The Black Dog, SE11

Looking for a nearby pub after visiting Mother Kelly's, I came across this tidy backstreet boozer, which has been given the full gastro makeover, but still welcomes drinkers too. What I hadn't realised is that the pub is now a tourist mecca thanks to the fact that it got an apparent mention in a Taylor Swift song, so the place was packed ehen I arrived and I had to drink in a cramped corner near the entrance. Inside, there's a simple, bare boarded room which has presumably long since been opened out from a former two bar set up. As a result, the servery is now in the rear right corner and has a tile fronted counter and a pretty spectacular bar back with a massive stained glass semi circular feature in the middle, glazed tile surround and a mural of the pub with the relevant Taylor Swift lyrics painted to one side. Formal tables and chairs fill the rest of the room and were all set up for diners, but a couple of high table concessions were put aside for drinkers and there was plenty of picnic bench seating outside too. An open kitchen occupies rest of the rear wall, further emphasising the pub's foodie credentials, and the walls have been minimally decorated with a few portraits, whilst pub merchandise was inevitablely available to satisfy the tourist's need to prove they've been somewhere. I found two beers on cask when I arrived and chose the Wimbledon SW19, but it spluttered its last breath on ordering and I had to make do with a house beer called Black Dog English Pale Ale at £5.75 a pint. Two ciders were also on handpull and the Pale Ale turned out to be a serviceable example of the style. It's strange to stumble across a pub like this, which would've been a wholly unremarkable gastro pub visit were it not for the fact that loads of people who have clearly never set foot in a pub before, had come here for a quick drink and a selfie or two. It was good to see a couple of cask options in such a food-led venue, but it wasn't the most comfortable spot for a drink, so I was content to have a swiftie and leave. Date of visit - 12th September 2024

This is a 19th century pub situated overlooking what was once Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens. As described, the interior is modernised with an interesting backlit stained glass ‘fanlight’ as bar back, otherwise with black shiny ceramic tiles and beaten copper top, visible on their website. There’s an open kitchen to add to the aforementioned noise. Otherwise, there’s a pale grey colour scheme, old-school furniture, bare boarded floor and young professional customers. Unsurprisingly the ale lineup had changed little in the five days since Moby’s visit, the only difference being the lack of the Brockley, replaced by Wimbledon SW19 (‘coming soon’) and their Villages Pale Ale, my half of Wandle coming in at a stiff £3.00 a half and bit iffy, served by pleasant staff. The place is passable, but the similarly black Prince is close at hand.

A single roomed pub that was quite busy on a Saturday lunchtime, there are however several problems with the pub as far as I'm concerned, A quite large and high ceilinged room along with the bare boarded floor and spacious internal layout made for rather bad acoustics, the babble of chatter was competeing with not only the above medium volume music but also various noises from the open kitchen including a rather loud extractor fan. Beers being served were Brockley Summer IPA,Sambrooks Wandle and house branded Black Dog English Pale Ale ,on keg along with the San Mig and corparate craft offerings from the likes of Brooklyn,Shipyard etc were more own brand Black Dog Stout and Lager. There is also an attached covered courtyard garden but offered little respite from the cacophony of noise. A pub that could do better.

An attractive exterior with lower walls tiled brown, high up on the squint end wall is a painted black dog and a striped awning over some outdoor benches gives a bit of a continental feel. Inside a rectangular room has a distressed boarded floor, reclaimed dining tables with carefully mismatched chairs, circular stripped back cast iron columns supporting a high beamed ceiling. The bar runs along a side wall and has an open to view food servery adjoining. Decor includes framed dog pictures, caricatures, cigarette cards and a high shelf contains various old radios. Christmas decs were going up already. Four handpumps, Dark Star Hophead, dear at £4.40, Jennings Cumberland Ale, Wychwood Ruby plus apparently brewed for the pub, English Pale Ale, provenance unknown. Clearly they do food but I failed to note anything from a menu. 60s and 70s soundtrack at low volume. Quite a pleasant spot, enjoyed my short stay here.