Railway Tavern, Lower Sydenham — Restaurant in London

🚇Lower Sydenham 🍺 £5.50 Prahva

The Railway Tavern is located on busy Southend Lane in Lower Sydenham, southeast London. The nearest station is Lower Sydenham mainline.

This pub was built around 1867–1868 to serve both travelers and locals, following the opening of Lower Sydenham station in 1857.

This is a two-bar pub, traditionally decorated with an old-school feel. The main bar is located at the front and is a good size. The servery is unusual, in that it is made from light wood and polished veneer. The decor includes light-painted walls, conventional furniture, a jukebox, a fruit machine, a few TVs, a carpeted floor, and a large mirror featuring an advertisement for a Turkish dentist 😁. The most striking feature is a wall dedicated to Celtic FC. The rear bar is simply decorated and includes a pool table and a dartboard. At the back of the pub, there is an additional room that doubles as a beer garden, thanks to its retractable roof

The beer lineup consists of a selection of mainstream keg beers. I opted for a pint of Pravha, my pint was excellent, price point was below average. This is a wet-led pub, so it doesn’t serve food, but there were plenty of crisps and nuts available. You can even get a Creme Egg!

We arrived at 11am, bang on opening time on a sunny Saturday morning in May. We were the first ones through the door, so we had a good mooch around the pub. The service was superb; the barman was a real character and chatted with us throughout our visit. He mentioned that the pub hosts a Celtic supporters club, shows live Celtic games, and gets very busy during matches.

I loved the old-school, local pub feel of this place, and the fact that we were made to feel right at home. Good beer prices, a proper pub setting, Creme Eggs, helpful pointers on getting your teeth done— loved it here.

📅 10th May 2025

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Found this little gem today on the off chance with a friend. What a lovey staff member, didn’t manage to catch his name but was so very nice and chatty, turned up as it opened. Good prices and lots to do especially if you have a family. Has football table, pool table, juke box and fruit machine. Was quiet but lovely. Several locals in and overall this pub was a 5 ⭐️ clean toilets, nibbles at the bar and carling cider was a hit! Lovey pub definitely recommend to anyone in the area. Will definitely pop over again when...

I stayed near here with my 20 year old son in September/October 2017. This became the go-to spot for an evening’s entertainment. Decent selection of beers on tap and full bar. I regretted that they don’t have food but made do. Owner works there a lot and is enormously friendly. We enjoyed talking with him a great deal. His daughter came in later in the afternoon, as I remember she was around 6 years old and quite fun to chat with. I just wish we could return soon....