The Alma, Sidcup

There was only the one real ale on in here - the ubiquitous Doom Bar at £3.50 a pint. They normally have on Adnam's Ghost Ship as well, but it happened to be off when we visited. There were also a couple of unused handpumps. There was no sign of any food on Wednesday afternoon. Furnishings are very traditional, being normal tables and chairs with a few stools at the bar. This has all the appearance of a backstreet boozer to me. The basic structure is still extant, with a public bar on the left (complete with dartboard), and a saloon bar on the right, interconnected via an archway. There's another drinking area behind the saloon, and at the very back there's a large function room. It's carpeted throughout, and has pine coloured fielded paneling everywhere which doesn't look old. The vestibule on the right that leads into the saloon has an attractive fanlight and does look old. This pub was literally quiet when we were in, with no background music and a couple of apparent locals in. I liked this traditional and unspoilt backstreet pub. A good pint of Ghost Ship would make it a winner in my book.

Randomness Guide to London - Alma entry

Randomness Guide to London - Alma entry

A plain and simple no thrills pub of few real merits other than it’s handy for the station and seems to be a little more endearing than some of the other pubs in the locality. The carpeted inteior is divided into 3 areas with light wood paneling being the predominant theme but it all looks very monotone and drab without much in the way of pictures or displays to act as a focal point. There are 4 hand pumps unevenly dispersed across the lengthy bar but just Courage Best and Youngs Ordinary available, not exactly an exciting choice. At one end is a darts area and, surprisingly (or probably incorrectly) I didn’t note the presence of any TV’s or music (my visit was after the Bexley Beer Festival so my perceptions may have been a bit impaired). Some of the seating is a bit tatty but overall it struck me as a friendly enough and unpretentious local’s pub that is perfectly adequate for what it sets out be without delivering anything beyond the norm.