Best Boozer in East Dulwich

[Louisa]

Trip down memory lane.

Not a day goes by when I don't mourn the loss of The Oglander. The Upland Tavern and CPT both defunct but memories survive. The Gowlett isn't a boozer anymore, it's a place for hippy students and wannabe Claphamites these days, I can remember the days of it being a boozer where the bar snacks came in sealed boxes and the pizzas were found in Londis up the road in the frozen food section. Happy days.

Louisa.

[david_carnell]

What does a wannabe Claphamite do to identify themselves?

I love the Gowlett and loathe Clapham so I'd be interested to know.

[Horsebox]

Great Exhibition has become a firm favourite of mine in the last 12 months. Child friendly during the day, but not of creche-like proportions, so great for lunch with the baby when I'm at home, excellent ales at reasonable prices (they currently have a selection of ?3 pints on cask, plus Laines as their regular ale), great food (if a little pricey for a pub), plus a varied selection of music nights. I'm yet to try the unlimited Bloody Mary/Mimosa Saturday brunch...

The Gowlett is great for ales and pizza, plus an excellent place to spend a Friday once a month shuffling to house/disco without feeling like the oldest person in the room.

And The Castle - yes, the only true boozer left in the hood. Great for me as it's literally my front garden and serves an excellent pint of Guinness.

House of tippler for excellent cocktails and a great Sunday roast.

Very rarely venture anywhere else.

[Jeremy]

The Actress reminds me a bit of a pub in an airport or station. But The Uplands before it was worse.

Strange that people find the EDT boring drinkswise, I think it's one of the better ones... they always seem to have at least one interesting craft beer on tap, plus a few ales. And they rotate them a lot.

[Jah Lush]

Apart from The Castle all the pubs in East Dulwich have become seriously homogenised over the past decade or so. Most of the bars I liked have either closed or been turned into something less appealing.

[Dopamine1979]

I'm surprised The Cherry tree hasn't been mentioned yet.

[Jah Lush]

But it has. NTV.

[Otta]

Jah Lush Wrote:

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> Most of the bars I liked have either

> closed or been turned into something less

> appealing.

True dat.

And basically it's because a pub without food will struggle to stay open. The Castle is probably doing alright because they've inherited most of the custom from other former pubs, and they're now unique in being a foodless pub.

Everywhere else has introduced food which straight away makes it a different proposition.

Plus with the cost of a pint these days combined with the squeeze most normal people are feeling, I guess it's just far rarer for mates to meet up and spend the night getting pissed in the pub, so I doubt so many groups of young singles are out and about.

For me to go out now and have a Saturday night like I would have 10 years ago, I'd spend my whole months spending moey.

[MrBen]

Anyone been to the space invaders pub on rye lane yet?

[????]

In SE22 - The Great Exhibition, followed by EDT - Actress is a Box with Pizza. Outside of SE22 but near the Gowlett - personally I prefer the GE over The Gowlett though.

As Keef siad, really the only 'boozer' left is the Castle

[????]

Jah Lush Wrote:

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> Apart from The Castle all the pubs in East Dulwich

> have become seriously homogenised over the past

> decade or so. Most of the bars I liked have either

> closed or been turned into something less

> appealing.

Though you may be going back further than me :)..

I moved here in the 90s and I wouldn't have gone out locally or invited mates down to go out beccause the pubs were all the same and largely boring then, so the homogenized bit is just a different sort of homogenized. More appealing now to go out now than 20 years ago IMO...but maybe better 10 years ago??

[titch juicy]

My order of preference in East Dulwich/Peckham is probably:

If the sun's shining:

Franks- car park roof top bar in Peckham, best views of London bar none- good mixed crowd, decent selection of Meantime Beers (the California Pale Ale is very nice), good food, cheap cocktails.

If the sun's not shining:

The Gowlett- still a proper pub that happens to make amazing pizzas. Also has decent music playing on occasion, especially on a Thursdsy evening for 'Lucky 7s'.

The Montpelier- good beer, good atmosphere, good crowd.

EDT - decent atmosphere, decent beer and half decent food. Especially good for Rugby internationals.

Bar Story - rubbish beer, ok pizzas, cheap strong cocktails- good music, fun crowd and great venue.

Great Exhibition- decent beer, half decent food, nice surroundings.

The Flying Pig - second to none beer selection- hit and miss BBQ food. Can be lacking a bit in atmosphere- but good staff.

The Old Nun's Head - Decent beer, does regular pop up food (the Burger Bear residency was great)- can lack atmosphere though- has some decent nights upstairs.

Peckham Refreshment Rooms- for some good food and something more interesting to drink- cracking atmopshere and great staff.

I'd probably avoid all of the Metropolitan Pub Company pubs (The Rye, The Actress, The Victoria Inn, The Bishop)- they're all generally soulless now.

