Dean Swift

So I read this article about about the best 25 Sunday roasts this morning, and I thought, I gotta try them all! So I landed at the Dean Swift.
Lovely pub right in between Bermondsey and London Bridge station. Basically next to the tower bridge.
The home brew was good. I guess this is quite subjective, I personally found it a little bland but I liked it enough to have more.
The food was really lovely and that Yorkshire pudding was just amazing! The rosy was just right and those duck fat potatoes, man you gotta try them!
We had both the roast beef and the roast pork.
The roast beef was really nice, and in particular that mustard dipping was superb! The whole meal so just so satisfying and you will not be disappointed. I think if anything I might say my suppose to me medium rare beef was a little more like medium well, but hey it was still good!
The roast pork was basically falling a part as I stab into it. Juicy, succulent, tender, just amazing! The apple cider dip was a class on its own as well and together it was just a superb experience.
I can totally understand why they are top 25!
The only thing I will complaint about, is the crackle on the roast pork. I know they want to show how ‘organic’ the meat is, so there’s still lot of hair on the crackle. Personally I found that a little off putting, and so we basically didn’t touch it. Not being picky, there were really lot of hair (see photo).
Another not so ideal would be its location. Being in between two tube stations, basically unless you live there, you will need to walk at least 15 min from station regardless where you get off. In a chilling wet day, it might be a little tough. (But I guess most places are like that anyway, gotta work for the food!)
The 1 star was taken off because of the pork crackles.

I’m very lucky to have the Dean Swift as my local. It’s a friendly pub with great beers that change frequently and delicious food (try the smoked poussin!). They have a brewer of the month which is brilliant for discovering new beers and they also hold a rather excellent pub quiz every Sunday. It’s the only pub I’ve been to where the clientele boo the sports round and cheer the science round. Ideal.

A proper little gastropub, they have loads of craft beers and a short, focused food menu. I was initially tempted by the poussin — but realising I eat chicken all the time, I thought I’d go for a change and try out the pork belly. Because HIYA CRACKLING.
The pork itself was excellent — tender with a good crispy crackling. The only thing I’d fault is the Yorkshires — although they had great texture and were pretty impressive size-​wise, the crispy bit didn’t taste quite up to scratch to me and tasted a bit burnt, even though they didn’t look it. The potatoes and veg however, were really great — although the whole dish could have done with a bit more gravy, as it was quite sparing — very tasty though
The pub had a slightly unusual atmosphere — a mixture of people who’d come for a quality sit down lunch and people standing around watching the football as it got to about 2pm — but the food, drink and service were all very enjoyable and I’d reckon it’s worth popping your head in if you’re in the area, especially if you like craft beers as they do have a quality selection.

Found this on Unilocal after touring the Tower of London on a Sunday. It was noonish so we were early for the Sunday afternoon crowd and were seated right away. My friend and I both ordered the Sunday roast. It was only OK and the gravy was greasy. The atmosphere was nice and my beer was good. I would go back to hang out and have a drink, but I wouldn’t bother to go for the food.

Thought I liked the place and the food but it adds on 10% charge without asking so for that it gets 1 star. Don’t think it’s worth almost £30 for 2 persons and no drinks.

One of our favorite pub/​restaurants from the trip to London. Great atmosphere, with great craft beer, in a cute neighborhood. Beer was great & food was good as well :). Staff was very helpful with the beer choices!

Visited the dean swift last night, seems pretty decent, clean areas, clean loo, good selection of drinks, staff behind bar seemed to know what they were doing and were attentive asap once you got to the bar, fairly small so maybe not great for a massive group and earlier it had been rammo with the football so avoid if matchday unless you wanna go for atmosphere for footy which would probs be good, we didn’t try the food but I think it seemed like a good pub to while away an afternoon, not sure if there was a garden tho?

Another dog friendly good Bermondsey local. Food was pretty good but they’d already sold out of the beef at 1:30. Great selection of craft beers and wines. The only downside was the sports tv that was playing when we went.

