please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Agree with Lezford....it's a problem with most pubs in Blackheath, better off in O'Neils.
MSE12 - 11 Mar 2018 10:05 |
Next to the station. London Pride cost £4.25 for a pint, but was dcent enough quality. Also had Doom Bar and HopStuff Session on draft. Right by station so handy for popping in if getting on/off a train. Busy, some lone commuters, but largely small groups of people in their 20s. Had to wait a minute to be servced, but they did have a sensible number of staff on. Anymore and they would have been colliding with each other/fighting over beer taps.
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It seems like I’m the only person that has reviewed the Railway in the last 18 months, so here we go again after another recent visit.
Our last pub on a Wednesday night, 2 of us arrived at 10.55pm for one last drink. It was pretty busy still.
5 ales on, I had a pint of the Hopback breweries Winter Lightening @ 5.5%.
Even though it was busy getting a space to stand wasn’t a problem.
The bell was promptly rung at 11.15pm and then within 10 minutes everyone was thrown out, pretty surprised as I thought the Railway was open later.
Still a decent pub in my opionon though my pal who lives in Blackheath hates the Railway with a passion…he has no idea !
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After the Princess of Wales I moved onto the Railway to meet my pal.
It’s been almost a year since I visited the Railway & it’s always been a favourite of mine in Blackheath.
5 hand pumps offering 4 ales and 1 real cider. I had a pint of My Generation Beer Co My Generation @ 4.2%, a new beer for me which was very well kept.
Busy just after 7pm with a good crowd, good quick and attentive service.
I do like the Railway.
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It’s been a few years since I’ve drank in Blackheath so I thought I would change that and have a 3 pub session one night last week.
First pub of the night was the rather convenient Railway, located as you would assume right next to Blackheath railway station.
This pub was made over around 10 years back from a normal fairly nondescript local to a Gastro-type pub. I used this pub many times over the years and at one time I was a regular.
Anyway back to the present day, 4 pumps on the bar offering a range of beers, I had a very decent pint from Great Heck brewery while my companion had a pint of Meantime’s Pale Ale. I know Blackheath is not cheap but I was still surprised that for 2 pints I only received change of 80p from £10.00.
It was just after 6.30pm and the place was half full, a few people in the garden enjoying the good weather.
Fine and decent enough pub my only gripe being against parents that allowed a rather annoying child run wild with her doll & push chair…in and out, slamming the door as she went….it’s a pub not a blinking nursery!
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This is one of the best pubs in the heath. Staff are good and serve you quickly, standard of beer and wine is decent and the roof garden is excellent.
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Surprised by the medium/low score. I love this place. Staff are adorable, food is great, atmosphere is always perfect, location is perfect and whenever we get good weather, they have a nice little roof terrace. Nice live sets or quiz nights, just a perfect pub in my eyes.
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By far the best pub in Blackheath. Really friendly and efficient staff and the manager is a legend. Had a large family gathering in the pub on a busy bank holiday Sunday and the staff couldn't have been more helpful. Our large group was catered for exceptionally well and at short notice. Everyone praised the food, service and location which made the special occasion even more special and memorable.
Our group were very impressed with the range of draught ales and we didn't find them expensive.
Wouldn't hesitate to recommend this pub to anyone and given the friendliness and efficiency of the staff I would much prefer to visit The Railway on a busy evening, than some of the other pubs in the area. The staff really made an effort (or maybe it just comes naturally) to make us feel really welcome and ensured we all had a great day. My experience of other pubs in the area is that the staff can be arrogant and complacent because of the location of the pub, mess up food orders etc, but it was very reassuring to visit The Railway and have everyone enjoy themselves without any problems. A huge thanks to the manager and his staff.
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I completely agree with race-faster. I live in Blackheath but now drink in Cutty Sark Wetherspoons as it is the only place you can get a decent pint at a decent price.
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Couldn't complain about finding a couple of new beers (for me) on tap - Copper Dragon (from Skipton) and a random one from Abergavenny (if memory serves right, although doubt it does) - plus perennial favourite Landlord.
The pay-off, though (no pun intended), is that the drinks are very expensive.
