please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Sumptuous from the outside and a nice find slightly away from the main drag given how busy pubs in the London Bridge area tend to get, especially on the Saturday, this is let down by profoundly uninteresting beers - dull Brakspear efforts in not amazing condition and a total absence of craft ales (usually the saving grace of non-ale savvy London pubs).
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Went there early on Friday evening. Lively, friendly staff, friendly crowd , good decorative order, good pint of Brakespears. What's not to like?
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Looks attractive from the outside, inside its a dive. First beer I tried was completely off - foul vinegar, so gave it back. Took a Brakspear as a replacement, cloudy and going off. Damned expensive too!
I was only visiting the area so didn't know the place's reputation. Be warned beer lovers, keep well away!
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Went to this pub on Satuaday during the Bermonsey festival and I have to say it was really good , had Breakspears (which was great) my wife had wine which was better than the normal wine sold in Pubs , the food was fantastic, I had Mussels, my wife a Ribeye steak ,I have read some of the other comments ( newer ) and i was either in a different Pub or someone has a problem with this Pub !!!! I will certainly use again ,
Ps The toilets were clean with paper and hand drying all there , if there is a small complaint it would be the garden benches could do with being changed but all in all ,a very good Pub 8 out of 10
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A dreadful pub that gets worse particulary with an obnoxious landlord. Toilets are filthy and a complete disgrace even the long suffering locals no longer go. You can expect expensive poorly kept beer if it is on at all, filthy toilets and customer service whcih is almost non existent. Best avoid this ub whcih is off the beaten track so it is quite easy to not go. Far better pubs in the local area.
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Brief visit - an OK experience and a good place to watch televised sport and play darts, though the Jennings Cumberland Ale was decidedly average (in fact it tasted remarkably like Greene King IPA).
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This pub is a total shit hole. The Mongolian staff are rude and speak very poor English. The locals are drunk gangster wannabes. The beer is very poorly kept and overpriced. The stock control I shocking and they frequently run out of most products. Once they even resorted to selling cans at draught prices. Unusual for a brewery owned pub and I wonder if they are aware if this. The jaw dropper for me was hearing a girl ask for toilet paper to be told they haven't got any and won't have any until Monday (it was Saturday). Save your money and keep away.
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A large group of Life On Mars and Ashes To Ashes fans visited the Horseshoe Inn the other weekend. The Horseshoe being the location used for the "railway arms" pub (aka 'Heaven') in the final episode of Ashes To Ashes. The landlord , his wife and all the bar staff were extremely friendly and welcoming. The pub offers a wide selection of beers and a good selection of wine. There are lots of photos and memorabilia from Ashes To Ashes on display. The Horseshoe is a large comfy pub and is now the number one desitation for all Mars/Ashes fans.
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Not bad & not good. Feels like a managed estate pub although the Irish manager was the real deal & very friendly, the Mongolian staff speak very poor English.
Alright for pit stop but no atmospere & some strange local types who seemed to think that they were gansters
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Visited here with 60 other hashers/joggers who like ale. reasonable service, a selection of London pride and 2 other beers,
pretty big inside, including a back conservatory room, yes there were some people watching the gogglebox but i wouldnt call it a footy pub really
Not bad and tucked down a very quiet side street, easy to miss.
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Good looking, bright pub, well worth a visit, had a well kept brakspears, will be back.
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Visited here last Thursday evening. The pub seemed pleasant enough, with windows all round helping to add a little light to what would be an otherwise dark interior owing to all of the dark wood. It's location is pleasant - tucked away not too far away from London Bridge station and the imposing Shard of Glass tower which is gradually being built up. Three real ales were on - Fullers London Pride and 2 beers from Brakspear - Bitter and Hooray Henley. The Mongolian barmaid seemed a little challenged in the mathematics department and was clearly favouring the regulars when deciding who to serve next. The Mongolian menu looked interesting. But we didn't try it and couldn't see anybody else eating either. There is a couple of dartboards. Music was playing and test match cricket was showing on one television. The other TV was being readied for showing a Europe League football qualifying game involving Liverpool. Apparently it is an official Liverpool supporters club pub. On realising this, any contemplation of trying the Mongolian food went out the window and we made a sharp exit!
