The George Inn

A regular haunt on St. Geroge's day (a must) came here for a stag night, great ales, decent food, steeped in history. A good old fashioned English pub. what more do you want!

This is a gem of a pub, steeped in history. Shakespeare used to get trollied here. Dickens mentions the place in at least two of his books. The pub is the oldest galleried pub in the capital, and the oldest coaching inn. And because it's Grade I listed, it's kept more or less its appearance. You can see old photos on the wall from the 19th century if you don't believe me. It looks the same.

It's also a great pub to go to in the summer, if it's not raining, until closing time at 11pm after which there are plenty of late-night bars to go to in the vicinity. I used to drink here every day, when I was working in the area, although now I only tend to go occasionally. I often include it on my pub-crawl route which I do every year on my birthday.

It used to be really expensive, but while they haven't put their prices down, the other pubs have caught up with them. I think it's about £4.20 a pint, which is very expensive of course, but it feels more justifiable given the beauty of the place.

The Old Bar (on the right, westernmost side of the inn) is by far the most picturesque, with its really old interior, tables that are at a huge slant, and a real log fire. It's also normally quicker to get served there, assuming it is open. The new bar is not so nice, and they've really spoilt it (I remember it before). I'm surprised they were allowed to make the adjustments they did.

But to be honest, I never sit inside unless it's raining. The courtyard is too lovely to miss.

Food is poor. I have twice been tempted by food there, and twice been sorely disappointed. It always looks lovely, but tastes very bland. Better eat somewhere else instead.

If you come to London, and want to visit nice pubs, this one HAS to be on your list.

Brilliant fantastic venue , shame about the toilets that are shut, the bars that are not open and the minority of staff best described as “unhelpful”

Still it’s a brilliant place to go into l, so many rooms to explore. Shame the only bar still open had run out of all but two ales. Maybe it needs better shift managers

Great feel about such a historical place, and the renovation is done very well, cleaning it up without destroying any of the amazing galleries, walls, etc. Staff are generally friendly and efficient and its one of my favourites near home.

Lovely pub with a couple of different rooms and huge outdoor area with heaters. I’m a little hesitant to recommend this pub though, purely because it is usually very busy and I don’t want to fill up the few seats that are available!

Drinks are good but not much of a wine list, food was also beautiful – must recommend the chicken wrapped in bacon, mmmm! Slightly on the pricey side (but what London pubs aren’t these days).

What tops it off is that I’ve only been here a few times, but each time I’ve had super-friendly and quick service, the kind of welcome that makes you want to visit again very soon. And I’m sure I will :-)

Looks amazing but sadly its style over substance. Poor wine selection and expensive drinks.

Recommended for sunny evenings...but good luck getting a table if it is sunny! Food is stodgy and does the job, but nothing to write home about.

It's the setting and architecture which sets The George apart from other pubs, and if you're in London with tourists then they'll love it. But if you live in London, you'll know that there are better drinking establishments than this.

I really enjoyed it here last Wednesday. It was pretty busy inside but the outside seats were fine due to the patio heaters. Outside is the best part anyway as you get to look at the building the whole time, that way you can't forget you're getting drunk in a little bit of history

I'm teetering between three and four stars with this place. On a good day it would get four stars. A good day meaning you get a table all to yourself and the sun is shiny. But on any other day, I imagine this place is just a bit average.

The main draw for this place is the outdoor space. Actually, that's quite exciting. Well done them. But I really really hate drinking wine out of those little wine bottles. Nothing annoys me more. If you're giving me wine out of one of those little bottles, it's shit wine.

And at least smile when you're serving me and don't roll your eyes at me because you've forgotten to give me my receipt and that's why I'm still standing there. The service was brisk at best.

This is a gorgeous building and if you're outside you'll have fun, but this pub could be so much better.

This lovely old 17th century galleried coaching inn has bags of character and an impressive history - Shakespeare and Dickens really did patronise this pub. That alone makes it a draw, and it's a lovely pub too, with a cobbled courtyard for summer evenings and a warren of cosy interconnected bars for winter.

The one remaining galleried façade really is impressive, however two more sides were destroyed to build warehousing for the Great Northern Railway. Now there are ugly modern offices in their place.

It is in the care of the National Trust and leased t some faceless corporation. Last time I went there, it was looking decidedly shabby, it could do with whitewashing and the chairs mending.

For me this is a summer pub as a large seating area outside in a courtyard off the main road. The building from outside is fantastic, you can imagine the horse and carts being parked outside whilst the passengers went inside for a pint. I don't like the inside as much, find it a bit dark and cramped. Food here is good though but a 3 star from me as more enjoyable in the summer.

I'm always unsure about the George (hence the three star rating). On the one hand, it's a beautiful pub, very very very old with a huge outdoor area, that's great for the summer, and they have a decent range of beers on.

