please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
So I made my first ever visit to the Dolphin last Friday and god knows why I've never been in before. First impressions on entering it’s very large, has low lighting, lots of wood panelling and was packed!
It seemed that through to the right of the main bar was more for dining but with the lights being low I couldn’t quite make out if anyone was eating, it was busy through here though.
4 ales on the hand pumps, Moorhouse’s Pride of Pendle was drinkable but not that well kept. I cannot remember the other options.
We took our beers and parked up at the front by the large windows and close to the enormous Christmas tree that was sat in the corner.
I liked this pub from my short visit however the music was a bit too loud and that meant that everyone speaking was doing it very loudly making quite a din, if they rectify the music level it’ll be a very pleasant pub to return to in the future.
|
Enjoy this pub muchly. It's my afternoon retreat from my local where I can read paper, have a nice expensive beer, and not be disturbed. Beer well kept, can sit at the bar which is a must for me. Staff pleasant, some are brilliant. Compared to the competition, this stands out a mile.
|
There are four good things about this pub - and one of them makes it a very rare thing.
The first three make it the best pub in Sydenham: a lovely interior, with a laid-back atmosphere; second, a cracking beer garden and third, really nice food and drink.
The fourth, though, is what sets it apart: they are a pub that actually asks parents to make their children behave. Just like it was in the 90s or early noughties, before a generation of parents decided they will inflict their progeny on everyone else and not lift a finger to control them. In a London full of pubs that more closely resemble creches, this is bliss!
|
Comfortable, would have been nice to retian some more of the pubby features. Beer fine. Not the Golden Lion so rated it as ten to give it a better reflection of the score it should have.
|
Beer here is exceptional. Its more expensive than most pubs but relatively speaking youre getting a decent bang for your buck. Always a good selection of premium lagers, ales, bitters and stout.
This 5/10 average is way out of line. I gave this place an average review some years back but it really has come on leaps and bounds
|
Probably the best of the 3 Sydenham pubs I sampled late last night. This one is not far from Sydenham station. It felt dark and moody inside. But I'm sure the natural light helps matters during the day. The clientele were fairly young. Ales on were Fullers London Pride, St Austell Tribute & Arundel Sussex Gold. I opted for the Addlestones cider. I can recommend the Chinese takeaway across the road. This meal consumed on the 75 bus to Lewisham was the perfect antidote to 12 South East London pubs. Although the speed bumps around here did turn it into a challenge!
|
Potentially very nice
Lacklustre service makes it worth not returning too.
|
Good pub, nice beer selection, nice tables inside and lovely beer garden outside.
Haven't tried the food, though it smelt lovely when I was there!
|
This is probably the only decent pub in Sydenham, and is quite nice when it is busy, which is rare. The food is reportedly very good but very pricey. I went a couple of Sundays ago for lunch and was disappointed with the quality but my friend - and everyone else to whom I have spoken - assures me that normally it is excellent. The service however was slow and unfriendly.
I am fed up with the service at this pub. I go twice a week at least and never so much get a hello from the bar staff. One of them tried to sell me a pint that had been sitting under the taps for god knows how long. She topped it up and it was still flat and warm. When I pointed this out her excuse was that most people complain that their beer was too cold!!
This place really needs a proper landlord behind the taps who knows his/her trade and what keeps people happy (a bit of attention and a smile for starters).
|
Also meant to say the facilities listed above are completely out of date since the Dolphin had a refurb a couple of years ago! There's no TV, no karaoke, no pool table and no fruit machines. Heaven!
|
After driving around and trying to get a decent Sunday roast in three country pubs, I finally admitted defeat and returned to my old faithful, The Dolphin. Yes, the price of �10.50 for a roast is a little over the top, but the beef was melt in the mouth scrumptiousness (and lots of it), the potatoes were crisp and the yorkshire pudding large and perfect! I asked for extra gravy and got it straight away. I've never had a problem with the service in this pub and love the garden in the summer. Next time I want a pub dinner I'll just save myself the hassle of driving and trying random places and will definitely return here. The only reason I've given it an 8 instead of 10 is because they really should knock a couple of quid off the roast, and the wine list could be expanded to include something around the �10-12 mark. Other than that, I love it!
