The Dolphin, St Denys, Southampton

Very handily placed next to St Denys train station, it is of course much the same as described by Pub Signman below, nearly a year ago. The pub was just opening up when I got there just after mid-day, the landlady unaware the clocks had gone forward,indeed the pub clock said 11.15.Beers on were Sharps Doom Bar,Atalantic and Sea Fury ,Gales HSB,Shepherd Neame Spitfire Gold and Exile Whakatu, the latter being in fair shape. The pub is OK but nothing to rave about and one pint was enough.

A handy footbridge leads you from St Denys station, over the tracks and deposits you right next to the pub's sizeable beer garden. The pub has a clearly identifiable former two bar layout, with the servery now relocated to the back wall, but elements of partitioning and two separate entrances remain in its current one room formation. The left hand entrance leads through a rather obsolete porch with some nice bits of decorative glasswork, into the left hand portion of the room. Standard tables and chairs can be found in this part of the pub, with a number of plain mirrors on the left hand wall. The room has scuffed floorboards, covered in places by a few large rugs and more standard seating runs through the centre of the room, supplemented by hard backed benches along the front and right hand walls and some sofas in the rear right corner. The servery runs along a fairly long section of the back wall and has a dark wood counter contrasting a much lighter, modern looking bar back. A large brick chimney breast in the centre of the room gives another clue as to the pub's previous set-up and has a sizable fireplace on either side. Another fireplace with a wooden surround can be found to the rear right, with a well used stove inside. Behind there is a nice little wood panelled snug with some plush seating and pleasant landscape paintings on the walls. Elsewhere, the walls have been decorated with old shipbuilders diagrams, colonial era paintings and a high shelf stacked with ancient looking suitcases, typewriters, radios and scales. This is probably the least heralded of the three pubs around St Denys station (see also the South Western Arms and Junction Inn), but it still offers a good selection of ales and made the cut for the 2017 Good Beer Guide ahead of the Junction. Options on this visit were Marstons New World Pale and 61 Deep, Purity Gold and UBU, Shepherd Neame Master Brew and Whitstable Bay, Thwaites Wainwright and Fullers HSB. A friendly barmaid served me a pint of the 61 Deep, which was in fine condition, if not the most enjoyable beer of the day. I thought this was a nice pub with plenty of comfy spots in which to settle down, a good beer garden and a decent selection of well kept beer on the bar. It perhaps falls short of the beer options at the South Western and doesn't have the wow-factor interior of the Junction, but it is a solid pub that will compliment any crawl of the local area.

Official site of The Dolphin - thedolphinpubstdenys.co.uk

Official site of The Dolphin - thedolphinpubstdenys.co.uk

After being redecorated, it has a fresh feel to it. Situated on the other side of the tracks at St Deny's from the South Western Arms (probably the best pub in town) it makes for a great mini pub crawl. 4 real ales on, tried the Bowman & Triple fff which were both fine. Trying to regain business after years of neglect and letting people know 'we're open!'. Live music nights and a large beer garden add to great little bozzer and I wish it well for a continued future.'