Blythe Hill Tavern

🚇 Catford 🍺 £5.80 Guinness One of the Best Pubs in London. The Blythe Hill Tavern is located in South East London on the border between Catford and Forest Hill. The nearest station is Catford, it’s a ten minute walk to get here. The pub was built in the mid 19th century and started life as The Blythe Hill Hotel. This is three room pub with a public bar on the corner, a saloon to the left and a large room running across the back of the pub. The decor here is outstanding, so much so that it has been Grade II listed by Historic England. The walls are clad in dark wood panelling which originate from the 1920’s. Around the walls are a treasure trove of old signs, posters and mirrors relating to Irish writers, Irish brews and sporting pursuits. Other features include exposed beams, fireplaces that roar in winter, traditional seating and to top in off, a proper pub carpet. At the rear of the pub is a large beer garden that blooms in the summer. The beer lineup was great, there was a decent selection of four revolving cask ales, familiar favourites and of course Guinness. I ordered a pint of St Jame’s Gates finest, my pint was excellent and pleasingly cost less than six quid. There is food available here by way of @vandough pizzas. They serve up 10” pizzas which all cost in and around a tenner. Check their socials for timings. My brother and I arrived bang on opening at met Con the Guv’nor who was warm and welcoming. After ordering our pints we ended up having a great chat with Con about Ireland and London pubs in the 70’s and 80’s and the many characters that ran them. We were also chatting about The Arsenal as we are both fans and visiting Highbury and the pubs around there back in the day, what a lovely fella. The pub hosts Quiz Nights, Live Music, Live Premier League and Rugby. The @blythehilltavern is a Multi award winning pub which is traditional, welcoming, quirky and authentic. This is one of the best pubs I’ve visited, I loved everything about this place and Con the Guv’nor is an absolute diamond. If you have London pub to visit list, put this one at the top. ℹ️ Info correct 17.02.24

THE BEST PUB IN LONDON. Or UK! As a family we’ve been coming here for about 20 years. It’s amazing. Traditional Irish music night every week. No food done by the house but a great pizza truck etc outside and they don’t mind you bringing food in. They have Tayto crisps, all the bar staff have ties and Corn and team are lovely. It doesn’t change even if it’s becoming trendy. A proper pub.

This is a hidden gem in Catford, I'd heard about it and the Guinness there too so I was wondering if it was all true, I popped in on New Years Eve, The Guinness is 12 outta 10, the atmosphere, the regulars and all the staff are top notch too, definitely drop into the Blythe there's not many pubs around like this anymore.

Very very nice pub. Cosy. Very good Guinness Pizza van outside on Fridays (van dough) is nice too. Outdoor seating is heated and covered in winter.

I love this pub so much. Hands down the best pub in London. Reasons below: - Independent owners - Let you bring your own food in - Best Guinness in London (will bring your Guinness to your table) - Old school decor - Brilliant spacious pub garden - Eclectic mix of young and old punters all mixing together - Legendary landlord (and other familiar members of the team) - Not extortionate prices

Great pub interior, traditional decor, wood panelling with interesting artwork/trinkets/memorabilia. Shows sport and has a good sized outdoor area. They put effort into their hanging baskets. The staff in short sleeve shirts and ties is a touch

One of the few traditional pubs left in London- Well stocked, clean and friendly run by a very experienced Guvenor . Wish I lived nearer would be my port of call anytime !

A really nice friendly local Irish pub. The staff was very welcoming on my first visit here so I’ll definitely be returning! There’s a nice large garden area at the back and they had all the sports channels which is a added bonus.

A recent trip to Forest Hill to meet some old friends for an Irish rugby match brought us to the Blythe Hill Tavern. I was pleasantly surprised by the place. It looks rather ordinary from the outside and, admittedly, the interior has most likey remained unchanged since its opening. But this is a datedness to revel in. The all-male, all white haired Irish bar staff wear shirts and ties, and seem to take great pride in the racing and other sporting paraphenalia that adorn the dark timber walls. Needless to say, the Guinness was excellent. The clientele was a mix of locals watching a Chelsea match, swapping anecdotes and exchanging stories of married life over pints of ale. A proper boozer, albeit one which holds a CAMRA award. There is also a beer garden.

Ireland v England. Bound to be a nailbiter. The Mrs is Irish -without the accent to my dismay- and wanted to find an Irish local to watch the six nations. After checking out the tinterweb she found this place just 15 mins down the road. Along the main road to Catford it's not the most appealing of locations. Approaching I saw the rugged exterior and blacked out windows I hesitated to enter but once I was inside all my anxieties dissapeared in a poof of age ole Irish tradition. More than just an old boozer, this intimate space is just precious. The walls covered in old signs, racing and ale memorabilia. Authentic by definition the Blythe Hill Tavern is the epitome of cork drinking tradition. The pub itself is split into three sections, which sees you have to walk through the actual bar to get in-between them. It's hard to pick out an English accent in this place, including the staff who are all in shirt and tie. That touch of class runs right through the joint with table service for the regular locals and those ordering a Guinness. There are ample places to hang up your coats, which you do instead of stuffing under your table - because it's that sort of place. This truly is a pub with heart and soul, here for the love and not out to rip off thier punters with extortionate prices

Five real ales in good condition, not all predictable and including the nectar that is Dark Star Hophead. A lovely warm and cosy traditional front bar is the prime spot, but the rest of the pub is rather nice too. This pub would have been just about perfect if it wasn't for the impossible to avoid televisions. There is one in every part of the pub, so very little option but to look. I guess the fact that the path from the previously praised front bar and the back bar crosses the gap between serving areas is also bad. Personally I enjoyed observing a catalogue of near misses between tipsy patrons and busy bar staff. I suppose this can get annoying if you work or regularly frequent the pub..but long may unusual layouts be found I say.

A really nice place for a night out with the guys. We love to go there to watch the game and enjoy a nice drink while having fun. Although the place is pretty crowded the beer there is totally worth it and it's at a decent price. The pub consist of five or six secluded areas, which give the customers a nice comfortable feeling and you don't have to worry about being too loud or having other people listen in on your conversations. The live fire makes the place feel like a home away from home and you just lose track of time and spend the whole evening there. Staff are all very friendly and welcoming and not only that but you could also meet nice new people there and not the usual snobbish ones. Simply the best place in the area.

An extremely well run pub not surprising it has won CAMRA south east london camra pub of the year before and has become runner up best Cider pub in the South East London area. You are always guaranteed a warm welcome here.

Pubs with fireplaces are my new favourite things. And this lovely local boozer boasts not one, but two. So it ticked a big box for me from the outset. Combined with REALLY friendly service, a nice mixture of clientele, a wide selection of drinks and lots of cosy nooks and crannies, this makes for one seriously great pub.

We love this pub and not.only because it is at the bottom of the road the staff are very friendly and the people that go there are too! Thursday night the have live irish music five stars to you guys. Cheers

Agree with all previous comments. A lovely warm, welcoming pub split up into 3 or 4 rooms, also showing football on tv. My favourite pub in the area.

Quite simply the best traditional pub in the area. Real ales, excellent service, friendly Irish pub. Has sport, pub quiz, beer garden and authenticity.

Great service, beers well kept, wonderful garden, a great mix of regulars, and a cosy fire or two all go to make this one of south Londons premier boozers. A lack of clueless, ignorant, gentrifying middle class parasites an added bonus.