please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Not a bad little pub with an interesting downstairs made up of little alcoves. Although the beer is not bad the problem is getting it, service, even when it's not that busy, can be awful.
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Decent enough boozer, although overshadowed by better places in the nearby facility.
My Pride was OK, there's a selection of slightly exotic overseas lagers, and the stained glass windows are a nice touch. Punters were lively but friendly and the atmosphere was good for a Saturday.
Worth a quick half or two, but I think there's better to be had within 10 minutes walk.
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M & B pub, the sort with foreign beer on tap and a small range of real ale. In this case we had Harvey's Best, Black Sheep Bitter and Pride. Also had Old Rosie, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and Franziskaner on draught. We turned up about 11.30 on Saturday, busy as you would expect being next to Borough market and with a pre football crowd. Service wasn't quick. Overall not bad and worth a visit.
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Great little pub so close to everything that is so awfully touristy.
good food and beers. bonus factor is the cellar bar. very good for cosy cold sunday afernoons. you can wile away the time without it even realising. make sure you reserve an area.
Service is average to painfully slow, however, regretful and friendly.
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Not a bad pub. The service wasn't slow particularly, but I was there later on and three staff seemed plenty. Enjoyed the music, and the bar staff found out what one of the tunes was for me. May go back if I'm in the area. The Adnams was past it's best but the London Pride was fine.
kchef - 19 Mar 2008 19:37 |
Could be an excellent pub, as several others have said, and the beer is usually in good order, but i'm also marking it down badly for the terrible slow service.
mps77 - 11 Mar 2008 12:43 |
What should be a great pub - good beer, food and clientele - is let down by the hopelessly slow service at the bar as soon as it gets slightly busy. A great relaxing place to be on a weekend afternoon, but a frustrating experience for a post-work drink.
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In here at 4pm on a Sunday afternoon. The bar staff were speedy and friendly although the kitchen was closed for an unnanounced hour so we couldn't order food. The Harvey's Sussex Best was in good condition and we found the only empty table downstairs.
The cellar bar was filthy - stacks of dirty lunch plates and empty glasses left on many tables and sticky messes where drinks had been spilled.
The manager could do with a kick up the rear and the brewery could put their hand in their pocket to buy some paint for the basement bar - it was very shoddy.
All in all, not the place to spend a relaxing Sunday afternoon.
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Decent enough boozer, but the service is terrible, went elsewhere after waiting forever watching two staff struggling and not able to work out who was next.
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Big pub, with friendly doorman. Nooks and crannys can be found downstairs. Good range of beers, but a bit slow on the service. Good tunes while I was in there too, "I Get Lifted" by KC & The Sunshine Band, TUNE! Toilets are bit too cosy in the urinal dept, (nobody uses the middle one, unless you want to rub shoulders with each person on either side). Hand dryer doesn't work.
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It was a good old fashioned pub, packed with a good crowd on a Friday Night, but there was only one and a half persons serving. When I was served I got a nice pint of Sussex best
anonymous - 10 Nov 2007 02:18 |
I like the pubs in this area,none are outstanding but most you feel comfortable in.The Southwalk Tavern is no exception.It has a very relaxed feel an some unusual seating downstairs.
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Ok, there are better pubs in the area
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This little diamond was my wateringhole for many a year. It used to open at 6am for the market staff and was a great livener before going to work. I will go back soon to see if its changed but although it looks a really rough area is a great place. Just for the memories alone I will rate it a 9 out of ten.
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Busy, and not exactly upmarket in terms of decor, but plenty of choice with a wide range of continental lagers and several real ales on draught.
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Went to this pub on Monday night for dinner. I chose this place because I went here for a couple of pints a few years ago and remembered that it had a good atmosphere.
I was not disappointed on my return. For a monday it was still fairly busy, but if you go down stairs there are more seats and great little booths.
The food here was great. I had the prok chop wiht mash and my girlfriend had the lamb burger. Both were cooked to near perfection! the Prok meat was not dry at all, though the Mash could have been a bit thicker. As for the lamb, that was pretty good too.
All in all, i would definitely suggest popping into this place, but avoid on the Friday/Saturday nights.