Visiting around 5.30pm on a Saturday, the place was already pretty busy, and was soon standing room-only. Music loud enough to make conversation slightly strained.
Also had the joy of having to shift tables, as once we'd sat down, someone came along with a 'reserved' sign.
Handy for the station but not somewhere I would spend huge amounts of time again.
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I know that place more than 10 years, good atmosphere but since the new manager walk in he doesn'n know to make the difference between good customers and bad people. So the pub is losing few customers fo Good.
kind Regards
Richard Vallery
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Yes the pub does have a selection of expensive real ales (3 when I last visited) but they always seem to taste dead and flat (3 visits now (total of 6 or 7 pints) - others seem to like the place). In fact this is the only pub where I have ever had a poor pint of Doombar. Can one assume that the rip-off lager is better kept.
They had a cider festival on last time I visited and I was shocked to see most pints costing nearly a fiver (topped out at �14 odd (I'm assuming/hope that was for a wine bottle of rare cider....)).
Feels like they have, successfully, gone for the All Bar One market, which is a shame. It seems a little as if its success comes from a lack of decent options in the locality (although I do like Zero Degrees for the concept and food).
Always been too busy when I've been in to notice the cleanliness. Suspect it isn't.
I have quite a few friends down this way and it is almost getting to the point where I don't want to go for a drink in Cutty Sark Greenwich or Blackheath because I'll just pay over the odds for a poor pint.
Overall (and I'm trying to think about their market, rather than what I want) it probably quite an attractive place to go an posture with an ipad.
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Pleasant enough place with a good selection of draft ales (Wandle, Landlord, Harvey's Bitter), albeit quite steeply priced I felt. Equally the food. Plenty of choice of burgers on the menu but all were off as the grill was broken. Staff seemed fine to me. Busy, even earlier on a Wednesday evening, likely with people dropping in for a pre or post train pint.
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Like a few other pubs in the area it suffers from having little kids in there crying/screaming etc. No probs with the saff, just some of the customers who can't appreciate that a pub should be a place for adults...can't they take their kids to starbucks.
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Worst pub in Blackheath. Awful staff who chat all the time and only serve the person directly in front of them. They genuinely look annoyed if you disturb their conversation in the hope of purchasing a drink. Poorly trained and obviously no cutomer service skills. I live round the corner and will never go back.
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I found the barmaid here to be friendly, but I was offered no apology for having to wait whilst she had some lengthy dealings with a delivery driver and I received the shortest measure on a Guinness that I have ever seen. It would be forgivable if it was poured by a chimpanzee, but she seemed to know how to work the bar so it was an attempt to rip me off.
There was a selection of premium lagers alongside Pride, Spitfire, Harveys Best and Adnams German Kolsch available during my visit.
There is a covered area out the back with some potted plants and also an advertised roof terrace that I did not visit.
I found this pub to be very pretentious and I would walk past if in the area again.
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Fairly pleasant place to have a few drinks during the week; not so keen on Saturday however - far too many pretentious types and too many young people.
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This pub has benefitted from some changes recently. It has a new management team, who seem to be really improving the place.
There is a lovely atmosphere every time I visit, the staff are always really friendly and the service is excellent.
I have eaten a few times in here now, and the food is delicious, i particularly like the sharing platters!!
I would definitely recommend this pub, really cool place to catch up with friends.
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This pub can be summed up as:
- great drinks selection
- above average food
- lousy staff
- lousy toilets
- sometimes feels more like a nursery than a pub due to selfish parents
- bad layout
- why is half the seating always reserved?
It has potential - the drinks selection is great. It has an outdoor non-smoking section (hooray!) which is enforced too. It is let down badly by poorly trained bar staff who can't multi-task, a very crowded bar (what's with the pillars and people standing blocking the bar chatting?).
The toilets are always abysmal. No soap (yes, I actually wash my hands after using the loo unlike most people in there...), wet floors, wet toilet roll everywhere (note - it's supposed to go in the toilet, not on the floor!). They really need to be inspected and cleaned hourly during busy periods.
These days we prefer The Princess of Wales.
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why do i keep giving this place a chance?
even when there are few people at the bar, they havent got a clue who is next to be served.
and then, when there are a good number waiting to be served, there is only one person serving at the bar.
really, really dreadful and so i give up.
