Charles Dickens, SE1 0LH
- 160 Union Street
The Charles Dickens was a traditional pub in Borough, with six handpumps. It was a frequent entry in the Good Beer Guide, but has now closed.
According to an advert in the April/May 2015 edition of London Drinker, it closed for a major refurbishment on 30 May 2015, and was expected to reopen around the end of September. As of May 2017 it remained closed, though a comment on the LondonSE1 forum suggested that refurbishment work was actually in progress.
In July 2017 it was revealed that the premises had been taken over by Mc & Sons, an "Irish boozer and Thai kitchen" due to open in early October.
The information below is retained for historical purposes.
On a Friday evening in August 2012, it was relatively quiet, which was a good thing for our group of 12 (though we'd booked a table anyway). bob had a perfectly decent scampi and chips, and everyone else also seemed happy with their food. All six ales were on; the Nethergate Priory Mild, the Oscar Wilde Mild, and the Downton Flaming Games were all very good.
On another Friday evening visit in May 2008, six ales were listed (Harvey's Hadlow, Slaters Monkey Magic, Slaters Queen Bee, Adnam's Bitter, Champflower Ale, and Charles Dickens Ale), but only the Adnam's and Monkey Magic were actually on. The latter is a dark ale, quite low alcohol (3.4%) but very tasty.
As of July 2009, all real ales were £2.95, and they were all well-kept. House red wine was £4, and soda water was £1.
Food is served lunchtimes and evenings Monday to Friday, and is a fairly standard pub food selection. They also do roast lunches from noon-6pm on Sundays. The partially-open kitchen is in the back room of the pub.
A beer garden at the rear offers covered outdoor seating for smokers, and features occasional barbeques.
According to the 2012 Good Beer Guide, quiz night is Wednesday from 8:30pm; entry is free.
See also:
- Fancyapint review
- Pubs Galore comments
- Tandleman's Beer Blog review (scroll down)
- Beer In The Evening comments
- Yelp comments