Toast the City winner: The Rising Sun on what makes a great pub

Tuesday 05 May 2026 6:56 pm  |  Updated:  Tuesday 05 May 2026 7:01 pm

At the inaugural Toast the City Awards, one of the most amazing moments was seeing Sheila Dixon, one half of the husband and wife team behind City pub the Rising Sun, shed a tear as she collected our award for Best Boozer.

The Rising Sun is one of those pubs where everyone feels like a local – and that’s down to the love and care of its owners. We caught up with Sheila, who told us exactly what winning a Toast the City award meant to her and her staff.

“As a second generation family run independent pub, winning Best Boozer meant a huge amount to the team,” says Dixon. “Everyone at the Rising Sun wants to ensure every customer that walks through the door has a great experience and having that graft recognised put a spring in our step. The support of our loyal customers did it for us but it’s also been a pleasure seeing new faces popping in for a pint off the back of the win.”

The Rising Sun has served since the 1820s

The Rising Sun has been a City staple since the 1820s, so it’s seen the Square Mile evolve over the centuries. Dixon, who has been at the Rising Sun for 26 years, describes the workers of the City as “great fun to be around, they work hard and play hard”. She also praised City AM for being “the City’s local paper – its audience are the people we rely on to keep our business thriving.”

There are many things that make this pub stand apart from the competition: the amazing selection of drinks, the perfect little toastie menu, the staff who seem to genuinely care about working behind the bar. But Dixon also points to the canvas of its windows, upon which The Rising Sun commissions artists to create murals. What’s on there right now? A celebration of winning the Best Boozer Toast the City award. 

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“We have constantly changing artwork on the pub’s windows reflecting City life,” says Dixon. “Our Toast Award window has been a huge draw for new customers.”

This year we have invited last year’s winners from each category to return as judges – so while The Rising Sun can’t win for a second year on the trot, Dixon will help decide next year’s Best Boozer. She says her “neighbours at the Cockpit” pub are one of her top picks. And she should know.

Read more Toast the City Awards return bigger and better for 2026!

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