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I have only ever used this Pub on Saturday Lunchtimes, but really liked it.
This is the meeting pub for a small group of Football Supporters for all our London away games, and the whole group love it!
We originally were looking for the Market Porter down the road, but it did not open early enough, so found this pub, and pleased we did.
We like our Real Beers, and the choice is excellent, and the quality was fine.
The food was very reasonably priced too, and the bar downstairs was an excellent hideaway if upstairs gets busy.
I can only rate it on the Lunchtime experience, but will use this pub every London away game!
yep, love it!
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A very good place when it's not too busy, pretty woeful when it's packed. Not sure whether the gaffer hires too few bar staff to keep down costs, but the queues are ridiculous on busy evenings and I suspect drive people to other local venues. Food is pretty good, though.
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I paid a visit to The Southwark Tavern when in the area with my girlfriend last Saturday (March 17th) and was admittedly, a little unsure as to what to expect from this seemingly lively pub on a Saturday night. Indeed, it was extremely busy, yet possible to find seats (well, stools) and I personally was comfortable enough. I found the music to be dull and repetitive however, but by partaking in good conversation, I managed to overlook this. The atmosphere was pleasant though. I can’t report on the state of the interior too much due to the busyness, but can gladly report that there is a fine selection of lagers available. Budweiser Budvar, Heineken, Saropramen, Amstel (and there were others too) were all available on tap as well as pleasingly, an ale or two. I think this a decent enough place on its own and if excellent nearby pubs such as The Market Porter are just a little too packed, then unless you really are an ale buff, then I think here is more than okay as an alternative. Recommended.
HTM69 - 19 Mar 2007 13:56 |
A gloomy, indifferent corner location pub with a curved wall on the corner. Three casks and twelve kegs including Leffe, Franziskaner, Kirrin, Budvar & Belle Vue. The place is a bit run down and dingy. It's more down to earth than rough, though it does attract noisy customers. It's a smoky, packed, unpretentious place. One of the least attractive pubs in the area.
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this is a great pub.
like most pubs in the area it doe get busy - but for a reason, it's great.
they have fruli on tap which is very tasty and you can get a mean cherry beer!
good for after work as close to the tube / train.
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good snugs downstairs, used to be holding for bedlam don't you know. firey cider on tap when I was in that soon ran out, 7.0% i think it was, tasted like cloudy apple juice. tunes were indeed spot on. publican hangs around with dodgy types though. heard a great joke in there too - what do you call a bloke with no shins? tony. that's the mark of a good pub that is.
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Place is great.
Food has improved alot and its got more daring with 'fish of the day' instead of 'fish fingers for the day'
Music bang on but could do with changing that horrible wall paper on the back wall. Hidden Booths downstairs had TVs in that you could control but someone had stolen the remote from ours so had to change channels the old way.
Beers are good with three ales on when i was in.
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Very busy and very loud – well, one particularly loud table of drunkards. The service was not the best, with the staff deploying the old “who’s next?” question to a sea of thirsty drinkers rather than actually keeping track of the customers. Luckily in this instance, the other punters were well-mannered enough to indicate who was before them.
They only had Pride (dull), although I almost missed the Caledonian Fully Monty. Luckily I didn’t and it was excellent, although one niggle would be that it tasted like a slightly heavier Deuchars rather than a distinctive beer in its own right.
Still, it is not a stand-out place. As with many of the pubs in the London Bridge vicinity on this board (The George and The Market Porter being prime examples), this place is not bad, but does not deserve such an above average score.
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I like this place. It’s old features have been largely retained whilst the bar area has been sympathetically modernised. On m last visit they served an excellent pint of guest ale Caledonian Full Monty. The staff were very helpful. After asking the strength of the beer the barmaid went to find out then came and found me with the answer. Good potato wedges and olives too. My only complaint is with regards to the un-necessary DJ. No-one seemed bothered that he was there and although he was spinning some good tunes does a pub really need a DJ on a Thursday night?
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Good pint of Greene King IPA
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good pub, nice arrangement downstairs with hideaway seats for private conversations/groups. idea lfor a quiet-ish drink. only down side is it was quite understaffed when i went here so slow service.
