The Public House Group is set to open a new pub, The Horses, in Clerkenwell, London, on September 28. The venue marks the group’s sixth overall and fifth in London, continuing its approach of combining carefully sourced British food with a traditional pub atmosphere. Despite placing a strong emphasis on quality cuisine, co-founder Phil Winser is clear that The Horses is not intended to be a gastropub. He described gastropubs as “the death of pubs” and emphasized that the goal is to create a welcoming pub environment where patrons can enjoy well-prepared food without complexity or formality.

The Horses occupies a Victorian building at 26-28 Ray Street, which has a long history as a public house, dating back to at least the late 17th century. Formerly known as The Coach and Horses by 1790, the current rounded Victorian structure was completed in 1897. The site once served as a local for Guardian staff and maintained a reputation as a traditional working pub before transitions that led to its current revitalization. The Public House Group, founded by Winser, James Gummer, and Olivier van Themsche, has restored the building with natural English oak paneling, gypsum plaster walls, and nautical design influences inspired by a Southampton shipyard.

The menu at The Horses highlights seafood sourced through local suppliers such as Fin and Flounder, featuring dishes like lobster on ice with peppery cocktail sauce, smoked mackerel in two forms, smoked trout, fried squid, and shellfish served for casual sharing. Whole fish selections include John Dory, hake, skate, monkfish, Dover sole, and sea bass. The kitchen also offers meat and vegetarian options prepared simply, maintaining a two-ingredient naming style designed to keep the dishes straightforward and approachable. Executive chef Doug Sims and Gummer curated the menu to complement the pub’s atmosphere and to provide an alternative to the predominance of meat-focused dining venues near Smithfield meat market.

The interior design supports multiple experiences across three floors, with a large ground-floor bar made from oak and blue and white tiles featuring marine motifs. An oyster bar is located on the first floor, above which sits an open kitchen, while a private dining and event space occupies the top floor. The setup allows guests to enjoy the same food and drink offerings in different settings throughout the day, with the pub open from midday to accommodate local office workers and encourage a community feel.

The Public House Group operates more than 500 employees across its portfolio, which includes The Pelican in Notting Hill, The Hero in Maida Vale, The Hart in Marylebone, and The Bull in Charlbury, Oxfordshire. Winser noted the challenges facing pubs in the UK, including closures and slim profit margins, but said their model—focusing on quality, events, and a higher-spending clientele—has helped mitigate these pressures.

A refined selection of lagers, ales, and ciders will feature at The Horses alongside bar snacks such as seafood, Welsh rarebit, mince on toast, and fish sandwiches, evoking an earlier Victorian pub tradition when oysters were commonly provided as accompaniment to drinks. With The Horses, the group aims to create a space that encourages both casual drinking and quality dining in a genuine pub setting, while also paying homage to the history beneath their feet—literally. The pub sits above the subterranean River Fleet, and visitors can sometimes hear the flow of the river beneath the street.

Reservations for The Horses are now open through their website.