Pubs in England have always been the country’s greatest social equalizer—the one democratic place where everyone, from aristocrat to tradesman, congregates side by side for a cheeky pint. Some are more popular than others, boast better food, or have smarter interiors, but the one thing they have never been is fashionable.
That is, until four years ago, when an unassuming pub called the Pelican, which had quietly stood on the corner of a Notting Hill garden square since 1872, reopened its doors under the ownership of a newly formed company: the Public House Group. Within days, people were talking about it with the same frenzy usually reserved for London’s legendary Italian restaurant the River Cafe. People raved about the food, much of it sourced from regenerative farms, the young but outstanding staff, and the atmosphere, which pulsated nightly.