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There is a really good Pub Quiz held on a Tuesday night. It's held downstairs and the whole area is used just for the quiz so nobody can get in your way. The quiz hosts are really great fun and there's a great variation of Questions, particurly like the Music intro rounds. Lots of prizes too, the first place prize is usually over £100. Strongly recommend trying it out!
anonymous - 24 Jul 2006 21:19 |
Had a good night here last Saturday - very good music, pretty cool customers, good staff. Pleasantly busy but not at all packed (I did leave at about 1030pm if that makes a difference). Didn't realise there are booths downstairs... I'll try them next time.
anonymous - 24 Jul 2006 17:47 |
The beer selection is excellent here, both on draught and in bottles. Check your best-by dates if you buy a bottle though - got an Erdinger Dunkel that was 6 months out of date once. I don't think they're great at stock rotation in the fridges (new bottles at the front, old at the back).
The cells downstairs are good in that you can seperate yourself from the often pretentious crowd. Plus I love the irony of buying a round in this place, and then drinking it in a former debtors prison.
Unclear why they have a DJ upstairs though, when it's nigh on impossible to move.
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Very good, downstairs is a lot nicer than the madness that is the ground floor. Beer great and food middling when we went.
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Nice ale and gr8 food. Had a delicious steak pie here, realy really nice.
Well Recommended
My Rating 8/10
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My visit to this pub was a disappointment! Friends had suggested it because of the cosy booths downstairs, which were fun and non smoking - always a preference! However the food was dismal. I appreciate that it was a Sunday and there was a warning about long waiting times...but they didn't warn of burnt, cold or uncooked food! The staff were friendly and apologetic and the replacement food was ok - but I'm definitely not going back for seconds. A shame really as other than that, the pub would have been worth a visit.
anonymous - 1 May 2006 16:26 |
Do not sing football songs on your birthday in this pub ..... "Jay Bothroyd" may have "hemorrhoids" but that is still no excuse. I also regret dropping my kaks, sorry I just couldn't help myself.
p.s. the Den-like caves downstairs are superb for excessive supping.
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Lovely atmospheric boozer. May become a victim of it own sucess as its constantly rammed to the point of discomfort.
Great selection of reasonably priced beer. Staff are also friendly- always willing to provide a 'sneaky' half at 11pm
anonymous - 7 Feb 2006 17:24 |
You can't compare this place to the market porter et al. Those are more traditional pubs serving an older, quieter crowd that is probably into real ale, a quiet chat and maybe a go on the quiz machine. The Southwark's pitch is at a younger, trendier crowd and it gets it right in my opinion. Fantastic looking place for starters. Good, interesting food. Young good looking staff. Fun quiz. Great place to relax off a hangover with a bit of hair of the dog on a Sunday morning. Love it - you should love it too.
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Relaxed atmosphere, passable wifebeater and cosy booths downstairs to make more discreet acquaintance.
Went here on a Sunday night and heard some top-drawer Mayfield, Monk, Clinton etc. Didn't get lucky- although more likely because it was school night, so don't let that put you off.
Don't agree with JohnBonser about the Bunch of Grapes being better; they're both excellent venues.
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What planet are you on, Mr Esty ?
The Market Porter, Wheatsheaf, Buch of Grapes, Globe, and even the Barrow Boy and Banker are all in a different league to this place
Still, everyone to their own !
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Probably the best bar in the area. A good selection of draught largers, bottled beers and wines. A good mixed crowd with a lively atmosphere and love the 70's wallpaper!
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Good pub for afterwork beers, can get a bit too crowded on occassions. Great selection of Lagers and the food looks quite good as well. very different since the refurb and attracts a young crowd most evenings - good pub.
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This pub actually has a better range of lagers nowadays than its more 'authentic' neighbours. It also has a few real ales, which is more than most pubs have. The DJ on Sundays and Mondays is the most cheerfully old-fashioned beardy drunk I've ever seen.
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Handy location and I've had some great lunchtime drinks and evenings out in this place. It has attracted a very different crowd since the refurb (become one of these poshed up pubs now), but it has still managed to grow on me again.
