please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Now closed and soon to pizza place, Franco Manca.
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Now the Draft House - excellent specialist beer bar. Best selection in London,
Overflowing toilets within inches of the kitchen, so would not eat here.
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Now closed and re-opened as The Draft House
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This place has changed over the years (not surprising I've been around for c10 years). Anyway now the cocktails a la Gordon Ramsay's advice to chefs have become fewer in variety ("a more focused menu") and very watery. Think of wall paper paste. Just because I add 4x as much water to it, doesn't mean it will hold up 4x as much wall paper. Pity because for variety and strength the place was worth going to before. Now its for volume drinkers, liquid and verbal. At the same time they introduced their Pontins bucket of ice with some pretend cocktail in it about 3 years ago, they introduced a reheated Iceland party food menu. There was an offer at the time, 3 choices for the price of 2 or some such. Having gone for this, 2 out of the 3 things were either under-reheated or so absent on filling as to be not worth eating. Lastly before its Blackpoolisation, because the drinks were stronger, people took their time getting through them. Now with the dilute versions, the till staff are busier with the result service is slower for everyone and more frazzled, exacerbated by the short lengthed bar, where only so many staff can work anyway. I would liken the degradation to that of a spiv buying a minor gentleman's club. Good for the owner's profit, not good for me as I like a serious drink, not kiddo coloured water. One to avoid these days. Green and Blue's just across the road anyway for some decent wine.
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Good solid boozer
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nothing to say
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Actually, this is a review for the Bishop next door, but seeing as BITE wont let me post it without being approved by amod ( very odd ) , Ill post it here for the time being
The Bishop
"Yummy Mummy � that�s a phrase that make you grind your teeth and mutter vague obscenities at people on public transport isn�t it. I suspect that YM is on e quite happily tossed around by the �YM� themselves, even if they are far on the wrong side of 30, having lost their best years in climbing the greasy pole of corporate success. You never hear of single mothers on peckham estates being described as YM do you ?
Scummy mummy anyone ?
Hmmmmm
Anyway, the Bishop, If you like your YM hot n ready, the you will feel right at home here in the afternoons, where legions of buggies and their precious loads battle for space on the distressed oak beam flooring. The ramshackle mismatched tables and chairs will be piled high in bar food and swimming in drinks for mothers and children alike.
I witnessed a child barely broaching 2, snugly asleep in his buggy, proudly clutching what looked like his favourite book.� My first 1000 words in German�
I barely know 1000 words in English.
The interior is surprisingly spacious ( GCH Not tested ), with a bar big enough to make paying for drinks relatively hassle free � and they serve your change on a silver ( coloured ) platter. Nice touch. OK range of beers, including ubiquitous real ales and a decent range of bottles. The depth of the pub and the layout mean its quite easy to get nestled in and enjoy the evening. It does however, get rather busy at the weekends, with punters spilling onto the street, much to the chagrin of the local residents .
It�s missing something though. Not sure what � there�s nothing to get irked about, the staff are pleasant, beer good, service and foot quite acceptable, But that�s where it ends. Its neither a destination to aim for, nor a local to feel quite comfortable in � maybe the intrinsically transient nature of the evening crowd- early- mid 20�s renters and first time buyers don�t really cement the place.
The most memorable and oft commented feature of the Bishop is that it�s got a sleek dog that lurks inside. A weimaraner to boot � a hunting dog that�s doesn�t hunt any more, stuck in the seething melee of SE London.
Quite apt for the Bishop in some ways."
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Black Cherry is a funny place - I have always enjoyed my visits, and loved the food, but there can be a slightly flat atmosphere. However, I will continue to support my locals, including BC, and encourage newcomers to try it!
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Oh dear.
Didnt Sartre say "hell is other people" ? - My personal hell is being surrounded by groups of verbose cackling late 20 single women, chugging their way through bottles of overpriced white wine on weekday evenings.
Food is pretty dull to be honest - and not exactly cheap , but as someone noted earlier, its not a resturant.
So if you are a single loud drunk, likely fairly stupid ( but sales orientated who likes working in a fast moving, success based environment with fantastic career prospects ), with a penchant for long trite mobile phone conversations with your equally trite estate agent friends, then this is the place to be - you can park your garish little company car around the corner as well.
How Perfect.
I may go back one day and check tha place out without the distraction of the Macbeth Witches.
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A stunning bar. Amazing. In fact this could well be the best in the area. I shall almost certainly be recommending this place to the relevant authorities when it comes to handing out the prizes at the end of the year. If this bar isn't there or there abouts then those blokes who decide such matters need their heads seeing to! A wonderful place in every way.
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Brilliant cocktail bar. lovely decor, decent food and good bar staff. Always busy, I highly recommend trying a Zombie...just once. You are limited to 2 a night...you get the picture.
