Bird in Hand — Restaurant in London

🚇 Forest Hill 🍺 £6.10 Madri

A Stunning Pub That. Needs A Kick Up The Backside.

The Bird in Hand is located on Dartmouth Road in Forest Hill, South East London. The nearest station is Forest Hill Overground, it’s a four minute walk to get here.

The pub was built in 1861 and is named after the noble art of falconry. The Bird in Hand was taken over by @anticpubs last year. They have extensively refurbished the pub and exposed many original features including the pub’s sign and the beautiful exterior tiles.

This is a one bar pub that has two rooms, the main bar area is at the front and there is a raised section at the back. The decor here is bold with a mix of traditional and contemporary features. There is a traditional servery that has a solid wood counter. The walls are adorned with an eclectic mix of photos and prints, the wall with the vinyl looked very cool. There is plenty of seating throughout the pub mixing retro chairs and long banquettes. Other features include an old Joanna, a vinyl record player and a projector screen for live sport.

The beer selection was excellent and included four cask ales, craft options and a selection of mainstream brands. I decided on a Madri, my pint was decent, price point was average. The Bird in Hand doesn’t serve food at present.

We arrived around 2pm on a mild Saturday afternoon in February. On arrival there were three other punters in attendance. The atmosphere was calm and set to an eclectic soundtrack of Cuban to Northern Soul. The service was a lack lustre, we received no welcome or acknowledgment., the fella who served us didn’t look interested. We took a seat and pondered why this stunning looking pub was so quiet, every other pub we visited in the area this day was busy by comparison. The only common denominator was service and soul which this pub was lacking.

We left the @birdinhandfh very disappointed, this pub has the potential to be a cracking pub. This pub used to have a moody reputation, so not sure if it is lingering. Something is not quite right here, hopefully they engage the local community and fix it.

ℹ️ Info correct on...

Currently a bit confused by this place. The pub itself is nicely finished inside, if a little bland. Good selection of ales and beers. Decent background music, not too loud. Visited on a Tues evening and the place was near enough deserted. Bar staff were sitting around the corner in a side room on their phones. Probably fair enough as they must have been bored to tears. So waited for someone to spot us and then come out to serve. My friend had a similar issue getting served. Not great in an empty pub. Anyhow, this was a Tues to the no atmosphere vibe was forgivable. My wife visited with her friends on Friday evening, turning up at 10:15 PM. Again, the place was near deserted and they had already called last orders. On a Friday eve! Has potential to be a pleasant pub, but there is fundamentally something wrong currently. Will try again in a few weeks and see if...

Never leave reviews but want to say how much I love what the new management have done with this pub. Used to be one to be avoided, but now has great music, good selection of beer (including one of my favourite natural wines, Solara - what an unexpected win!!), lovely staff, and loads of places where you can settle in for a chat. Can’t wait for the kitchen to open as this’ll be a great place for a Sunday lunch in the autumn, I reckon. I know some of the old regulars will be upset but I’m so glad that we finally have a proper, good quality pub in Forest Hill! Pub quiz...