Traditional pub (Interpub/Beds & Bars)
121 Borough High Street SE1 1NP
T 020 7407 2392 w www.stchristopherspub.co.uk
Open 1000-0100 (0200 Fri-Sat). Children welcome until 1900.
Cask beer 5 (Rebellion, St Austell, 3 often unusual guests), Other beer 5 keg, 20+ bottles (mainly Belgian).
Food Shortish pub grub menu, Outdoor Benches in side alley, Wifi. Disabled toilet.
Thu-Sat live music, occasional big screen sport (not football), functions.
St Chrisophers Inn, London SE1. Pic: Interpub
This old pub on the corner of one of Borough High Street’s historic coaching yards is owned by an international backpackers’ hostel group, which offers accommodation both above the pub and at other addresses in the High Street (central reception is at number 161). It was previously run as a hostel bar, aimed squarely at a youthful, studenty crowd. The company began as a pub operator, though, and a couple of years back returned to its roots by restoring a traditional feel that now attracts a higher proportion of Londoners than young travellers. The long, narrow space is done out in dark wood, with bare floorboards and drinking shelves. There’s extra space towards the back with more loungey seating, and a function room in the cellar.
The international connection is preserved in a wide range of beers, though perhaps not quite as much as the 100 varieties promised by advertising. Rebellion IPA and Tribute are regulars on the handpumps, with guests coming from brewers like Aylesbury, Bath, Purity or Vale. Paulaner Hacker-Pschorr Pils, Meantime London Stout and Huyghe Delirium Tremens are on keg, while the bottled range has a Belgian slant: Chimay, Duvel, Lefèbvre Barbãr and Palm Steenbrugge Tripel are highlights, while some good choices from Meantime and American standards like Anchor Steam increase the choice. A shortish menu of fresh cooked comfort food with ingredients sourced from nearby Borough Market – gammon and chips, Pieminster pies and mash, grazing platters – has moderate prices for the area.
Insider tip. The inscription in Dutch over the bar, presumably inspired by sister venues in Amsterdam, reads “In de hemel is geen bier, daarom drinkt wij het hier” (There’s no beer in heaven, so we drink it here).
National Rail River London Bridge Underground Borough, London Bridge Cycling Links to NCN4, CS7, LCN+ 22 23 183 Walking Link to Jubilee Greenway, Jubilee Walkway, Thames Path
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