Robin Hood & Little John, Bexleyheath

A decent traditional locals pub. The main bar room is L shaped with an additional small room of to the righthand side with a beer garden to the rear accessed on the lefthand side. Five beers on when I visited and as BF found a couple of years ago , a bit samey, London Pride, Brains Rev James, Adnams Broadside, Bexleys Own Beer and my choice of Harveys Sussex Best. I lingered a while as I chose to have breakfast there. A bit of a hike from the station but worth it, a more adventurous beer choice would be welcome.

A charming,small locals boozer with a Courage cockerel sign outside marking this as old school in a good way.The interior is cosy with two wings,more of a public bar to the left,lounge to the right.Everything is very traditional,bench seating,some dining type tables,hanging ornaments and busy atmosphere with lots of chatter.There is a small beer garden to the rear.Pub grub food is served,it looked good. A GBG 2025 entry with ales on my trip the regulars London Pride,Adnams Southwold Bitter,Harveys Sussex Best,Bexley BOB with a single guest of Bexley The Big Ten (NBSS 3.5,£4.50).Shame that the selection was all quite samey,with not much style or strength variety but I guess that's what the local CAMRA branch like. It's a pub worth visiting and I like the fact that prices for ale are most reasonable.Higher marks would have been awarded for a more adventurous choice of real ale.

Much to like about this pub from the friendly staff and local, but welcoming, atmosphere to the good selection of handpumped ales; I think there were 5 on offer including Harveys and a very fine Sheps Whitstable Bay. Closing time is 15:00 during the week which was a particular shame yesterday as I arrived at only 14:30 after a rapid march from the already-closed Prince Albert. RH&LJ is certainly a pub to which I would return if in the area but may be a little out of the way for a specific visit, given the lack of ‘crawl' opportunities nearby.

This charming traditional pub dates back to the mid 19th Century and is a slightly incongruous find in the middle of the relatively new housing estate that surrounds it. The pub has a simple U shaped layout that would previously have been split into two separate bars, but now forms one single room wrapping around the centrally positioned servery. The servery is directly opposite as you enter and presents a nice period counter and bar back with a large pump clip collection on the canopy, from which a collection of pewter tankards and ceramic jugs are hung. The room is carpeted throughout and offers a mix of padded bench and pew seating plus standard chairs and low stools, all serving a variety of tables, several of which are made from old Singer sewing machine frames. Various high shelves display eclectic items including a collection of copper goblets, delft style plates and other odds and ends. In the rear corner, next to a small brick fireplace, there is a nice embroidered image of the pub which someone obviously invested a lot of time and effort to lovingly produce. Hops line the walls, neatly capping the ‘rural’ feel the pub has managed to retain in spite of the surrounding urban sprawl. A good atmosphere was generated by the steadily building crowd on my Saturday early evening visit and this was not impeded by the music that quietly played in the background. There was a good range of ale available on this visit, comprising Adnams Southwold Bitter, Sharps Doom Bar, Brains Rev. James, Harvey’s Best, Fullers London Pride, Bexley B.O.B and George Gale Firecracker. The local Bexley brew cost £2.95 for a pint and was in tip-top condition, served by one of the two genial barmen on duty. Food is also available here, with Italian dishes apparently featuring prominently, although I failed to spot any menus during my visit. This was a very enjoyable visit and a most welcome peaceful retreat from the loud, bright bars on the main Bexleyheath drag. This is a classic back street pub of the type that deserves to thrive and I would highly recommend a visit if in the area. It is worth noting that the pub keeps ‘traditional’ opening hours, so don’t do what I did and turn up to find the place closed mid-afternoon. Opening times are: Mon – Fri: 11:00-15:00 and 17.30-23:00, Saturday 11:00-15:00 and 19:00-23:00, Sunday 12:00-16:00 and 19:00-22.30.

When I was in on Wednesday lunchtime they had on Adnam's Broadside and Best, Harvey's Best, Doom Bar, London Pride, Brain's Rev James, Shepherd Neame Late Red, and BOB (Bexley's Own Beer) Pale Ale. The first half a dozen are regulars, with the Late Red and BOB as guests. The prices are good - the BOB is £2.95, Adnam's Best is £3.35, and the others £3.55 or £3.65. Although there are some of the usual suspects in there, others are less usually seen, and the BOB is obviously from a local microbrewery and looks the best bet (it was in top notch condition as well). As others have said, the handpumps aren't all in the same place and you need to either examine the lists that are on display, or walk along the bar to examine all the clips (the guest ales were on pumps along to the left, and not on the bank of pumps facing you as you enter). A bar snacks menu was available with everything very reasonably priced - beefburgers are £2.75, and sarnies are from £3.95 (cheese, ham) to £5.95 (prawn cocktail). This really is a country pub few paces from the main high street. There are low beams decorated with loads of pump clips, and with jugs and glass mugs hanging from them, plus more decor (plates and the like) on narrow shelves high on the walls. It's carpeted throughout and almost entirely furnished with settles and normal tables and chairs, but with a couple of armchairs filling a couple of small spaces. There are a few tables and chairs outside at the front. This pub is a real gem, and thus was quite busy on my lunchtime visit. They do excellent beer, at excellent prices, and with a friendly landlady who took the trouble to tell me about the Bexley brewery ales. This is one of the pubs that really are worth seeking out. I would dearly like to make a return visit to this one.

Robin Hood & Little John official site - www.robinhoodbexleyheath.co.uk

Robin Hood & Little John official site - www.robinhoodbexleyheath.co.uk

Superb pub and one I used way back in 1976. To have this sort of pub in Bexleyheath is very fortunate. A reminder of bygone days.