If you wander off the hyper-polished tracks of Belgravia, past the embassies and the parked Bentleys that look like they haven’t moved since the nineties, you’ll find a mews. It’s quiet. Belgrave Mews West feels like the kind of place where secrets stay buried under the cobblestones. But then there’s The Star Tavern Belgrave Mews, a pub that looks, at first glance, like every other posh London watering hole.
It isn't.
Actually, it’s arguably the most famous pub in the world if you’re a fan of high-stakes crime or the British aristocracy’s stranger habits. You’ve probably seen it on a "best of" list for its fireplaces or its Fuller’s London Pride. But people don't just come here for the beer. They come because this is where the Great Train Robbery was planned. Seriously. Back in 1963, Bruce Reynolds and his crew sat in the upstairs room—which you can still visit—and mapped out how to hijack a Royal Mail train for £2.6 million. That’s about £50 million in today’s money.
A Pub Built on Horse Hair and High Society
The history here goes way back before the thieves arrived. Built in the early 19th century, the Star was originally meant to serve the army of grooms, footmen, and coachmen who worked for the families living in the grand squares nearby.
Belgravia was the brainchild of Thomas Cubitt. He turned a swampy, dangerous patch of land known as Five Fields into the ultimate status symbol. Because the grand houses were too "refined" to have stables attached, they built mews behind them. The workers needed somewhere to go. They needed beer. So, the Star Tavern Belgrave Mews became the "downstairs" hub for the neighborhood’s "upstairs" elite.
It has this cozy, lived-in feel that money can’t really buy. The wood is dark. The ceilings are high but somehow intimate. It doesn’t feel like a gastro-pub that was designed by a corporate committee in 2022. It feels like a place where someone might have actually been punched in 1850.
The Great Train Robbery: The Room Where It Happened
Let’s talk about the 1960s. This is when the pub’s reputation shifted from "quiet local" to "underworld headquarters."
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Paddy Kennedy was the landlord back then. He was a character. He ran a tight ship, but he also didn't ask too many questions when men in sharp suits started congregating in the upstairs lounge. Bruce Reynolds, the mastermind behind the 1963 heist, loved the Star because it was tucked away. It was "hidden in plain sight." The police weren't looking for career criminals in the heart of the most expensive neighborhood in London.
The gang used to park their getaway cars right outside. In the mews. Nobody blinked.
When you walk up those stairs today, it’s remarkably preserved. You can almost smell the stale cigarette smoke and the tension of men debating how to stop a locomotive in the middle of Buckinghamshire. They weren't the only ones, though. The pub was a magnet for "The Chelsea Set," including figures like Lord Lucan and Stephen Ward (the man at the center of the Profumo Affair). It was a crossroads of the high-born and the low-life.
What It’s Like Inside Right Now
Honestly, it’s still great.
A lot of London pubs have been "modernized" into oblivion. They get stripped of their soul, painted "Farrow & Ball" grey, and served overpriced small plates that leave you hungry. The Star Tavern Belgrave Mews managed to avoid that fate. It’s owned by Fuller’s now, so it’s a managed house, but they’ve had the good sense to leave the character alone.
- The Fireplaces: They are massive. In the winter, there is genuinely no better place to hide from the London drizzle.
- The Beer: Being a Fuller's pub, you’re getting the classics. ESB, London Pride, and seasonal rotations.
- The Food: It’s solid pub grub. Don’t expect Michelin stars, but the fish and chips usually hits the mark.
- The Vibe: It’s a weird, wonderful mix. You’ll see a diplomat from a nearby embassy in a £3,000 suit sitting next to a tourist who found the pub on a "History of Crime" walking tour.
The pub has won the CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) London Pub of the Year award multiple times. That’s not easy. It means they take the cellar work seriously. If you’re a beer nerd, you’ll appreciate the condition of the ale. It’s crisp. It’s right.
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Why People Keep Getting the History Wrong
There’s a common misconception that the pub was a "gangster bar." It wasn't. If it had been a rough-and-tumble East End boozer, the Great Train Robbers would have been caught instantly. The whole point was the contrast.
The robbers weren't there to blend in with other criminals; they were there to blend in with the rich. It’s a nuance that matters. When you visit, look at the architecture. The pub is grand. It has those massive windows and ornate cornicing. It’s a "Grand Tavern." This wasn't a dive bar.
Another thing people miss is the "Mews" factor. Mews houses were originally the garages of the Victorian era. Now, they are multi-million pound residences. Walking to the pub through the mews is half the experience. You pass the ironwork and the flower boxes, and it feels like you've stepped back sixty years.
The Lucan Connection
You can’t talk about the Star Tavern without mentioning Lord Lucan. The 7th Earl of Lucan was a regular. He was part of that gambling, hard-drinking aristocratic circle that treated the pub like a private club.
When he vanished in 1974 after the murder of his children’s nanny, the Star was one of the places the press swarmed. It added another layer to the pub’s mythology. It’s the "infamous" label. It’s the sense that something significant—or something terrible—is always just about to happen in the corner booth.
How to Get There Without Getting Lost
Belgravia is a maze of identical-looking white stucco buildings. It’s easy to get turned around.
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- The Tube: Get off at Knightsbridge or Sloane Square.
- The Walk: From Knightsbridge, it’s about a ten-minute stroll. Head toward Lowndes Square, then cut through to Belgrave Mews West.
- The Entrance: The pub sits on a corner. You’ll see the hanging sign with the gold star.
If you’re coming from Hyde Park, it’s an easy detour. Most tourists stay on the main roads to look at Harrods. Don't do that. The real London is three streets over, tucked into the mews.
Actionable Tips for Your Visit
If you're planning to head to The Star Tavern Belgrave Mews, don't just show up and expect a seat at 6:00 PM on a Thursday. It gets packed.
- Book the Upstairs: If you have a group, try to reserve a table in the room where the robbery was planned. It has a different energy than the main bar.
- Check the Cask: Look at what’s on the hand-pulls. They often have guest ales that are better than the standard lager options.
- Look Up: Seriously. The plasterwork and the light fixtures are original or high-quality restorations. It’s a masterclass in Victorian pub design.
- Walk the Mews: Before you go in, walk the full length of Belgrave Mews West. It’s one of the most photographed streets in London for a reason.
- Sunday Roast: It’s one of the few places in Belgravia that feels "honest" about a Sunday roast. It’s popular with locals, so book ahead.
The Star Tavern isn't just a place to get a pint. It’s a survivor. In a city that is constantly being sold off to the highest bidder and turned into luxury glass boxes, this pub remains stubbornly itself. It’s a place of ghost stories, heist plans, and really good beer.
Whether you're there for the history or just a quiet place to read a book by the fire, you're stepping into a timeline that hasn't quite decided which century it belongs to yet. That’s the magic of it. It’s Belgravia’s secret living room, and it’s still open for business.
Go for the "Great Train Robbery" trivia. Stay for the fact that, despite the millionaires living next door, it still feels like a proper English local. That is the hardest trick for any pub to pull off in 2026, and the Star Tavern does it every single day.