O'Neill's, Beckenham

After a long trip from Nottingham i was pleased to see O'Neils open and opposite the train station,so i was straight in for my first drink of the day. Once inside there is a decent sized irregular shaped room with the bar on the left side,there is an open kitchen to the left which was busy on my pre 11am visit doing decent looking breakfasts. The rear area is raised and the seating is bench type in bays and normal tables and chairs elsewhere. There was one real ale on the bar,which was Doom Bar,this was a decent enough drink. I was happy enough having a drink in this pub. Pub visited 18/3/2017

Having just discovered my train from Beckenham Junction had been cancelled, I figured I had just about enough time for a swift half in this Irish chain pub which is just around the corner from the station. The pub occupies a huge premises, all laid out in a predictable open plan fashion. On approach, you'll pass through a fairly sizable front patio area which has an unappealing view out across a busy traffic junction, but offers plenty of sturdy bench seating should you want some fumes with your pint. The vast main bar has typical O'Neill's floor tiles which give way to exposed floorboards once past the entrance area. Walls and pillars are half panelled with some upper sections covered with a stonework effect wallpaper. There is ample seating including some terribly uncomfortable looking backless padded benches under the front windows, high banquettes around the perimeter and standard and tables and chairs through the centre of the room. The servery runs in an L-shape around the rear left corner and has a drab pastel-shaded bar counter and a pub mirror bar back, whilst to the left there is a white tiled wall with a window to the kitchen and a list of Irish town names stencilled above. The Irish theme is present in the form of various photos, paintings, mirrors and the like, but not as overpowering as in some Irish bars. The room extends back towards the road in a front section along the left hand side where you can find plenty more seating in the same underwhelming surroundings. The usual Irish tunes had been swapped for a pretty good indie soundtrack and the place seems to show live sport, but I was a little surprised to find all the screens turned off on my Saturday afternoon visit. The pub has started selling ale again after a long period without and the two options on this visit were Sharps Doom Bar and Greene King IPA (good value at £3.10), with Weston's Old Rosie cider on the final pump. The IPA was in pretty decent shape and I was pleased when the bloke after me also ordered a pint of it. It wouldn't be a proper Irish bar without a jovial barman and this place had a real wisecracking chap who had the regulars in stitches. This isn't a chain that has ever inspired much confidence in me and this place didn't really do much to change that perception. The usual plain, vacuous corporate interior gives the pub a drinking barn feel which is probably a fair reflection of what it turns into on a Friday night. Some ground is regained by the friendly staff and return of real ale, but this is really only worth a look if you have a similar travel delay to the one I had.

Official pages of O'Neill's in Beckenham - www.oneills.co.uk

Official pages of O'Neill's in Beckenham - www.oneills.co.uk