I guess they wont miss my trade, but perhaps they should...
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Fair enough comments made already and I think this is the same people who have the Crown and Sceptre in W1 (same menu, similarly ridiculous amount of draft beers etc)
Far too prententious for its own good - I can stomach arrogance and posturing by a pub but only if it actually IS as good as it thinks it is. Too few staff on at busy periods means it can be untidy, slow and tiresome.
See also the PoW SE3...
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Couldn't agree more with 'curlysue'. The basics are indeed very wrong - even down to the fact that this is a pub and there's a bloke in the loo handing out crappy aftershave & chewing gum - on a SUNDAY NIGHT???
Why-o-why is this is happening to the boozers of Blighty!?!
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Have visited this place twice in the last two weeks and on each occasion have been struck by bar staff's determined avoidance to clear tables. Some punters even prepared to sit at tables with plates not cleared and piled with unfinished meals for more than hour. The place is simply not clean, waiting to be served at the bar with the whiff of the gents toilets behind me was hardly an inviting welcome. Why can't boozers like this get the basics right? Clear the tables, be happy to serve and clean the khazis regularly. Not much to ask if you are paying over three quid a pint. I think I'd much rather the smell of other people's fags than the stench of stale piss.
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Visited on a cold Sunday lunchtime and found the pub fine. The two beers that were on were both in good condition, and the food was (admittedly nachos) good. Would come back again.
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Nice enough place beerwise... gets pretty packed on Friday and Saturday nights. Only gripe are the (mostly) uppity staff. Proved most unhelpful in when I left my sunglasses there one night... they had them in lost property when I phoned the morning after; but one of them decided to help him/her self to them and then insulted me!
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"I think the big problem is that they sell everything a middle class woman might want, so there are too many choices and many of them involve the staff in complicated work in a bar area that is not that easy to work in" bradwan
That's the most accurate comment ever posted on BITE. I live near this pub and you can wait 10 minutes while the two girls in front decide what to have, wait for it and then pay by card. By this time four other people are at the bar and the barman hasn't got a danny who's turn next.
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Not a bad pub, visited on quietish nights albeit
very busy on fridays etc
lot of different beers on offer
bar staff seem friendly enough
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Having visited I have to say I liked it, even though the 'design' annoys me. You are clearly not meant to stand at the bar, so it is not easy for me to stick to it like a limpet, slowly sip my pint and talk: but I manage it. I even managed to sell a book to the best looking barmaid, and they are all a picture.
The beer is expensive, but is well kept. I think the big problem is that they sell everything a middle class woman might want, so there are too many choices and many of them involve the staff in complicated work in a bar area that is not that easy to work in.
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Having lived through servel incarnations of this place, the current one isn't that bad. There is a good selection of beer and larger, ok, it's not cheap, but your drinking in Blackheath village.
Good atmosphere, although rammed of a friday and sat night.
mrse1 - 10 Dec 2007 10:31 |
The times I have been here the service hasn't been as bad as some reviews might suggest. I did have to wait but the staff were friendly once serving me. Atmosphere OK and on friday nights the place is rammed. Not too sure about the music the DJ plays, pretty sure if you asked the punters in here what they thought of it 90% wouldn't like it.
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Friday evening (Oct 26th) and one finds themselves in Blackheath�s very own member of the railway pub group. Though, is it? No. Only in name, for you see, The Railway (though be it, nice enough) has nothing remotely railway like about it. As another reviewer pointed out, you�ll probably find few commuters in here. What you�ll find in here though, are the well-heeled Blackheath socialites, all looking as if they�ve stepped out of an expensive clothing catalogue. Both the young and the old, all seemed strangely alike. No workmen or labourers to be found in here. Anyway, tailing away from the clientele, the bar itself is well stocked. Several ales and a real cider were on offer (Young�s Bitter served in good nick) as well as some less familiar continental draft lagers. D�cor was modern and everything was very well presented. It was all rather comfortable and clean. Background music was pleasing enough also. There is a terrace where you can have a smoke, though I�ll leave that to be checked out another time. It may not be my idea of a station pub, but I found The Railway in Blackheath to be a good enough establishment for this reviewer to rest his tired bones
HTM69 - 29 Oct 2007 09:46 |
Fairly unimpressive. Good range of drinks, but restrictions on some foreign beers, whereby I was refused a pint, saying they were only served in half pints. Additionally, when I asked for the key to the disabled toilet, was told by a totally uninterested bar staff member that he 'couldn't find it. No effort made to look either - more interested in food orders.
