Developers who demolished the historic pub without planning permission in April 2015 are fighting an enforcement order that demands the pub by "rebuilt brick by brick".
Read more about the Carlton Tavern:
Public inquiry to be launched for demolished pub
Carlton Tavern developers fight ruling it must be rebuilt brick by brick
Westminster City Council argues the levelling of the pub took place with no prior warning, no approval and no proper health and safety procedures in place.
Councillor Robert Davis said: "We stand shoulder to shoulder with the residents of Westminster in wanting to see the Carlton Tavern rebuilt brick by brick. The strength of feeling from the community is clear and the council has done all it can to support them in seeing this part of the city's special heritage reinstated.
"Throughout this unfortunate story, I have been committed to doing all I can to see the situation rectified. It is my sincere hope that this planning inquiry will help us do that and I look forward to hearing our case being put forward in the strongest possible terms by the council's officers, as well as by local people."
The inquiry will run for eight days but a spokesperson from the council told the Publican's Morning Advertiser (PMA) a decision was not expected for several months.
Despite being demolished, the Carlton Tavern was successfully listed as an asset of community value (ACV) earlier this year after head of city policy and strategy Barry Smith ruled the pub had "furthered the social wellbeing or interests of the local community in the recent past and would do again in the next five years".
He also said "no evidence" had been submitted to back up the developer's claims the pub had been experiencing a slump in sales.