Elephant & Castle, Elephant & Castle, SE1

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Tris C left this review about Elephant & Castle

Originally located on the roundabout at the heart of the legendary Elephant & Castle gyratory system, this pub dates from the mid-18th century and is one of five pubs which give their names to both tube stations and the surrounding area, with this ugly carbuncle dating from 1966 in what is probably the most unattractive location in all of Europe, though with all the ongoing development it’s actually less unattractive than it used to be, hard though that may be to imagine; at least Hannibal House, the shopping centre and – I kid you not – a statue of a pink elephant wearing a castle have gone.
This is an Antic pub, suitably Anticfied with exposed services, waffle ceiling and plumbing; behold the grey plastic soil pipes on high! Otherwise, a photo from July 2017 paints a tableau of the interior as do pics on the website, with a slightly raised area, red upholstered booth-style seating, marble clad columns though oddly there are some traditional knickknacks to a shelf at right. A DJ was spinning his digital discs on my Saturday night visit and loudly enough to trigger the 80dB noise alert on my Apple Watch. I was virtually the only customer inside, with the largely studenty crowd outside under an awning, rendering the prowling bouncer somewhat otiose.
Amazingly there was a selection of cask here and a decent one too with two from Volden: Pale and Session at an agreeable £1.90 a half and on very good form, served by a friendly barmaid.
Obviously, I’ve no intention of coming here again, but I preferred it to the neighbouring Rockingham.

On 21^st June 2023 - rating: 4
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