Southwark has a strong real-ale scene. Between Borough Market, the old riverside pubs of Rotherhithe and the quieter streets of Nunhead and Dulwich, there are pubs here for almost every kind of cask drinker. This guide walks through the best of them by area.
Borough and London Bridge
The Market Porter is a Borough Market institution, licensed to open from 6am for market workers. Its long cask list often runs to ten or more handpumps of rotating guest beers, which makes it the obvious place to start.
Just around the corner, The Rake is a tiny beer specialist bar spun out of the Utobeer stall in Borough Market, with a constantly rotating cask and craft keg list and no regular beers. It is roughly the size of a garden shed and has a cult following.
The George Inn needs no introduction if you like history. It is a Grade I-listed 17th-century coaching inn owned by the National Trust, and it is London's last surviving galleried coaching inn that still pulls pints. Greene King cask ales are on the bar.
Also close to the station, The Shipwrights Arms was built in 1884 and has a rare central island bar and a painted Victorian tile mural of shipwrights at work. Southwark London Pale Ale is among the cask beers.
The Royal Oak was restored by Harvey's of Lewes to look like an 1850s pub, with two bare-boarded bars and Harvey's ales on cask, including Dark Mild and Sussex Best Bitter.
Bermondsey and Rotherhithe
Simon the Tanner is a Grade II-listed independent free house on Long Lane, popular for its beer garden and cask ale.
Out east, the Thames-side pubs are some of London's oldest. The Mayflower has a wooden jetty over the river and sits near the mooring from which the Mayflower is believed to have set sail in 1620. The Angel is a Grade II-listed Samuel Smith's pub with a rear balcony directly above the Thames, serving only the brewery's own beers.
Further south
In Nunhead, The Ivy House became England's first co-operatively owned pub in 2013 after locals crowdfunded to save it from redevelopment. It serves cask ale and real cider, with a community-chosen range.
On the edge of Dulwich Village, The Half Moon is a Grade II*-listed pub dated 1896 with a three-star national heritage interior from CAMRA, reopened by Fuller's in 2017. London Pride is among the cask ales.
Planning your visit
- Borough Market is the easiest place to start: you can walk between the Market Porter, the Rake and the George Inn in a few minutes.
- Rotherhithe is a good second trip, with the Mayflower and the Angel close to each other by the river.
- Cask beer lists change constantly, so treat the beers named here as examples. Opening hours change too, so check before you go. Full details, addresses and maps are on each pub's page on The Pint Alley.