Old Kings Head, SE1

Can't believe I've never been here before. The Good Beer Guide pointed it out to me and in my last visit, the alley it hides down was packed with footie fans. Saved for a quieter day and after the madness of Borough Market, this 10:30am opener was just what was needed. A single roomer with a central bar. Two real ales in front, but unless you want to risk missing out, a further two around the corner. I missed out of Harveys Sussex best with a Proper Job. One wall with massive art works of the area in the C17th and of the original London Bridge. Impressive etched glassworks. Cricket was on a number of TVs - at a volume that you wouldnt expect from a sedate sport. Interesting and worth a visit.

Being here by the mid-16th century is no surprise to me, given the history of the area and its pubs in general, the current incarnation dating from 1881. It’s quite a large single room, carpeted with some stained glass; a mural of old London Bridge prior to the Great Fire of 1666 and a typical coaching inn’s alleyway covers the left-hand wall, where a modest TV hangs, showing the footie; for once people were actually watching it, which comes as no surprise as this is a very blokey pub – with not one woman – to the point that on entering, I wondered if it was a gay pub, but then gay men don’t dress like the blokes in here. Brimful of Asha on the 45 played at a reasonable level and there are some knickknacks about the place, with a traditional bar array, serving up Southwark’s Mayflower Session Ale, Doom, Sussex Best and Proper Job, at an unacceptable £3.00 a half, though good. With a good vibe, this is quite a nice pub, certainly just about the last traditional boozer in the area, other pubs having all been trendified; I’d pop in here again if in the area, but the down-to-earth air of the place can in no way justify the high prices; the ‘fashionable’ pubs by Borough Market don’t charge this much.