The Market Porter, Southwark, London

Our experience was all as per the previous reviews, I would just like to add that we did have a meal here, which was also superb. The restaurant is upstairs and overlooking the street below, we had a good meal taking in the hustle and bustle of the market through the open window. A very pleasant lunch time.

A really good old fashioned pub. Its close to the market so gets massively busy, especially when its sunny, but when we were there last Wednesday everyone was standing outside to catch the sun so we got seats inside quite easily. It has a wide selection of beers, has a huge serving area and a lot of bar staff on duty so not too much queueing, and there's a man next door bbq'ing excellent burgers

This is a great pub with a fantastic selection of well-kept ale. Last time I was in I had a chocolate orange bitter which might sound odd, but was absolutely lovely.

Decor is fairly basic traditional pub, but worth a visit for real ale lovers as the beer is excellent.

The pub was busy, but service couldn't be faulted.

Great pub. Looses stars for the plastic cups and lack of seasonal beers. Its brilliant that they have loads of real ale, but it does seem the stock is decided on price not on season

One of the finest beer selections in London, next to a foodie heaven in the form of Borough market - what's not to like? OK - the crowds. It does get very very busy, so choose your visiting time carefully (Sunday afternoons work for me) and you'll get a seat without a problem. Despite the teeming masses the bar staff always manage to serve promptly, and the beer is nearly always well kept. Decor is basic - bare floorboards, barrel tables etc, but none the worse for that. Another pub worth detouring to find.

Update 30-07-2009

Went there last night: I don’t know if it is the effect of the recession but, although busy, we managed to get some seats within a few minutes. All this means the atmosphere is a little less scrum-like: all the better to enjoy the impressive range of beer!

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Located right in the heart of Borough market, this is a real-ale pub par excellence, serving one of the largest (if not the largest) range of ales in London, together with the odd real cider.

And by large, I mean large - they have 12 hand-pumps, with a regularly changing choice through the day (they have over 20 beers ready at any one time - see web-site for details). They often feature West-Country ales hard to find elsewhere in London.

The pub itself is large, with several rooms, all with wood-panelled decor. Despite this, it can get absolutely jam-packed, especially in the evenings and when the market is in full swing opposite. Service, however, usually manages to cope and is generally friendly. One advantage of being next to the market is its early week-day opening time - if you fancy a pint at 6am!

There’s a restaurant upstairs, although I’ve not eaten here. You could always have a bite of something in the market, of course - indeed, it would seem the perfect venue to round off a trip to the market itself - or a visit to Southwark Cathedral…

Finally, film buffs may recognise the pub from some of the many films shot in the area, because of its slightly grimy, Dickensian feel. The pub even became a book-shop in a Harry Potter film!

The Market Porter in Borough is a great pub for so many different reasons.

Real Ale - Arguably the largest selection of real ales in the country. The main bar is a veritable treasure trove of “bishop’s fingers”, “Black Sheep” and “Deuchars IPA”. From reading DMJ’s review below, i can confirm that there are over 20 beers available at any one time!

The Market - You can throw a tennis ball and hit some of the best market stalls in Borough market from this pub. A perfect watering hole once you’ve finished your shopping or had a bite to eat in the market.

The Atmosphere - Straight out of Dickens. This is a must visit pub for newbies and tourists in London. Don’t be afraid to spill out of the pub and stand beneath the hanging baskets on the market square. In my opinion, this is the best place to stand, chat, drink and soak up the comings and goings of Borough Market.

One of my favourite pubs in London.

Just a brilliant, brilliant place to go for a drink. It does get extremely busy, both inside and out so not really some where to go for a swift, cheeky Sussex half but if you’ve got the time (and patience) to wait to get served (not criticism of the service, just reflects how popular it is) then it is well worth it.

The range of beers available is truly impressive, constantly changing, and even the most fervent ale geek will find his (or her) beard bristle with the anticipation of supping a previously unknown brew. And if you’re unsure of what to go for the Harvey’s Sussex Best is consistently top drawer.

As mentioned above, it does get absolutely rammed so a degree of tolerance is required, especially on a Saturday, but it really is worth it, honestly.

There is a dining room upstairs, staffed by the most charming waitress I have had the pleasure to have met. The food is pretty damn good. A proper pub menu, generous, well presented and with a couple of surprises thrown in for good measure. (I started with a delicious duck, fig and pistachio terrine on Saturday. Wow. Truly wow.) I highly recommend the burger or fish and chips. Classics done extremely well. I’ve never had one of their mixed grills, much to my shame, but I am extremely keen to give it a shot!

Everything about the Porter says proper, old school boozer and in my humble opinion, it really can’t be beat. One of my greatest pleasures is to wander through the market, maybe picking up something to eat on the way through, a pint of Harvey’s Sussex best from the Porter and an hour or so spent outside, chatting in the sun, soaking in the sights, smells, and sounds of the market. London simply doesn’t get any better than this.

