Britain

A pub “that is both modern and comfortably familiar” has been named as the Great British Pub of 2025.

Out of 16 winners in individual categories, judges agreed that Crown Wharf in Stone, Staffordshire, was the overall winner.

Other winners include Myrtle Tavern in Leeds for having the best pub garden, Perry Hill Pub in London, named best for families, and The Old Duke in Southport, which was top for dogs.

Organisers said Crown Wharf was “a passion project by Joule’s Brewery, initially opened in 2021, lovingly crafted from recycled and reclaimed materials reflecting the company’s heritage”.

The Great British Pub Awards list included another Staffordshire site – Marston’s Pub of the Year The Manor House of Whittington in Kinver.

Ed Bedington, from pub news publication The Morning Advertiser, which runs the awards, said Crown Wharf was “a new build project which draws on all the traditions of the Great British pub to create a venue that is both modern and comfortably familiar”.

The editor added it was “a shining example of community value and hospitality at its best”.

“My dog loves it,” one of the regulars, Dave Ball, said. “The location is great, sitting outside by the canal, the sun, it’s like a sun trap, really good.

“The beer is good, the food is excellent, and the staff are all friendly.”

June Fern, from Stoke-on-Trent, said: “Food’s brilliant, lovely canal view [of] barges, staff are lovely.”

Jan Pilgrim, of Alsager, added: “I think it’s got a lovely aesthetic to just sit outside and it’s really relaxing.

“It’s just a really nice place to come and sit.”

Brand operations manager at the pub Emma Burridge said it was “phenomenal” to win the overall award and staff were “absolutely over the moon”.

She said Crown Wharf was built during the pandemic and was “a real labour of love”.

“We’ve been through absolute mayhem when it first opened, finding our feet, becoming part of the community… The team have worked so hard.”

Each category is shortlisted to five or six finalists, based on a combination of a written entry from the pub owner, online review scores and its own website and social media presence.

A judge goes to each of the finalists for a surprise visit and licensees face a phone call from a judging team before a winner is decided.

Mr Bedington said the “finest examples from across the UK… truly stand out and represent the best of the best when it comes to offering quintessential pub experience to guests.”

• Best Country Pub – The Fleece Inn – Bretforton, Worcestershire
• Best Pub for Beer – Blind Jack’s – Knaresborough, North Yorkshire
• Best Pub for Dogs – The Old Duke – Southport, Merseyside
• Best Pub for Entertainment – The Keynsham Courtyard – Keynsham, Somerset
• Best Pub for Families – Perry Hill Pub, London
• Best Pub for Food – The Bull – Charlbury, Oxfordshire
• Best Pub Garden – Myrtle Tavern – Leeds, West Yorkshire
• Best Pub to Watch Sport – Pinnacle Sports & Games, Leeds, West Yorkshire
• Best Sustainable Pub – The George, Castleton, Derbyshire
• Best Town Pub – Crown Wharf, Stone, Staffordshire
• Best Community Pub – Chaplin’s & The Cellar Bar – Boscombe, Dorset
• Admiral Taverns Pub of the Year – The Gasoline, Chesterfield, Derbyshire
• Greene King Pub of the Year – The Star – Godalming, Surrey
• Marston’s Pub of the Year – The Manor House of Whittington – Kinver, Staffordshire
• Punch Pub of the Year – The Anglesey Arms – Chichester, West Sussex
• Stonegate Pub of the Year – The Fox Keston, Greater London
• Great British Pub of the Year – Crown Wharf – Stone, Staffordshire