The Gladstone Arms — Restaurant in London

To hear more about this great pub, go listen to our podcast, Pubtrotters Pubcast!

#21 The Gladstone - Desi pubs, care home servings & end of a road.

WE ALWAYS GIVE 5s AS ALL PUBS ARE DIFFERENT AND GREAT, ANY 'NEGATIVE' SOUNDING COMMENTS ARE PURELY BASED ON MY OBJECTIVE EXPERIENCE

CONTEXT I was there to record a podcast for Pubtrotters. As ever, i was there a bit early to take it in. Was there from about 4:30pm - 7:30pm on a Monday.

ATMOSPHERE For a Monday, there was surprisingly a nice hubbub about the place. It helped there was a wine tasting happening, but there were definitely some locals and other more 'business' like people in there doing end of ay meetings. There was definitely an atmosphere, which was helped by the general size of the place.

STYLE A small and old pub, from the 1800s! This pub has clearly gone through several iterations, which i also learnt whislt doing the podcast. Recently it has been taken over by a brother and sister from India, the sister, Megha, the first Indian Landlady as far as we're aware! There is obvious and classic 'old London' vibes about this place, interspliced with Indian heritage and decor, its quite a beautiful pub from my perspective. Also has a great little outdoor area on a terrace, which is very cosy and over looks a playground, which is funny, as kids kept trying to kick footbals up at me (I was protected by a fence, i assume this has happened before!).

SERVICE Very personal and lovely service from bar lady (in this case was the Landlady Megha), very friendly. As mentioned, this is a small pub, and so has a small bar, which was pretty much surrounded by people sat on high chairs at the bar. I'm always in conflict about this, I LOVE sitting at the bar, but I also hate not being able to get to the bar, because people are sat in the way, end up having to look under people's armpits to look at the beer choice. This being said, the people sat there were very lovely and friendly about it.

TOILET Couple of different toilets in the pub, obviously only saw the mens. Classic pub toilet downstairs and then a very homey toilet upstairs, reminded me of my grandmothers toilet, little books to read and such.

PRICE Oooof London is getting pricey now isn't it! This is no reflection on the pub, for the great beer they service, (which is what i was drinking), its just the market price now. Didn't seem like there are any drink offers on in the week or antyhing, your looking at £6.50+ a pint.

FOOD & DRINK The drink selection was fabulous! 1 beer on Cask, which they do change apparently, then around 12 beers on keg, with plenty of choice from a pineapple lager (what i had) to some great looking pilsners. I didn't eat hear, but i heard great things from the locals about how good the food here was. Very much Indian affair, with british twists and vice versa. Their sunday roast, with bombay roast potates sounded particularly exciting!

Superb pub, I...

"The Glad" is one of the only Desi-Pubs I've had the fortune of visiting. The term, a categorisation of a British pub, where the owners/managers are from Indian origin, typically with a crossover of Punjabi food and British pub culture.

I was first taken here by a friend, set free from Covid, we had hit a few pubs in the area but when he started dragging me down the backstreets of Southwark and Borough I had no idea what I was in for. The visit was fun. Shots, beers, chicken tikka pies, and despite our intentions to hit a few more places, we couldn't pull ourselves away.

A revisit at the back end of 2022 then, and refreshingly it still gave me the same warm feeling as before. A tidy and refined range of craft beers on the bar, well kept ales, and an inviting seating setup for communal or solo pints, that on this dreary December afternoon was on the cusp of filling up with the Christmas crowd. I had a pint of Gipsy Hill Hepcat, regretted not ordering food but vowed to not leave it a year again between visits.

So, I came back a week later, bringing another friend here, this time for food. Chicken Pao, Samosas, Gobi Manchurian, Cod Fingers and Chips. It didn't hang about for long, each dish inhaled quicker than the last, a comforting blend of pub grub and Indian specialities, some with more of a crossover than others. The roast dinner comes with Bombay potatoes and Yorkshire puddings for example. The Hepcat flew down again too.

I'm yet to be here when it's thriving, as indicated by my "just opened" pictures (the best time to snap without invading privacy), but doubling as a music venue, and reading through the endless praise online, I'm going to need to return again.

Also, rare that I manage to find a pub with its own Wikipedia article too, but as echoed in the aforementioned reviews, this pub once threatened by closure by the rampant redevelopment in the area, was saved by CAMRA and is now listed as an Asset of Community Value.

Check out David Jesudasom reviews of this and other Desi Pubs (the Pellicle Magazine article is great), read up on The Glad, and pay a visit next time you're in town. Save room for food too....

🚇 Borough 🍺 £5.90 Gladstone Lager ❤️ A beloved Borough boozer serving Beer and Bhajis. . Tucked away just off busy Borough High Street you’ll find The Gladstone Arms or The Glad if you’re a regular. The nearest Tube is Borough which is a three minute walk away. . This pub was originally built in 1869 and rebuilt in the 1920’s. In 2015 the pub was faced with demolition, but a strong campaign by locals and CAMRA secured the pub as an Asset of Community Value, Pub 1 - 0 Vultures. . This pub is divided into three sections. On the ground floor is a cosy ‘L’ shaped bar that has a traditional pub feel with some Indian influences. Adorning the walls are an eclectic mix of artworks including a mural of India’s past. There are some other nice touches too, there is a Joanna in the corner, British and Indian bunting and contemporary lighting. If you head upstairs, there is a lounge bar and a small roof terrace. . The beer selection includes an ever-changing range of ales and craft beers from local London breweries. I tried a pint of the house lager, my pint was decent and cost less than six quid. The food menu consists of a homemade selection of Anglo-Indian food, combining British classics with Indian flavours, I loved the idea of a Sunday roast with Bombay potatoes. . I arrived mid-afternoon on a sunny Saturday in July. The atmosphere was relaxed, welcoming and had a local pub feel. The crowd was a mix of locals plus a table of a few tourists exploring the area. The soundtrack was excellent, hats off for playing Sly & Robbie. The service was great, I was served by a very nice chap who was welcoming and courteous. There is plenty here to keep you entertained, check out the pub’s socials for quiz and comedy nights plus live music from all genres. . @thegladpub is everything you want a pub to be. It looks after its local community and those from further a field. It has passionate owners who not only have saved the pub but offer a diverse mix of British and Asian passions. The Glad is definitely one for the must visit list. शानदार . ℹ️ Info correct on...