I think this is one of the best known pubs in London. It’s certainly one I’ve heard of a few times. I think it’s quite a long standing establishment but how long…I must confess I know not.

The pubs proximity to Borough Market and to the business district nearby mean that its stays busy throughout the week. I’ve been here twice and it’s been packed both times which can make getting served and finding a place to stand a tricky business. It’s worth giving it a try though because they have an excellent oft changing selection of ales on tap (check out all the different beermats on the walls too!).

I think I need to figure out when this place is at it’s quietest because I’d like to come here from time to time.

Quite a famous and popular place, but still retains the atmosphere of a traditional pub.
As it’s next to the market it’s always full with people and you must fancy busy, crowded pubs to appreciate it.
Good choice of beers/real ales.

Great pub - good selection of bitters.
Nice mixed crowd of punters - not all City types. Very busy from 5-7/8 but even then the bar wait is not normally too bad.

The Market Porter is still great, although not as good as it used to be 10 years ago! It is always packed on a weekday evening, and on a saturday gets a lot of trade from Borough Market, but by a saturday evening is a bit quieter. You nearly always have to stand, but it does have a lovely atmosphere so it’s worth it.

Excellent place. Always looks off-putting because it is absolutely heaving, but the staff do a great job of serving people quickly, and so there is never any tension at the bar.
There are a couple of guys who set up stall nearby serving sausage baps, and although they are nothing to do with the pub, it’s great to be able to get some quick food to soak up a bit of booze before tucking into the next pint.
You do need decent weather, because there is every chance that you’ll be standing out on the pavement.

A fantastic pub nestling just off London Bridge’s bustling Borough Market.

The Market Porter is an excellent pub for real ale enthusiasts sporting a good wealth of beers on draught. Excellent both in the Summer and Winter for different reasons. In the Summer it’s nice to have a pint in the road outside the pub, watching the busy goings on of the market. In the Winter it’s a great place to escape the cold and grab a warming pint of ale.

Be warned it’s not the best equipped pub, spatially, for the number of punters who frequent it in the evenings. It is however a very traditional and good all round boozer for a proper London pint.

I’ve never understood the great appeal to this place. I used to work nearby and always found it much busier than it deserved to be as hundreds of people were spilled out into the streets. I once got a seat inside here and it was such an achievement I had to have a photo taken to prove it.

With Uto beer around the corner, I say just pick up some better beers and drink in the street like everyone else!

If you attempt to go here after work, don’t expect to get served within an hour of arriving.

Given the crowds outside here on the Friday I visited you’d have expected it to be like a scrum at the bar but thankfully this was not the case & it was relatively easy to get quickly to the front & then try to work out which of the many beers to try first. Cannot fault the range on offer.

On the downside the humid weather meant it was necessary to join the punters on the pavement (& road) outside because the pub itself was a bit of a sauna.

Another one to re-visit at a less popular hour of the day (& maybe in winter too).

A great pub with an outstanding selection of real ales. The only thing that prevents it getting five stars is that it is invariably crowded. It goes to show what a great place it is, but it does mean you will likely find yourself standing.

A great place to try out a pint or two, especially after browsing the borough market.

Here on a Saturday afternoon and evening. There’s a real buzz round the Borough Market area and people are happily drinking inside and out without being too packed. Got nice, old style wooden floors, beams and little alcoves which looks traditional and original. The range of beers and real ales is impressive. The wheat beer is certainly better than the ropey wine that I tried.

This is one of the greatest pubs in London, as long as you like real ale - and after all, isn’t that what pubs are for? Amazing selection of beers and friendly, knowledgeable staff. As other reviewers have mentioned, you’re unlikely to be able to get a seat if you go on Saturday while the market’s on, or after work on any work day. But hey, it’s not their fault that they’re so popular. Well, maybe it is: too many good beers!

On a side note, the food got a big thumbs up from my parents, but I haven’t tried it. The staff were also very helpful regarding my mum’s gluten allergy.

An institution in the Borough Market area and the pub with the most charm out of the collection surrounding the area. However, that charm does mean it pays the price of being very very busy at times.

It’s pretty much your quintessential boozer insider - all wood, brass, barrels for tables and real ale. There’s a decent amount of room inside, but it’s not huge by any stretch of the imagination. It has a lot of real ale on offer so for any CAMRA fans, this is a decent pub to head for a visit.

It gets very popular in the evenings, and you can often find yourself forced out onto the street outside - not the worst thing as the pub’s atmosphere flows out onto the street and its a generally very friendly crowd. However, the delights of the British weather can make it a bit of a lottery especially on a Friday night.

It’s been said already - but despite it being very busy the service is pretty decent and they get through serving people quickly, generally are good at getting the order right and are friendly.

Food here is your typical pub grub - but of a pretty good quality.

Oh and as dmj1962 says - if you fancy a beer at 6am, this place is open for business…always a bit alarming when I work past it on the way to an early start to work and there’s a load of people tucking into their pints(!)