Blythe Hill Tavern

£10 /

319 Stanstead Rd, London

Awards

Excellent Pizza 2024

Opening hours

11AM-11PM

Sunday 12PM-11PM
Monday 11AM-11PM
Tuesday 11AM-11PM
Wednesday 11AM-11PM
Thursday 11AM-11PM
Friday 11AM-12AM
Saturday 11AM-12AM

Top Guinness and Charismatic Irish Charm!

Stepping into The Blythe Hill Tavern in South East London feels almost like hopping across the sea to a traditional Irish pub, where every nook is laden with vibrant history and warm camaraderie. I arrived on a particularly dreary London day which the inviting glow of this establishment quickly remedied. Built in the mid-19th century, and now Grade II listed, into its every beam and panel, it seems, is woven an ode to its Irish heritage. Inside, you are greeted by elegant wood paneling and a treasure trove of eccentric memorabilia, unapologetically conjuring the timeless charm reminiscent of Ireland's favored haunts. The pub is further divided into three rooms, with a bar strategically placed in the middle, ensuring naught is lost between your tall tales and the clinking of glasses.

Around us, eclectic patrons chatter softly, voices rising and falling like a comforting lullaby over the roaring winter fires. Above all, the Guinness here reigns supreme, the drink of choice that unites without prejudice; it's been whispered to be the finest this side of Dublin—a claim most emphatic. Con, the landlord, proves to be as much a fixture as the hefty wood beams overhead. With a stout laugh and an unmistakable warmth, he was welcoming guests inside as if they were old friends dropping by for tea. On crisp summer nights, their sprawling beer garden blossoms brightly, availing itself as the perfect refuge adapting for impromptu gatherings or when local food trucks and Yard Sale Pizza cart through. Though your tastebuds tango with a medley of rotating ales, stouts, ciders—plus the indomitable Neck Oil—I’d gently suggest another pint of their expertly-quelled Guinness, upon threat of longtime regulars’ retribution should you say otherwise. So, make haste to this authentic slice of the Emerald Isle—what awaits transcends the mere visit and threads its way straight to the vital heart of Irish spirit in London. — Clarissa Cuisinier