The White Hart, SE1

A single bar Victorian back-street pub, adequately described below. The atmosphere was convivial during an early evening visit, mainly commuters enjoying a last pint or a quiet liaison before going home for the night. There was overpriced pub grub for diners and tiny portions of expensive bar snacks on sale, tables with candles which presented a fire hazard for those of us trying to read papers, and a foreign barman with no people skills. Ales on draft were Doombar, Hobgoblin Gold, Long Man's American Pale Ale and Sambrook's Wandle. Craft beers on tap were Oskar Blue, Camden Other Pils, Harpoon Take 5 and The Wild Beer Company's Pogo. There was also a passable wine list. While it's not bad, the high prices mean it's not my first choice.

There were five real ales on in here - Doom Bar, Adnam's Ghost Ship, Rooster's Little Bird, Bad Co Whiter Shade of Pale, and Purity UBU (£4.55 a pint). This is the sort of place that must do food, but there were no menus on the tables when I dropped in at around 2.00 PM on Friday. There were wine lists on the tables however, and although I don't generally concern myself with such things, I noticed that the cheapest wine was a South African plonk at £18.50 a bottle. That price seems consistent with the beer prices. But nonetheless I quite like this pub, although it's obviously not the backstreet boozer that I remember from many years ago. There are no tall tables/tall stools or sofas - just standard tables and chairs. There are no fruit or games machines either, but I did spot a nasty little cash machine (which will charge you) lurking behind one of the doors. The wine and beer prices testify to its upmarket aspirations, as does the vase of roses on the tables, and the water flagon on the bar counter. On the heritage front, the central island servery looks original, but with some modern embellishments like coffee machines and dishwashers. The bar counter is original - Victorian probably - with the telltale hinged door at the front originally for access to the beer engines. The dumb waiter housing looks original as well. I only spotted one unused doorway, so possibly it originally only had two bars. There's not much in the way of decor; just a few miscellaneous prints and a couple of chalkboards advertising available drinks - including draught beers but not the real ales. There was just a handful of punters in, apparently just finishing off their Friday lunchtime session. It's an expensive, but comfortable pub. Five real ales is not too shabby either. Certainly worth dropping for a pint, as long as you don't wince too much at the prices.

Not much to add to the previous reviews. It definitely was very busy with the after work crowd but as it was a fine evening a lot of people were standing outside, so no problem to find space inside and get served. Along with fairly mainstream offerings of Doombar, London Pride and Adnams Ghost ship there was Roosters Californian Common and Salopian Hop Twister and my pint of Hop Twister was on fine form as it was for Moby below. All in all a decent enough pub , but lacking in any real character and if I only had time for one pint in the Lanes it would be in the Kings Arms.

A single square room with a central island bar, there are tables and chairs all the way around the room and all full up on my Sunday afternoon visit.There are five pumps on the bar and my choice of Salopian Hop Twister turned out to be the best beer of the day despite the rather steep cost of £2,25 for a half. I would call back here.

Just a short walk from Waterloo station, down a pleasant backstreet amidst some charming terraces, the White Hart is a traditional pub that has been stripped out and given a gastro style makeover. The layout comprises a single room with a sizeable island servery which creates a fairly narrow ribbon of seating space around the perimeter of the pub. The whole room is bare boarded with the sort of bland, neutral colour scheme which gastro pubs seem to favour. The servery has a nicely panelled bar counter, but the whole place has been stripped back to such a degree that it’s hard to find any interesting details of note. The walls are plain, except for a few blackboards which list different drinks available and the seating options are almost exclusively restricted to standard tables and chairs, with just a couple of high stools along a short ledge to the left of the room. A quick look at the menu showed that they offer upscaled versions of traditional pub classics, with most main courses costing around a tenner. We visited in the early evening on a Bank Holiday Monday and found the place really buzzing with a lively, predominantly young, crowd which created a good atmosphere despite the underwhelming surroundings. There were five handpulls on the bar, dispensing Sambrooks Junction, Sharps Doom Bar, Oakham Citra and Andwell Red IPA, with the fifth pump being pulled through in readiness for a new barrel. The Citra was in pretty good shape and the friendly bar staff were very organised and helpful. This is a fairly decent pub that sadly lacks the character it undoubtedly once had. A lively crowd on my visit made this an enjoyable experience and this, coupled with a good pint of beer, means I will give it another look, perhaps as a double header with the nearby Kings Arms.

On a street corner, the big windows and pale walls make for an open feel at this busy pub near Waterloo stations. Since the clientele is transient, the seats turn over pretty rapidly. The beer offerings were, to me, most notable for the wide range of interesting keg offerings, including Meantime lager, Franziskaner Weiss, Camden Hells and Sierra Nevada Pale Ales among others. Lager drinkers have Carling & Becks available, while ale fans have 5 pumps to browse, including Doom Bar and Adnams (Mosaic on my visit). Makes for a good double-header with the nearby Kings Arms.

Another nice pub but rammed on a Friday night visit.Large central bar dominates.Good range of beers from Sheps,Dorset Brewing and Purity.My keg Brains Atlantic White was very good.

This small corner pub was established in 1905 and is situated in a little known but well preserved residential area behind Waterloo station that is often utilized for period film sets. The pub is quite enticing from outside however the interior is quite cramped with the central island bar allowing little space for anything other than a handful of tables around the pub edges. When the pub is busy, which it usually is, it can be quite uncomfortable with little breathing space. Crowds usually spill out onto designated pavement areas but this is not allowed after 10pm. There isn’t much in the way of décor or noteworthy architecture but it does still have its own intrinsic charm. The 4 Ales are usually a mix of standards and guests with the choices on my latest visit being Sharps Doom Bar, Adnams Lighthouse, Green Jack Trawlerboys Best and Brains Captain Cat plus there is a range of premium draught lagers. At just shy of £4 a pint (Captains Cat), the prices are a bit steep. A quick scan of the food menu reveals a range of top end pub grub at around £9-£16 but you’d be lucky to find a suitable table to eat. It is always a bubbly place and with the crowds it is easy to have the attention drawn away from the relative blandness of the interior but on the whole I do quite like the place and usually pop in when mulling around the area.

It serves a purpose but like so many pubs these days it has little or no character.