The Lawrence Arms — Restaurant in London

🚇 Crofton Park 🍺 £5.80 Penge Pilsner

The London Beer Dispensary Is located in Crofton Park just south of Brockley in Southeast London. The nearest station is Crofton Park mainline.

As part of my visit to the area, I visited Rocastle Road which is a few minutes walk from the pub. Rocastle Road is named in memory of Arsenal legend David “Rocky” Rocastle. Also close by is The Rocky & Wrighty Arena, a 3G football pitch which is overlooked by The Honor Oak Estate where David Rocastle and Ian Wright grew up on.

This pub came to be in May 2014, taking over from the previous wine bar located here. The pub is run by Penge brewers @southeybrewingco .

This is a cosy two room pub which is traditionally decorated. The main bar is located at the front with the servery sitting across the back wall. The walls are clad in beautiful dark wood panels with small sconces above to spread a bit of light. The seating is predominantly low level conventional tables and chairs with a couple of poser tables in the windows. To the right of the servery is a hallway which has a beer ledge, this leads to a back room with several benches and a dartboard. At the back of the pub is a partially covered courtyard beer garden.

The beer line up will please the craft connoisseurs and showcases Southey brewing Co’s range of beers. There are twelve taps to choose from including four cask ales plus bottles and cans in the fridge. After browsing the tap list, I decided on a Penge Pilsner, my pint was enjoyable, price point was below average. The food offering is pasties and sausages rolls.

I arrived around 3pm on an overcast Saturday afternoon in May. The pub was fairly quiet with two other punters in attendance. The atmosphere was chilled with a decent playlist setting the backdrop. The service was superb, the team member who served me was friendly, chatty and knew her stuff about the beers on offer.

This pub has a welcoming local feel and will definitely appeal to those who like a varied beer choice. I really liked the vibe at The @londonbeerdispensary , this is a lovely spot to enjoy a pint.

📅 4th May 2024

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We popped in on Friday night while waiting for our Yard Sale Pizza. The dark haired curly bar lady was genuinely lovely and had a laugh with us about my partner’s name matching the bar. Sadly, the blonde large woman, who I can only assume was the manager (she was charging around like she was on speed) completely ruined the experience.

We were half way through our drinks when he collected pizza. As soon as my partner sat down with our pizza boxes (still closed), she snapped that we couldn’t eat takeout inside. We weren’t going to, we’d just come in for a quick drink while we waited. Her attitude was rude, assumptive and condescending. Instead of welcoming us as locals who work hard and were excited to finally try the place, she made us feel like we didn’t belong.

On a Friday night of all times, when a bar should be warm and buzzing, this kind of behaviour is unforgivable. Brockley deserves better. Spend your money where customers are actually valued...

Great craft bitters on keg and cask, many brewed locally at the Late Knights brewery in Penge. Ask for a taste if you're not sure, the staff are friendly, helpful and patient if you're new to real ale. Lager lovers don't have much choice (we found one tinned but tasty lager in the fridge) so it's not ideal for those that aren't adventurous beyond their usual tipple. To eat, there is a menu of around 8 different burgers. These were the surprise package - juicy and delicious, and you can order half pints of fat chips to make a real meal. Seating can be tricky to find so come early if you plan to eat, and bed in the for night. Tip: there is a range of specialist whiskeys hidden above the serving area if you bloat out too much but don't want the...