The Alma Tavern, Addiscombe, Croydon

The Alma Tavern interior consists of an L shaped bar to the right and a seating area to the left. There is a pool table to the right rear where the other two customers on my recent Thursday afternoon visit were playing. Plasma screens are located throughout and live sport is advertised. Out the back is a covered smoking area and out the front is a beer garden lined with numerous picnic tables. The bar is stocked with premium and standard draught and I counted three hand pumps. The Fuller’s London Pride was off, but Caledonian’s Over the Bar and Croydon Alma Ale were both available. Food is available throughout the day with the mains coming in at around £9. Meal deals are also available with one such deal being two meals for £11.45 during the week. This pub was refurbished during a closure in the not too distant past and I think that it is much improved looking at the previous reviews below. I would certainly have no problem returning if passing.

There were two handpumps on the counter, but neither had anything to offer, although one had a clip reversed offering the prospect of a real ale at other times. I didn’t spot any menus. It looks as if the pub has been extended into a house in Grant Road, creating a games room containing a pool table and dartboard. The main room is carpeted and has a small raised and balustraded area to the left. There are some prints on the walls, one featuring some British soldiers fighting it out at a river – presumably the Alma, in the Crimea. I was the only person in there, and as nobody had turned up to serve me by the time I had finished looking around I decided to leave, getting the sole nicotine bouncer to move away from the outside of the door so that I could open it. A bit depressing really, but maybe it’s a more friendly and welcoming place at other times.

This pub was probably once a thriving focal point for Addiscombe residents, given that it was situated next to the now long departed Addiscombe railway station. Now sadly, it is a bit of a rough and ready local's boozer with a poor reputation. Despite living a stone's throw away, I'd never bothered to try the place out, but blackboards outside the pub have recently announced the fact that they now have real ales on offer. I was greeted by a friendly barmaid who pointed out two pumps offering Bombadier and Old Speckled Hen. I gave the latter a try and it was a perfectly passable pint, although I seemed to be the only person giving it a try, as lagers seemed to dominate the table around me. The interior was dominated by the huge bar which takes up much of the space, forcing customers into the rear where a pool table can be found, or to the side where there was an area set aside for karaoke and a couple of games machines kept the locals happy. Loud music was being pumped out, even at 5:30 on a Tuesday evening, which didn't make for a particularly relaxing atmosphere. There is also a huge decking area in front of the pub which attracts a fair few customers in the summer months and Happy hour deals were being advertised for various time slots throughout the week. Not a great pub, but it seems to serve its purpose well enough and it's encouraging to see a pub that has never bothered with ale, finally getting something on.