London’s Best Beer, Pubs and Bars updates
Central London: Borough
Contemporary pub (Independent, small group)
231 Long Lane SE1 4PR
T 020 7357 8740 w www.simonthetanner.co.uk f simonthetannerlondon tw Simon_theTanner
Open 1200-2300 (2230 Sun). Children welcome until 1900.
Cask beer 3 (Adnams, 2 unusual often local guests), Other beer 6 keg (UK & international), 15 bottles, Also Real cider, 10 wines.
Food Imaginative gastro/pub grub, Wifi. Disabled toilet.
Tue quiz, Wed live piano.
Simon the Tanner, London SE1. Pic: Simon the Tanner
This corner of Bermondsey is a typically curious London mix: arty gentrification along Bermondsey Street which has been hailed by Vogue as the coolest street in south London; an old established antiques market formerly notorious for trading stolen goods now housed in a regenerated square overlooked by a boutique hotel; and remaining patches of 1930s and 1960s social housing once populated by dockers or workers in local industries such as the leather trade. That now vanished occupation is recalled in the unusual name of this recently made-over pub which now provides the area with a much needed outlet for great beer.
A pub for over 200 years, Simon the Tanner lay derelict for six years before being reopened in 2011 by the same group that runs the lovely Queens Head near Kings Cross. Like that pub, it’s a friendly community venue with a great beer choice – a little less varied than its sister pub but still much better than average. There’s a changing Adnams cask beer, plus two others that might come from the likes of Buntingford, Castle Rock, Cottage, Mighty Oak, Redemption, Tring or Windsor & Eton. Interesting keg beers include organic Black Isle Porter from Scotland, BrewDog 77 Lager, Duvel Green and a changing guest US beer, while among the bottles are examples from London brewers London Fields and Redchurch as well as several Brooklyn beers and Schlenkerla smoked beer.
A shortish food menu has reasonably priced pies, charcuterie boards, vegetable risotto, ploughmans with speciality cheese and tempting home made desserts like apple, pear and walnut crumble. It’s a smallish place, tastefully decorated in greys and pale greens with Andy Warhol prints, a mixed crowd and an especially relaxed and welcoming atmosphere that makes it something of a hidden gem.
National Rail River London Bridge Underground Borough Cycling LCN 22, link to NCN 4, LCN+ 183 Walking Link to Jubilee Greenway, Jubilee Walkway, Thames Path
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