I am traveling to London with two 20-something family members for a few days in October, and I am looking for a decent area to stay. All of my previous times to London I have stayed with a family member who has a place in Shepherd's Bush, and I do like that area due to the neighborhood feel and the many restaurants and pubs along the road up to Holland Park, etc.

This time I need to find a hotel, and I thought Southwark might be a good area to stay due to the proximity to transit, attractions, etc. But I was wondering what the pub (local) and restaurant scene was like there. Are there any decent low-key neighborhood pubs and restaurants, or has it been over-run by corporate places? We really only need a place to sleep at night, and grab a pint before we hit the beds. I don't recall the last time i ventured beyond the new Tate.

Thanks!

Hi Ge44723,

You wrote, “This time I need to find a hotel, and I thought Southwark might be a good area to stay due to the proximity to transit, attractions, etc.” You will receive many suggestions here as those posters who visit London frequently have their favorites.

Personally, I prefer the other side of the Thames, nearer to Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly. I have stayed twice at the 3 star STRAND PALACE about a five minute walk from Trafalgar Square from which you can walk to many major site within a mile including Parliament, theater district (Soho), Buckingham Palace, British Museum, Churchill War Rooms, the City (financial hub), and so many more. There are plenty of pubs/bars/restaurants all over London.

Good luck and let us know where you decide to stay…

Southwark and the area around London bridge is my favourite area of London!

There are tonnes of great pubs around borough market and along the Thames and I love the old lanes etc. there are a couple Premier inns there for affordable prices.

You can't walk down the streets without stumbling into interesting and reasonable places to eat and drink, all the way from Borough Market to the Eye. I wouldn't even plan

And more likely affordable and aimed at workers and locals, rather than over-priced tourist traps. That's my favourite bit of London too. There has been a load of new apartments go up around South Bank between Southwark Bridge and Waterloo in the last few years, bringing with them new grocery stores and restaurants. Have a look at the Premier Inn Southwark Borough Market as a place to stay.

Awesome, thanks everyone. I will focus on that area. Sounds very interesting and just up my alley.

Yes, the Southwark area is a very busy and fun place to be in, full of interesting restos and pubs. And of course, Borough Market itself, with lots of options within. Jamikins, what was the name of the pub we all met up at ? It was one I think Patrick suggested... great place, with so much history behind it.

The George! But there are lots of others...the Wheatsheaf, the Market Porter, Southwark Tavern....

Ah, yes !...thanks... The George. An historical Inn with stables etc. as I recall, now all a series of connected spaces to meet and get a drink, indoors and out.
Coincidentally the next day I was with friends at The Market Porter just across the road. Another a great place for a pint. I got some nice pics of it, and if you stand outside (as we did with our pints) and look up, there's The Shard above you.

Make sure to wander down Bermondsey Street – great new italian, tapas, bars and pubs of various descriptions. Zero tourists too. That street is where many design companies and fashion houses have their offices, so you can hang out with the cool kids.

We went to The George with Cholmondeley_Warner and had a great time.

Lee Ann

You may also like Maltby Street - food market ( I think Saturdays only)

Jamkins, Mathieu, ElendiPickle and others interested in the GEORGE INN. Just read SHAKESPEARE’S PUB, A Barstool History of London as Seen Through the Windows of Its Oldest Pub- The George Inn by Pete Brown, an authority on beer and pubs.

Rebuilt in 1672 after the Great London Fire, the George is the only coaching inn to survive in London and is now under an historic trust. The Borough area was jammed with inns and their courtyards used by coachmen and wagon drivers waiting to cross London Bridge two centuries ago. Through luck and happenstance (and thanks to its Dickens’s association) the landmark still stands.

I believe that the George Inn is the final destination in the London Walks “Along the Thames Pub Walk” every Friday evening at seven.

Yup that us how we found it and it is great!

Thanks, latedaytraveler. I just put it on hold at the library.

Lee Ann

Ok, these responses made me: 1) thirsty, 2) excited to go to the George, and 3) provided me with a new read for my trip.

Thanks!

Thanks for that interesting piece of info LDT. The book is now on my list. PM to you soon.