The Real Ale Way, Bromley

Good decent sized micropub.Friendly barman.7 cask beers and six from Kent which is not a favourite county of mine for beers.Tried two the Tonbridge was brown and tasty but the Larkins porter was a bit tired.I now see that they offer a Camra discount,not offered to me but 20p wouldnt make much of a difference as the beer was reasonably priced.

The first of the three pubs owned by this small chain, this is a typical micropub located directly opposite Hayes train station. The pub has a pleasant, small interior with a corridor leading into the rear bar area, with the majority of the seating in the front of the room. There is modern laminate flooring throughout and the walls have been painted in rather plain shades with cheap looking office-style ceiling tiles above. The bar is tucked away in the rear right corner and has a nice dark wood counter that looks like it was probably lifted from a pub somewhere, and a small mirrored bar back with a set of beer boards over to the right side. There’s a single high table with bar stools opposite the bar, but elsewhere, the seating comprises chairs and low stools, plus a couple of benches down the right-hand wall. They’ve gone for a traditional pub look, which is enhanced to a degree by the typical pub decor throughout, including a lot of dated looking pictures, various plain mirrors and the odd black and white photo here and there. The pub has a good local’s boozer feel to it, with a lot of the customers seemingly knowing each other, although this close-knit community has it’s downsides, as I found out when I sat at a table next to the bar, only for the barman to pop over and politely tell me I couldn’t sit there, as it was reserved for their regulars. There was no sign to tell me this, so I had to find a seat elsewhere - not a big problem, but it didn’t make me feel particularly welcome and I wasn’t surprised to see that no-one sat at the table in question during the course of my stay. They had an impressive six ales on handpull on this visit, with options comprising Larkins Pale, Bexley Spike Island, Kent KGB, Tonbridge Rustic, Iron Pier Perry St Pale and a house beer called Traditional Bitter which I believe is brewed by Tonbridge. I took a pint of the Perry St Pale for £4.20, which was in very good condition, and enjoyed the good atmosphere from a near full mid-week crowd. This is a great addition to Hayes’ very basic pub scene and a great example of how a micropub can generate improvement in a local area. I would probably have marked the pub a bit higher had I not been moved to the cheap seats, but I wouldn’t discourage anyone from checking this place out.

This micropub is just opposite Hayes station. Although trains here take quite a while from central London and it can be easier to take a fast train to Bromley South instead. The owner was a little late arriving for opening yesterday. But we were soon inside and abiding by the new Covid regulations. All ales and ciders were from Kent. The 4 ales on were Tonbridge Traditional & Copperknob, Larkin's Pale & Wantsum Dynamo. Ciders were Biddenden Dry, Medium, Bushells & Monk's Delight, Dudda's Tun Bone Dry & Pear o' Duddas & Kent Cider Company Elderflower Cider, Midsummer Berry, Waken, Strawberry Cider & Toffee Apple Cider. CAMRA discounts are given on real ales only. Easily the best option for drinking in Hayes.