London’s Best Beer, Pubs and Bars updates
Southeast London: Greenwich and Deptford
Royal Albert, London SE14. Pic: Antic
Contemporary pub (Antic)
460 New Cross Road SE14 6TJ
T 020 8692 3737 w www.royalalbertpub.com f The Royal Albert tw theroyalalbert
Open 1600 (Sat-Sun 1200)-2400 (Fri-Sat 0100). Children welcome until early evening.
Cask beer 4-7 (Adnams, Dark Star, 5 sometimes unusual guests) Cask Marque, Other beer 4 keg, 12+ bottles, Also A few wines, some specialist malts and spirits.
Food Gastro/enhanced pub grub menu, Outdoor Front terrace, Wifi. Disabled toilet.
Mon quiz, Fri Sun DJ, major big screen sports, bar billiards, board games.
This medium sized roadside pub spent years hiding much of its Victorian splendour under the guise of a music venue, hosting local bands since the heady days of punk and pub rock and later being renamed the Paradise Bar, complete with a Saturday Night Fever-style lightbox stage. In 2007 it was taken on by then-fledging pubco Antic, who jettisoned the live music but restored much else, including its original name. Since then its followed the trajectory of the rest of the chain in constantly improving its beer offer.
As many as seven cask beers are on offer, including changing Adnams and Dark Star beers and others from the likes of Kent, Purity, Sharp’s or Slaters. Two Camden Town beers join BrewDog’s Punk IPA on the keg taps, and there’s a tempting range of interesting bottles including Orval and Brooklyn. A short menu riffs on British fare like Welsh rarebit, crispy pig cheeks and black pudding, rabbit stew and beer battered saveloy, with inventive veggie options like butternut squash, sage and Brie hash. The narrow, deep space has two drinking areas folded round a central bar, the rearmost of which is illuminated during the day by a lovely skylight, and there’s some sumptuous Victorian carved wood alongside the usual eccentric Antic décor of stuffed birds and the like. The front terrace is a plus, even if it does overlook busy New Cross Road. After the Dog and Bell (p179) this is easily the second best pub in Deptford.
National Rail Overground New Cross DLR Deptford Bridge Cycling LCN+ 2 , Forest Hill, links to NCN 1 4 21 Walking Lewisham Promenade, link to Waterlink Way
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