Claret & Ale — Restaurant in London

Since the new ownership, this pub has improved drastically. In the past it was hard for me to find a pint of real ale that I liked, as they were all rather plain and similar bitters, but on recent occasions, they have had hoppy beers and even a good stout and a good smoked beer. There have also been some changes like a new floor, which has improved the appearance, but the new owner wisely kept the rest of it just as it is, so it still has the same atmosphere. The staff have always been helpful and the beer is always filled to the brim. The only thing I don't like are the TV screens, which now have their volume turned up, making conversation hard, but they were good enough to turn the volume off when I made a request after the football match finished and none of their customers were watching...

The place has been tidied up over the last year or so by the new owner without losing the elements which made and make it such a good pub, it had been looking very tired. Winner of CAMRA's Croydon and Sutton branch Pub of the Year for 2017 in June and numerous times before.

2023 edit. Nothing has changed, in fact it seems like the geographical scope may have increased, the best pub I know of for miles around. There's always a selection of changing beers to choose from and in my experience a good selection of styles too from breweries across the country. If you're a beer lover and haven't been then why not, if you went once and was disappointed by the selection then try again a few days later and it will...

Just been there for the first time in about a year. I quite liked it before, but now worth going quite a way out of your way for. The new owner has improved what was always a good selection of ales and the whisky - previously cheap but not impressive - is now still very cheap but impressive and varied. The place is noticeably cleaner and you can tell the new owner has invested a lot in it. But the best thing... Still friendly and welcoming; and not just the staff; the locals were great to be among. It's small so if you're going with a big crowd it'll be a squeeze. Other than that, ...