South East London pub guide - information about pubs and bars in South East London # beerintheevening.com

South East London pub and bar guide

Here's a guide to the pubs and bars of South East London - good or bad, we bring you the most talked about venues and the places you have to visit at least once. We've included a few user reviews, to give you an idea of what to expect when you get there. Or you can follow the links to see full details and all reviews for each pub.

The Market Porter, Borough

Address: 9 Stoney Street, Borough Market, London, SE1 9AA
Phone: 020 7407 2495
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Nearest tube stations: London Bridge (0.2 miles), Borough (0.3 miles), Cannon Street (0.5 miles)

Nearest DLR stations: Bank (0.6 miles), Tower Gateway (0.9 miles)

Nearest train stations: London Bridge (0.2 miles), Cannon Street (0.5 miles), Blackfriars (0.7 miles)

Reviews by BITE users:

stunning range of beers, staff quick and efficent, all ales tried were in good to very good nick, not homely but a great pub that's always worth a visit

12 Jun 2011 11:03

A classic pub in the heart of the Borough market. Packed most evenings but the quality of the numerous beers outweighs this. If you dont mind a plastic glass you are welcome to drink in the street/maket outside. Well worth checking out if youre in the London Bridge area.

9 May 2011 23:23

Great pub, good beer and a good atmosphere.

Just wish they could sort the bogs out.

5 May 2011 21:24

The Royal Oak, Borough

Address: 44 Tabard Street, Borough, London, SE1 4JU
Phone: 020 7357 7173
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Nearest tube stations: Borough (0.1 miles), London Bridge (0.4 miles), Elephant and Castle (0.6 miles)

Nearest train stations: London Bridge (0.4 miles), Elephant & Castle (0.6 miles), Cannon Street (0.8 miles)

Reviews by BITE users:

Frank and John are still in charge for the foreseeable future. Standards of beer, food and service remain as high as ever.

15 Jan 2011 10:23

So have the landlords moved on - or not? Returned to the Royal Oak last night after a couple of months away but didn't see them, and didn't recognise any of the bar staff.

Re the pub, as always the Royal Oak was great - tasty beer and tasty food. There was no music but just the sound of conversation - lots of it as the pub was extremely busy.

15 Jan 2011 07:45

It's good to find a Harveys pub in Borough and the Royal Oak is a very smart little Harveys pub.
Decent atmosphere, fairly busy and well worth visiting.

31 Dec 2010 08:26

The Grape and Grain, Crystal Palace

Address: Anerley Hill, Crystal Palace, London, SE19 2TF
Phone: 020 8778 8211
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Nearest train stations: Crystal Palace (0.3 miles), Gipsy Hill (0.5 miles), Anerley (0.7 miles)

Reviews by BITE users:

Good pub, friendly staff and good selection of well kept beer. Been going here for the last 6 months and can't recommend highly enough

6 Feb 2011 22:31

Large modern styled pub.

Impressed with the range of ciders ... Aspalls, Westons and Westons Ice. I'd never seen Westons Ice, before. It's basically a cider Slush Puppy, but very nice indeed. Would be a great Summer drink.

The timer on the Bar Billiards lasts nearly double the time of a normal table, so be prepared for a long game lasting well over 15 minutes.

I'm sure the low rating for this pub will increase pretty quickly.

Very decent pub.

17 Jan 2011 09:31

And a PS to my post of 17 December: the beams are covered in beer mats and when I asked the guy behind the bar whether this was just somebody's private collection he said No, every one of the beers on the mats had previously been on the pump. Quite an achievment!

14 Jan 2011 15:38

Kings Arms, Borough

Address: 65, Newcomen St, Borough, London, SE1 1YT
Phone: 020 7407 1132
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Nearest tube stations: Borough (0.2 miles), London Bridge (0.3 miles), Cannon Street (0.6 miles)

Nearest DLR station: Bank (0.8 miles)

Nearest train stations: London Bridge (0.3 miles), Cannon Street (0.6 miles), Elephant & Castle (0.7 miles)

Reviews by BITE users:

Would echo the previous 2 poster's comments. The regulars are a real friendly bunch too. A discreet hidden little gem of a boozer, but don't tell anyone... oh shit, I have!

15 Jan 2011 15:12

Hesitate to say anything good about The Kings Arms for fear of ruining its key advantages in this location - it's quiet and not faddish or touristy and makes a good bolt hole when you want to forget your stresses or have a conversation and decent beer. A lovely, traditional pub with friendly owners and staff. Wish it was round the corner from where I live!

