Randomness Guide to London Menu

An upmarket pub on Peckham Rye Common. It was acquired by the Capital Pub Company in April 2011.

Note: The Rye closed for a major refurbishment at the end of September 2011, and opened again in June 2012. We haven't visited since the refurb, so some of the below may be out of date.

In a former life, this was presumably a hotel (the old fittings still say "Rye Hotel"), but now has been reborn as the familiar stripped-wood darkly-lit pseudo-gastro pub. There's a large front room with lots of natural light, though quickly getting darker around the side of the bar. Two rooms out the back have canopies and curtains, and there is an extensive beer garden beyond that (an actual garden, with tables on the grass), providing even more space outside during the summer. The indoor areas can get quite noisy during the weekends and at busy periods.

On a Sunday lunch visit, several of the larger tables in the main room were booked for families and the others soon filled up, as this place is predictably popular with the young professional parents of East Dulwich and environs. There were still places for small groups of two or three to sit (provided they don't mind children and baby carriages pushing past!).

They have a two handpulls for real ale which are regularly changed, and in March 2008 were Mauldon's White Adder and Everard's Pitch Black, and in May 2011 were Florence Weasel and Black Sheep Bitter. They also have Leffe, Hoegaarden, and a few other standard lagers as well as a small bottled range.

The new owners have undertaken a refurbishment of the kitchen facilities as of May 2011, so the food offering will undoubtedly change extensively, more in line with their other pubs. In the interim, they are relying upon mobile providers including the Meatwagon and the Dogfather.

See also:

• Fancyapint review
• Beer In The Evening comments
• Time Out review
• London Eating comments
• Southwark News review