Railway Telegraph — Restaurant in London

The Railway Telegraph in Forest Hill is another example of the trend towards changing what were once locals into so-called gastro-pubs but, slightly unusually when heading in that direction, it also offers live music on Friday nights. This was our first visit and we went specifically for the music.

The pub itself, clearly refurbished fairly recently, was broken up into a number of seating areas, providing some choice of drinking environments, and the beer garden is adequate, but it's low maintenance character doesn't make it particularly inviting. A few flower boxes or something would be nice.

The customers seemed to be evenly split between the kind of old locals who stick to a pub no matter what a new management might have in store for them, and perhaps a few new faces. Of this small crowd a handful actually seemed to be interested in the music which was, on this occasion, the Manny Fizotti Trio whom we had come to see. The band were not helped at all by instructions from the management to keep the volume down which, being an electric blues band complete with drummer, is a disastrous instruction. Manny is an impressive guitarist but there is a minimum volume below which electric blues guitar is simply not electric blues guitar! Speaking to the manager at the end of the evening, she explained that they wished to emphasise the dining aspect and saw live music as more background entertainment. On suggesting that she should then opt for more acoustic fare she assured me that this was not necessary as they also have acts who play soul and funk. All I can say is that, whilst I have no issue with some background music on occasion, to book a full blues band for this purpose, or soul or funk acts for that matter, and tell 'em to turn down is an excellent way to disappoint the music fans whilst adding little to a civilised dining ambiance.

I cannot comment on the quality of the food, as we did not go there to eat but, perusing the menu, I can say that there's lots of choice but, in the way that gastro-pubs seems to want to out restaurant restaurants, somewhat pretentious. A bit pricey too! We almost certainly won't eat there.

The staff were friendly and efficient, though given the small number of customers they were not exactly run off their feet, and there seems to be a good selection of drinks though a lack of bar snacks.

All in all we had a rather disappointing evening which probably has something to do with the strange attitude to live music. An okay pub and well looked after but it is very unlikely we...

🚇 Forest Hill 🍺 £5.40 Fosters

This imposing Victorian pub is located just a short stroll from the heart of Forest Hill in Southeast London. The nearest station is Forest Hill.

In 1853 the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway began installing a railway telegraph system along its line from London Bridge through Forest Hill. The Railway Telegraph pub was built in 1853 as part of the development of the area.

This a sizeable, high ceilinged, one bar pub that is traditionally decorated with a contemporary touch. The servery is centrally located, painted a bold blue and has a tall back bar. The decor consists of white walls with blue panelling, some framed prints, mirrors and conventional seating and booths. Other features include, a DJ booth, a pool table, an air hockey table and a dartboard. At the rear of the pub is a large decked balcony with a beer garden below.

The beer line up was a mix of mainstream beers and some from @shepherdneame who own the pub. I decided on a Fosters, my pint was decent, price point was reasonable at just over a fiver. The food menu offers a range of burgers and classic pub grub, Fish & Chips costs £13, roasts are available on a Sunday.

I arrived just after 5pm on a pleasant Saturday afternoon in May. The pub had an upbeat atmosphere and was gearing up for a party night. I had a nice chat with the Landlady who was friendly and welcoming, she gave up working in the city to run this pub and has done so for the past seven years.

This pub has plenty on to keep you entertained and hosts karaoke, open mic nights, DJ nights, poker and quiz evenings and also has a Darts and Pool team.

It is very rare these days to see a behemoth standalone pub like this in London, most pubs like this have been lost to developers. Overall, I enjoyed my visit to the @railwaytelegraphse23 , I loved the imposing Victorian architecture, the vibrant nature of the pub, that pub traditions that were being upheld and the reasonably priced beer.

📅 4th May 2024

More London Pub info...

I've been going to this pub for over 10yrs and have known many owners but I have to say I am beyond unimpressed with it now. I recently hired out the upstairs for my daughter's Christening party, we went round to set up at 12:45 (they open at 12) but it wasn't opened and we had to bang the door down to get in, nothing was ready so we couldn't set up nothing, I was assured by a member of staff they would put my balloons up for me but when I got back they was left all over the floor! I was told they'd give me table cloths to put over the table I was setting my food and cake on so I didn't bother to get any only to be told when I got there that they don't supply them (even thought I was told they did...twice!) I was also told I would have a member of staff working on the bar upstairs and even told them what drinks I would like on the optics, only to be told by a member of staff that they hadn't been told and that I still couldn't have what I was told I was having because that would leave them short staffed downstairs. I was also told I could use the balcony upstairs save people keep going upstairs and down but the door was locked and when I opened it it was covered in tables so we couldn't get out there anyway! I could go on and on about things that was wrong and I wouldn't mind but it wasn't cheep to hire and considering all the money that was spent at the bar by my lot you'd think I'd get something back! I'll never hire this place out again!!!!! My only daughters Christening party just didn't feel...