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The beer is great, you will go a long way to top the budvar.
But, the service is appauling, the staff are more interested in chatting and any thought to recognising a bar queue is long gone!
nice place, but could be so much better!
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After vowing never to return, I found myself bursting at Blackheath station and the loo closed. I ended up in the Railway and feeling slightly guilty had a quick pint. I nearly had a heart attack... Good service from someone that could speak English. Shock horror! The pub still suffers from crap staff but there is at least one competent person behind the bar. The beer was suprisingly in good condition as well. Maybe management is finally starting to replace the plastic preening princesses with some real staff.
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The below from jane23 and scottie26 are the only posts either have ever made on B.I.T.E. and the only two positive recent posts about this pub. Anyone else suspious?
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I went there a few weekends ago and had a really nice time, the staff were really funny and gave me and my boyfriend table service for the best part of the night. Will defo be going back there, was such a laugh.
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Fantastic Sunday lunches, the best in Blackheath. Can get busy at the weekends but has a good atmosphere and there is a new roof terrace, fab on a sunny day. Visited last weekend and never encountered one rude member of staff!
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I was in this pub at the weekend was given a short pint with the head making it up to the pint. I complained and was told that was how it should be served. I was out for a quiet evening and didn't wish to get the manager etc but my advice, avoid this pub the Princess of Wales on Blackheath is much better!
anonymous - 8 May 2007 15:09 |
Horrendous food and service from the Railway Tavern in Blackheath last week. I visited the pub with some old friends, and surprised to find that this bar I used to visit regularly disappointed me in every way. Rude and aggressive manager, shepards pie without the meat (!), generally sub-standard food and then we are asked to leave after complaining. Such a shame for a pub that I used to really enjoy visiting. I thought this was an up-market �gastro-pub�, not a cheap boozer which happens to do second rate food�..Maybe its time to invest in a manager with some people skills and basic manners.
Rarely does poor service irritate me enough to warrant me writing a letter of complaint. This incident did.
anonymous - 5 May 2007 14:50 |
A top class old pub that was ruined by the money men years ago. AVOID!
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Very popular at weekends with the local youth. Not quite as wonderful as it thinks it is - some staff are fine but every now and then you get the classic surly skinny jeaned young ragamuffin who thinks he is doing you a huge favour by acknowledging your presence in the first place. I assume it is run by the same people that run the Gypsy Moth in Greenwich and Princess of Wales in BH as it wears the same sofa/flock wallpaper uniform.
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really nice food
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Heaving on a Sunday lunchtime, couldnt get a seat but number of people eating sunday lunch is testament to the quality of the food
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Great selection of wine and beer. Passable food, nothing special. Gets rammed Friday and Saturday nights - best avoid it then if that's not your thing. The bloke's toilets are a mess and they don't seem to be bothered smartening them up. Nevertheless, a nice place to spend a lazy Saturday afternoon.
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I'd like to be able to say we had a great night in the Railway last night. I'd like to be able to say we enjoyed several well cared for pints of various Belgian origins and some pre-Christmas champagne and dinner. I'd like to be able to say the service was excellent and the staff friendly.
Sadly I can say none of the above. After waiting for ages with only 2 of the 7 or so people behind the bar actually serving, and only 3 people waiting to be served it was my turn. What happened? Well one person serving decided to wander off, the other made a bee-line for her mate that had just walked up to the bar, and served him instead of the rest of us.
Instead of having a nice evening at the Railway, our group of 6 walked out and up the road to the Princess of Wales had a great evening, and dropped �300+ there instead.
None of us will be back. Pascal's review was dead accurate. Self absorbed zoolander staff, more interested in pouting and socialising with their mates than actually working.