Our ‘local’ — always really busy, a great pub to watch the rugby on a Saturday afternoon (best to book a table). Also has an upstairs dining room.
Really good food — not just standard pub grub. Also have a few board games for winter time scrabble :).

This was my local when I lived at Butler’s Wharf. I loved spending lazy Sunday afternoons here with the paper or the book that I was reading at the time over a pint. Good & friendly barkeeps. Nice mix of people in the crowd; Old Southwark types, LSE students, expats… Great quiz night; lots of fun, lively crowd, and good prizes. Wish I was there now.

If you want to go somewhere with significantly declining marginal utility in service, food and overall experience, then Dean Swift is the place for you.
Their wheat beer is delicious: floral, fruity, and crafty, but they always seem to be running out of it when I’m there at a reasonable evening hours.
Their service is mediocre. The staff are nice, but come across as inexperienced and unable to communicate professionally. For a place that has a predominately professional clientele, you’d expect some sharper service. I get a lot of «ehh» «I don’t knows…» On the phone and in person. It’s like they don’t know what customer service is. The bartender also asked me to give up my seat for an old homeless looking man. Again, esp. for English standards this place has a serious deficiency in manners.
They also refuse to accept take away orders, and want me to bring my own container.
I ordered the steak sandwich for take away (an exception, I was reminded) which they never asked for my cooking preference (medium). The steak was so raw I swear I was eating carpatzio (sp?).
I’m on a student budget and but sometimes make exceptions, and will not return to dean swift. It also doesn’t help that the crowd is also what you’d find in your typical Spoons. For a place that serves craft specialty beers, not my top choice.

i don’t really know this area well, but we were looking for a place big enough to accommodate a large group, plus 2 dogs and who would take a booking. dean swift met that criteria and so we came.
they specialise in craft beers, although most of the craft beers they were offering were new to me, so i guess they must have really specialised craft beers! to be honest, i’d probably prefer to pop down to the end of the street to the draft house if i were in a beer drinking mood as they have more of the cans that i enjoy, but it is very much each to their own.
the atmosphere was nice and relaxed for a saturday afternoon. we tried little bits of their food menu and it was good, but not great. other patrons were friendly and chilled out. so yeah, it was good, but nothing fantastic.

Id waited until visiting this place twice before leaving a review. Unfortunately, the 2^nd time wasn’t much better. This is a shame as this place has the potential to be an excellent bar.
Beers
5 stars — Excellent range of rotating craft beers. You definitely won’t find any fosters or heineken here!
Food
4 stars — Has one of those menus with too many dishes i wanted to order! a good problem. We ordered some small plates including the merguez sausages with couscous and some chips & Aioli. These were very good
Service
1 star — This is where it all falls apart. The first time we went to the dean swift we called to book a table but after arriving at the agreed time, we found the upstairs dining room closed for a private function and downstairs completely packed with drinkers watching the football. The waiter apologised, and after kicking out some supporters from a spare table, we were squeezed in between 2 tables of drinkers. We finished our beers and decided to get dinner elsewhere.
On our second visit, we went straight upstairs for a waitress to seat us. After waiting about 5 – 10 minutes we decided to go back downstairs, however, all the tables were reserved for the Sunday pub quiz. We sat at the bar, however, the only way i was able to get the bartenders attention was to stand up and shuffle about 3 feet the right and place my order like any other patron. This included the times when there was nobody else standing at the bar…
The beer and food help pull up this bars rating, but with strange service both times… i won’t be going back

Wandered in here for a drink after the Blackout Banquet. It’s a kind of slightly modernised traditional pub. White walls with accents of grey. Sunday night is quiz night it appears and as you’d expect it had a energetic vibe. A young crowd, quite likely students. I would certainly go again for a casual, relaxing drink.

