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The Black Horse’s website says that this cool little pub is a stone’s throw from Deptford Park. The thing is, Deptford Park isn’t itself a stone’s throw from anywhere – the nearest tube is Canada Water, and that’s a 20-minute walk away. But it’s a walk that’s now very much worth taking.
Until recently this was a dark and uninviting boozer you’d cross the street to avoid, but now it’s a warm, friendly place with bare brick walls, snug sofas and a pinball machine. At the centre is a large horseshoe bar lined with an impressive number of pumps and taps pouring the likes of Frontier, Vedett and Whitstable Bay, and a selection of ales to keep the purists satisfied.
The new owners have done away with packets of pork scratchings and drab crisps, replacing them with a kitchen that styles itself as the ‘Sourdough Saloon’. Cringe name aside, pizzas from here are freshly baked and served in takeaway boxes, a nice touch that suits the laidback atmosphere and fizzing pints. They’re also pretty tasty – the calabrese featured a knockout combination of fiery ’nduja with equally fiery salamino piccante, great for clearing your sinuses after a few hours of boozing.
The only drawback is the pub’s commitment to screening European football matches, spoiling the atmosphere somewhat for those uninterested in blurry shapes kicking a ball. Still, the people of Deptford have been crying out for a place to hang out and enjoy a decent beer for ages, and now it looks like they’ve finally got one.