Randomness Guide to London - Differences between Version 20 and Version 19 of Canton Arms, SW8 1XP

A pub near Stockwell Station, in South Lambeth.

The Canton Arms closed for a refurb and management change in late 2009, and reopened on Thursday 18 February 2010.

Prior to the change of management, this was a perfectly decent real ale pub, but has now been done up in a more gastropub style, with bare wooden floors and the rear of the pub taken over by dining tables laid for service, though the front has a couple of leather seats and a number of tables for drinkers (a few large ones and several rickety little tables with stools along the front). There's also an outdoor seating area in the front. On a Friday lunchtime visit shortly after it reopened, the place was fairly empty, with only a handful of other customers, but no doubt gets busier in the evenings.

There are four handpulls for ale, with Betty Stoggs, Tribute, O'Hanlon's Port Stout and one off on a February 2010 visit. There's also a range of regular draught lagers and cider.

According to the Dos Hermanos review linked below, the head chef is Trish Hilferty, who's previously worked at the Eagle in Clerkenwell and the Anchor and Hope in Borough, among other places. The food menu at lunchtime is fairly short, with six or seven options, including a fine potato, chorizo and spring green soup (£4.50) photo, warming and hearty and served with a couple of thick slices of white bread with butter. Aside from the bar menu is a chalkboard with a few extra offerings, including a regularly-changing range of toasted sandwiches. Ewan tried the haggis toastie (£3) photo and was very pleased with it, packed with haggis and rather indulgent.

See also:

• Beer In The Evening comments
• Fancyapint review
• Dos Hermanos review
• Observer review by Jay Rayner (Mar 2010)
• Tradescent Road & South Lambeth blog review
• Londonist review
• Time Out review
• Chowhound thread
• Another Chowhound thread
• Fay Maschler's review in the Evening Standard
• Stockwell News review
• Cheese And Biscuits review
• The Greasy Spoon review
• Tom Eats review
• The Telegraph review (by Zoe Williams)

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