We were staying near the area and wanted to get out of the cold and rain and grab a great meal and some beer. Unilocal didn’t steer us wrong. Had a very hearty meal of delicious Cumberland sausage and mash, with a side of chips and aioli. Because you can never have too many potatoes, right? The bartender steered me toward a terrific Kernel stout.
Service was pleasant, and the pub was warm and welcoming. Food is above standard pub fare and very flavorful. I’d definitely go back. Who says the British can’t cook? After eating here, I would defend their food to the death!

Very handy if you’re on the Tower Bridge end of the South Bank. Nice gastronomic pub with a good range of beer tucked away from the hubbub
Good range of beers available

A classy beer establishment. Very stylish, tons of natural light, for what it’s worth. Highly capable, accommodating staff. Small selection of cask ales along with a small but quality array of kegs and bottles. Decent prices. Nice food menu. Definitely worth a stop.

Some Dean Swift keywords:
–Upscale
–Expensive
–Tiny
The selection of beers — both in bottle and on tap — is admirable, albeit pricey. But there are certainly more beers available at the Draft House (
) at less-​dear prices just around the corner, and the atmosphere there is a bit more casual, open and laid-​back (obviously I prefer this).
Nevertheless, here are the reasons you might go to Dean Swift over the Draft House:
–You are drinking with people who don’t drink beer (ie, they drink wine)
–You are interested in eating more expensive, slightly posher food
–You like rubbing shoulders with other people (because it’s so small)
–You definitely don’t want to see any European tourists with their kids eating fish and chips
–You don’t mind seeing Shad Thamers with their kids (and prams) at the weekend
I’d go back. But, actually, I probably won’t since I prefer the Draft House for beer, atmosphere, food and price. Two half pint IPAs cost me nearly £9 at Dean Swift. Oof. I’ll assume this price was reflective of their special guest appearance on tap.
I should note that the service at Dean Swift was open, friendly and helpful. The bartender gladly explained that there was just an IPA festival on, which is why the beers on tap were all IPAs on my recent visit, and she told me a bit about the options. But I should also note that the service at the Draft House is very similar in its friendliness and helpfulness.
Really, the beerhouse choices within 3 minutes of my flat is awesome and I’m just being smug right now.

Thannnnk you Dean Swift. As Americans on Holiday after a long day of walking around the Tower Hill area, we were en route to our planned restaurant when Dean Swift shone like a beacon on the corner. «A beer sounds good!» we said, en unison. We stopped in for a pint and stayed for dinner. Forget that fancier spot by the shore, this is as good as it gets.
The beer selection was impeccable, (I recommend the hard hitting «cannonball IPA» from Magic Rock brewery) the food delicious, and the atmosphere friendly and inviting. I imagine that If I lived in London, I would want to hang out at this kind of place.
The one downside to the evening was perhaps cultural, the tuna on the tuna salad. One of my dining mates asked for rare, and was served well done. That being said, the waitress politely asked why he did not clean his plate and apologized for the mistake. He was able to snack from the rest of our ample portions and we all left satisfied.
This place is super cool. Well worth the walk across the bridge if you find yourself near the tower.

The Dean Swift has just re-​opened as a gastro-​bar after a complete refurb. They have about 10 lagers and 3 real ales on tap and they are an interesting selection, most of them I haven’t seen anywhere else… Bitter and Twisted lager anyone? There is also a huge range of exceptional bottled beers. I recently tried the wonderful Orval which has a mousse like a champagne and the sublime Ola Dubh, a black treacley porter matured in Highland Park whisky barrels.
There were a lot of misgivings from locals about Max, the new manager’s plans for the place, but it all seems to be coming together very well. The first floor will soon be open as a restaurant, but for the moment it’s ground floor only.
The prices are a little steeper than the local competition but they are offering something a little different and if you want cheap, you can go to The Anchor Tap a 100m away.
All over, a surprisingly good reinterpretation of a much loved local pub, the regular clientelle are still happy here, but now it has a new lease of life and is attracting people away from the crowded Thames-​side bars of the area.