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Detail Pages
The Dolphin, Sydenham, SE26
SE26
SE26 5HB
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
David Walton left this review about The Dolphin
Indeed quite an impressive interior, little changed from the below comprehensive descriptions. There is a seating area out the front, but not too appealing given the busy road the pub sits on. Music was a bit annoying in that the choice wasn’t bad, but the sound quality was poor. Much more attractive and appealing is the garden out the back, plenty of green with the seats surrounded by low level hedge features.
Two of the four hand pumps were operational, one dispensing Adnams Broadside and one, a previously untried one from GK called Hopping Special, accurately described on the pump clip as an amber ale. Actually quite enjoyable. On the keg front there was indeed an impressive array with about a dozen taps including Hepcat, Lumina, Rafiki, Rolling Papers, Inch’s cider, Paulaner lager etc etc.
This is a really decent venue that warrants a 7 rating from me. Better cask would nudge the score up but for where the pub is, and needing to cater for lots of subsets of customers, I would say it is a pretty stellar score. If I find something better than this in the SE26 post code area I will really be very surprised, but that is the joy of having a list in a new area but not assessing any before just turning up.
On 7th May 2024
- rating: 7
[User has posted 177 recommendations about 177 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
john gray left this review about The Dolphin
Impressive looking pub with a modern interior .Very busy on my visit.Warm and comfortable interior.Yardbird ,Pedigree and Landlord on cask
On 14th January 2023
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1023 recommendations about 1009 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Alan Winfield left this review about The Dolphin
The Dolphin is a large stand alone pub that is situated on Sydenhams main shopping street.
Once inside there is a large single room with the bar facing,the room is bare boarded,the seating mainly normal tables and chairs.
There were two real ales on the bar,i had a drink of Adnams Bitter which was a decent drink,the other beer was St Austell Tribute.
The pub was very busy on my Saturday afternoon visit with mainly younger upmarket drinkers.
This is a decent enough pub to have a drink in.
Pub visited 14/5/2016
On 5th June 2016
- rating: 7
[User has posted 6113 recommendations about 6113 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Dolphin
The Dolphin is an inter-war roadside pub built by Courage on the site of a previous pub. The interior has been opened up to form a large single room with the dark wood servery in the middle of the rear wall and two decent sized seating areas on either side. The room has bare floorboards throughout and over on the right hand side there is some very attractive dark wood panelling which combines nicely to create a homely effect. The right side is the slightly larger of the two and has tables and chairs of a more formal type that perhaps are best suited to those wanting to eat. A few modern art prints line the walls and there are some interesting light fixtures as well. Opposite the bar, a row of standard tables and chairs run along the front wall, with a clapped out looking sofa to one side. Meanwhile on the left hand side of the room there are a number of rugs covering the floorboards, some limited wall panels and a lot of exposed brickwork painted in blue. Two tiny fireplaces barely catch the eye, but there are some arty photos on the walls and bookshelves that looked worth perusing. Seating here is slightly comfier, with armchairs and sofas making up the majority, although the desk chair I found myself sat on had a worn out set of springs which didn't lend it to a prolonged session. The pub is child friendly, although I did notice a couple of signs on the way in reminding customers that the pub is essentially an adult environment and to therefore factor this in before bringing children in.
There were four operational hand pumps on my visit, offering Fullers London Pride, St Austell Tribute, Wadworth St George and the Dragon and Morland Old Speckled Hen. My pint of Tribute was in reasonable shape and served to me by a pretty surly barman. A quick scan of the other options suggested a decent range of craft bottled beers and some decent continental brews on keg.
This is a pretty solid pub that seems to be quite versatile, catering for drinkers and diners alike and finding a good balance between hardened pub goers and family groups. The ale range was a little less adventurous than I'd hoped for, but the positives certainly outweighed this and I would suggest this is about as good as you'll get in Sydenham.
On 21st June 2015
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3126 recommendations about 3126 pubs]