On the other hand, the queue at the bar is always at least three deep and the staff seem to have a go-slow policy that makes the situation worse.

It's more of a default destination than a 'must visit' (if you're not a tourist taking in the history on one of the guided walks), but it does have an odd, undeniable charm.

This wonderful, historic pub is hidden off Borough High Street, but moments from London Bridge tube station. As it is historic and central, it is a bit pricey. Although it appears you can put a price on feeling like you are sitting in the same bar as Dickens, the selection is good with Cider, Real Ale and Lager all on tap.

It does get very busy in summer, although it really shows its charm in midwinter. Don't worry there are patio heater for the outside dwellers and real historic charm for those who prefer that inside.

The George is one of the most popular pubs in SE1 and is blessed with a huge outdoor seating area (with patio heaters in the winter). I'm told this pub burnt down in the 17th Century and was later restored. The building is now protected by the national trust.

The pub itself is spacious with plenty of seating. The real ale selection is good (but not excellent) and i was a bit disappointed with the wine selection. This is most definitely a summer pub and i'd recommend getting here early as it fills up fast!

I have to agree with the reviewer below, they have changed it and not all for the better. Sunday again it’s time for South Bank pub crawl with a slight diversion for The George Inn. It has some good ales (it did have a lot of good ales) and it’s the people drinking there gives it the atmosphere which makes you want to come back. Staff, oh dear…. All I know if their were having a drama on Sunday (kitchen staff) which also effect the bar and floor staff…. Saying that our chips were good. This pub will still be visited by us but in the hope that something could be improved. 4 star for the pub, 3 star for the drinks, 2 stars at least for the barmaid who made us laugh while the others around her were flapping…

It’s happened. Really I always knew that it would do, but it still hurts.

Some one in a “marketing department” (I don’t mean to sound scornful, but I am so that’s how it comes across) have “done” The George. Proper computer screen tills, the beer has taken a plummet, the staff have lost their manners and the menu…. dear Lord the menu!

A pub that used to be a bastion of good, old-school pub food has sold out to poncey ciabatta’s, Mediterranean wraps, the same old knackers you can find in any third rate pub.

And maybe I’m being unfair. Maybe I am the only person who likes a ham sandwich with a handful of crisps at lunch rather than a cherry-tomato-and-mozzarella-style-cheese sandwiched-between-gently-toasted-ciabatta-rolls, or a bit of home made pie, or for the bar man to gladly ask “chef” if he can knock up a bacon sandwich rather than flatly intone “It’s not on the till. Can’t do it.”

Seriously. What is the difference between a beef-burger and an Angus Rump Patty? (About £3 the dearer, and 6oz the poorer apparently.) And I want it in a burger bun not a friggin ciabatta!

Look, it’s still an alright boozer, great place to go for a drink and a chat. The building still has bags of character, and I would rate it at 3 stars were it not for the fact that it used to be SO much better and more pleasant. I’m thoroughly depressed. I’d go for a pint and a sandwich but I’m scared the Porter will have gone robins up by the time I get there.

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PREVIOUS REVIEW
Rapidly elevated to top 5 in my “favourite pubs in London” mental list. Spacious, friendly, good food, reasonably priced, good “provenance” (if it’s good enough for Mr. Dickens…), admittedly very busy later on in the week but surely that’s testament to it’s merits. Nice house beer as well, if you like that kind of thing.

One of the few pubs in town where you can get what I describe as good, honest, straight forward pub food.

I’d seen this place hidden down the alley before but had never really taken a good look at it, which was an oversight as it’s a lovely looking old fashioned pub in a secluded courtyard. A good find anywhere, but in a busy part of London, a godsend!

It’s basically an olde coaching Inn, rebuilt in 1676 following a fire in Southwark (I guess the same one that led to the nearby Anchor being rebuilt too). Just about survived the death of coaching and now the national trust protects it. There are various different bar areas and they offer a decent selection of ales and friendly staff to pour them for you.

As with most good pubs, the worst thing about them is how busy they get and so this venue is no exception. The outside area expands the available space but of course depends on our weather. If the weather is Ok though, it’s the place to be.

My husband took me there on my birthday in April just gone.
The food is nice and beer is GRREEAATT!!!!
We had a BLAST and there are always lots of people there.
Me and my friends are planning to go back there for another lash at the beer tap.

The George is hands down one of the best pubs in London, tucked away just off the the busy Borough High Street, it is a popular watering hole for many people throughout the day. Historically it was known as one of the many haunts of Charles Dickens. The staff are very adept, and the bar is well stocked with a wide variety of drinks to suit most tastes. All in all, a brilliant pub.

This is a lovely tucked away bar with tons of outside seating. Very busy in the summer. It is down a cobbled street and set back from the road.
Lovely to meet group of friends but the bar is quite small so you will be waiting a while to get your drinks.