Excellent for meeting up for a couple of drinks before heading on into town, good to mull around upstairs during a summers day, great for small groups to chill out downstairs of an evening (if you can get seats or a booth), had a really decent late breakfast with some old mates here the other weekend ... and I just try to avoid the dj nights.
Give this place a late licence, and I'd be relaxing here with friends nearly every night.
DaveK - 17 Jun 2005 13:34 |
I suspect this pub can get very packed though it never has been too busy when I've been in. The staff were pretty good, the beer range is excellent - for instance three handpump beers, all previous Champion Beer of Britain winners plus Koelsch, Hoegaarden and a fruit wheat beer on tap. The lagers were better than the usual with Staropramen and Budvar in addition to the Amstel. The pub doesn't look too promising from the outside but is well worth a visit
anonymous - 4 Jun 2005 08:27 |
Fairly decent but trendy pub. Staff are not up to much - there seems to be a high turnover so a lot who are just being trained up. Excellent selection of bottled trappist/Belgian beers. Food is OK, and they do just about the best Sunday roast I've had in a pub, for about £8.50. Ask for horseradish. They've also introduced a few real ales on regular rotation. Nice little private cubbies in basement area. We do the pub quiz on Tuesdays, which is very popular so good prize money (£2 per person, winner takes all, prize regularly exceeds £120). However the music intro round is always far too hard and we lose on that. We use it in preference to the fairly shoddy boozers next to the river in the area, but there are better and cheaper real ale pubs about, e.g. Royal Oak and Lord Clyde.
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Worth going if you like a pint of Frulli (virtually snakebite and black). Have watched football here with good view of TV and sofa to perch on. Will go again.
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This pub is alright, nothing vastly special - some pretty decent cask ales on when i visited. Fairly generic pub with lots of trendy types and tourists in - i believe they do a fair amoutn of food too. Would consider going back if i was i the area
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Went there today - a Sunday. Nice place, never waited to be served, chilled music from the DJ.
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Agree with John's comments - there are far better pubs in the immediate vicinity.
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Table footie, friendly staff, selection of beer.. what more can you ask for?
Though it used to be hard to get served its now alot better, new manager doing a good job.
Marcus - 18 Nov 2004 10:12 |
Spoilt by being "tarted up". There are so many better pubs than this within easy walking distance, I can't see myself going in here ever again. This is a good area for pubs and The Southwark Tavern just isn't in the same league as them
John - 29 Oct 2004 17:41 |
Fantastic looking pub with poor service and waste of space staff. This place is great for chilling out on a Sunday afternoon, but any other time of the week it's dull and pretentious. And as for the staff and management - they need to re-position their feet firmly on the ground! Over-priced beer and under-friendly gaff. Come back down to earth Southwark Tavern... your time is up!
cheeky charlie - 19 Oct 2004 13:43 |
Nice pub if you can ever get served.
R - 7 Apr 2004 13:29 |
The place has a nice feel too it, the little booths downstairs being great for get togethers. The quiz on tuesday nights is a good laugh as well, but get there early or you won't get a seat.
Keif - 22 Jan 2004 13:54 |
Brilliant. Bar staff are OK depending on their mood, the Scottish guy who looks like Leo Di Caprio is a good lad. Mixes things up a bit - vastly different atmosphere depending on whether you're downstairs in the vaults or up in the main bar, and replaces the table football with a DJ on weekends. Also holds the current British world record for squeezing three urinals into the narrowest possible area of wall. OK music and good (sometimes excellent) food. Best pub in an area of town well served by boozers (see the George or the Blue Eyed Maid - the latter does not yet appear on this site)/
Matt - 12 Jan 2004 13:09 |
nice place. especially like the booths downstairs. Nice in a traditional sense with a small touch of modernity. mmmm
Jim - 4 Jan 2004 17:42 |
Good pub - lots of beer choice, tasty evening menu and great quiz on Tuesdays! Definitely recommended although it gets very busy so get there early! :)
Jo W - 3 Dec 2003 16:13 |
Despite it being 'tarted up' recently by new management, you can still have a good relaxed drink here. Music varies, food options look good, a fair pint and some good secluded booths downstairs in which to while the evenings away with close company. New management bar staff are more sullen and detached but the women are far cuter.
DaveK - 25 Apr 2003 15:42 |
