I visited here on Easter Thursday around 9:00, the place is small, cosy and on the right side of you thinking this is a bit strange, but I do like it! The bar main bar can’t be more than 400 sq ft, so pretty small, the walls have tons of street art graffiti on them, giving it a nice, urban feel. The clientele on this Thursday evening were a mixture of suits, students and everything in between. Large choice of draught ales. Not sure about the bottles, but that looked pretty extensive too. Nice drinkers, nice helpful bar staff. Other people have recommended drinking just halves to get more choice, I’d agree. There’s also am outside smoking area /decked area too. Can’t wait for my next visit!
David B.
Place rating: 5 Richmond, United Kingdom
London Bridge has one of the best concentration of good pubs in London and this is one of the best. It has one of the best selection of cask, draft and bottle beers I know. It’s a tiny place, especially considering how popular it is, and next to no room inside. I’m not sure if this adds to the charm or detracts. I mean I love to go but unless it’s a hot day and I happen to get a seat outside(unlikely with that combination!) Im probably only going to have one or two, rather then spend all night there! But still one of my faves in the area!
Lauren V.
Place rating: 4 London, United Kingdom
Teeny tiny place, HUGE craft beer selection. Around the corner from Borough Market, away from the crowds. Best for visiting during good weather, as it will likely be too busy to be inside, and there’s only a small covered patio area. But a nearby parking lot offers lots of standing room if it’s not terribly cold/raining.
Loki G.
Place rating: 4 London, United Kingdom
I have ventured here a few times and every visit has been a bit of a beer adventure — in a good way. They have such a variety and knowledgable staff on hand to recommend a good pint according to your taste. It’s a relatively small venue and unsurprisingly popular which means it can be hard to find somewhere to sit. I’m not great at standing for long periods of time so that can be a challenge, but that’s a somewhat subjective thing. Getting back to the venue, the décor is quirky, there’s a great atmosphere and no shortage of drinking options! Lovely!
Maria E.
Place rating: 4 Jersey City, NJ
Tiny spot with a great craft beer selection. The outdoor terrace area was really nice(a few tables and chairs) but so was the weather. On a cold day/night, you’d need to take your drink with you.
Liane T.
Place rating: 4 London, United Kingdom
One of my favourite little pubs. It is small. Very. So, if the weather is not nice, you might struggle to stay warm/dry. BUT, the beer selection gets top marks with multiple beers/ales on tap and tons more in bottle/can. Easy to get to from Borough Market with crowds spilling into the car park. I enjoy it every time I go.
Adam G.
Place rating: 5 London, United Kingdom
imo one of, if not the best craft beer venue in London. Calling it a pub is a bit strong, it’s more a shack with a terrace — but the huge selection of mostly excellent beer more than makes up for it. Staff great, always welcoming, enjoy a bit of banter and always happy to make a good beer recommendation — really know their stuff.
Namita A.
Place rating: 3 London, United Kingdom
Not a bad little find but I’m not a huge fan of drinking in a car park. We had some wine and there is a good selection of beers.
Josh M.
Place rating: 4 Manchester, United Kingdom
Great selection of beer in this bar just around the corner from the Borough Market. The bar is quite small and can be crowded but there is a big covered outdoor area through some glass double doors.
Scott F.
Place rating: 5 Rego Park, Queens, NY
Always fantastic beers and interesting folk here. One of my faves in London and a particularly nice escape from the madness at Borough Market.
Tim H.
Place rating: 5 Castro, San Francisco, CA
Great ales. Great pork pies. ‘Intimate’ inside and out. An essential pub.
David C.
Place rating: 5 Leeds, United Kingdom
Great little bar … Oozes charisma and great beers ! Reading the walls is very interesting too !
Karla S.
Place rating: 4 Miami, FL
Great beer selection, although a bit on the pricey side. Nice atmosphere. A little small inside, but overall a wonderful pub that knows their beers well. Good selections were always available during our 10 day stay in LOndon.
Chris R.
Place rating: 4 London, United Kingdom
I think I’ve found my happy place! Pretty sure I would miss this place walking via Borough Market on most occasions, however, an intentional trip was definitely worth it! The downside is that some beers are quite expensive and the bar itself is small. The upside is that all of the beers are delicious, they have a great range of UK and foreign beers(both on tap and in bottle), there is a lovely covered patio area and you can drink under the canopy of the far edge of the market. The staff are all very knowledgable on the different types of beer and good at providing a tour of craft beers for those who can’t tell there IPAs from their ESBs. The Rake is definitely a place I will be coming back to.
