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Beer of the Week (w/e 27th April 2025) with Thuck Phat on the Pub Forum

The Portland Arms, SE25

152 Portland Road
SE25
SE25 4PT

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Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6½ of 10) Add Review see review guidelines

David Walton left this review about The Portland Arms

Pub is well described below and the rear garden was much in demand on such a beautiful evening.not sure that would have been such a feature of the reviews below on Feb & Oct! The interior has a really nice vibe, the music really complemented that than being an abstract annoyance.

There were three cask options, Northcote Best from Belleville Brewing, Otter Bitter from Otter Brewery in Devon, my choice and a nice quaff, and a storming Perry called Bee Sting from Lilley’s coming in at a cool 6.8%. Keg offerings were as described below a mixed bag, some craft from South London breweries but the taps otherwise stacked with predictable options.

I think this place is a good example of its generic type, a very clear 6, nudging 7 but for me 7 and above is a high bar that this type of pub probably can’t attain. It needs that something extra that is hard to put into words. It is a cracking pub though that I would be very happy to quaff in again, and v happy to be here now, but not one you would trek to because it has that something extra. Definitely head to if you are vaguely around here.

On 20th May 2024 - rating: 6
[User has posted 631 recommendations about 631 pubs]

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

Bucking Fastard left this review about The Portland Arms

There used to be lots of pub on Portland Road,most of the buildings are still recognisable as former pubs and this is essentially the lone survivor.It's has a classic Victorian exterior up some steps with a patio with picnic benches before the front door.Inside there is a mix of furniture,a rough wood banquette to the left,some heavy square wooden dining type tables,then some sofas.Beyond a central column are more dining style tables,bar and open kitchen to the left.outside is a paved beer garden with a higher section in decking.No original features and an open plan layout.

A noteable feature are the sports flatscreens which will cover both BT Sport and Sky.Just two ale options on my trip Bexley Red House and Sambrooks Portland Premium Bitter,a house beer.The keg selection was pretty mainstream.The food offering struck me as expensive for the area with a median main £14,although there are cheaper seasonal specials.There is a regular quiz with cash and beer prizes.
As last man standing,I suppose they can get away with high prices,and it is a good spot to watch televised sport.Palace fans use it pre game but for me there isn't a huge reason to revisit.

On 1st October 2022 - rating: 6
[User has posted 2936 recommendations about 2936 pubs]

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

Pub SignMan left this review about The Portland Arms

Originally the Prince of Denmark, this place last traded as a rather garish bar called Oceans Apart, specialising in cocktails, DJ nights and Thai food before becoming one of South Norwood's many pub closure victims when it shut up shop in 2009. Having been boarded up for over seven years, it therefore came as a great surprise to hear that the place was to reopen in time for Christmas 2016, this time as the Portland Arms. The place has been given a full makeover and presents a considerably more restrained appearance than its predecessor, albeit one that feels like it still needs to bed in a little. The pub is reached by a short flight of steps from street level, which takes you up to a front patio with several picnic benches. A large red framed porch leads you into the main room which has bare floorboards throughout and a servery along the right hand wall with an open kitchen at the far end. Either side of the entrance porch, there are chunky, rustic fixed benches including a rather nice curved bench to the left which is partly hidden by the porch itself. The room is broken up by several wide, wood-clad pillars to which tables have been attached whilst elsewhere there is a good mix of tables and chairs plus some sofas and other such comfy options to the rear. Walls have been decorated with some nice postcard-style images of various South London neighbourhoods and the bar back is dominated by a large sign promoting Ted's Burger Shack, who operate out of the aforementioned open kitchen. A TV on one of the pillars was showing muted Sky Sports News, allowing a decent soundtrack to play over the top. We grabbed a bite to eat here and thought the burgers were pretty good quality, with a big portion of fries on the side.
There were four ales on the bar - Brick Kinsale Bitter, Brixton Windrush Stout, Bexley Redhouse and London Beer Factory Beyond the Pale. Keg options were a bit of a mixed bag, but I noted some beers from the local Canopy Brewery among the mainstream dross. A very friendly, helpful barman poured me a fantastic pint of the Windrush Stout, which I hope is a sign of things to come on the beer quality front.
This, along with the new Antic pub up the road, is a most welcome addition to the rather decimated South Norwood pub scene and goes some way to redress the pub loss epidemic that has blighted the area in recent years. I thought this was a good pub that should appeal to a wide range of local customers and if the beer quality can be maintained, I'm sure I'll be popping in here more often.

On 7th February 2017 - rating: 7
[User has posted 3350 recommendations about 3350 pubs]