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This pub has got one or two pluses and a huge minus. The Mongolian food is interesting and the Mongolian barmaid pleasant (despite some adverse comments), but the landlord is extremely nasty. Went there about 10.10pm the other night to be told 'get yr drinks down you, the suits are gone so we're out of here. we've had our money and don't need any more'. When a woman asked for Kronenbourg he poured her a pint of Becks saying, 'that's as near as you'll get' without asking if she wanted it. The brakspear was good but the atmosphere lousy. By far the worst pub in the area.
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Popped in here yesterday during a bit of 'Ashes To Ashes' location spotting with some friends. Landlord very friendly and welcoming, with a great choice of beers on offer. Nicely presented pub, friendly atmosphere and a lovely roof garden. Nicely tucked out of the way of some of the busiest spots in London (London Dungeons are a 5 minute walk away). A real hidden treat to discover!
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Popped in off the back of the new entry into the GBG. Not sure that the place warrants an entry on that front. Beer was ok, nothing special. Had a pint of the Cumberland and the missus a Bungaloo (spelling?) from Ringwood. Both were ok, just not up to the usual GBG entry standard.
Pub itself is clearly big on sport (selling tickets to the England World Cup matches by the look of it) and looks well used (read tatty). Also very dimly lit giving it quite an unusual feel.
Didn't try the food, but Mongolian on the menu sounds interesting and given the landlord is Mongolian, it could be good.
Overall worth popping in for one if you're in the vicinity, but nothing too special.
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Went here as a CAMRA member and Ashes To Ashes fan (it's The Railway Arms as featured in the ending of the hit BBC1 series).
3 real ales on tap, namely an adequate London Pride, a very good Brakespear Bitter, and an excellent Jennings Cumbernauld (ales change on a regular basis).
The usual suspects for other drinks (Guinness, Carling, Fosters, Strongbow, Kronenberg) and unusually, crisps from Irish firm Taytos.
Landlord will tell you about the day the Ashes cast came to film if you ask nicely!
Extremely friendly bar staff, and the imaginative menu will usually feature a Mongolian dish as this is where the local Mongolian community sometimes meet.
Pub has a roof garden.
Also houses a fruit machine, quiz machine, and jukebox (just about every top ten hit since 1952). Sky Sports is available (can get busy if Millwall are on telly). Amongst the famous faces to have drunk there have been footballer Liam Brady and footballer's wife Colleen Rooney.
For the sake of a 5 minute walk from London Bridge station, well worth seeking out. In my opinion, its 1st appearance in the CAMRA 2010 Good Beer Guide is fully deserved.
joe40 - 30 May 2010 00:27 |
Always a pleasant place to visit from my POV
Yes, the staff don't always have perfect English but the lagers, wines and beers have always been up to standard and the food (especially the 8oz homemade burger) always extremely good pub-food quality.
Great outdoor area, even worth it on colder nights - and they'll keep serving as long as you keep drinking.
A local favourite.
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Largish pub hidden away at the end of a cul de sac quite close to Guys Hospital and London Bridge Station. Quite imposing externally, despite the inevitable plain glass windows and green blinds, the pub dates back to 1897 as evidenced high up in the external plasterwork.
Plenty of dark wood and a burgundy ceiling give a reasonably traditional feel, but there's little specific of note decor-wise and it did seem rather dark and gloomy on my recent early evening visit, as though they were trying to save on the electricity bill. A brighter conservatory style extension to the left houses a dartboard and there's also a dartboard in an area to the right of the main bar. Notably, both dartboards were in use during my visit.
The pub is listed in the 2010 GBG and is clearly proud of its beer, as evidenced by several beer related framed certificates by the bar counter. The 3 pumps were serving Brakspears, London Pride ( which I gather are the regular beers ) plus Hobgoblin. A blackboard by the bar lists future guests, which included Hogs Back TEA.
The Brakspears tasted past its best, but the London Pride was OK. The pub is listed in the 2010 GBG, but comments on this site suggest the beer quality is unreliable.
There's an enterprising food menu, featuring several unusual dishes.
I don't normally comment on bar staff in London pubs, on the basis that, unless it's the guv'nor, you're unlikely to find them still there on your next visit, but the young lady ( Mongolian ?) who served me came up well short in the people-skills department.
There's better pubs than this in the immediate vicinity of London Bridge station and I'm not presently convinced this one is worth the slightly longer walk.