Andrew B.
Place rating: 2 London, United Kingdom
A great pub sadly let down by overly expensive beer and very poor service. My first gripe; the prices. Some bottles are £9.50 each and while there are cheaper alternatives available there’s no price list, forcing you to play Russian Roulette when you go to get a round in. Going there with mates? Better have some £50 notes at the ready just in case. Secondly; the staff don’t seem that concerned about the beer they serve. I ordered a Partizan Dubbel(a beer brewed just a mile from the pub) and the man behind the bar looked at me like I was an alien, despite them having several Partizan bottles in the fridge(and for those not in the know, Partizan is super, super well known around these parts). Finally, the staff can just be downright rude. My partner went to the bar and asked for an IPA, hoping they’d recommend something. The barman told her she’d have to be more specific. She said she’d like something she’d not tried before, again hoping they’d recommend something unusual and local; again, zero assistance from the supposedly knowledgeable staff. Finally, the pub itself is a bit grotty. I normally like that but when you’re charging £9+ for some drinks you’d at least expect a beer garden that doesn’t smell of an overflowing toilet. All in all a great selection of beer and much promise, just sadly let down by the basics.
Chris K.
Place rating: 5 Broomfield, CO
In a sea of generic London pubs this place rises above with an actual selection! Great beers
Adrian S.
Place rating: 5 London, United Kingdom
this is the best craft beer bar i have been to in london so far… I walked into ‘the rake’ the other week, on one of those rare sunny London days, and asked the bartender to recommend both a saison and a sour beer. Without hesitation the bartender suggested some quality beers. I was back at the Rake over the weekend and asked the bartender to recommend a citrus style DIPA and without hesitation the bartender pulled out a fanatic thirst quenching beer. OMG These bartenders know their stuff! Brilliant service too! They have even let us bring in some goodies from Borough market to eat while we sampled their amber nectar. i wish i lived closer.
Grant T.
Place rating: 3 Enfield, United Kingdom
I can see why people like this pub. It just didn’t cut it for me. The beer selection is nice, and there’s at least three cask ales and a bunch of local bottle brews. The venue itself is kind of small, and there’s a huge outdoor area which is nice to spill out into when the weather is nice, except as soon as I went out into the outdoor area all I could smell was something vile, which forced me to go hiding back inside. And since it’s so small, it’s not like there’s anywhere to go inside. They did make me wary with one of the beers which was advertised to be quite hoppy, but luckily the others weren’t so bad. So if you like a small pub with a hipster vibe, this is your place. It’s just not mine.
Jules H.
Place rating: 4 London, United Kingdom
On a windy cold night in London town my friend, who clearly had no consideration for my health, dragged me out of the warm restaurant to go down to this place. He was insistent. As he is one of the main organisers of the beer festival I was not in the mood to tell him that beer isn’t really my thing. It would have broken his cute little heart and his wife would have never forgiven me. So in we went and I was impressed with the amount of different beers they were offering. I was also submitted to a lecture about micro breweries in the UK, but I didn’t mind as the designs of the different beer bottles were fascinating. I have to admit I made my decision purely based on the label design. It was amazing and I’m clearly not a beer expert, but if you want something outside the usual box, please go and drink here.
Bill T.
Place rating: 4 New York, NY
(the scene: Bill T. standing on the prow of a ship, his arms outstretched, a bottle of beer in each hand, singing loudly over the roar of the wind) Near, far, wherever you are, I believe that my beer does go on. You’re here*, there’s nothing I fear And I know that my beer will go on. We’ll stay forever this way You are safe in my heart And my beer will go on and on Why I am I referencing«Titanic»? Not because they are releasing it in 3-D shortly, but because I truly felt like I was king of the world once I found The Rake. Also because I got busy with Kate Winslet in the back of a vintage car shortly before I came across this establishment. I’ll be honest, I drank a considerable amount of so-so beer while in London, just to be polite, you know. While wandering through Borough Market, I stumbled across Utobeer. Talking to the beer expert there, he told me some places to go for very good beer and he said that The Rake was mere steps from where we were standing. I ran right over(walking right by it twice because I was looking the wrong way) and soon found myself with a buttery smooth Belgian in my hand. A Belgian beer that is. It was a treat to see so many wonderful beers, especially the American ones(USA! USA!). The bartenders are somewhat friendly and very knowledgeable. Also, I met other nice beer drinkers there. If you like beer, try the Rake. You might not feel like the king of the world, but there’s a good chance you might see Kate Winslet without any clothes on. ____________________________________________ * I think I’m supposed to thump my chest at that part