The Iron Horse, Sidcup

This pub was handily placed for a final drink before catching our train home from sidcup Station. We had a much better experience than the previous reviewers who visited it during its Metro Bar incarnation. It really doesn't look much from the outside, and on entering this opinion was confirmed as we couldn't see any handpumps, but on closer examination at the far end of the counter I spied a couple of pumps hiding behind a gang of bar blockers. They were dispensing a pair from the local Bexley Brewery - Five Arches and BOB (Bexley's Own Beer). A half of Five Arches and a soda water was £2.15 which seems quite good to me, as long as you don't have to drink the soda water! There was no sign of any food on a Wednesday afternoon; it really didn't look like a foody place. The barmaid was a chatty and friendly soul who offered me a taster of the BOB. The pub itself is a new build affair, with none of the architectural merit of pubs built a hundred or more years ago. It's basically a concrete box. There are tall tables with tall stools in the centre of the room, with settles in booths along the side. There's also a bit of outside seating, mainly for smokers I guess. Inside again, there's a stage at one end of the room, and regular live entertainment advertised. There's more music themed decor in the couple of guitars on the wall behind the servery, rock posters (e.g. for the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin) and album covers for the likes of Deep Purple (In Rock). I didn't find this to be the sort of pub where you would want to while away an hour over a pint (or two, or three), but the prsence of a couple of well kept real ales gets it few plus points.

Official site of Iron Horse - theironhorseuk.com

Official site of Iron Horse - theironhorseuk.com

This is a forgettable bar, across the road from Sidcup train station, where I received the worst Guinness of the year so far. It was badly poured and undrinkable so I ended up leaving it on one of the many café style tables that run along the outside of the pub before making a beeline for the train. Before I left I noted that there are two flat screens for showing Sky Sports and signs up around the sparsely decorated building advertised Karaoke on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, ‘pick and mix’ (whatever that is) on Fridays and Karaoke or a DJ on alternate Saturdays. I visited early on a recent Sunday evening and there was some inane chart music playing in the background and I was one of two customers. I did note that Hobgoblin was available on hand pump, but I wouldn’t touch it with barge pole after the Guinness I received.

Convenient for the station but that’s about the only redeeming feature for this rather nondescript den of little merit. A horrible soulless interior with a couple of TVs for Sport (Arsenal v Man Utd was being shown when we called in and there were barely a dozen people there). It’s an ale free zone with keg beers, lagers and alcopops to the fore. Putting its recent violent past to one side (this is where the Harry Potter lad was stabbed to death), I really wouldn’t want to venture here at peak times when all the local pond life appear to gather but if you just want a quiet Sunday afternoon to watch the footy and aren’t fussy about what you drink, then you may find it worth a quick look. Other than that, forget it.