7 Jan 2011 19:26

Generally more quiet than other pubs around London Bridge Station, with a nice traditional air that hasn't made any concessions to loud, soulless modernity. The beer is excellent, if a bit limited in choice - but with Harvey's and Doom Bar plus Courage Best, that choice could be a hell of a lot worse, as we all know to our cost. Staff are friendly and the punters don't impinge in any negative way.
Highly recommended for a quick drink if passing or a few pints if a nice wee session is called for away from the madding crowds...

7 Jan 2011 14:48

Trafalgar Tavern, Greenwich

Address: Park Row, Greenwich, London, SE10 9NW
Phone: 020 8858 2437
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Nearest DLR stations: Cutty Sark (0.3 miles), Island Gardens (0.3 miles), Mudchute (0.6 miles)

Nearest train stations: Maze Hill (0.3 miles), Greenwich (0.7 miles), Westcombe Park (1 mile)

Reviews by BITE users:

Can't stand pubs that have over 50% of the ground floor laid out for dining!

14 Feb 2011 12:54

Called in on NYD during a mini crawl of Greenwich. Busy place catering for tourists and the food trade.
Fine selection of well kept beers.

3 Jan 2011 13:36

Tourist restaurant masquerading as a pub. I thought pubs were for drinking in but over half the place was shut yesterday afternoon for non-existant diners, I must be wrong. Could be a good pub if the management buck up their ideas but at the moment, it seems to cater for tourists (i.e. give you rubbish service once in the likelihood that you won't be back). I'm not a tourist but I won't be back.

3 Jan 2011 10:03

The Horniman at Hays, Southwark

Address: Hay's Galleria, Tooley St, London, SE1 2HU
Phone: 020 7407 1991
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Nearest tube stations: London Bridge (0.2 miles), Tower Hill (0.4 miles), Monument (0.4 miles)

Nearest DLR stations: Tower Gateway (0.5 miles), Bank (0.6 miles)

Nearest train stations: London Bridge (0.2 miles), Fenchurch Street (0.4 miles), Cannon Street (0.6 miles)

Reviews by BITE users:

Busy last evening and many of the hand pumps were actually working. There were no rules about where to queue and everyone seemed to get served fairly quickly - so maybe Stevepb's complaints have done some good.

15 Jan 2011 07:36

I've been in here- vast expanse of a place in which hoardes of dazed foreigners abound wondering why britiain is the only country in the world outside the british isles with no waiter service- ages to wait to get served and if the staff spoke english it might help them to provide a more welcoming service- oh well- this is what Britain has become- a machine- beer was ok

8 Jan 2011 19:12

The views from outside are brilliant, unfortunately I left them behind and entered the place. Friday evening so it was busy, but the staff slow and disinterested, didn't see one of them smile all night. Once the pub emptied a bit I thought it would be easier to get a drink, ah no! Several of the bar staff when missing and the 2 remaining refused to serve anyone who did not queue in the centre of the bar, therefore making it as long as before to get served, and to be honest the standard of the ale served was not worth the wait. Oh, and the cleaning agent they use, the pub smells of cheesy feet!
I will not be returning, it's basically a rip off tourist trap which gives London a bad name. What a great shame, ideal location terribly spoilt by uncaring staff and management.

8 Jan 2011 18:19

The Royal Standard, Blackheath

Address: 44, Vanbrugh Park, London, SE3 7JQ
Phone: 020 8858 1533
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Nearest train stations: Westcombe Park (0.5 miles), Maze Hill (0.8 miles), Blackheath (0.9 miles)

Reviews by BITE users:

Ignore my previous review. After a couple more visits and experiencing the rude and unwelcoming staff, I won't be going back. Not worth it.

5 Feb 2011 22:36

Pubs don't get much better than this. Good food and fantastic Sunday roasts. Great for sports on the 3D TV and child friendly. A good atmosphere even when it's quite with friendly staff.

Best of all there is always a great selection of proper ales to choose from that are kept well and always taste fresh.

A little gem of a pub with a Sunday pub quiz to boot. All it's missing is a meat raffle!!!

17 Jan 2011 21:13

Went here for a pre Christmas drink with some friends having got fed up of the rubbish pubs in the village. This place is much better - its the first time I've been here so I can't say anything about its past, but if the other reviews are accurate you can tell a lot of effort has been put into improving the place. Decent (if small) selection of ales including a fine beer from the Acorn brewery in Barnsley, and its cheaper than pubs in the village too, presumably because of its location. The food was good too - decent pub fare at reasonable prices for the area. Would definitely recommend, though if you go on a cold day don't sit near the door opposite Barclays as it sticks open!

31 Dec 2010 12:24

More information

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