|
decent enough for a drink - crap food though - has a beer garden which is always good - place is very average though and overpriced for what it is
generous 6/10
|
Went on sunday for a roast, the beef was nice quality but wildly overpriced - �10.50 for a children's size plate of food. not enough roast potatoes or gravy and i've not got a big appetite... The waitress was v pleasant but the sunday lunch prices need a major rethink.
|
went last week for dinner. still youngsters behind bar,tried to charge me twice for guiness.sigh. Not great beer option,but food is good and well priced,sloppy service. No telly ( hurrah!) Night ruined by bunch of 20! teachers/social workers having a meeting,by bunching together 5 tables.hmm did they book the place,ask if we minded moving.Not a bit of it. Lacks a bar manager. Shame really,but yes, back to the Dartmouth Arms.
|
Some of the worst service I've experienced in a pub for a long time. Minimum service time at the bar was 15-20 minutes, and the inexperienced staff did not make any attempt to serve people who had been waiting the longest. When I pointed this out to one of the barmen he was quite rude and proceeded to ignore me. Half the draught beers were off and nobody was bothering to change the barrel. There was no ice for the soft drinks, and no lemon/lime. After queuing a long time to order food were rudely informed that we had to order from a waitress (who was nowhere to be seen). We later found out that the kitchen was so backed up they had stopped serving food, this was already 9pm so we had to go next door to the chippy for our dinner. Nice garden though, which is why I scored it 2 and not 0 out of 10...
|
Never been in here. I heard its where the beautiful people of Sydenham go (though those in the Half Pint and Guilded Lion will disagree!) Had a look in the window - pressed my face right up close - didnt see any beautiful people but one lady did have a nice arse.
|
Refuse to use the G word - this is a typical food-led modern pub, with a typical menu and below-average beer (Pride). Why does every other pub I go to in London offer Pride/Landlord/Adnams ?- I get more choice in Stoke.
|
Beer is well-kept albeit too cold and the prices are an absolute pisstake. I was distinctly unimpressed - go to the Golden Lion across the road.
|
I've had to revisit my rating for this pub; previously the service was awful, but perhaps in the past 6 months they've had enough feedback to make a few changes.
Staff are now sharp and helpful. The Pride and Landlord I've had recently have both been decent pints, as with the Guinness.
Yes, it's gastro-esque, but when most of the other pubs in the area are different to this, is that a bad thing?
Personally, I would avoid weekend lunchtimes, when the rugrats tend to be prolific, but the Dolphin has a nice atmosphere, a mixed clientele, and serve a good range of beers.
|
Sorry Slider, not quite getting your message. Where is it that you like to drink and eat?
|
Very nicely done gastropub conversion of a rather dodgy SE London boozer. Usual real ale aspects on handpump (Pride, Broadside and Landlord) but all very pleasant. Would defintely return to eat.
|
�3 for a pint of Tim Taylors. A pound for a packet of crisps. Your having a larf. I pay far less than that in my central London haunts. Too shocked to check out quality of toilets.
|
I am suprised this place is rated so low - the garden alone is one of the nicest in south London.
anonymous - 27 Jun 2007 14:51 |
Hm.
Well this is the nearest pub to my home and the only place to drink in Sydenham where you can guarantee you won't be stabbed. The food is good and the beers are well kept and plentiful.It is a little overpriced though - maybe that is to keep the stabbers out.
The new garden is a lovely space to sit in and the pub itself is beautifully furnished with a lovely mixture of arts and crafts/art nouveau/deco.
But there is something soulless about The Dolphin.
It is a little barnlike and it is run too tightly.
It does, as people have mentioned, have bloody kids running about all over the place, which wouldn't really bother me that much but for the fact that the management have taken a unilateral decision to not allow dogs in - even in the garden.
I drink there occasionally, but frankly the management's attitude makes me walk the opposite direction usually, to the much more welcoming (especially to my small and well-behaved dog)Foresters.
