Mother Kelly's SE1, Vauxhall, SE1

Pub SignMan left this review about Mother Kelly's SE1

Part of the small Mother Kelly's chain, this is a railway arch bar located about three minutes from the exit of Vauxhall station, with entrances at either end of the arch. The room has bare floorboards throughout, with metal cladding on the sides of the arch, some painted over with bright murals, leaving the brick vaulted top of the arch still visible. A couple of ugly, boxed off spaces at either end detract from an otherwise pleasant space, one being used for back room staff stuff, the other housing the toilets. Lots of long backless benches and upturned barrels with high stools fill the space, and there are a couple of drinking ledges too, but there's not much in the way of comfy seating to be found. The bar has a plain counter with all of the keg taps in very long row across the minimalist bar back. The room has been fitted out with industrial style light fittings and a few beer themed posters on the walls, but otherwise it's all a bit characterless, which is disappointing from an established chain like this. A very busy Thursday night, post-work crowd created a lot of noise so that the R&B soundtrack could barely be heard, despite having been turned up to a loud volume.
Beer menus listed around 30 craft keg and cider options from all the hip micro breweries you'd expect from this chain. The selection covered a wide range of styles, strengths and of course, prices, and I ended up trying the Lost and Grounded Wanna To Go to The Sun at £6.50 a pint. The staff seemed reasonably friendly and the big crowd helped generate a lively, if overwhelmingly noisy, atmosphere.
I wanted to like this place, but as with other branches I've visited, the place doesn't feel fully formed and was lacking in character as a result. The main draw is the extensive craft beer range, but with the usual prohibitive pricing, those wanting to try a few beers will either have to whittle the range down to the few affordable options or else be prepared to splash out.

Date of visit - 12th September 2024

On 26^th December 2024 - rating: 6
[User has posted 3350 recommendations about 3350 pubs]