Summer is here, and although it’s not yet as hot as we’d like it, we’re looking to cling on to every moment of sunshine and if we get the chance to sit outside, we’re going to! We all love to sit outside with friend’s in the summer and eat and drink, so we’ve done our research, and here are what we consider to be the top beer gardens in London this year, for all sorts of reasons.

The Faltering Fullback, Finsbury Park, N4 3HB

The Fullback is a gorgeous little Irish Pub, tucked away on Perth Road in Finsbury Park. Inside it’s a typical old fashioned pub with a few additional touches, such as the mad stuff hanging on the ceiling, but the garden here is the real star. It is absolute cuteness, with various levels of seating right up to the tree-house sections, foliage and flowers everywhere and a beautifully secret feel. Hard to explain…but I recommend you drop in and see for yourself. It has a treehouse. And a jukebox. And Thai and Irish food. What else do you want? Love love LOVE.

• 19 Perth Road, Finsbury Park, London, N4 3HB |  0207 272 5834

The Ranelagh, Bounds Green, N11 2EU

The Ranelagh is a large pub up in Bounds Green, with a traditional feel and 12 real ales on tap – giving it a real local feel. The two-tiered beer garden is spacious and there are plenty of heaters when it starts to turn a bit colder, and they introduce new drinks in the summer to mix things up a little. Good selection of board games too…and live music on certain evenings.

The Stag, Hampstead, NW3 2QU

This great spot on Fleet Road, Hampstead, is absolutely perfect for an afternoon in the sun. We discovered it over Bank Holiday weekend, and it has everything you need – plenty of space with adequate seating, including 8 booths and scattered picnic tables. There’s an outside bar, a BBQ serving good food and live acts outside too. There’s no grass here, just pebbles/gravel with hanging greenery for colour, but that’s fine – all the better for hay-fever sufferers! It’s about a 10 minute stroll to the tube station, so maybe a taxi ride home if you’ve been enjoying yourself all day.

• The Stag, 67 Fleet Road, London, NW3 2QU | 020 7722 2646

Freemasons Arms, Hampstead, NW3 1NT

This was one of my favourite places last summer. Along with a few different outside areas, including dining tables at the front, a patio and then large garden area out the back, they also do some delicious food (the lasagne was one of my favourites. Scrumptious). Inside, there’s a bar and then a more formal restaurant section, and they also have a traditional skittles club, if that’s your thing! Despite the amount of tables, it’s always busy so a good idea to reserve a table if you know you’re coming in advance, or you may have a little bit of a wait. Situated on Downshire Hill, this is a little bit out of the way from the nearest tube, but it’s great place to enjoy a chilled glass of wine when the sunshine greets us. Love it here.

• The Freemasons Arms, Downshire Hill, Hampstead Heath, London, NW3 1NT | 0207 433 6811

The Garden Gate, Hampstead, NW3 2QE

Our final stop off in Hampstead, this time just a moment away from Hampstead Heath Station on South End Road. Always popular and ever hard to get a table, The Garden Gate has a great vibe and is one of North London’s most popular outside drinking spaces. There are undercover and heated areas and a great BBQ/Hog Roast at weekends. Good selection of ales, or whatever you fancy, really.

• The Garden Gate, 14 South End Road, London NW3 2QE | 020 7435 4938

The Black Lion, West Hampstead, NW6 1RD

I haven’t been to the Lion since it was refurbished, but they’ve done quite a lot of work by all accounts, and I liked the outside space there anyway, even if inside did need a tidy. The garden (with heaters) is a great spot for after work drinks or lazy weekend boozing, and the pub itself is apparently much nicer now too. I’ll stop by and report back on the changes first hand soon, but friends who have been say it’s good. The food is seasonal, so the menu is ever changing, but you can always expect the quality to be good. The Manager here, Martin, used to be at The NLT in Kilburn, and is a jolly nice man indeed. The pub will be showing the Olympics in HD over the Summer. A definite winner if you’re in the area. (Will update photo with one of the garden when I visit)

• The Black Lion, 295 West End Lane, London NW6 1RD | 020 7435 4389

The Adelaide, Primrose Hill, NW3 3NL

I found The Adelaide last year by accident when I got a bit lost, and stopped for a drink or too. The pub itself is OK and gets quite lively, although it’s not the fanciest pub on the list. The garden though, is huge…one of the biggest in West London…and is great for Summer functions for up to 500 (inside and out) with the garden itself holding up to 150. If size matters to you, this is a great option.

The Edinboro’ Castle, Camden, NW1 7RU

One of the more famous gardens in London, this huge outside space, just a short walk from Regent’s Park holds up to 300 people, and does it well. Plenty of tables, fairy lights (I’m a sucker for a fairy light), heaters and a regular BBQ/hog-roast, The Castle has some good food (changes with the seasons) and a great beer menu too, with a host of speciality ales. Great location and the perfect option for after a browse at the markets on a weekend.

• The Edinboro Castle, 57 Mornington Terrace, London, NW1 7RU | 0207 255 9651

The Colonel Fawcett (ex Camden Arms), Camden, NW1 0SS

Now, I haven’t been to the Colonel Fawcett, but the lovely @miss_ellamac recommended it after a visit tonight – and the photos I’ve seen make it well worthy of an inclusion! I’ve done a fair amunt of research here and it seems the food is most definitely something to write home about, plus they have over 20 varieties of Gin, so are doing OK in my book. The pub is done really nicely, with solid oak tables and a chic country feel, with gorgeous teal blue walls and quaint touches. There’s outdoor space at both the front and back, and apparently the garden is lovely with teal walls. We’ll be down to check it out ourselves as soon as possible – as this will be the Colonel Fawcett’s first summer. The doors only opened in this guise in October 2011. Get in there first!

• 1 Randolph Street, Camden, NW1 0SS | 020 7267 9829

The Eagle, Shepherds Bush, W12 9AZ

Part of The Geronimo Group, The Eagle is beautifully done. Inside, the decor is luxe and stylish and outside? Amazing. There is seating around the outside and a perfect lawn area in the middle with huge squidgy cushions to laze around on, and giant jenga to play if lazing gets too much for you. GIANT JENGA? We need to know no more.

• The Eagle, 215 Askew Road, Shepard’s Bush, London W12 9AZ | 020 8746 0046

The Hampshire Hog, Hammersmith, W6 9JT

Everyone (including Sienna Miller & Jamie Oliver) loved The Engineer in Primrose Hill, and it was with great sadness that it closed in it’s old format last year to be turned into a chain pub. However, the long-standing team behind the old favourite didn’t waste any time in starting out on a new venture, and last October, The Hampshire Hog Pub & Pantry was born. With a well-established team and fantastic reputation behind them, The Hog is bound to be as popular as it’s predecessor. There’s a lovely garden in which to enjoy the tasty food and well selected drinks, and the interior is absolutely beautiful too.

• The Hampshire Hog, 227 King Street, London W6 9JT | 020 8748 3391

What do you think? Do you know of any other gems we should include? Please do comment below if you have any you think should be added to the list, we’re always looking for