The Mudlark, SE1

This is a small, single room Nicholson's pub, just a short walk from London Bridge station, near Southwark Cathedral. The interior is typical Nicholson’s, with lots of dark wood and a mixture of comfortable seating. It felt a bit bland to be honest, with little of interest to comment on, but there was a decent crowd in there on a Saturday afternoon, including a number of hardy souls braving the cold temperatures on the large outdoor patio area. The bar offered London Pride, Thwaites Wainwright, Sharp's Doom Bar, TT Landlord and something from Copper Dragon (£3.25). I tried the Copper Dragon and Thwaites and found neither of them to be in great condition. As well as the standard lager and cider options, they were also serving mulled wine and cider in the run up to the festive period. The staff were fast and efficient in their service and kept the place nice and tidy. A poster on the wall caught my attention by advertising an upcoming meet the brewer event, but unfortunately it didn't specify which brewery was to be represented. Not one of the best Nicholson's pubs that I've visited, but still fairly pleasant and certainly a convenient option given its location, but there are a great many other pubs in the area that I would prefer to spend my time in.

Been past this pub numerous times but our first visit was only a few days ago. Good to see 5 ales on although the Sharps Doom Bar went off as we were served.The ales we had were in top notch condition. There is an outside seating area which can be hired for barbeques in the Summer. Will definitely visit again.

Named after 18th Century river scavangers, this wll hidden Southwark back street pub is more of an office workers retreat than anything for locals or tourists. The interior is a small, single room in the ground floor of a fairly modern office building. The fake pillars and beams make it look less of the shoe box it could be although the interior does feel a bit plastic and contrived but certainly not unattractive or unwelcoming. In an area full of pubs in dingy cellars or hemmed in between former warehouses, the Mudlark does benefit from having plenty of natural light courtesy of the copious window space down one side. There were 5 ales available on my vist (1 pump undergoing cleaning), 3 Nicholsons regulars (Landlord, Pride, and Doom Bar) plus Thwaites Wainwright and Brakspear Bitter from their current pool of guest ales. Prices are very reasonable given the area. Ther background music was arather bland and safe but not intrusive and there is just a small basic TV. A blackboard was advertising a Meet the Brewer session on 1st June (but omitted to say what brewery was being represented!). Outside is a covered and shady patio that stands in the shadow of Southwark Cathedral and probably has more floorspace than the pub itself. It aklso catches the early evening sunshine and with BBQ’s appearing to be a regular function, is not a bad little spot on a summers evening although I dare say it does get busy. Overall, a fairly bland but inoffensive place with a few decent ales and whilst I’m not sure why it has taken me so long to find the place, I certainly wouldn’t rule out further visits even though it does have some very strong competition in the neighbourhood.

The Mudlark is a smallish pub situated on the South Thames path, just down the steps from London Bridge and under the shadow of Southwark Cathedral. It takes its name from the 18th century term for the child street urchins who used to scavenge the banks and mudflats of the Thames for bits of coal and other flotsam and jetsam. Nowadays it’s a Nicholsons pub and therefore usually has a decent range of real ales with six hand pumps on the bar area, which the other night included a very passable pint of Brakespears Oxford Gold. The inside ground floor bar area is quite small, but is complemented by a larger outside patio area with parasols and patio heaters which, like other pubs in the area supports regular outside barbecues during the summer months. It tends to get quite busy during weekday lunchtime and early evenings with local office workers and at these periods, the small bar serving area can come under pressure and expect to be three to four deep at the bar. But outside these periods it is much quieter and you can usually get a seat. It does an extensive food menu include the usual Nicholsons sausage menu, but I have never bothered to eat here. So in conclusion a decent pub close to London bridge which has been good for a pint before moving off elsewhere.

Official site of the Mudlark, contains menu and real ale list - www.nicholsonspubs.co.uk

Official site of the Mudlark, contains menu and real ale list - www.nicholsonspubs.co.uk

It was very busy in here during my recent visit, but I was served promptly and the barman was polite. Greene King IPA and Bloomin Marvelous were available alongside some well kept Landlord and there were also some standard and premium lagers. There is an outside drinking area that was also heaving and there were a lot of people dining, but I would still return if in the area.