Picture of Blacksmiths Arms, SE16 5EJ

Historical version 7 of Blacksmiths Arms, SE16 5EJ (view current version)

Fuller's pub serving decent beer (London Pride £2.70/pint). Not particularly close to any public transport other than the Hilton Ferry to Canary Wharf, but convenient for a Thames path walk.

Horseshoe-shaped bar out the front with tables and chairs along each side; dining room with table service out the back. The ladies' toilet (single, slightly cramped cubicle, clean enough though) is worth a visit for the amusing cartoons on the wall. There's a beer garden out through the dining room, though we've not been out there as the door was locked on our visit.

Offers good Thai food at reasonable prices (main courses with rice from around £7.50), as well as a small selection of more traditional pub food. Takeaway and delivery are available too; wine and beer can also be included in your delivery, and as of May 2007 they were offering a free bottle of wine if you spend over £20 on takeaway. We suspect this is a limited time offer though. Takeaway hours are noon-2:30pm and 6pm-10pm Mon-Fri; Sat-Sun all day. Not sure if these are the general food hours too; they probably are.

We tried the £10 starter platter for two; the spring rolls were very good, and the rest of the platter was fine too. Pla rad pric (deep-fried cod with tamarind sauce, £9) was good, if a little sweet, and a generous portion. However, it wasn't spicy at all, despite being described as such on the menu.

Food service was polite, unobtrusive, and perceptive — even though they were very busy. I'd say it was excellent for a pub. --Kake

Bar skills are perhaps just slightly less excellent; Bob has noted on two occasions that the staff didn't seem to know they were supposed to turn the pump clips around for beers that were off.

GPS data collected by bob on a Garmin eTrex, 1 April 2007, and released into the public domain: OSGB 536521, 180292

Last visited by Kake and Bob, 7 May 2007. Beer and food prices, and takeaway hours, determined on that visit.
OS X co-ord: 536521 OS Y co-ord: 180292 (Latitude: 51.504566 Longitude: -0.032728)
This is version 7 (as of 2007-05-12 19:02:58). View current version. List all versions.