Black Lion, Surbiton

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This is a large street corner pub with a split-level, multiple room interior which has now, almost inevitably, been opened out to a degree. The lowest level on the left side of the pub, has modern laminate flooring, fancy wallpaper, high tables and stools and a huge screen showing horse racing. There's lots of standing room here which has the unfortunate effect of making it feel a bit empty and impersonal. The servery appears here and runs up to the middle level on the right side. The bar has a nice curved, dark wood counter, traditional bar back and a matching gantry, with some art deco style glass panes running under the ceiling, where the room would once have been divided in two. The middle level is carpeted and has a mix of high stools and tub chairs, under large leaden windows that run down two sides. More fancy wallpaper can be found between the two doorways that lead to the upper level, with a disused TV and framed artworks comprising the remainder of the decor. The upper level has lots more seating in a bare boarded room with similar decor to middle level. It has a bit of a dining room feel to it and was empty on my Wednesday evening visit, although I'm not even sure that this pub does food. Pop tunes were playing in the background and only a couple of other punters were still knocking around, and even they seemed to only be there because they were staying in the accommodation upstairs.
There were three cask options to choose from, albeit not the most inspired selection - Taylors Landlord (£5.50 a pint), Youngs Ordinary and Fullers London Pride, with two unused pumps - and the Landlord was in fairly good shape. Two incredibly chipper lads were working the bar, and they gave me a very friendly welcome before one of them performed a valiant job of pouring my Landlord from an extremely lively line.
Surbiton has a couple of very good pubs and lots of decent options that don't quite reach the same heights and this place definitely falls into the latter category. I liked the grand feel of the pub, even if a lot of its more interesting features have been lost, and the service was top notch, but the beer range and lack of atmosphere bump the place back down the pecking order. Worth a quick look, but there are better options elsewhere.

Date of visit - 17th July 2024

On 31^st October 2024 - rating: 6
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