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Detail Pages
Dean Swift, Bermondsey, SE1
SE1
SE1 2NE
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
paulof horsham left this review about The Dean Swift
Small pub on a street corner site, the Dean Swift was pretty busy on an early Saturday evening. Service was efficient, however, and I soon had a pint of Moor 'Nor-hop' in my hand. Very good it was too. 3 other pumps were working hard as well: 2 offering ale from Windsor & Eton. Prices were on the high side, it has to be said, but, all the same, it's worth visiting if you find yourself in the side streets beyond Tower Bridge.
On 8th October 2012
- rating: 8
[User has posted 453 recommendations about 425 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rex Rattus left this review about The Dean Swift
This pub had four handpumps, all in working order apparently, dispensing a couple of Grain Brewery ales called 3.1.6 (no idea of the significance of calling an ale this number) and Harvest Moon, plus Dark Star Sunburst and Arbor Malagold. All are golden summer ales, and although you might think that this was an appropriate ale style for the middle of July, a more full bodied brown ale would have been welcome on the miserable and wet day when I visited. Nonetheless, the Arbor Malagold was a very enjoyable drop, but not cheap at £2 for a half. There were a further nine keg fonts dispensing none of the usual keg fizz – although I did spot Guinness and Thatcher’s cider clips. I was in too late to see any lunch menus on the tables, but I did see a sign in the window advertising a lunch menu for £7, and on one wall there was a chalkboard with four specials listed – typically “saddle of lamb stuffed with mervez sausage on spring onion mash potato, asparagus and jus de caisson” for £14.50. Sounds interesting, but pub grub it aint.
The pub itself is a small one room affair, with black upholstered benches along the front, with the remaining furnishings being a mix of small stools, and normal tables and chairs. All quite functional really. Music was being played – Jimi Hendrix and Marvin Gaye being a couple that I recognised, making a change from the stuff one usually hears. There were three TV screens, but only one was on (but muted), showing the Tour de France.
The unusual ales on offer make this one definitely worth a visit, and I guess if you want a gastropub meal that would be a bonus. The girl behind the bar was happy enough to tell me about the ales, which is always nice when someone shows some enthusiasm for their work. I’d be very happy to visit this one again sometime.
On 22nd July 2012
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
very wellinformed left this review about The Dean Swift
Great little pub, superb range of ales and craft lagers, not to mention bottled beers. Friendly knowledgeable staff make this a welcome addition to the South Bank scene. I would highly recommend a visit.
On 18th July 2012
- rating: 9
[User has posted 30 recommendations about 19 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Dean Swift
This is a small corner pub a short walk from Tower Bridge, focusing on providing high quality ales and keg beers. Disappointingly, there was only one ale on the four handpulls, due to extremely high demand for the Magic Rock beers they had been showcasing the night before. Only Magic Rock Curious remained available, so I gave it a try and found it a bit too warm but still enjoyable. Keg wise, there were 8 taps offering the likes of Magic Rock Highwire, Harviestoun Bitter and Twisted and a mix of various popular Belgian and American beers. The Highwire was very good and I also sampled a bottle of Kernel Saison which is brewed just down the road. The bottle menu is pretty extensive, but there wasn't a great deal under £4.50. Staff were very friendly, knowledgeable and helpful and one of them, who I took to be the manager, was apologetic about the lack of cask ale.
The pub has a small, single room interior with a dark wood floor, white walls and some large chandeliers. Smart leather banquettes line the front wall, with tables and low stools elsewhere. A TV was on but it was showing a muted and rather obscure programme which no-one seemed to be watching and music played quietly in the background until the evening's quiz started up. Quite a few people were eating, including the chap I ended up sharing a table with after the quizmaster pinched my seat whilst I was at the bar, who was enjoying a hefty looking burger. I didn't spot a menu though, so I'm not sure how pricey the meals are.
I really liked it in here and stayed far longer than I'd planned to. With all of the handpulls in action I think this would be a very good addition to a rapidly expanding range of high quality ale/craft-keg led pubs in the city (Euston Tap, Cask, Rake, Craft Beer Co etc...). One to put on the 'revisit' list.
On 16th September 2011
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Chris 87 left this review about The Dean Swift
The Dean Swift is a small, modernised corner pub south of the Butlers Wharf area of Shad Thames, in the shadow of Tower Bridge. It appears to have either changed hands or been substantially altered since Steve's review in 2009. It is modestly fitted out (save for a couple of glass chandeliers, which were a touch ostentacious for my taste)with whitewashed walls, dark wood tables & chairs and a corner bar. On a saturday lunchtime visit its limited space was pretty well filled, mainly by diners tucking into burgers which I have to say looked lovely. A John Noakes look-a-like who I twigged to be the Governor was holding court sat at the bar and the staff were busying themselves.
The beer choice is excellent; On my visit Hophead (a regular), Redemption Pale Ale, Breconshire Rambler's Ruin and Oakham White Dwarf were available. They appear to rotate their ales quite alot which is nice to see, and London brewers are well catered for - They have a tie-up with the nearby Kernel Brewery and their beers feature in a "beer & cheese" offer which looks pricey but tempting. Lagers are provided in the form of Stiegl, Staropramen, Brew Dog and many other weird and wonderful beers in bottles - there are menus to peruse on the tables. They were advertising 'six nations offers' on a chalkboard near the bar which looked good value.
There are so many good pubs within the London Bridge / Southwark / Borough area, and I would add this to a seemingly ever-growing list. The ale was well kept, the service swift and the atmosphere friendly. What more can you ask for?
On 27th February 2011
- rating: 8
[User has posted 179 recommendations about 179 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about The Dean Swift
This is a small one room pub with a tiny bar in the corner. The Landlord and Pride were both off, but the Deuchars was good, although I had to ask for it to be topped up, which it was without any fuss from the cheerful governor. Fosters, Becks, Stella, Leffe, Staropramen and Guinness were also available.
There are a couple of plasma screens for the showing of Sky and Setanta and I could imagine this being a good venue to watch live sports. There were some decent old songs being played as background music and I also got the feeling that they have live music some nights, but I may be wrong.
It was not as busy as other pubs in the area, but it is a little out of the way so I wouldn't expect a lot of passing trade. There is a quiz every Sunday night that seems popular looking at the amount of teams in the league.
On the face of it this place is nothing special, but I found it very welcoming and would return.
On 8th June 2009
- rating: 7
[User has posted 5254 recommendations about 5222 pubs]