The Old Dispensary — Restaurant in London

🚇Denmark Hill 🍺 £6.20 Guinness

The Old Dispensary is located just off busy Camberwell Green in Camberwell, South London. The nearest station is Denmark Hill.

The Old Dispensary in Camberwell was originally established in 1862 as the Camberwell Provident Dispensary, providing medical assistance to the local poor. It was converted into a pub around 2004, adopting the name “The Old Dispensary.”

This is a cozy, one-bar pub with a traditional Irish pub feel. The servery is located on the right-hand side and features a solid timber counter. To the left of the servery is a small stage used for hosting live music nights. On either side of the pub’s entrance are intimate nooks: to the left, high wood-paneled benches, and to the right, comfy sofas and a log burner.

Around the walls, you’ll find an array of bric-à-brac, Irish memorabilia, maps of the Emerald Isle, and a few TV screens. The standout feature is an ornate chandelier hanging beneath a large, unique octagonal skylight. At the rear of the pub is a suntrap courtyard beer garden.

The beer line up offers a selection of mainstream brews, independent breweries and of course Guinness. I decided to try the stout, my pint was excellent, price point was just above six quid.

I arrived around 2:30 p.m. on a pleasant Saturday in May. The pub was fairly quiet, with a few punters dotted around the bar and in the beer garden. I was joined by @footballstickersinthewild and his good lady for a pint and a catch-up.

The atmosphere was chilled and relaxed, with a warm, welcoming feel to the pub. The service was great—I had a brief chat with the Guv’nor and one of the team, both of whom were very friendly and lovely-natured.

The pub is known for its vibrant live music scene and hosts events on a regular basis. It also shows live sports, including GAA.

Visiting this characterful Irish boozer was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. The intimate surroundings, the well kept Guinness and the warm hospitality made for a top notch pub visit. Get this one on the to visit list, loved it.

Follow @theolddispensary for updates.

📅 17th May 2025

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A local favourite pub, no nonsense Irish styled boozer. I tend to go at quieter times when I do visit and I can happily spend my time sitting at a table with my Chromebook (free Wi-Fi). Staff are all friendly, have never had any problems, and really must try one of their Sunday Roasts at some point. They don't do food any other day, just the Sunday Roasts which look really good and boasts fantastic homemade gravy. If you like sports then this is a great place to come too. I have peeked in when there's a match on and it's packed but with a good atmosphere. They also regularly have live music here. So really, it caters for a variety of tastes and is a worthy...

I'm not local but have had to spend a fair bit of time in the area recently as I've got a relative in KCH.

I've been checking out some of the nearby pubs as a result and was thrilled to find an nice pub that actually seems to be open (fairly) late every night. A complete rarity in London.

The staff seem nice, good Guinness, and a good crowd from what I can gather.

I've not had a chance to actually stay and see much of the music, only caught a bit early in the night so far, but will be coming back to check it out properly when I...