As the Dolphin's management said to me in an email "The reason (for the dog ban) is that it is difficult to control the conflicting interests of users in a small public space and some customers strongly object to the presence of animals, especially when eating. The ban makes it easier for us and I'm sorry your little dog is a victim. I wish it were as easy to deal with rampaging children and the smoker versus non smoker issue."
It is. Make an area where Children can rampage and make an area where dogs can sit peacefully away from anyone who objects.
Rampaging children and smokers impinge on other people. Dogs, if properly contolled, dont.
|
Had an enjoyable evening at the Dolphin - fairly standard but very well done 'gastro pub'. Food, drink, service and ambience were all top notch. Now we're almost spoilt for decent 'gastro pubs' in forest hill / catford - who'd have thought it?
The garden's not open yet, so quite understandable that this will be rammed in full summer. It's popularity just goes to show what the market wants. Let's have more like this.
|
This pub has been transformed by the new landlords, who also run the Dartmouth Arms in Forest Hill. They've created a relaxing space with good beer (Adnams Broadside etc), great food, wines and cocktails. On some lunchtimes and on Sundays there are a lot of families - but this probably reflects the lack of family-type establishments in the area. They are currently creating a superb garden (should help with the kids in the summer) and their south-facing terrace to the front will also be a great outdoor space come the summer. The pub has adopted a no-smoking policy from Day 1 which makes for a very civilised environment.
|
Have yet to go in since its last refurb, but it looks great inside. Moody lighting, candles on the table and couples enjoying the evening.
|
HAD HIGH EXPECTATIONS,BUT IF I HAD WANTED TO GO TO A CRECHE I WOULD HAVE BROUGHT MY 1 YEAR OLD NEPHEW, HE WOULD HAD MORE FUN THAN ME...I REMEMBER WHEN THE LITTLE BLIGHTERS WERE SEEN AND NOT HEARD, IF THEY WERE LET IN PUBS AT ALL, VERY IRRESPONSIBLE PARENTS ARE MAKING THIS A NO-NO, SHAME FOR THE OWNER AS I LIKE THE DARTMOUTH ARMS. WHILE I WAS THERE WE WITNESSED NO FEWER THAN 8 PEOPLE WALK IN, TAKE ONE LOOK (LISTEN TO THE SCREAMING UNRESPECTFUL CHILDREN) AND LEAVE
I SHAN'T BE BACK
YOURS, DISSILLUSIONED OF SE23
|
Real ale is back! Proper beer has at last returned to this pub after an absence of around ten years� maybe longer.
Back in the 1930s when this place was first opened, it must have been quite something, a large, detached building done in the �Brewer�s Tudor� style, with five distinct rooms. During my time in the area (from late-1980s) it has all been one big room but at least served Courage Best. It changed hands, the Best disappeared, the clientele went seriously downhill, the attractive garden at the rear became neglected and things went from bad to worse. Something had to be done.
It re-opened on 11th December 2006 and has gone seriously upmarket, having been gastro-pubbed by the people who run the Dartmouth Arms in Forest Hill. The attractive old wood panelling around the walls has been retained and given a lick of varnish. Lighting is tastefully subdued (so often not the case in gastro-pubs). Three real ales available on opening night: London Pride, Old Speckled Hen and Hook Norton Hooky Bitter. The latter was in very good condition. Seating is geared more to eaters than drinkers, but maybe things will evolve over the next few weeks. Good to see plenty of stools at the bar though. A few tables where you can sit with a couple of friends and just have a drink and a chat (without a meal) would be appreciated.
Although I'm not a fan of gastro-pubs this is, over all, a huge improvement on what was here before.
|
Avoid at all costs..this place is a dive..and you only fit in if you are a regular. I have seen kids do better karaoke than the guy who does this one!
Plenty more pubs in the area in future i will try them...
anonymous - 22 Mar 2006 22:02 |
Agree with ewan Karaoke is the pits here. The People who run the karaoke do not have a clue what they are doing and the sound quality is dire.
anonymous - 10 Nov 2005 13:18 |
Went on a sunday during a really awful karaoke. Bad Decor, Bad Beer and no atmosphere whatsoever.
Ewan - 15 Nov 2004 21:15 |
