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Beer of the Week (w/e 15th March 2026) with trainman on the Pub Forum

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Submitted on Monday, 24^th November 2025
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The Lawrence Arms, Honor Oak, SE4

Pub added by Aqualung .

389 Brockley Road
SE4
SE4 2PH

Phone: 02086946962

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Served areas

Honor Oak

Reviews of The Lawrence Arms (Average Rating: 7 of 10) Add Review see review guidelines

David Walton left this review about The Lawrence Arms

Visited 24/11/25. Visited previously as the London Beer Dispensary on 28/06/21.

Cask was four handpumps dispensing two from Southey Brewing - the Pale and the Best, then the Devon Mist Hazy cider from Sanford's Orchards and the Miniature Cymbals pale ale from Verdant. Keg was the Penge Pilsner, the Field of Gold - a Belgian Clementine, the Lazy Jesus APA, the Celebration Fresh Hop IPA all from Southey Brewing, the Sundialler pale ale from Verdant, the Kaleidoscope IPA from Cloudwater, the Dreams of Brew York fruit sour from Brew York and the Wood for the Trees session cider from Against the Grain.

Outlet for Southey Brewery in addition to their taproom in the brewery down in Penge. This one is bare boarded, wood panelled with the bar counter along the rear wall in the front part of the venue. Seating in this part provided by regular tables and chairs and some tall tables and high stools either side of the entrance. The taps for the keg beers are on the wall behind the bar counter but helpfully listed on the chalk beer board to the right of the bar counter above a fire grate that doesn't appear to be operational. There is a beer fridge offering takeaways of their own and guest beers in bottle and can. A walkway to the right of the bar counter down a couple of steps takes you to a seating area at the rear with regular tables and chairs, the walkway having a drinking ledge with a few tall stools along its length. A very worthwhile destination in my view, my only slight gripe being a lack of a stout or mild or two, as a guest even if not brewed by themselves.

On 1^st March 2026 - rating: 7
[User has posted 1340 recommendations about 1323 pubs]

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

Ian Mapp left this review about London Beer Dispensary

Deceptively sized micro, that stretches far back to a pub patio on better days.

Its home of the Southey Brewery but has various other offerings, including a fridge of cans for takeaways.

I had a Southey Best Bitter on cask - memorable for being the coldest cask I have ever consumed.

Quiet on a miserable Saturday (Weather wise) with one other customer. And their dog.

On 16^th January 2023 - rating: 6
[User has posted 1772 recommendations about 1745 pubs]

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

Pub SignMan left this review about London Beer Dispensary

Opened in May 2014, this is the second pub from the local Late Knights Brewery, set inside the former bar of the neighbouring Mr Lawrence Wine Merchants. The pub has a shop conversion feel to it, with a long, narrow interior broken into two rooms connected by a short passageway. The front room has dark wood flooring, two-third high wall panelling (with handled beer glasses running along a ledge at the top of the panels) and a nice textured pattern ceiling, all of which helps to give it much more of a traditional feel than your average modern, craft-beer shop conversion. Standard seating runs down both sides of the room and there are a couple of large barrels which you can stand around if all the tables are taken. A fireplace stands to the rear right before the room narrows into a passageway with a drinking ledge down the right hand wall, supplemented by a few high stools. The corridor leads to a small rear lounge with four or five tables arranged around a second fireplace. Doors to the right lead out to a compact paved garden area with lots of heavy iron tables and chairs. Music played at a sensible level throughout my visit and many customers were enjoying food from the burger menu or specials board, with most meals costing around £6-8, which seemed like pretty good value.
The pub has no servery, but instead uses another large barrel in the rear left corner as somewhere to conduct transactions. The barrel actually houses three keg taps, dispensing obscure craft brews on this visit, whilst the cask ales are on gravity dispense from a rack on the rear wall. Five more handpulls on a notional bar back were also dispensing ales and ciders. A lack of pump clips means you have to consult a board which lists the ale and bar snack options. The selection on this visit comprised Late Knights Old Red Eye and Hop o' the Morning, Southwark LPA, Shiny Brew Ratchet and Gipsy Hill Beatnik. A shelf displays some of the bottled delights that are also available. I tried a pint of the Beatnik, having been offered a taster by one of the friendly barmaids (barrelmaids?) and really loved it- one of the best pints I tried in 2014.
I was suitably impressed with this place, enjoying the cosy ambiance created by the dark wood fittings and muted lighting, warm friendly service and very encouraging beer quality and choice. It may lack a few creature comforts, but I thought it was a good addition to the local area and look forward to the inevitable return visit.

On 16^th January 2015 - rating: 8
[User has posted 3387 recommendations about 3387 pubs]

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