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Does a great selection of beers and excellent food for a local pub if you can stomach the prices.
Bar staff are without exception zoolander types who spend too much time practising their pout and talking to one another, and not enough time serving beer, so it can take an age to get served, but once you actually get a pint (and there are plenty to choose from) it's a nice place to be. Lots of different wine to choose from too. For the ladies like.
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Went to this pub for the first time last week and was very impressed. Nice decor, seemed like a good mix of people, good laid-back tunes from the DJ, and to top it all off - Young's on draft. As we've just moved from Wandsworth, made me feel at home!
Mrs G gave her seal of approval as well - which is high praise indeed.
Benjy - 23 Oct 2006 20:21 |
My girlfriend and I came here on a Saturday night (21 Oct) around 8.30ish, given our local H-File. There was a bouncer on the door dressed very casually (well, I assumed he was another punter waiting for someone) limiting the number of people coming in, although once inside, there was plenty of room away from the bar. Getting a drink from the bar, however, did take a while. The second time I went to the bar, I was served marginally more quickly, though the bloke serving me almost gave my change to someone else and initially gave me a Magners without opening it! Magners and a Peronni came to around �6.50 I think.
The d�cor in this place is reminiscent of an art gallery and there was a good mix of men and women. Lyric-less music dominates in here, but no dance floor area if you want space to dance. The big pillars near the bar area take up quite a bit of room, so if you stand near the bar, you�re pretty much staying there other than venturing to the bar or toilets when busy. My girlfriend and I were able to get some seats at the front of the place and overall enjoyed ourselves.
I still think Blackheath Village generally is more a couple�s place at night though. The Railway therefore is not the ideal place I would like to be in on a Friday or Saturday night when out with the lads. Saying this, I did pop in here earlier before I went to the Charlton Watford game at 3. With Blackheath station virtually next door, it�s not a bad little pre-match boozer before moving onto Charlton if you�re not bothered about the place having no television screens showing football for instance.
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Refurb is....erm....interesting. Lots of kitch wallpaper, and has gone from being excessively dark to blindingly bright, and as Sid notes, a roof top garden that just opened last week. Did not feel like checking it out though, as it was cold and rainy (as you'd expect in late September). Also has a selection of board games, all of which seem to be missing vital pieces. The thinking behind the refurb seems to be "Hmmm....The Princess of Wales does well, let's copy them". The place is surely now the most pretentious pub in Blackheath, which let's face it, takes some effort.
Anyway, as much as I dislike the decor and clientelle, their draught beer selection almost makes up for it. Options include Leffe, Franzikaner, and Schneider Weisse for the guys, Belle-vue Kriek, Leiffman's Frambozen, and Fruilli for the ladies and fruity types. Ales include (at last sighting) Young's ordinary, TT's Landlord, and Green King IPA. Also has the usual psuedo "premium" beers in bottle (ex: Kirin, imported all the way from...erm...Shepherd Neame in Kent), but these are easily avoided with the draught options.
An acceptable place for a pint, if:
- you're leaving Blackheath station
- it's raining, you've got no umbrella, and want the first pub you can find, and
- you can tolerate people discussing how Pete Doherty is a poetic genius, and other trendy nonsense.
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Having moved to Blackheath recently and realised this was my local, I had to wait a week whilst it underwent refurbishment, but having gone there for the first time on Friday 15th, what a joy to see my two favourite beers (Franziskaner and Schneide-Weisse) on tap. On tap! At my local!
Very busy for a Friday but friendly clientele and not chav-ridden like I'd been led to believe about Blackheath of a weekend. I'll be back lots, I'm sure. Apparently they have a roof terrace opening, just in time for winter.
Oh, and no-smoking, according to the sign on the window, which I'm quite happy about, but others won't be...
