The Portland Arms — Restaurant in London

🚇Norwood Junction 🍺 £5.70 Cruzcampo

A Superb Welcoming Local.

The Portland Arms is located on Portland Road in South Norwood, South London. The nearest station is Norwood Junction, it’s a ten minute walk to get here.

This pub started life as The Prince of Denmark and was built in 1898. Portland Road used to have numerous pubs that were dotted along this busy stretch of road, today there is only one. In 2009 the pub closed its doors and remained dormant for seven years. Thankfully in 2016 the pub reopened and was renamed The Portland Arms.

This is large one bar pub that has a contemporary look and feel. The servery stretches down the length of the main bar area and has a sturdy solid wood counter. The walls are clad in Georgian style panels and exposed brickwork sections. There is plenty of seating throughout plus a few stools around the bar. At the rear of the pub is a decked beer garden with a cosy covered area complete with Tv.

The beer selection has a good mix of popular keg favourites, craft and three cask ales. I decided on a Cruzcampo, my pint was excellent, price point was below average. The food menu is a combination of classic pub grub and a selection of burgers, large Fish & Chips costs £14.95. If you visit on a Sunday, roasts take centre stage.

I arrived around 3pm on a mild Saturday afternoon in January. The pub was fairly busy with a relaxed welcoming feel. The punters were a mix of locals from all ages both having a drink and dining, the food smelt amazing. The soundtrack was a mix The Beatles, Chilli Peppers and soulful tunes. The service was first class, the team here are friendly, courteous and took some time out to tell all about this lovely local pub.

The pub shows live Premier and Champions League and hosts live bands. Check socials below for what’s on.

The @portlandarmsse25 is your bonafide local pub that ticks all the boxes. The building is beautiful, the vibe easy to settle into, the beer and food are on point and you’ll be well looked after. This is a fine establishment that is well worth a visit.

ℹ️ Info correct on...

Both bar staff were very friendly and welcoming and we really enjoyed their service, but we had issues with the portions and policies.

I ordered the spicy blue cheese fries, I typically love these flavours, however I quickly realised I didn't like these sauces. I asked to exchange them for plain fries and I assumed I would receive the money back for the upgraded fries or at least not be charged for the new portion.

We were informed after paying our tab that we would be paying for both portions. We work in the hospitality industry, one in bar work and the other as a chef, so we understand that replacing portions of food a customer doesn't like can sometimes be costly, but chips are typically abundant and cheap.

If the customer has barely touched their food and is unsatisfied, it's normal in most businesses to simply replace the food as long as it's not too expensive.

A secondary issue we had was the price for the waffle, £6 for a very small and hard waffle with a small scoop of ice-cream. I am not surprised that an additional scoop of ice-cream cost more but for £6 I was hoping for something far more substantial.

Again we enjoyed the service and atmosphere and held nothing against the staff we encountered of course, we had umbrage with what felt like...

Took my old dear to here last Sunday for a roast. Wasn't expecting much as its in South Norwood, checked others reviews and found that it has a lot of positive feedback... so I decided to pay them a visit. All I can say is, it is by far the best pub in South Norwood! I would maybe even go as far as saying it is possibly one of the best pubs I've been to in South London. The staff are very welcoming and friendly. The roast beef was honestly one of the best roasts I've ever had and the ambience and atmosphere of the pub itself it top notch. It's also got a lovely little beer garden with an outside TV, sounding and lighting. Very impressive. My only feedback or criticism is that the food was so good, there just wasn't enough of it! Plenty of beef, but could of done with more roast potatoes lol. Lastly, the Irish chap who I believe is the manager is a lovely bloke and came over, was very chatty etc. Just what you want in the boozer! I have recommended to my friends, we'll be back next Sunday! If you're considering paying them a visit, do...