Five award-winning pubs in south east London that you need to try

If there’s one thing you’ll find plenty of in south east London, it’s pubs.

Over the last year a number of pubs have received awards acknowledging them as some of the best pubs in south east London, from a start-up micropub in Chislehurst to a 19th century pub in Bromley.

We’ve rounded up five of the award-winning pubs in south east London and with some information about them.

The River Ale House, Greenwich

Known as “Greenwich’s first micropub”, The River Ale House in Woolwich Road was voted as the pub of the year in south east London in the Campaign for Real Ale’s (CAMRA) awards 2022.

The pub was voted for by real ale drinkers and was also named cider pub of the year for the second year running.

The micropub originally opened in 2017, offering cask ales and ciders which guests can drink from within the pub’s two rooms.

The pub is also dog-friendly and offers screenings of sporting events as well as live music.

Shortlands Tavern, Bromley

The Shortlands Tavern, a pub dating back to 1881, was awarded Pub of Year in the Greene King Awards 2023.

The pub received the award on account of its innovative idea to serve Guinness from converted London black cabs when lockdown restrictions forced the pub to close.

Whilst the four cabs are no longer operating as ‘Guinness Cabs”, the idea helped the pub to continue to trade during lockdown and earned them the recognition from Greene King.

The pub offers a range of food and drink options from Sunday roasts to pizzas, and hosts regular live music events in the summer from their beer garden.

The Guy Earl of Warwick, Welling 

Another winner at the 2023 Greene King Awards was franchisees and friends Ray Irwin and Bonnie Tarleton of The Guy Earl of Warwick in Welling.

The pair jointly won Franchisee of the Year for their “incredible” performance after starting what they called their “dream pub” in 2021.

The pub, located near Welling Station, offers a range of pub classic dishes, and screens popular sporting events and matches.

The Cockpit, Chislehurst

The Cockpit, a Chislehurst-based micropub specialising in gravity dispensed cask ale and fine cider, was voted Bromley’s best pub at the CAMRA Pub of the Year awards 2023.

The pub was one of fourteen pubs to be nominated throughout Bromley Borough by Bromley branch members, and won the award after just two years in business.

Alongside ale and cider, the Cockpit also serves a range of local artisan gins, a curated wine menu, and traditional food such as cheeses and charcuterie.

The Long Haul, Barrnehurst

The Long Haul, a micropub in the borough of Bexley, was named the winner of CAMRA Bexley Branch Pub of the Year 2023.

The micropub, based on Long Lane in Bexleyheath, first opened in August 2020 in what was a former tattoo parlour.

The pub is dog-friendly, offers outdoor seating in he forecourt, and serves Kentish real ales and ciders as well as a selection of wines and spirits.