London’s Best Beer, Pubs and Bars updates
Southeast London: Greenwich and Deptford
Literal labelling at the New Cross House, London SE14
Contemporary pub (Capital/Greene King)
316 New Cross Road SE14 6AF
T 020 8691 8875 w www.thenewcrosshouse.com f newcrosshouse tw newcrosshouse
Open 1200-2400 (0100 Fri-Sat). Children welcome until 2000.
Cask beer 4 (Florence, Adnams, 2 guests), Other beer 4 keg, 8+ bottles, Also 20+ wines, a few specialist spirits.
Food Imaginative menu with numerous vegetarian options, Outdoor Large beer garden and sheltered barn, Wifi. Disabled toilet.
Darts, table football, table tennis, board games.
The original crossing that gave New Cross its name is where the Roman road from London to Dover meets the ancient route from Rotherhithe to Hastings, part of which once marked the boundary between Surrey and Kent. It’s now a busy gyratory where the A20 leaves the A2, and the choking traffic has long since blighted what was once a prosperous shopping and entertainment area, boasting much of architectural merit including the 1905 extravaganza of Deptford Town Hall which commemorates the area’s nautical connections. The hall is now attached to Goldsmiths College, part of the University of London and an influential institution in all kinds of ways, helping underpin the local arts and music scene.
There have been hostelries at this important junction for millennia and several pubs still overlook it, but until recently none were recommendable. Then in 2011 the Capital pubco (now part of Greene King) thoroughly refurbished the former Goldsmiths Tavern, a pub with some history as a music venue and a local meeting place that had long since lost its lustre. The impressive restoration has revived the old name alongside a handful of heritage fragments, notably a patch of original and rather beautiful tiles near the main entrance, the pattern of which has been duplicated on trompe l’oeil wallpaper throughout. The large floor area has been equipped with booths and conventional tables. At the back there’s a lovely yard with an extraordinary second building, a former stable on two storeys that’s been left partially open air and smoker friendly, heated by a wood burning stove. The pub now attracts a lively crowd with a good mix of ages, students rubbing shoulders with their lecturers and a mix of discerning locals.
The pub is a regular outlet for beers from the brewery at sister Capital pub the Florence in Herne Hill (p185), besides a changing Adnams choice and guests that might come from these breweries, Sharp’s or Hogs Back. Local keg beers from Meantime are supplemented by better known but quality bottles like Cooper’s Sparkling Ale and Duvel. The interesting menu is an appropriate mix of quality and slightly eccentric fun: wood fired pizzas with unusual toppings, well cooked comfort food like hot dogs and macaroni cheese, salads, chops, burgers and plentiful vegetarian offerings. This and the nearby Royal Albert are great additions to the area.
National Rail Overground New Cross, New Cross Gate Cycling LCN+ 2, Forest Hill, links to NCN 1 4 21 Walking Lewisham Promenade
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