Golden Lion, Sydenham, SE26

On opposite side of busy main road from the Dolphin. Interesting inside, in terms of size and distance front to back as you walk through the now single entrance door (which the etched glass will tell you is the saloon bar), but suspect it would have been more impressive in “days gone by”. Now, pushing 10 years since the last reviews, so carp t has gone and now just original (it looks) bare boards. The part (the base of the very long L) that was behind the still existing but locked public bar door looks like a tea room with wall dressers housing a small crockery collection. There are three hand pumps but two were turned around on my visit. The other one offering Wadworth 6X was ordered but swiftly rejected so resorted to a pint of Guinness from the keg options. There were a couple of Brixton offerings, but I was really disappointed by the quaffing options here. The chap behind the bar was very pleasant and threw in a freebie packet of peanuts for my disappoint of not getting my 6X. Disappointment is always relative. Was probably verging on rating this place as a 4 but suspect other times it would muster up a drinkable cask offering or two. Just hit it, I suspect, on an off day so let’s stick with an average 5. The search for something to rival the most excellent Dolphin continues.

The Golden Lion is a largish pub and one of three that are quite close in this area of Sydenham. Once inside there is a large single L shaped room,the seating to the front is normal tables and chairs,the room extends to the rear left where there are normal tables and chairs plus a few tall tables and chairs,the room is bare boarded throughout,there was a TV to the front right showing the Arsenal game. There were four real ales on the bar,i had a drink of Exmoor Hound Dog which was a very nice drink,the other beers were Exmoor Antler,Courage Best and Doom Bar. Background music was playing to an almost empty pub on my Saturday afternoon visit. I thought this was a decent enough pub,just a shame it was almost empty on a Saturday. Pub visited 14/5/2016

This is a large two bar Victorian pub on the main drag through Sydenham and a short walk from the train station. I initially entered into the public bar, on the right hand side of the pub. This is a fairly basic and underwhelming space with a carpeted floor and the servery to the left on the rear wall. Banquette seating runs around the perimeter of the room and there is a pool table to the right as well as a TV which was showing a snooker match with the commentary just about audible. A few black and white pictures line the walls and there are nice etched glass windows on the entrance doors, each detailing which bar you are entering. Moving into the Saloon Bar is a bit like moving into a completely different pub, as the interior here is notably larger - extending a remarkably long way to the rear - but also much more opulent. The room is nicely carpeted throughout and has an extremely long counter and gantry running down the right hand side. Banquette seating and standard chairs run down the left hand wall, broken along the way by a number of partitioning screens. There is a small fireplace with a wide brick chimney to the front left and the walls are covered with old oil paintings, mirrors and a number of shelves holding various odds and ends such as horns, Toby jugs and a miniature rocking horse. You pass under a wooden arch which extends out into the room from the bar gantry, in order to pass into the rear half of the room, where you'll find similar seating options on either side, some large book shelves and more attractive etched glasswork. An interesting frieze runs around the entire room and the ceiling has a pleasing decorative pattern with a number of retro chandeliers. A TV was showing Formula 1 racing, with the commentary turned up, to a small band of amiable locals. A door at the back leads out to a nice looking green beer garden. The pub has the feel of a local's boozer and the real ale range reflects the fact that they clearly cater to the tastes of their regulars. Just the two ales were available - Sharps Doom Bar and Courage Best - neither of which will set the pulse racing, but at least the friendly barman managed to serve me a well kept pint of the Doom Bar. I had no intention of visiting this pub, but having just missed my bus, I decided to pop in for a swift pint and was glad I made the effort, as it's an aesthetically pleasing, down-to-earth local's pub with friendly service and well kept, if not exciting, beer. A pleasant enough surprise and a good wildcard if you happen to be visiting the Dolphin over the road.

This is not the most exciting of pubs, but it is nice for a couple of quiet beers in pleasant surroundings. There is a large saloon bar and a public bar with a pool table and small TV, but there is no Sky Sports. Courage Best, Harveys Best, Bombardier and Youngs Special were all available alongside a standard draught range and my Guinness was well served by the friendly landlord. This is a nice trad pub with ornate windows and fixtures and is worth a look if passing.