please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
It reopened yesterday after being refurbished. It looks very swanky.
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Dreadfully smelly and dog-earred new landlord. A pity, because I've previously had good experiences in here, but my last was not so. The beer was putrid and the air was rancid from stale smoke drifting in from the door to the smoking area.
As I work across the road I go here for the convenience factor. Took an age to get a simple cheese and Ham sandwich.
I shall continue to pop in every now and again out of sheer optimism, but I wouldn't recommend this pub just at the moment, especially when there are better pubs (in every respect) within a few minutes' walk.
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Friendly landlord and not a bad option for a drink if you are in the area. Traditional local boozer. No bar billiards table anymore.
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Been an infrequent visitor to this establishment for several years, and at best its performance can be considered "satisfactory" across most key indicators. The exterior Victorian grandeur of the Bedford perhaps belies its interior. The pub features standard decor, various tables, and the usual array of gaming machines. Ale selection is limited and uninspiring (think GK IPA, Fuller's LP) - though there is doubtless an equally limited and uninspired set of punters for whom it holds no interest, and in fairness the beer is usually kept well. Food seems to be obvious and unoriginal; again though nothing wrong with simple pub grub and it's not overpriced for what you get.
Let's be frank: it is not a pub for a smart city type to take his new lady-friend on a first date. Indeed, the atmosphere will plainly not be to everybody's taste across the social spectrum, especially when it's busy and crammed with chavs and chavesses wearing far too little and drinking far too much.
However, all that notwithstanding, one can't accuse the Bedford of being boring. Even if karaoke and loud music and a bit of boisterous behaviour aren't your bag, it is hard to say it lacks character, or has no edge. Actually the place is positively thriving and the landlord is a rumbustious and memorable chappie, as he tends to join in with whatever shenanigans are going on - without losing overall control of the running of the pub it seems. I haven't borne witness to any "trouble", albeit that I might not have been surprised to have been!
Essentially an earthy boozer and one which not only suits its context but should be valued to some extent as being a dying breed in Greater London. A quick pint on your lunchbreak and maybe a sandwich is okay. If you're in the right mood, with the right people, a Friday evening here MIGHT just do the trick.... Though it will be kill or cure for most.
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i would agree with the last comment posted it is the best pub in croydon,when its closed. and as for the hidious hut outside it looked like noahs ark.i dont know where that other person was when jon was sober 24 7 i used to go in there until his robbing machine nearly cost me my wife and daughter and as for his horse tips forget it i would rather bet on a pot of marmite and hes very ungrateful as i done him a new boiler and he knocked me
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I first used this pub back in 1978, when I worked locally. It's hardly changed over the years, and has to be the best pub in Croydon, which I shoud re-phrase and say "It's the only pub in Croydon"!
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I think this is a cracking little pub in the heart of Croydon. Friendly, efficient bar staff always make you feel welcome.John the landlord is a nice character, and I had more than one good Friday night in the Bedford where the karaoke is great fun. Really good crack too when Johns brother Pete comes over from Ireland. Those 2 really bounce off each other well and can both sing a song too! Food is also nice and fantastic value for money.
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Good pub, and has become my local.
Do they really need those fairy lights outside though?
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Did you mean KarAoke?
ms001 - 13 Mar 2009 15:13 |
Fair play ms001. I've been drinking in here on and off for about five years now and maybe my comments about the landlord were somewhat dated, as I've been in a number of times since I wrote my comment and he was not drunk on any of those occasions.
There was a very good pint of Black Sheep Ale on offer when I went in this week and the lunch menu remains value for money. The hut outside the pub, which I mentioned before, actually sells seafood which is a novel and inventive venture.
The karioke is still dreadful though!!!
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My friend introduced me to this pub back in December. It is quite small but has a great atmosphere. Was in there on Friday and YES karaoke was on but it was a great laugh and a good end to a good night.
Not eaten in there so cannot comment on the food. Met the Manager a few times now and have never seen him drunk. Maybe the previous poster should try going in at a different time.
ms001 - 25 Feb 2009 12:18 |
Quite a nice pub tucked away behind Croydon's 'skyscrapers'. Always packed with office workers at weekday lunchtimes and early evenings.
They have three ales available at present, including a very nice London Pride. Food is excellent value if you're there for lunch. A recent addition is a small hut in the outside seated area which sells various post-pub food, including what looked like jellied eels!!
Landlord is always drunk whenever I've been there, which lets the place down. They also have a very loud Karioke night on Fridays now, which seems to turn away the office crowd earlier than normal. Toilets have always been poor in here, but have improved recently.
The bar billiards table is sadly no longer there, but they do have a conventional pool table upstairs.
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The pub area is ok with television Quiz and Fruit machines. There is an upstairs area but I have not yet climed the stairs. Bar staff are very good but I find the new Land Lord a bit Sarcastic. The Toilets plumming is terrible with likely hood of flooding and the only thing that is done is to put up a warning sign of slippery floor.
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This pub used to be the Smokiest Pub In Croydon before the ban came in, which was a pain.
However, it is much more pleasant now and worth a look. It is peopled by office types after work, and locals in the evenings. A few real ales on. Decent food and the chance to eat it outside.
Not sure if they still have it but it used to have bar billiards.
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Nice little boozer in Croydon and one of the only pubs witha beer garden. Can't beat a cold pint of magners siting in the sun. Sometimes the que can be very long. Wasn't tooimpressed witht he inside of the pub. Good atmospere when England are playing football.
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From what I could gather from CAMRA, this is the only pub in the centre of Croydon where you can get a pint of Broadside. As such, I made my way there poste haste to sample aforementioned wunder-brew.
Very nice it was too.
Quiet, friendly local pub. Fairly small, but cosy with it. No fancy crap, but a real local pub. Only been in for a few pints here and there, but if you're doing the rounds in Croydon I'd recommend it (for the proper bar billiards if not the Broadside!).
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