Soho, London. Established in 1734, the current building was built in 1897. The famous landscape artist John Constable lived around the corner in the early 1800s and would nip into the pub between masterpieces. But the pubs heyday was the 1940s when it became George Orwell's favorite drinking den. He chose to celebrate here in 1945 when Animal Farm was featured by the American Book of the Month Club (perhaps partly by the fact that the landlord had managed to get a bottle of 135 percent proof Absinthe. Other famous patrons include Madonna and the Prince and Princess of Wales.

The interior shines with Victorian opulence with etched mirrors, glazed mirrors, and gold plated chandeliers. And I love the beautiful old dark wood bar. A Nicholson's pub, I enjoyed a pint of Fuller's London Pride.