please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Haven't been down this way for a while. Still a great place. But, they seem to have a lot more ales on tap and the quality of a couple of them was not so good as it once was. Maybe put fewer beers on so that the ale is not sitting around too long.
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To the best of my knowledge, New Cross is a bit of a real ale desert. This was my first visit to this area to a pub. I was very impressed with the Royal Albert. They clearly take good care of their ales and were busy pulling through new ones to ensure all the handpulls were occupied. The selection was Dark Star Hophead, Adnams Lighthouse, Sharps Doom Bar, Franklins Mama Knows Best & Brockley Red Ale. The cider was Lilleys Sunset Cider. This seems to be a fairly trendy pub, but was to my liking. There is even a bar billiards table in one corner. Football was showing on the TV. After the Hare & Billet in Blackheath, this was my second favourite pub of the day.
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Hearing positive things from a couple of transgender mates about this pub since the name change i decided to head there after work one Friday evening. The old pub surfaced bad memories for me as i saw my ex wife Helen getting off with two likely lads from the Pepys estate and because of the violent undertones that the pub promoted back then i had to leave without her and to this day i only have her "word " as to what happened that night even though coming back 27 hours later validated my initial fears. So off i went looking to erase the past, and ordering my first Guinness and packet of nuts and sitting down around complete new surroundings i had the belief that what Helen got up to that night and following day was all a distant nightmare. There was a point that night when Helen straddled one of the estate lads as he sat hunched upon one of the bar stools , from what i can see the stools have been upholstered to a more brighter design which is a example of how much this pub has changed . The old pub was awash with feral featured Dickensian characters who thought nothing about taking away a good mans wife ,using their inherent criminal ways to impress and manipulate women of previous good standing. . As well as nicer stools in the Royal Albert the clientele is remarkably changed a typical regular is hard working with values i myself share and i was lucky enough to spend my second and third pint talking over constructive stuff varying from Karl Marx to the current issues facing the middle east and my sense of belonging and self worth flowered through the night. To be honest i bear no malice to Helen whatsoever if the life she wants to lead is being passed about the local drug fiends bedsits then more fool her, you go to work and support these characters you will soon see the buzz is replaced by fear and sadness. So all in all cracking little pub and i thank it for finally putting memories in the bin where they will stay .
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Splendid pub. Slightly down-at-heel furnishings, excellent range of beers, the three I tried were well kept and the friendly barman knew his stuff. Pleasant way to miss a few buses while sitting outside.
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2nd pub on my Friday afternoon tick off trip.
Now owned by Antic Pub Co the interior is quirky with soft lighting with chesterfield sofas and low tables. Interesting addition of hops hang from behind the bar.
An open plan kitchen is at the top of the pub on the opposite side to the bar.
8 pumps dispensing 7 ales from a mix bag of breweries. I had a pint of Steerage @ 3.5% from Titanic. Served in a pint tankard it was a pleasant pint.
The clientele were a mix of hipsters, teachers and professionals.
I understand this pub is under threat if this is true it will be a big lose as it's a proper pub in an area where good quality pubs are hard to find.
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Another of my fave pubs in London. Great staff, exceptional food, brilliant drinks selection, fantastic ambience. As an Antic pub, I'm starting to instantly fall in love with their chain as they are definately doing something right.
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This is a very fine pub. Great selection of beers, friendly staff and nice surroundings. I haven't tried the food but I've heard good things about it. I went in with some companions the other day to participate in the pub quiz for the first time. We won the �50 prize! A good time was had by all. Determined to return.
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The Albert seems to go from strength to strength. Haven't been in for a few months but went down last week for a bite to eat and a few beers. Bar staff were friendly, the music was great (Mariachi El Bronx!), a decent pint of Guinness and the food, while a bit pricy, was really good. Great to finally have a few decent watering holes in the area (Telegraph and Amersham included), but this has to be near the top of the pile.
d_n_a - 14 Feb 2011 11:29 |
Excellent pub - probably the best in NX, with the Telegraph a near rival, except the Royal Albert has an excellent atmosphere. It's not just a student pub though - you get a few older types who look a bit boho (almost bobo, and you get a few 'yummy mummy' types here, which you wouldn't expect in NX if you're not familiar with the place). The food is good, and the kitchen is open, so you can see the chefs preparing everything. My only criticism is they could do with more regular chairs and tables - it's sofa heavy here, which opens it up to annoying people who 'reserve' entire sofas by chucking coats on them while they wait an hour to see if more of their mates turn up. This pub could do with a juke box too.
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damn fine if expensive roast. nice too see some plaintain on the menu too! alright selection of interesting(ish) beers but also too pricey. the layout of this place still throws me...the bar bit feels all wrong and i just cant quite relax. staff are nice although on a few early evening visits they seem to be hiding in the cellar for a while! here for food, marquis for football, amersham for a good night out.
