The Railway Tavern, Bexley

Official site of The Railway Tavern - railwaytavernpub.co.uk

Official site of The Railway Tavern - railwaytavernpub.co.uk

Locals pub, located near the station as the name would suggest, and looking like it may have extended from the original building into the neighbouring premises at some stage in its history. Having said that, the two-part interior has been comprehensively modernised and has lost any character it might once have had. Thankfully, though, it does still do real ale: Courage Best and Wooden Wonder from Mighty Oak.

This didn't look like the sort of pub that would have three ales on, but I was pleasantly surprised to see clips for Bombardier, Doom Bar, and Well's A Good Stuffing (£1.75 a half), with a fourth pump apparently unused. I saw no sign of menus or food on the Saturday afternoon I was in there. This seems to be more of a drinkers' pub than the other Bexley pubs, with what were obviously a bunch of locals around the bar and at a couple of the tables. It's carpeted, has a couple of tall tables/tall stools by the windows, but the majority of furnishings are traditional tables and chairs. A wrought iron gantry surmounts the bar in a very 70s way; there's a dartboard; a TV on (muted) showing the racing; and a radio playing over the sound system. I saw live music and a disco-karaoke advertised. All very pub-like actually. As others have said this pub is handily located near the station. It's another fairly ordinary, but well patronised pub. It's certainly not a destination pub, but it did have the best real ale of any of the Bexley pubs I visited.