Surrey Street Lounge, South End, Croydon

There were 2 ales on my visit. Obviously only due to St George's day but they had bombardier on along with Wadworth St George and Dragon and the former was a very nice drink but I was the only person in the pub at 4:30 on a Saturday afternoon.

'Failte' said the mosaic on the floor of this pub's porch as I entered last week, but sadly this was the best that could be mustered in terms of a welcome. Having roused the barman from his newspaper I realised that there was no ale on whatsoever, so opted for a pint of Guinness (£3.10), this being a half-hearted Irish bar (have they really named this place after the U2 guitarist?). I was served one of those Guinness Extra Cold things which removed the taste factor from the equation and made the whole pint purchasing exercise pointless. A list painted on the wall behind the bar detailed what lager options I could have chosen instead and to be fair, there was a wide choice including draught Red Stripe, which you don't see too often. The pub is split level with the lower section having a bit of a lounge feel whilst the regulars seem to stay on the upper level on stools at the bar. The clientele was almost entirely 30-40 year old blokes, but a small bar menu and coffee machine on the bar suggests that they are trying to cater for a wider audience. Maybe this is better visited in the evening when there is more of a crowd in, but it didn't do much to entice me back and was summed up by the bored barman propping up the end of the bar. Shame, as it's an attractive, mock-Tudor building in a prime location and with a beer garden.