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Yep, it is a student place with it being close to Goldsmiths but does still have some 'edge' if that's your bag (such as being offered weed EVERY time I go in). A great atmosphere in any case. Newspapers on a Sunday and Jazz on a Friday, and a nice indie-ish music collection direct from the barstaff's iPods on other occasions. Some odd ales and ciders I'd not seen before served in dimpled glasses, and veggie friendly. Always a pleasant drinking experience.
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Being a North London boy for ten years, moving to Deptford was a leap, but this pub has made it all worth while. A hidden gem. Sunday lunch is fantastic both for value and most definitely taste. Really really good.Fantastic! Good beer too. And a great atmosphere. I'm stuck between not wanting to tell everyone so I can't find a seat anymore, and telling everyone because I love it so much.
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I found the barman in here to be very pleasant and he was apologetic when he informed me that the Guinness had run out and they were still waiting for a delivery. I swerved the premium and standard lagers and plumped for one of the four random ales which was very nice.
This place is quite food orientated and there is a dining type area at the rear. The front of the pub is mainly laid out with sofas and there is a table football game located in the centre. I spotted a plasma screen, but this was off and I didn�t spot any Sky Sports Signs.
There weren�t that many people in during my visit, but I did get a student pub feel to the place.
This place is ok for a pint or two if passing, but I wouldn�t make this my destination pub for an evening.
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haven't been here for years and what a shock i got. was a fantastic experience. friendly attentive staff interesting decor, comfy furniture and food freshly cooked and delicious. always have ag ood time here. almost makes me feel like moving back into the area.
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Have been popping into the Royal Albert since it first opened and still enjoy its good range of real ales (for the hubby) and bottled beers/wheat beers (for me).
Last Sunday we popped in for an afternoon pint, with no intention of eating, however after seeing and smelling the food I could resist no longer and opted for their roast beef dinner! Was great - the only thing I could do better myself was the yorkshires (and I've yet to find one better than my own!). Deffo recommended for food - will be going back on a week night to try out their great sounding menu
I agree with the poster below that some of the furniture could maybe do with being put on the dump - theres one sofa that is basically like sitting on the floor (I imagine, I wouldnt try it as it looked like I'd never get out again!) Apart from that its a really comfy bar.
The staff are really friendly, and you get served quickly. The toilets are always clean with loo roll and soap (it amazes me how many pubs dont have this!!!) and its definitely my fave pub in my local area.
Oh and they make fresh popcorn behind the bar if you ask - we didn't have any after our lunch but the smell of it popping was totally inviting!
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I live local and love this pub. Usually when judging a pub, there are several categories it has to score well in: drinks, food, music, staff, toilets and beer garden. I'm pretty sure that it does well in all categories. Drinks are normally priced, the food is great (the platters are great for sharing), the music is decent and not too loud. Toilets are clean and never lacking toilet paper and soap, garden is out the front and a stone's throw from the road, but this really doesn't matter. Staff are friendly too. Monday is pub quiz night, and it's great to take a few friends down to. There's often live music on later in the week. Although it gets busy, there is almost always somewhere to sit and I would rate this far above a lot of other New Cross pubs for the above reasons. Go and enjoy (but not all of you, or I won't get somewhere to sit...)
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This place is by far the best in the area � the food is excellent although I would tend to agree with the other comment that some of the 2nd hand furniture could do with being replaced, imagine getting into a sofa and not being able to get out as all the springs and support are shot!
Great food though, good value for money and not a bad range of beers and wine.
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Great pub, and certainly the best in the area!
Food is amazing, and the atmosphere in the pub is great!
We are frequnt visitors, and love it!!
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We popped in last Friday night for a drink after seeing the good rating here.
It was busy, but like most gastro pubs it lacks soul. Judging by the fixtures and furnishings, I wouldn�t be surprised if it was a chain pub masquerading as an independent.
If you drink in your local gastro pub, you�ll feel right at home, no doubt, it�s just the same: with the same inoffensive, but un-noteworthy beer, music, people.
One word of caution: if you visit the Royal Albert, avoid the sofa at the back, it�s knackered and appears to be infested with fleas (or some such)� still scratching two days later. Contemplating ringing environmental services, and in 25 years of drinking, that would be a first.
In my humble opinion, there are a lot better pubs in New Cross / Deptford either if you are a discerning drinker (loved the Dog & Bell) or like a pub with atmosphere (enjoyed the Bird�s Nest; Amersham Arms).
P.S. After years of relying on Beer in the Evening, I have never been sufficiently moved by a pub � good or bad � to register and share my opinion on a pub. Royal Albert, you�ve got a lot to answer for.