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Now I have a thing about railway taverns. Every good station should have a pub next door called the Railway Tavern (or similar). Every commuter should make an effort to go to their Railway Tavern on a Friday after work before trudging home to his nagging wife and screaming kids. The pubs should be basic, smoky and serve a decent pint of cheap Real Ale. They should be largely a male bastion with conversations dominated by weekend football and tales of work journeys. They should not be used for a full evening session, just as an end of week wind down. This brings me to Blackheath�s very own member of the Railway pub fraternity. Having gone through more image and name changes than Prince, Bowie and Puff Daddy combined, they have reverted back to its Railway name. WHY? There is nothing remotely railway like about the place. They have done nothing to encapsulate its setting or past history. No railway pictures, no railway memorabilia, no timetables, no nameplates, no Flying Scostmans or Mallards puffing majestically over viaducts, no railway anything that a Railway pub should have. Probably not even a commuter inside. Instead we have a gloomy, purple walled, modern art gallery aimed at servicing the well heeled Blackheath socialites rather than the poor sods pouring out of London on the overpriced, cattle wagons that stop next door. On the plus side it is has friendly enough staff and does some decent beers (Adnams Broadside, Spitfire + a hefty Belgian beer 6.6%ther when I was there) and whilst I don�t have a problem drinking there if I have to meet someone, the pub is not befitting of a Railway Tavern. Now the Head of Steam at Euston and the Buffet Bar in Stalybridge are different animals altogether. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
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Always some top birds in here thought it can be a bit poncey, much better then the firkin that was a proper pit. I remember when someone had a crap on the bar.
Jamoo - 25 Nov 2005 12:05 |
Crawled here on Friday after hitting O'Neils. Another good busy atmosphere. Too bad you need a second mortgage for a pint of Frulii. Overall a good place for people spotting.
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Just want to say what a fantastic pub this is.It has the best staff and drinks range this side of London. It is always kicking and the manageress is always on the ball keeping the music, atmosphere and drinks range ahead of the game. This is the only place to be seen in Blackheth.
Keep up the good work your "THE BEST"
anonymous - 3 Oct 2005 20:42 |
So much better than the Firkin it replaced, although the staff have no idea what they are doing.
"What stout do you have?" was greeted with the response "We only do beer or wine."
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Well to all of you who can remember the old Firkin what can you say it's a complete transformation! the staff are great (and to the idiot commenting on the manageress you obviously don't have the intelligence to strike up a conversation with people otherwise you would realise how fabulous she is)and friendly and full credit to the manageress for getting it into shape it's by far the best pub in the area now especially since The Crown has become a nursery and O’Neil’s seems to be the new Chav headquarters!!, for a busy pub the service is always great and the food is amazing and with the late licence it's a really good night out.
anonymous - 20 Apr 2005 13:58 |
Great barmaids, especially the skin head with the great arse and pretty face!
The lanky, goofy, moody girl who seems to run the joint is the only let down service wise.
The clientele tends to be horsey looking women and men with too much hair gel but...during the day you will always have a copy of the daily newspaper available for your perusal which is more than can be said for McDonalds.
anonymous - 15 Apr 2005 23:20 |
People who drink here generally have a pathological fear of zebra crossings.
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The barmaid from Newcastle with the short dark hair is the sexiest woman I have ever met...absolute stunner!
Nice pub but very pricey and unfair to families.
anonymous - 25 Jan 2005 12:57 |
Perfect venue for a chilled out Satruday afternoon session. Just make sure that
a) You're not in a hurry to get a drink, cos the bar staff certainly ain't in a hurry to serve you
b) You take out a second mortgage before buying a round which includes any lager drinkers having to 'settle' for a pint of Hoegaarden cos there's nothing else for them.
c) You try the All-Day Breakfast. Five star grub. Five star prices.
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This bar is by far the best drinkary in the Blackheath area. The music is a cool mix of house and jazzy-sun kissed tunes. The drinks they have on tap are always superb - it's the only bar in the area who serves up Belgium beer on-tap! It wrecks my head, but that's a good think, what? The staff are great (even if they're not all sure how Belgium beer should be served - "pint sir or half"?). Only downside is the closing time...2300 is not late enough! I believe they are trying to sort a late license out. Come on Greenwich Council. Sort it out!
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Not a bad pub, but not a great one either. Service was generic from indifferent bored looking staff. Beer was decent though. A bit of a meat market on a thursday evening. The place was packed and really loud. Good atmosphere. Give me poseurs over chavs any day.