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Tucked away from the usual suspects, the pub was very quiet on a Tuesday p.m. visit, which made the exceptional quality of the Holts Bitter (yes Holts) all the more remarkable, albeit at �3. Only the beer quality would persuade me to return, but deserves it's moment in the Beer Guide sun.
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Not a pleasant pub.
Service was frankly poor and the prices dissapointingly high. Card machine wouldn't work so i had to run to london bridge just to pay for a round.
Won't be returning
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Beer quality only average and the (few) punters who were there created quite an intimidating atmosphere. Service lacking any welcome. Disappointing as this could be a good pub, if people were a bit friendlier. Maybe I just visited at a bad time.
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WEnt there last weekend. Football was on, but that's no excuse for bad service. Staff just didn't seem to care.
And the beer quality was poor - little bits of yeast in the London Pride.
A great disappointment.
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I noted Brakspear & gkipa last night, but acknowledge the many mentions of Pride so it�s possible I got the latter wrong. Either way, the Brakspear (�3) was pretty tired. The dartboard to the right of the bar was certainly not entertaining �serious� play by the ladies who preceded us, and our game did nothing to raise the standard. There is another board in the side/rear room. Lack of beer choice & quality leads me to doubt that I�ll be back.
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Nice pub well tucked away behind Guys. Beer was OK. Very quiet when I was there but it was 2pm on a Monday afternoon.
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This late Victorian (1897) pub is tucked away round the back of Guys Hopsital and seems to appeal to locals, workers and students alike. The interior is quite plain and not particularly memorable with much of the frontage windowed and little inside that attracts any attention. The main bar area has an unobtrusive darts area to one side but, as the sign says, it is for serious players only so don�t expect to be popular if you start playing loopy or halve it! 2 well positioned TVs seem geared for sports (they were both tuned to different rugby matches on our visit). To the left of the bar is a side room which I recall being more of a sofa lounge when I last came here but they seem to have ditched the soft furnishings for something a bit more solid and robust although I didn�t get the impression it was specifically a dining area. 3 Ales; Brakspear, London Pride & Sweet Chariot � decent condition and prices comparable for the area. The food looked very good and the portions quite substantial. Not one of the better known pubs in the area and I�m not sure I would particularly spend a whole evening here but well worth a quick pint as part of a crawl.
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The pub looks a lot nicer since the renovation but I was frustrated by the bar staff on a recent visit. Both people serving were very pleasant but their English didn't seem to be that strong. Ordered a glass of red wine and was given white, then when I ordered food, the burger that I'd specifically requested without cheese turned up covered in the stuff. I sent it back and it turned up again without cheese but slathered in mayonnaise, so that rendered half the bun inedible. Beer I wanted ran out too. So the pub has potential but could still try harder.
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They had Gale�s Butser; Breakspear�s Bitter; and the ubiquitous London Pride on. The Gales Butser was excellent (at �3 a pint), and was readily topped up without being asked. The food was OK � I had a ciabatta chicken sandwich for �4.95. The landlord was friendly and chatty � he had the latest version of What�s Brewing on the counter in order to place an advert for a forthcoming beer festival in March; plus there were copies of London Drinker available. I regard these as very good signs indeed.
The pub itself is tucked away behind London Bridge near Guys Hospital. It is essentially a one-room pub, but with a restaurant section at the back. It�s bare-boarded, with a high ceiling that should let in a lot of light. But on a gloomy and wet Wednesday in January there wasn�t much light about, and it was made gloomier by the canopy let down outside one of the windows, presumably to accommodate smokers. The only other negative thing for me was the fact that the music being played and Sky News on the large plasma TV were in competition with each other.
But I found this to be a friendly and welcoming pub with decent beer on handpump. There�s also a functioning dartboard. I would certainly go back.
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A lot smarter than it used to be, it's gone all woody like the rest of the refurb gang but hasn't lost it's mojo. A rare thing for a refurbishment to be an improvement. Nice range of Brakespear's beer - well kept. Pleasant bar staff and a nice 'conservatory' type room at the back. It also seems to have a roof terrace but didn't investigate as I was scared of being blown away by the gale force 8.
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'perfecty pleasent' eh?I assume you meant 'perfectly pleasant' Tankboy what sort of sport do you wach here - ice hockey?
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A perfecty pleasent pub with a local crowd. As it's a bit off the beaten track it's not usually as busy as the pubs closer to London Bridge. A great place to watch sport.
