The Dog, Croydon

Situated next to Croydon's market, this Young's pub has a main room with the central bar and a couple of side rooms. It was quiet on our Tuesday lunchtime visit, with no other customers apart from ourselves. As with the previous review, the beers were Young's Bitter & Special. Although, on our visit, they did also have a guest beer, which was Dorking Surrey XPA. Craft beers come by way of Camden Pale Ale & Laine's Fader IPA, Mangolicious, Ripper Session IPA & Source Pale Ale.

I really liked this traditional little market pub, great looking inside and out and in particular the leaded dimple glassed windows and central Island bar gave a great feel to the place. There were a few regulars in giving proceedings a nice buzz. There are two banks of three pumps one set each end of the ovate bar, there was only the choice of two beers , Youngs Bitter and Special, I had the Bitter and it was probably the best example of this beer I had tried in a number of years. I haven't done all of Croydons pubs but I would guess that this is one of the very best.

A long standing Croydon market pub probably going back centuries, inside is rather more recent, there is an island bar with the room extending back to the rear and side. There is some clearly old wood panelling, the leaded glass front windows have interesting inserts featuring horse and ram's heads, a likely link to the local market. There are framed pictures depicting various stages of a butcher's business. Still on the market theme a wall mounted sign refers to "Pearce's Bacon and Cheese". Despite the internal modifications you can still avoid the few high tables and stools, plenty of regular issue remain in usefully different sizes to suit groups small and large. The inevitable music played but this time a decent 60s soul/Motown background, TV muted. Youngs here if that's what they still are, Bitter, Special plus Hook Norton Old Hooky at £4. Liked it.

Young's pub located on the market. A bare boarded interior with an island bar. 6 real ale taps serving 3 ales doubled up on my visit.

Usual Youngs fare, Best, Special and, thesedays, Bombardier. My pint of mixed was in good form. Love the weathered old wood floor and general comfy unchanged feel of the place. Nod to modernism with plasma for football in rear room. Drink to the sound of the Surrey St market traders just outside. It's a good pub, cor blimey!

My visit to the Dog and Bull was early on a recent Wednesday evening so there were no signs of the adjacent stalls and traders on Surrey Street Market. However, the pub was quite busy with a local crowd who were standing around the island bar and using the seating to the right and rear of the pub. This is a Youngs establishment so it wasn’t surprising to see Ordinary and Special available at the bar, but I think that two different beers tripled up on six hand pumps is a poor show. Standard and premium draught products were also available and the pub mains from the food menu were priced around the £10 mark. I spotted a plasma screen which was switched off and there was some very low background music playing off a jukebox. There is a weekly quiz advertised for every Wednesday night from 20:00. I found the service to be very friendly and I would have no problem returning for another well-kept pint of Ordinary if in the area.