Long Pond — Restaurant in London

This was a plumbers merchant’s shop converted into a micropub in part of Eltham otherwise bereft of pubs. A small parade of shops surrounded by residential suburbia makes it ideally situated and according to the landlord the place is normally very busy. I visited on a Saturday lunchtime so it was quiet – must have been about six people there plus mein host.

Quite a lot bigger than most micros and as big as one or two small pubs I can think off, but it carries the micropub ethos very well. No room for lager, spirits, TVs, fruit machines, piped music etc. An emphasis on good gravity-dispensed cask ales (plus a few proper ciders and wine) and friendly conversation.

There is an odd room off to the left near the back of the pub which makes the drinking area even bigger. This room looked slight plusher than the main area and had an exhibition from a (presumably) local artist.

The ales are kept in a large and visible stillage behind the counter. There were six cask ales on during my visit and the three I tried were splendid. There also seemed to be some food available over and above the usual bar snacks but this is still very much an ale drinkers pub and all the better for that.

If ever you find yourself in Eltham, it’s a straight choice in my opinion of the centrally located Park Tavern or the Long Pond a short drive or heart...

Recently, me and a group of my friends and family went to the long pond for the first time and needless to say we were very, very disappointed. There was absolutely no atmosphere whatsoever, no music and the wine and nuts were very overpriced. We were told that we would not be allowed on our phones and got an evil glare when one of my friends had answered an important phone call. The staff were very, very unwelcoming and strict! The man serving us had a small beard and a dark ponytail (I would say in his 20s) and was incredibly rude and patronising to 6 young adult women. The whole evening he was staring at us - giving us an evil glare- and he was very quick to rush us off despite it only being 9:30pm. Me, my family and my friends felt very unwelcome. I was surprised by how arrogant and rude the customer service was, especially considering the tacky decor and generally tense atmosphere. It is clearly just for a specific demographic - old, white, men. I would definitely stick to another pub, preferably the GPO on the high street because the staff are welcoming and there is a warm and cosy atmosphere. As well as this, they have lovely comfy sofers as oppose to hard and tiny...

I was very disappointed with the service here. A particular man whos name i do not know (he had dark hair in a ponytail, i'd say mid twenties) was belittling and patronising to four adults. There was a DRIP on red wine in the bottom of a tumbler and the gentleman, after collecting our glasses returned to, quite aggressively, accuse us of giving wine to an underage drinker out of the tumbler. He was unfriendly, cold and made us feel unwelcome. We were consistently stared at thoughout our time. Also, what's with the lack of music, no phone policy and tacky wallpaper? There is no atmosphere. I won't delve into the prices of the drinks but 2 pounds for 4 nuts? See ya...