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Hugely overpriced largers and not enough choice !!!!
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Nice medium sized pub. Has clearly been refurbed recently and rather well I have to say. The outside area is large and functional.
Three beers on, I stuck to the Breakspear which was in good nick, and not a bad price at �2.90
Was rather impressed all round to be honest and will be back.
mrse1 - 24 May 2008 10:33 |
I live around the corner from this pub and have been waiting for all the renovations to finish, kitchen finally reopen etc, as it is very convienient and a great place to watch the footy, with great outdoor areas also. However, I have now visited a few times since the reopening, and it has been fairly poor. The beers are massively overpriced for what is a very simple local pub, and unfortunaly I was hoping the food would improve, but it has probably got worse (ordered sausages that came pink and undercooked inside!. A lemonade also ordered had a very strange odur and taste to it!). If you want to eat, try one of the other very good pubs for food in the area (Woolpack on Bermondsy is outstanding!), but if you just want an overpriced lager and some sky tv, or some sunshine, this pub should be OK.
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I see that the "horseshoe Inn" is having a major face lift and it looks really exciting. On passing last week I spoke to the new owner and he told me its going to be the place to be, serving quailty cask ales and great food. Having had a sneak preview the heated beer garden is the best I,ve seen and the new bigger function room is really comfy. Its due to re open on 5th march..... worth a look....
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If you're visiting in day time, you may have to step over a couple of vagrants passed out in the street outside due to the close location to the alky drop in centre. However, dont be put off, they dont attack (although one threw some bread at me once).
However, dont be put off as its a good pub with easily the best beer garden in the area.
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Traditional pub, and one of the few in the London Bridge / Borough area open on New Years Day. Three handpumps, one not operational, and both the London Pride and Bombardier were cloudy (if just about drinkable). Overall, looked better than it turned out to be, and will not be hurrying back.
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Just been to visit this pub for lunch and I have to say I was rather disappointed.
Looking at the limited food menu of Fish and Chips, Bangers and Mash, or Chilli, we were hoping for some great home cooked food, and between us we ordered all three of the dishes. Unfortunately all the meals seemed to have been prepared some days (or weeks) in the past and heated up in the microwave. None of the ingredients were of good quality (tinned peas, watery instant gravy etc.), and my colleague noted that half of one of his lame looking sausages was steaming hot, while the other end was still cold.
Beer did not seem to be up to much either; I had a pint of Bombardier which tasted rather stale.
The pub itself is rather drab inside, although attractive from the exterior.
Might go back again for a drink, but would definitely not go again for the food.
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Nice traditional pub in a quiet backwater not too far from London Bridge station. Timmy Taylors on reasonable form last night. As other contributors have correctly commented, this is a good area for pubs. This is not one of my personal favourites, but I'm happy to continue to pop in now and again when in the area.
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Dart_Man,
You're right about the board next to the bar, but unless I'm mistaken, there's two more boards in the room around the back? I suppose you've got to make a difficult decision - easy bar access, or better playing area. I'd opt for the former....at least until my throw becomes misguided with ale. :O)
If I'm in London Bridge and get the uncontrollable urge to play darts (which is increasingly regular as I approach 30), this is easily my destination of choice. It's also a nice retreat if you get fed up with the overcapacity of London Bridge's finer venues on a busy night, as it's a sizeable pub off the beaten track. The Horseshoe has a back garden and an upstairs patio, so it can be a nice pub on a hot summer day as well (a wishful thought, as it's belting with snow outside right now).
On the downside, the beer selection and the decor are nothing to get excited about...although nothing to avoid either.
All in all, an slightly better than average pub, but in this area, slightly better than average doesn't quite cut it.
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Excellent oche, acceptable beer. The board is well used, and is a blade III so can't be that old. One small criticism is that it if you move to the right on the oche you hit a wall.
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Have been in for a second visit since I last posted a review back in May 2006. The pub had very much the same feel as last time and the main bar was showing the football so fairly packed. The bar at the back was totally empty and we headed in there as we were eating.
The pub was pleasant and the staff were friendly. We were all on the lager which was cold and fairly priced for London.
The food we had was nice but slightly annoyingly three out of four meals were served and the last one arrived about 10 minutes afterward. Shame really as everything else was fine and it just so happened the late one was for a friend who had to leave quickly to catch a train.
