This 1838 corner boozer in Notting Hill sits on the site of a former open-air boxing ring — hence the name. But what most people know it for is the Freddie Mercury connection: the Queen frontman was a local regular, and legend has it he wrote "We Are the Champions" in the downstairs lounge, which still sports framed sheet music on its walls. These days it's a solid gastropub pouring craft beer and turning out seasonal British food with a Tuesday burger night that's worth the trip alone.
Built on a former boxing ring where Freddie Mercury allegedly wrote "We Are the Champions," this 1838 Notting Hill gastropub pours great craft beer and runs a legendary Tuesday burger night.
Head down on a Tuesday from 5pm for the £13 burger-and-fries deal — it fills up fast, so arrive early to grab a table.
A historic Notting Hill corner pub with a Queen-sized backstory
There's something deeply satisfying about a pub that's been doing its thing since 1838 and still pulls a crowd. The Champion sits on the corner of Wellington Terrace in Notting Hill, built on what was once an open-air boxing ring — which is where the name comes from, not the Queen anthem most people associate it with. That said, the Freddie Mercury connection is the pub's calling card: he was a local and a regular, and the story goes that he wrote "We Are the Champions" in the snug basement bar downstairs. The walls down there still display framed sheet music commemorating the link, and it's worth poking your head in for the atmosphere alone.
Upstairs, it's a proper gastropub operation. The food is seasonal British — think well-executed pub classics rather than anything overly fussy — and the craft beer selection is genuinely good, not just an afterthought. Every Tuesday from 5pm they run a burger-and-fries deal for £13, which is one of the better midweek bargains in the area and tends to fill up quickly. The staff are friendly, the space has that lived-in charm you can't fake, and on a sunny day the corner location catches the light nicely.
It's not a quiet spot — this is a pub that gets busy, especially on weekends and match days — but that's part of the appeal. With a 4.5 rating across over 2,000 Google reviews, it's clearly doing something right. Come for a pint and a burger on a Tuesday, or settle into the basement bar with a group of friends and soak up the rock history.