Anyone visiting ED I would recommend the Black Cherry as a must!
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we come here with how doc's but the'y woulsndt let us in?
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Replying to 'onemancrimewave' I'm a regular Black Cherry goer and can't help but feel your comments are bit suspicious and possibly u have a bias opinion towards the 'EDT'. If the Black Cherry is as bad as you think it is then surely it would not be as busy as they are. The food is comforting and yet not overpriced. great innovative cocktail menu and staff are friendly and relaxed and i have always received and great service. I suggest you keep to what you know.
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angela,
it is time to let xmas go.
Take the xmas menus out of your menu box
x
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A fantastic little bar that works hard to provide something different for East Dulwich. Great cocktails, an excellent back bar selection, interesting beers and, for the most part, decent service. It's NOT a restaurant - and has never pretended to be - and this website is about BEER (ie liquid) not FOOD - so DRT79 wants to save his pennies and go to a proper restaurant if he wants something more than basic bar food (oh - and if you've got comments to make about them - save them for london-eating.com or somewhere suitable).
Its a small, independent business - striving to provide something alternative - and that should be applauded. OK, if the staff are unnecessarily rude, or you get served "off" drinks, have a moan - but otherwise you should just keep schtum and thank God for people like the owners of Black Cherry who are saving London (and particularly East Dulwich) from turning into yet another bland, provincial high street town.
Well done guys - keep up the hard work - and don't let the b*st*rds grind you down.
9/10
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It always amazes me that people have to be so nasty with reviews. I go to black cherry at least once a week and have never had a bad experience. The staff are lovely, the food is consistently good and the wine list works for me. I have enjoyed a few cocktails there too and again, think they are excellent.
Whilst EDT has it plus points, it is very smokey. Black Cherry have a non-smoking section for the nights when you don't want to stink when you get home.
It seems odd that the last two comments have been posted, when the bar has just won the best bar in East Dulwich on the eastdulwichforum website!
I forgot to mention the wonderful afternoon teas too.
And before you ask, I do not work there but am a local resident who enjoys visting various bars in the area. Black Cherry is certainly at the top of my favourites list.
anonymous - 20 Nov 2006 12:36 |
Whilst I'm glad that the chains are, so far, being kept out of East Dulwich, this place really is awful.
Food: Terrible.
Atmosphere: drab.
Drinks: cocktails awful, wine list not much better.
Staff: Rude.
Next door much better. As is East Dulwich Tavern. As is anywhere within a mile radius.
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I ate here on Saturday afternoon (3pm) with two friends and had a terrible experience.
After nagging our waitress 3 times and waiting around an hour our food finally arrived. It was pretty mediocre and I had ordered pasta which was TOTALLY overcooked.
I complained about the wait when our food arrived and about my pasta being overcooked to our waitress. She stared blankly at me completely dumbstruck, I starred back, nothing, I asked for the bill, she walked off.
When the bill arrived they had added 10% service charge. Obviously upset at the total disregard and poor service I complained to the manager. When she finally arrived (having been kept waiting for her entrance for 10 minutes) I was told:
�You did not wait an hour for food you waited 50 minutes� � silly me.
�50 minutes is not too long to wait for food, I have waited longer� � silly you
�the food is cooked fresh so it takes longer� � cooked to death if you ask me
Eventually after taking note of the manager�s extremely obstructive views, and manner, she did me the favour of removing the service from my bill and �comping� the soggy pasta. This was only after it had been made perfectly clear that I was in the wrong and that the Black Cherry was the standard by which all other Dulwich eateries set their standards � what a joke.
Should you wish to eat here I recommend you do so at your own peril. Complaining is obviously not an accepted practise here and the managements view is FINAL.
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very, very nice
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Modern toss
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What wonderful staff!
Incredibly friendly and always remember faces.
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Very much aimed towards the female professional and East Dulwich yummy mummys.
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The Grand Royal is the best cocktail I've had in London. Decent selection of premium beers on tap too. Highly recommended.
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The Black Cherry is absolutley Fab. We have passed a few times and finally went in yesterday. The food is great and very reasonably priced. The staff are very friendly and make you very welcome. It is beautifully decorated and very comfortable. They sell some great cocktails, you must try the Grand Royal.......it's delicious. I highly recommend it, give it a try you won't be disappointed, we will definatley be going back.
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Black Cherry is really great. Lovely staff and gorgeous decor.
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I can't believe no-one has commented on Black Cherry yet. It's by far the best place to have a drink in East Dulwich in my opinion. The staff are efficient and friendly, the drinks are very reasonable priced and the food is excellent. If you haven't been there, give it a try.
It does get a bit packed of a weekend but the atmosphere is always good. Keep up the good work!
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