Did not ruin the pub or the food and I would recommend going here for a meal or just a drink in the main bar.
No DVD sellers this time either :)
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The Horseshoe is in a quiet backwater of London, near London Bridge Station and guys hospital.On a saturday it can be a bit smokey in the main bar,and loud sports on the TV can be a bit distracting. It has a nice side room where I noticed a group of peaople meet some saturdays. In contrast to the main bar, this room is nice and quiet, and the group that meet there are friendly,do whatever they do,(sci Fi fans I Believe) and do not interfere with those watching the sports . The food comes highly recommended although a bit expensive. They have an excellent choice of beers and ales,and the staff are efficient and friendly. All in all a nice place to meet for a drink or watch TV.There has never been any trouble there to my knowledge, and you can have a drink in peace. The odd Illegal DVD seller is often seen , but then they are everywhere, and they dont bother anyone.
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The Horseshoe is not a pub you are going to come across accidentally but it's well worth a visit if you like good company. There is not a great range os real ales but what is on is kept well. The Horseshoe certainly make an effort with the food bringing it above the norm, especially from the chalk board.
The main bar can be a bit loud with the music and rather primitive and surly looking football fans, it's a bit too smokey for me as well. The best feature of the pub is the side room. On the second and fourth Saturday of the month a group of friends meet here to discuss all things Si-Fi. Even if you are not a disciple of the genre you will never find a more friendly and outgoing group of people. By popular consent they have made the area smoke free on the days they are there and the music is turned off in the area as well! Making it possible to actually have a conversation in a pleasant environment. If you are lucky you will even be able to watch Dr Who in the pub! Makes a nice change from the usual diet of sport. How refreshing to see a pub catering to the wishes of it's drinkers.
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Tough one this....
I have recently moved to this area and live about 5 minutes walk from this pub. Went in on a Saturday afternoon about a week ago as we had not yet tried it out.
Pint was fairly acceptable and the food was nice. They claim to get all their food fresh from Borough Market and it tasted fresh to us. Overall the staff were friendly and service was pretty quick, I can't really have much to moan about.
However we did leave feeling decidely 'odd' about the place..........
There was a very wasted (not alcohol) woman sitting in the pub reading the dictionary and laughing to herself. At one point there were 3 (yes 3!!!!) pirate DVD sellers in the pub bothering us.
Also there was a big group of uber-nerds that came into the pub and all sat down watching Dr Who on the TV.....Each to their own but it was like a convention of people that don't understand pub etiquette, all watching Sci-fi far too loud in a pub!?!?!
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nice pub, is it still run by Peter?
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There are three pubs in the London Bridge area that stand out from the rest:
If you want to stand for most of the night and eat expensive but good gastropub food - go to the Garrison.
If you want to stand and drink good real ales - go to the Market Porter.
If you want to get a seat (even on a Friday night), drink OK but unadventurous real ales, play a game of darts and have a chat with you mates, watch a bit of sport on the big screen tv... you can do it here. Bigger than it looks from the outside and most of the bar staff are friendly, too.
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A true local. A nice place to get away from the hustle and bustle. Larger interior than one would guess.
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Popped in for a quick bit one Friday Evening before disappearing off to Bristol. Pub was crowded and smokey but there was plenty of staff on. It's got a nice exterior while the interior, when we were there, has an odd mixture of rough local and post-work pub.
S'alright, I'd say.
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Unremarkable side street pub a brisk 5 minutes walk away from London Bridge British Rail. I agree with Nick Davies - given the choice of pubs near London Bridge ( esp those near the market - Wheatsheaf, Market Porter, Globe etc ) this pub is probably not particularly worth going out of your way to visit, unless you fancy a change
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Not as bad as it looks considering the scruffy surroundings and the electric soup brigade from the nearby hostel assembled outside. Nice range of real ales and the food if OK. Not worth seeking out considering the choice of pubs in the area.
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A place I go to meetup with other sci-fi fans (LOTNA group) and attend Farscape meetups here.
They have a nice room at the side which is often not too crowed or smokey.
Roxy641
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A deceptively large pub with reasonable grub, hidden away down the side streets of London Bridge/Borough High St virtually in the shadows of Guy's Hospital.
Mike2004 - 28 Aug 2004 10:29 |
