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Hermits Cave, Camberwell, SE5
SE5
SE5 8QU
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Ian Mapp left this review about Hermits Cave
Unspoiled and imposing Victorian boozer. Curved external appearance, with etched bay windows. Advertised as open at midday and the door was just being opened at 12:16pm.
I was the only saturday lunch time punter for my 30 minute stay.
2-3 casks on and my Adnams Ghost Ship was in good condition, even if the first sold of the day.
Lovely chatty Irish landlady, who's family have run the place for 25 years.
Good Beer Guide 2022.
On 11th April 2022
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1338 recommendations about 1324 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about Hermits Cave
This is a nice, ornate street corner pub with some interesting Victorian features, located across the road from its sister pub the Stormbird. The interior describes a wide arc and has scuffed bare floorboards throughout and a similarly curved servery around the rear wall. The bar has a nice dark wood counter with some well worked supporting pillars holding up a grand gantry which has a row of overhanging lamps along it, held in place by decorative brass brackets. The gantry has been topped with an eclectic selection of items including standard pub décor like jugs, lamps and bottles, plus some oddities such as handpulls, a strange looking bust and an ancient looking jack-in-the-box. Seating almost exclusively follows the front wall in the right-hand half of the pub, with a mix of benches, high stools and chairs available beneath the spectacular etched glass windows that act as the pub’s most distinctive feature – they are certainly eye-catching even getting my attention as I was walking along on the other side of the road late at night. A fine marble fireplace dominates the end wall, with a large elaborate mantle and plain mirror above. The walls have a green lincrusta lower section and warm red floral wallpapered uppers decorated with modest art prints and shelves full of old whisky bottles and boxes. The left-hand side of the pub is partly obscured by a section of partitioning wall on entry, but opens out beyond the end of the servery, giving the place a semi self-contained lounge bar feel, with similar furniture and décor to the main bar area.
They had two cask ales available when I arrived – Five Points Pale and Fyne Ales Jarl – with Five Points Bitter having recently been taken off. A friendly but overworked barmaid showed me to the last remaining table and poured a very nice pint of the Jarl which was a timely reminder of what a good beer this can be. There was a full house on my Thursday evening visit, with plenty of other punters getting turned away as the night went on.
This is a nice pub that has kept a lot of its traditional features and benefits from this by feeling like a nice local’s pub in a part of town full of over-modernised, craft beer focussed venues. This was the pick of the Camberwell pubs I visited on a recent crawl of the area and would be the first place I’d mark down for a revisit.
On 20th October 2020
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about Hermits Cave
Nice old curved pub, opened out inside but remaining reasonably traditional, wood flooring, wallpapered walls and etched glass windows.Seven handpumps on the bar,I didn't note all the beers but Adnams Mosaic and Fyne Ales Jarl were among them, the later being very good, also a couple of Ciders were on a couple of the handles. A decent pub.
On 5th August 2018
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1872 recommendations about 1845 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about Hermits Cave
Decent old pub with a curved frontage and apartially opened-out interior in nearly a 'L' shape. Mix of furniture but decor limited to a selection of old photographs and prints; although there is still a gantried bar counter, a feature fireplace and a selection of etched window panels (of different ages, by the look of things). Six real ales - Broadside, Dark Star Hophead, Kent Brewery Pale and Purity Mad Goose plus N7 pale and Pentonville oyster stout (£3.60) from Hammerton - and Old Rosie cider on the seven handpumps.
On 17th April 2016
- rating: 7
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Alan Winfield left this review about Hermits Cave
The Hermits Cave is a nice looking pub with a curved frontage,the pub is situated on a very busy road.
Once inside there is a single room with the bar facing,there is comfy leather bench seating in two bays to the right plus a couple of pew type seats,there is some more bench seating to the left,the room is bare boarded.
There were three real ales on the bar plus a real cider,i had a drink of East London Pale Ale which went down very well,the other beers were Gravesend Shrimpers Ale and Adnams Ghost Ship.
There was a TV on showing cycle racing,they do not show football games here.
I quite liked this proper pub,one i could stay in for a while.
Pub visited 13/9/2014
On 13th September 2014
- rating: 7
[User has posted 6113 recommendations about 6113 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
john gray left this review about Hermits Cave
Ugly corner pub and quite dark and cave like inside but 6 handpumps all in use makes it worth a visit.Lodden -Gravesend Shrimper and 3 London Fields beers.Love not War was in excellent condition.Glad I didn't walk past.
On 31st May 2014
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1023 recommendations about 1009 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Hermits Cave
An attractive curved corner building, Edwardian in age I am given to understand with some nice etched glasswork. The interior is, unfortunately, a bit less interesting than the exterior might suggest having been opened out and is all rather plain, the dark-wood dreadnaughtesque bar (with plenty of brewerania above) and nice fireplaces with pretty inlaid tiling excepted. Seven pumps were dispensing four ales and two proper ciders on my visit. A couple of interesting guest ales were on and my Salopian Darwin was a good drop, if a little cold. No music, just a TV showing the football results. I must admit I found the atmosphere slightly odd, not much talking going on amongst the patrons and the place emptied out once all the scores were in and the tables were flashed up. Nonetheless it's a solid local and the ale gets it an extra point from me.
On 8th May 2013
- rating: 7
[User has posted 5099 recommendations about 5082 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rex Rattus left this review about The Hermits Cave
A stone plaque on the side of the pub declares it to have been built in 1902 – thus probably Edwardian. The interior is very basic, having been largely opened up over the years. Flooring is the well worn floorboards seen in traditional pubs, rather than the modern varnished flooring seen in gastropubs. Furnishings are well worn banquettes, and standard issue tables and chairs. A gas coal effect fire was on the go in the fireplace to the left of the room – not really needed on a mild February day, but it looked good. Other items of note were the second fireplace on the right of the room (which would originally have been the Saloon Bar) with a marble surround and carved wooden toppiece, the large stuffed animal head on the wall, and the array of models, jugs, bottles and suchlike on top of the bar gantry. There was also the inevitable large TV screen on the wall, plus a pull down screen attached to the ceiling, no doubt deployed for major sporting events.
The two ales on were Deuchars IPA and Gravesend Shrimpers Ale (£3.40 a pint or thereabouts), plus three ciders also on draught. A wine list was displayed on a chalkboard on one of the walls, but I’m afraid that I neglected to note the available wines or prices. There were no menus in evidence when I was in at around 5.0 PM during the week, but I could smell something cooking somewhere. But it could have been from a local kebab shop I suppose. This is not a destination pub by any means, but is a decent enough little no-nonsense boozer. It’s OK for a swift one.
On 2nd March 2012
- rating: 5
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]