From fap.com‘s review of the Montague Arms in SE15: “If it’s just a drink you want, though, there are decent pubs much nearer the New Cross stations”.
Yeah dudes, I wish that was the bloody case… I mean if you want just the one and you don’t care about your beer and will get out of there sharpish, then sure, but COME ON… surely we can do better?!
I’m sorry but just having moved to NX, I’m really disappointed at the pubs on offer. We usually end up meeting people at the Hobgoblin simply for it’s proximity across the road from NXG stn, and it’s a HOLE. Their beer is awful, service surly, prices expensive and atmosphere downright uncomfortable. Last time apparently friends of mine had chips thrown at their heads there, I mean WTF? The pub closest to my new house was ALSO pretty empty (Saturday afternoon so the atmosphere could have been a bit off due to that), but still – they have NO BEER AT ALL! The closest they have is a bottle of Newcy Brown. Sheeyah whatever. The Goldsmith’s Tavern gets recommended by fancyapint.com – I’ve not been in yet, but the garish exterior and banner exhortations to “BOOK THIS VENUE FOR YR GRADUATION DINNER” don’t really endear me to Try It. And the Marquis of Granby… well that’s just a generic Oirish boozer on the corner which was alright the one time we went in there but I wouldn’t like to pop in by myself, if you know what I mean. I honestly don’t get it; the student population in NX is huge so you’d at least expect SOMEWHERE to have some kind of atmosphere wouldn’t you, but at the moment it’s just not happening. The best best that way remains either the Montague Arms which has such erratic opening hours it puts you off trying it, or the Sam Smiths up Lewisham Way – it’s still a bit Royston Vasey up there, but I am likely to forgive Sam Smiths a lot after a pint of their lovely OB.