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The Libertine, Borough, SE1
SE1
SE1 1PQ
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6 of 10) see review guidelines
Will Larter left this review about The Libertine
This pub had not been on my radar when contemplating how to fill my time before the 14:56 from KGX to DON, but on the day that CAMRA's Good Beer Guide 2026 was officially launched I happened to spot that it was "New to the Good Beer Guide" while scrolling through the nearby pubs. Who could resist, especially I was was already planning to visit the Royal Oak and the Blue Maid nearby. Actually, a 2024 "we're in the GBG" sticker in the window shows that the blurb was a little carelessly written - not so much new as welcome back - but my half of Wimbledon Common Pale Ale 3.7% was certainly good, if not brilliant (NBSS 3, £5.60/pint), though service was a little distracted; there were definitely more people eating lunchtime pizzas (around a dozen) than drinking real ale (me). I wouldn't want to put anyone off, though - those pizzas looked pretty good, and this pub is pleasantly and conveniently located just around the corner from Borough tube station.
On 26th September 2025
- rating: 6
[User has posted 4491 recommendations about 4122 pubs]
Pub SignMan left this review about The Libertine
A warm and welcoming single-room pub with a lived-in, eclectic feel. The interior features bare boards and some carpeted sections around the edges, with the servery halfway along the left wall. The front half is arranged with mismatched tables and chairs, backless benches and a small raised area with a dartboard. Towards the rear are more chairs and a fireplace topped with candles and a mirror. The angular, tongue-and-groove panelled bar counter includes a brass footrail and coat hooks, and the bar back is dominated by a central mirror flanked by blackboards. Decor includes a deer head, a snakeskin, large potted plants, fairy lights, vintage photos, and a large triptych artwork. A big TV screen remained switched off during my visit, while pop music played at a comfortable volume. The pub has a pizza menu and some outdoor benches on the pavement.
Two cask ales were available: Redemption Kazbek (£5.60 a pint) and Harvey’s Sussex Best, with one pump unclipped. I tried the Kazbek, which was fresh and well-kept. The pub was peaceful on my midweek visit and had a chilled, slightly bohemian charm, whilst the service from the barman was relaxed and approachable.
This seems like a decent enough pub with a couple of reasonable ale options, well appointed decor and comfy furnishings combining to good effect. They've made a bit of effort to give the pub some character and I think it's the sort of place you could come with a couple of friends for a relaxed evening chatting over a fe well-kept pints.
Date of visit: 24th February 2025
On 2nd September 2025
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3387 recommendations about 3387 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about The Libertine
A decent sized corner pub, a tad gloomy inside with its fair share of dark wood and dark green walls. As mentioned below there is a dart board in one corner,oddly flanked on the wall beside it with a Hieronymus Bosch Garden Of Earthly Delights triptych.
On the bar three handpumps with a choice of two, Oakham Citra and Brick Peckham Pale,mostly normal keg stuff with a sprinkling of mainstream craft. All in all an ok pub.
On 12th May 2023
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2232 recommendations about 2198 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Danny O'Revey left this review about The Libertine
Typical London street corner local, high ceilings, tables and chairs around the windows. Theres what seems to be a popular darts area. Nice inside, smart, house plants in placesm real ale
On 24th September 2022
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1585 recommendations about 1562 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about The Libertine
This was founded in 1825 as the Skinner’s Arms and rebuilt for Whitbread in 1896.
I hadn’t added this pub to my to-do list, because it doesn’t retain the original pub name; if I hadn’t glanced it down a side street, I’d have missed it and certainly during daytime without lights to guide the way; this only goes to show the perils of pubs adopting stupid, non-pub related names. The scuffed floor is still there from the previous review and the raised darts area, which aren’t the pub’s finest hour. However, the pleasing sea green colour scheme is on show, with dark wood wainscotting to the dado, lighting being Victorian style. Furniture is conventional, with décor in the form of framed prints and large potted palms; it’s really rather nice, especially when paired with decent tunes on the hi-fi; an added bonus is that there were no games machines or visible TVs; to the rear is a comfortable, carpeted snug of sorts. Customers seemed to be young professional types, probably recent incomers to the area.