I'd avoid the Clock House- Youngs pub, rubbish beer, food has been disappointing on the four times we've given it another chance.

I can't comment on anythign further up Lordship Lane as i've never been in them.

[Louisa]

Hear, hear Jah. The famous London pub full of characters is long gone. Just a bunch of muscled rugger Home Counties blow-in's and hipster students these days seem to cram these once great community institutions. I still adore the Castle, mostly because it's unique these days in this part of town. It's awful to hear about pub closures, and whatever the new pub on Rye lane will offer is better than a closing boozer. It seems the working class pub offering has transmerged into a homogenous Wetherspoons chain like situation, and all the proper boozers have just vanished.

Louisa.

[Millhaven]

The Exhibition is nice enough but bloody expensive.

EDT is alright and is reasonably priced (for East Dulwich) but some of the staff can be a bit annoying but they do very good food and good for football/rugby on the telly. probably my favourite if only the barstaff could serve in order and not just the first person they clap their eyes on.

The Cherry Tree is expensive but good for watching football and other sports if that is your want. The Actress is ok - does nice pizzas and has large screen for sporting events.

The Bishop is bloody expensive and is predominately 25 and under age group.

The Gowlett - nice enough pub and as someone has already mentioned it has managed to retain enough of its old man pub charm with its new one bar make-over. (I used to work in there many years ago)

The Castle - used to like it as it was the last of the traditional pubs left in the area but my last visit in there I was treated to a middle aged pony tailed idiot shouting out racial abuse to the tv. I'm not sharing a pub with a middle aged twat in a pony tail.

[Otta]

Know exactly who you mean, and yep, he has put a fair few people off their beer over the years in various pubs.

[Earl Aelfheah]

I'm suspicious of the whole misty eyed 'proper boozer' schtick. As someone who does frequent 'old man pubs', I have to tell you that they're generally not 'full of characters', but more 'half empty with one or two pub bores generally best avoided' and twas always so.

I used to drink in the CPT, in the back bar, because I could go there with a couple of mates and chat and get a drink easily and it was relatively cheap. But there was hardly ever more than half a dozen people in there. It had to change. The Great Exhibition is much more busy and has far more 'characters' now.

[Otta]

When did you use the CPT? Agree it had to change in it's last couple of years, but before that there were quite a few of us that used it very regularly.

Damn it, I didn't want to talk about the CPT.

[El Pibe]

this is like a local godwin isnt it "oh no otta's off on one about the CPT!!"

But tis true, was a great pub at the turn of the millennium until about 4 or 5 years ago, nothing to do with me having kids either ;)

[Jah Lush]

Millhaven wrote - >

The Castle - used to like it as it was the last of

> the traditional pubs left in the area but my last

> visit in there I was treated to a middle aged pony

> tailed idiot shouting out racial abuse to the tv.

> I'm not sharing a pub with a middle aged twat in a

> pony tail.

Oh him. Yeah, loud mouthed middle aged twat in a ponytail. The Castle is not the only pub he uses though, regularly spotted in the EDT and the Expo too. Supports Chelski. Says it all really.

[Otta]

Really??? I can not imagine him in TGE! Remember him being barred from that pub that I used to like but don't talk about anymore.

[Earl Aelfheah]

...in the last couple of years of it's life as the CPT. Before that I was in Camberwell.

Otta Wrote:

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> When did you use the CPT? Agree it had to change

> in it's last couple of years, but before that

> there were quite a few of us that used it very

> regularly.

>

> Damn it, I didn't want to talk about the CPT.

[maxxi]

Flying Pig for me. I know some think it a bit 'theme-y' but I find it perfect after a trying day - especially early evening before it gets too busy - great selection of beers and proper ciders and some top notch bourbons and tequilas.

(Used to be the Draft House but that closed so my ideas of a good pub are probably out of synch with local taste)

[Otta]

Yeah it was a sorry place in it's dying days. But 2000 - 2010 it was cool. And it was always busy when I was a kid and my dad worked / drank there in the 80s. My sister worked there in the 90s, something of a family tradition.

[Millhaven]

Jah Lush Wrote:

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> Millhaven wrote - >

>

>

> Oh him. Yeah, loud mouthed middle aged twat in a

> ponytail. The Castle is not the only pub he uses

> though, regularly spotted in the EDT and the Expo

> too. Supports Chelski. Says it all really.

Easy with the Chelsea dig now. We aren't all like him. Otherwise, yeah, agree about our pony tailed friend. He is a gobby probably never been to a game in his life pr*ck. I have noticed that his behavior is curbed in the EDT well it is when I am in there.

[red devil]

Think I know who you mean, although never heard him say anything racist..used to sit at the front of the bar that Ots dare not speaketh the name...''C'mon Chels''?