Andrew - 9 Nov 2004 16:48 |
Service was pretty crap. Full of people (most not from Blackheath) trying to be seen to be seen. How sad. Crown or O'Neils any day of the week over this place.
Paul - 21 Oct 2004 18:05 |
I suggest Ciaran, goes and takes another look at The Railway, since she/he hasn't been for a year, it really seems a bit pointless that they should be making any judgements at all. I think this place is great, good music and nice vibe through the week. Not a big fan of the Gypo though, so maybe it's just different strokes and all that.
nola - 25 Sep 2004 14:04 |
Apologies - I meant its the same team as the Gypsy Moth (and after a while they brough in the manager of the Admiral Hardy)...
Ciar�n - 24 Sep 2004 16:59 |
I had high hopes for this place when it opened; same brewery as the excellent Cutty Sark in Greenwich. But within weeks it was shiny shirts, crap house music and no soul. Haven't been since I left Blackheath last year - I hope for all the remaining locals that it has improved.
Ciar�n - 24 Sep 2004 16:58 |
I totally agree, what i cant believe is that noone else has tried to cash in on its success. There is definitely more room in Blackheath for pubs/bars like this. Keep out the 'townies' at the weekend and you'll score 10!
Phillipa - 14 Sep 2004 14:21 |
Best pub in Blackheath?.....best dam pub in south east london!!! The design of this place is cool without being up its own arse and the product range is really strong. The staff are sexy and obviously well trained and the recent change of management has done no harm to the place, if anything its been refreshing! Well done and keep it up!
berty boy - 9 Sep 2004 13:39 |
THE PUB IS REALLY KICKING AT WEEKENDS. I DONT GO ANYWHERE ELSE IN BLACKHEATH. THE OTHER PUBS JUST HAVENT GOT IT RIGHT THERE ALL FULL OF HORRIBLE TYPES. THE RAILWAY DOES SOME GREAT FOOD & DRINK. MY ADVICE IS DONT MISS IT!!!
HAPPY CHAPPY - 24 Aug 2004 19:33 |
Can't beat the bottled Belgian beer Liefmans Frambozen, there is also a couple of ales as well as Hoegarden and Leffe. At this moment the best pub in Blackheath IMHO.
michael - 20 Aug 2004 12:00 |
I've always found the bar staff very friendly and courteous not always the most efficient but who is? Good choice of beverages and very comfortable if a little dark. Nice looking people abound.
Mark - 23 Jul 2004 13:35 |
It could be one of the nicest pubs in Blackheath but the staff are rude and give short measures. I had to ask twice before the moody barmaid just about filled my glass to the line, and there certainly wasn't an apology. Then it happened again with a guy. But I have met nice people in there. Quite a few of the women dress for cocktails in Knightsbridge rather than a bottle of wine down the local. So good place for men as there girls are certainly looking for company.
nicola - 14 Jul 2004 18:01 |
This place is really kicking. I havent been for a while but it really has changed for the better. It used to be full of rough locals mostly loud males. It is female freindly & a cool place to relax. The service was the best in Blackheath. I love it
Jane - 5 Jul 2004 00:35 |
I like this pub, it's definately one of the nicest Castle pubs in London. The Gipsy Moth in Greenwich can only dream of being as nice as the railway. The staff are friendly and the service is amazing. Although it gets busy on Saturday nights, you're always served quickly and with a smile. I like it here!! 10/10
Charlotte Groves - 5 Jul 2004 00:27 |
This is a great pub. Superb service levels and excellent quality of product. Staff are friendly and very competent. Pub is always very clean. The Management there are spot on !
?? ?? - 29 Jun 2004 15:11 |
There was a massive improvement when they changed it from the Firkin back to the railway about three years ago, but i think it peaked last summer. The staff were all really cool and you could relax and have a relly good time. But since about september last year its been going down hill. I don't know what it is, but its lost something. Still one of the better pubs in blackheath though, but not the best.
buddy - 15 May 2004 11:18 |
Really like this pub. Dark and moody with a cool clientele. Bit narrow in the middle but suppose you can't really move the pillars!! Fast becoming our new local, and good news about the extension at weekends!