The old-school landlady was friendly and welcoming, with a beer range that puts most of the local pubs to shame: three pumps, one dispensing the rather pedestrian offering of Sussex Best, but then two hitherto unheard-of London brewed ales, Forest Road’s Work IPA and Brockley’s Pale Ale at a very agreeable £2.25 a half and very nice it was too.
Due to the non-pub silly name, this was an unexpected find, one of the best in SE1.
On 14th November 2021
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2283 recommendations about 2232 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Libertine
Probably was a fairly fancy place many years ago but has been gradually stripped back and left to gently decay. The front area is grubby bare board, bland goo green / grey paint walls and a well-utilised darts area. To the rear is what may have been a separate small lounge which now has a worn carpet, dark green walls and fireplace with a mirror above. A few local characters in situ with some interesting chat and “I’m not a racist but [insert contradictory sentence here]” Brexit chat. A surprise entry in the 2020 GBG, there were three pumps clipped with Doom Bar, Redemption Hopspur and Watneys Spaceman, the latter of which was a thin and watery specimen (NBSS 2) served up by the best bit of the pub, a friendly and engaging barman. Didn't see much to get excited about really and I doubt it’ll be bothering the GBG in 2021 unless the local branch really are desperate to fill their quota…
On 2nd November 2019
- rating: 5
[User has posted 5754 recommendations about 5735 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Libertine
Corner pub opened out at some stage to leave a rectangular bar with the counter in the middle of the inner side wall. Fairly limited number of wooden tables on a bare-board floor at the front and centre, with a smaller lounge area at the rear. Large windows in the front half but quite gloomy further back. Restrained decor. Doom Bar and Proper Job clips on two of three handpumps when I arrived, but the latter went off as it was poured so I waited a few minutes for the Truman's Gypsy Queen (£3.90) to be put on.
On 9th July 2016
- rating: 6
[User has posted 8918 recommendations about 8918 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Alan Winfield left this review about The Libertine
The Libertine is a corner pub that is in an area where there are lots of flats,the last time i passed this pub it was called the Skinners Arms and the area seemed to be a lot rougher that it is now,so things have improved.
Once inside there is a single oblong shaped room with the bar to the rear,the room is bare boarded,the seating is normal tables and chairs to the front and leather settees to the rear,there is a slight raised area to the front left which has a darts board and piano on it.
There were three real ales on the bar,i had a drink of Trumans Lazarus which went down very well,the other beers were Twickenham Naked Ladies and Doom Bar.
I thought this was quite a nice pub apart from the concept type background music.
Pub visited 26/5/2015
On 26th May 2015
- rating: 7
[User has posted 6113 recommendations about 6113 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Sir Tubbs left this review about The Libertine
A very friendly corner pub with excellent home-made pizzas including several veggie options, but often busy on weekday lunchtimes with many tables reserved - arrive early for lunch if you can! Popular with students from nearby South Bank and with three ales available too. Worth seeking out for pizza & beer.
On 13th February 2014
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2 recommendations about 2 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Malden man left this review about The Libertine
A little bit off the beaten track in Borough, this is a somewhat quirky single roomed pub with a local yet slightly bohemian feel. Boarded flooring, reclaimed domestic dining tables with candles in dimpled pint mugs, décor includes an antelope's head sporting an Aussie hat with dangling corks, over the bar is a gold painted reclining mannequin wearing a tutu, to the rear are various framed photographs of mainly 1960s musicians and a large snake skin is stretched along a ceiling beam. All pretty standard pub stuff then, the pub is aptly named. There is a slightly raised area to a front corner where there is a dartboard, this area looks to double up as the stage for live music events judging by the lighting and speaker stacks; one wall is covered by a curious Scarfe-esque mural which I found vaguely disconcerting. The look is completed by lots of foliage in the guise of large potted plants, a pair of sofas either side of the rear fireplace provide an alternative to the mostly regular style seating.
Three handpumps on the side bar, Doom Bar, Hook Norton Hooky Bitter and Crouch Vale Citra (£3.60), decent value for the area. Food is served but the only options I could see consisted of pizzas.
I found the place to be comfortable and rather chilled, the welcome and service were down to earth and cheerful and the small group around the bar were all engaged in friendly discussion between themselves and the staff. Worth a detour off the main road.
On 30th August 2013
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1710 recommendations about 1683 pubs]