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Excellent pub great food, friendly staff, good music which isn't too loud so you can have a conversation without shouting, reasonable prices and so much less pretentious than the Amersham Arms up the road.
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Great Pub! ticks all the right boxes; good atmosphere, good music, nice selection of drinks including my favorite (Landlord), friendly staff. Oh and the food is pretty amazing! I had the steak and ale pie and my wife had the baked camembert both superb! by far the best pub in New Cross
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GOOD GASTRO-PUB! THE FOOD IS SIMPLE TASTY! I LIKE THE DECO AND FURNITURES INSIDE!!
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It looks great, thought the refurb after the paradise closed down is a little bit like a stage set. Almost like someone's idea of what a traditional pub ought to look like, rather than what one actually is.
Lots of attractive thirty-something women the first time I went there. But that might just be because it was early on in the evening.
Also the terrace at the front is a nice place to sit. And of course you can smoke there which is a great boost to a pub these days - at least it is in south-east London - pubs with no outside smoking space, or small or unpleasant ones have been taking a hammering commercially. And when a pub starts losing money it can go downhill fast. What you rally need is somewhere large and airy and pleasant enough that its not just a smoker's ghetto. so others will sit there as well and chat. Which is what a pub is about.
The Albert has got that, or at least it has in the day. When I walked past later that same evening they were packing away the terrace and locking the doors even though it was still light. No idea why.
Beet was great and food looked good but both pretty expensive. More somewhere to take your significant other for a meal and a chat than a place for a session.
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Returned to again last night with my partner. Aside from the fact that the side of the pub with the glass roof is bloody feezing, this pub just gets better and better. The food there is superb and the range of beers, if a little too limited, encompasses Landlord, Youngs Bitter and the sublime Grolsch Weizen (which sadly ran out last night). The food is simply scintillating, cooked beautifully in the open kitchen. A good blend of people, very personable staff, lovely decor and a buzzing, yet not hectic, atmosphere. Now firmly established as my favourite London pub.
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This place is INCREDIBLE! The absolute best pub I have ever been in, made all the better because it is in a place where we have grown to expect bad service, bad beers and distinctly off-key people. Me and my friends come down here for a few beers that swiftly becomes many, with good music on the soundsystem, and a crazy safe gadgee behind the bar, nice chap, we always have a laugh. Plus, they pour the best Guinness and Landlord (Madonna endorsed)in town. Highly recomended South East Traditional London Boozer!
PS. It gets hectic on Friday, a very good laugh, bring money!
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This place is quite overrated and a bit up itself, but in an area where most of your alternatives would involve wearing body armour, it remains something of an oasis in a desert of dodginess.
Staff pleasant, clientelle are a rum bunch (strangely dressed Goldsmiths students, the occasional Nathan Barley media type plus a sprinkling of real people). All in all it hovers somewhere between 'quirky' and 'pretentious', but you could do much MUCH worse in this neck of the woods
And they've just started doing Sunday roasts, which are good but expensive (�9-�10)
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Went past it the other day and a sign outside said they're now doing pub food.
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Had an amazing night here the other friday, the music was excellent and the staff, although slightly hot!, where still really friendly even at the busiest times during the night. Really nice decor inside and an excellent range of drinks, would throughly recommend this pub to everyone! keep up the good work!
anonymous - 23 Mar 2007 20:51 |
Still preferred the Paradise bar because of the whole danger thrill, this place is the same as every gastro pub everywhere else.
However as this is New Cross and there arent anymore gastro pubs near here it gets thumbs up from me.
Plus it's not (that) expensive, though I wouldnt fancy doing an all day session in here.
Also no tellys, I want football.
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It's good, tatty furniture, real ale served in pint mugs, taxidermy on the walls. It's all very welcome (though I do still miss the Paradise Bar).
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The Royal Albert - top pub. One of the best in the area - nice cross between old man character and a trendy muso pre-club venue. Good different beers. Always a nice atmos, plenty of cool people, but not arsey Shoreditch types. They promise to do food soon too.
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The Royal Albert is a lovely pub. Beautifully thought through decor and a decent range of beers. Highly recommended.
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This has now re-opened as the Royal Albert - a stripped down, reclaimed furniture type bar. VERY cosy, nice bar with a really good range of beers. I had a lovely bottle of Framboise and a couple of pints of Korenwolf (in the correct glass with cute hamster on!!) - all of which were lovely. My husband had a good pint of Timothy Taylor (in a jug!) and a few pints of Stowford Press cider which certainly put a glow in his cheeks.
Bar staff were really friendly, nice loos (all important to us girlies!) and the music wasn't over-powering conversation. Also when we went on a Monday night it was suprisingly lively.
Definately the best bar in the New Cross area with a good selection of well priced beers (most others only stocking stella etc and no ale). Making this my local for sure
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It's been painted green. Keeping an eye on it....
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