Eltham GPO, Eltham, SE9

This is a Portobello pub, so you get their Star Best and, today, a 3.4% Pale from Gypsy Hill, priced at a reasonable £5, with the frothy head willingly topped up for that full pint satisfaction. The keg beers seemed fairly unremarkable. Reasonably busy for a late afternoon, though with plenty of tables still available, albeit some have reservations for later. A decent menu helps to offset the restricted beer selection. Worth a pit-stop, if not a full-on session.

This is one of a tranche of pubs that the Portobello Brewery bought off Antic in 2020 and it was shut down for three months in the second half of last year whilst it underwent a complete makeover, therefore none of the previous reviews now really apply. What we have instead is a very smart pub, both inside and outside. You can still see traces of the former Antic pub in the ceiling and the bare boarded wooden floor, but the furniture and décor is now much more modern, with a lot of the space aligned to dining but still with enough sections more aligned to sitting with a beer. And in that respect, there are now three ale hand pumps on the bar alongside some keg dispensers for modern craft ales. Portobello Star Bitter and Stiff Lip IPA were on with FivePoints XPA on the third pump as a guest. There were some interesting craft options such as Brixton Atlantic APA on the taps. I have a very soft spot for former GPO buildings turned into pubs and I thought this is now a particularly good example.

Usual sort of Antic hipsterish take on a conversion, in this case a former post office, with random arty furnishings and décor. Something of a foody feel, including the mandatory clipboard menus, and mostly tabled, although plenty of room for drinkers also. On handpump were a couple of Volden beers - Session and a very drinkable Autumn - plus Ghost Ship and a Lilley's cider.