Elephant & Castle, Elephant & Castle, SE1

To correct the review added last night: there is no pub called the Maida Vale, but there is a former pub called the Hero of Maida; close but no cigar: get your facts right.

Originally located on the roundabout at the heart of the legendary Elephant & Castle gyratory system, this pub dates from the mid-18th century and is one of five pubs which give their names to both tube stations and the surrounding area, with this ugly carbuncle dating from 1966 in what is probably the most unattractive location in all of Europe, though with all the ongoing development it’s actually less unattractive than it used to be, hard though that may be to imagine; at least Hannibal House, the shopping centre and – I kid you not – a statue of a pink elephant wearing a castle have gone. This is an Antic pub, suitably Anticfied with exposed services, waffle ceiling and plumbing; behold the grey plastic soil pipes on high! Otherwise, a photo from July 2017 paints a tableau of the interior as do pics on the website, with a slightly raised area, red upholstered booth-style seating, marble clad columns though oddly there are some traditional knickknacks to a shelf at right. A DJ was spinning his digital discs on my Saturday night visit and loudly enough to trigger the 80dB noise alert on my Apple Watch. I was virtually the only customer inside, with the largely studenty crowd outside under an awning, rendering the prowling bouncer somewhat otiose. Amazingly there was a selection of cask here and a decent one too with two from Volden: Pale and Session at an agreeable £1.90 a half and on very good form, served by a friendly barmaid. Obviously, I’ve no intention of coming here again, but I preferred it to the neighbouring Rockingham.

This is a large open plan Antic pub on the busy junction in the heart of Elephant & Castle. The pub is a continuation of the pub from which the area takes its name and this particular incarnation was built in 1966 as part of the areas post-war rebuilding programme. The pub's most recent claim to fame was that it was where many of the pioneers of the UK Garage scene used to DJ, making it something of a leading venue in the scene's early days. The pub closed in 2015 but locals helped it to gain ACV status and soon Antic were on board, reopening the pub in 2016. Today, the pub has a single room interior with large windows along three sides, bare floorboards throughout and a great, brutalised ceiling that gives the game away that this is an Antic pub. There is a raised seating area under the front windows with low red upholstered banquettes, mixed chairs and low stools all supporting a weird selection of retro tables of various shapes and sizes. Longer banquettes can be found in the lower section of the room, with a few additional chairs and high stools over to the left. The bar is on the rear wall and has a dark wood counter, metal framed bar back and open kitchen to the left under a set of bookshelves. The room has been decorated with old-fashioned wallpaper, paintings and all manner of period objects such old phones, radios, LP's, shoes, clocks, drinks bottles and the like, all of which combine to give the pub something of a 1960's feel appropriate to the architecture of the area and vintage of the pub itself. To the left is a semi-heated patio area whilst over to the right there were some stairs down to a basement bar which i failed to explore. Music was playing in the background but this was almost entirely lost under the din of a packed post-work crowd. A good ale range, of the sort you come to expect from Antic, comprised Dark Star APA, Adnams Ghost Ship, Howling Hops XX Pale, Siren Coldblooded and Volden Session. My APA was in sub-par condition, but still drinkable and it is worth noting that I had to enjoy it stood up due to the huge mid-week crowd which far surpassed anything else I saw in the area. I quite liked this pub, despite the dubious quality of the beer. I thought Antic had done a really good job of evoking the period in which this pub originally opened its doors and plays its own small tribute to the era in which the surrounding estate came into being. It certainly seems popular with the locals and would be my pub of choice when in the area.

Just a squareglass box really.Typical Antic.5 cask beers on inc Adnams -Satsuma Butcombe -goram and my Brew Buddies -session buddy which was knocked out of my hand as turned from the bar but was replaced free.Nice one.Outside seating to the side for anyone who likes traffic fumes.