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Beer of the Week (w/e 27th April 2025) with Thuck Phat
on the Pub Forum
Detail Pages
Hope & Anchor, Brixton, SW2
SW2
SW2 5UA
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 3 of 10) see review guidelines
Tris C left this review about Hope & Anchor
This pub has been here since at least 1815, leased to Young’s in 1891, rebuilt with a bowling green in 1899, bought by Young’s in 1933 and rebuilt in 1937 in the brewers’ Tudor style presented today.
This is still a Young’s pub, though you’d never guess it on entering; perhaps a good thing, given their obsession with ruining pubs. There’s much pink fluorescent signage to the exterior and also inside. The floor’s bare boarded, walls being either bare brick, black tiled, dark grey painted, bare brick and a black wall with dayglow ‘graffiti’, then floral wallpaper. There’s no bar back as such, but the front is field panelled and painted a vulgar shade of Barbie pink, a colour mirrored to the windowsills (see photo); décor is absent, silent F1 was showing on a TV and an awful soundtrack played; lighting is mixed retro, furniture mixed, low and tall and the four other customers at the time of my Wednesday 9.30pm visit (who left before me) were young, undiscerning and nothing like the pretty models depicted on the website; to the rear, the enormous beer garden was empty, despite the balmy weather. A trip downstairs to the loo elicited an increasingly strong smell of garlic as I descended; on entering, I encountered a friendly barman who warned me not to go into the cubicle as the stench was even stronger.
There’s no cask, so it was a pint of Neck Oil, £7.20, served by another friendly barman.
I can’t see how this place could get any worse, so a return visit is not on the cards; no good will come of it.
On 14th June 2024
- rating: 3
[User has posted 2208 recommendations about 2165 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Blue Scrumpy left this review about Hope & Anchor
Bouncers on the door of this pub early on a weekday afternoon was not the most hopeful sign. Once we'd negotiated them and all Covid formalities, we were requested to scan a QR code to order drinks.
There's no real ale here. The most exciting prospect seemed to be Little Creatures Pale Ale on keg, but that was off. Therefore, it was a rather unexciting Brixton Reliance Pale Ale for me. Others I recall were Camden Pale, Beavertown Neck Oil, Guinness & Orchard Thieves.
The garden area at the rear looked interesting, but it was too cold to be seated outdoors. So we sat at the rear indoors.
There is a central island bar and some rather strange lighting features, but it really wasn't worth the effort of stopping here.
On 24th May 2021
- rating: 2
[User has posted 3040 recommendations about 3038 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Grand Union
Dismal American-style diner, with limited seating around the island bar, and a narrow front terrace that you can't take drinks out onto. The only point of interest is the large fairground-style 'Pleasure Garden' to the rear featuring brightly-coloured illumination and a series of wooden cabins. Also has a function room upstairs (not visited). Of course, none of the three handpumps was on (although reversed clips for Bombardier and Addlestone's cider were noted). With nothing of interest on the bottled front either, opted for the Peroni (£2.25, half) but at least I got an apology for it being served in a Becks Vier glass!
On 13th September 2015
- rating: 4
[User has posted 8679 recommendations about 8678 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Strongers . left this review about Hope & Anchor
This place has the usual décor and dim lighting of the Grand Union chain. There is a plasma screen, but it was off during my visit and I didn't spot any sport advertised, not that I expected to in a place that advertises itself as a bar and grill.
Bombardier and Youngs Ordinary were available alongside Addlestones cider and standard/premium draught selection. I cannot comment on the standard of the beer as I left before the excruciatingly slow young barmaid had finished labouring over a couple of glasses of wine for the customers before me.
I'll not be returning.
On 15th January 2009
- rating: 3
[User has posted 5965 recommendations about 5931 pubs]