Kesty - 17 Feb 2004 17:17 |
Nice bar. Decor is dark, and cool. Smarter and (slightly) older crowd than most Blackheath pubs. Good range of funny foreign beers.
Andy Warrick - 28 Jan 2004 19:48 |
Not bad (compared to the other pubs in B'heath) but turn the music down! contrary what the 'djs' think it isn't a nightclub!
matt - 12 Nov 2003 13:40 |
This pub is basically alright - great atmosphere. Only problem is the music is a tad too loud on normal weekday nights.
Rob - 5 Nov 2003 13:58 |
Yes it was nicest when it was the Railway Tavern and the Firkin bunch totally firked it up as a pub. It is an improvement now it is the trendy style Railway and we have started going back in there again.
PS. (not particular to this pub specifically) I remember the good old days before that dancing prat Guinness advert when you got your Guinness poured in one. The difference by pouring half and then waiting for it to settle is minimal and then having to remind the barstaff who forgot they'd only half poured it is annoying. I wish they'd ask "would you like me to just pour it for you in one or have me f*ck about with it for 10 minutes?" so people like me can get at the beer quicker!
Tim - 5 Sep 2003 18:43 |
The pub has improved in the last few weeks (I even got a smile at the bar!). Pleasant on a week night, not tried it at the weekend yet. Could do with a bit more choice on the beer front though
Guy - 16 Jul 2003 13:21 |
The pub is now under new managment. I'm the manager and invite everyone who slated it in the past to pop in and give it another go. I promise my staff aint all miserable anymore!! We have DJ's on now and are due for a large investment...Now there is more than one good pub in Blackheath
Steve Keegan - 4 Jul 2003 16:08 |
Crud on tap. It looks like it's been bought by the same people who bought the Gipsy Moth in Greenwich.
But while they made a success of the Gipsy Moth, they've made a right pig's ear of this place.
It's too dark inside, the barstaff are clueless (pour that Guinness out in one? oh yes) and the music's too loud - you end up listening to that and braying fools who have just stepped off the train. A horror - avoid.
(Used to be the Railway Tavern - a cosy little boozer, and until the Firkin chain f***ed it up in the mid-90s - it had a great side bar in those days with a great jukebox. Sigh....)
Darryl - 20 Jun 2003 00:05 |
Bloody, bloody, BLOODY rude staff. Never going back! This is not what I want from a night out.
anonymous - 12 May 2003 11:25 |
Staff are too rude, especially the blonde young girl. They talk down at you. Hello... WHo works in a pub?!
Sasha O'Brien - 12 May 2003 01:06 |
No lighting at bar no beer pumps had to ask barman if they actually sold beer or was i in a brothel. Very tastefull set up twigs in vases and the like was this place done up by that llewelyn-Bowen bloke?
Dermot O'leary - 1 Apr 2003 13:02 |
Sorry but was has happened to this place. SixContinents have taken an OK pub and turned it into a toilet. Sorry but this place is a joke is it modelled on the Flame bar? The Refurbishments is truly terrible why no beer pumps, where is all the lighting,where has Sky TV gone?
arturo_morales - 18 Mar 2003 16:40 |
Quite nice; candles on low tables, clientele youngish and cool. Bar staff can be rude though. Any reasonable drinking establishment in this area does get busy later in the evening so you need to arrive a bit earlier to secure a seat.
anonymous - 4 Mar 2003 16:16 |
Not bad at all. A decent enough atmosphere and good for a chilled night.
anonymous - 16 Jan 2003 09:56 |
This place seems to be getting more and more popular. Went there last night and it was packed by 8pm (apart from the seats near the doors onto the patio, cos they're really draughty and not pleasant when it's freezing outside).
mike - 19 Dec 2002 14:13 |
Great beers, good atmosphere. What more do u want???
Chris - 20 Sep 2002 16:41 |
Happened upon it by accident on opening night (looking for the Firkin...) - very busy and full of the beautiful people of Blackheath. Black Sambuca is a killer though!
Pauly H - 27 Aug 2002 10:49 |
I would imagine it's nicer during the week. It was quiet when we got in at 7:30ish on a Friday, but really packed later on.
Clare - 17 Aug 2002 11:35 |
