The Ivy House in Southwark - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

Great place to go for a drink and a bite to eat would definitely recommend

Beautiful local pub ruined by an uptight mini emperor manager who belongs at a wetherspoons. Very strange man with a beard. Such a shame.

Small bearded fellow made experience particularly unenjoyable

Beautiful pub, beautiful people

Loved the ambient and the decor and the cider

A lovely pub and a great music venue. It's a bit pricey for the area, but you get what you pay for.

Always a fun place to go to, especially if there’s live music on. Saw Meatraffle there last week - a storming night out! Decent range of beers (some local) and tasty pizza to soak up the booze. What’s not to like?

Great pub with a community focus. There's lots of good beers, plenty of veggie options on the menu, and the staff are lovely.

This was a first visit to this former Truman Brewery multi room heritage pub from the 1930’s that was saved from the clutches of greedy developers by a locals campaign and was the first pub to be made an ACV (Asset of Community Value) and is now owned by several local shareholders. Not a great deal to look at externally but internally it is three main rooms, with a bare boarded front room with impressive wood panelling and curved bar counter. Then beyond a pair of impressive double doors is a large theatre room with a stage for live music and comedy acts and then a further wood panelled back room with its own bar section that houses a community library (I am slightly tempted to come back for the advertised feminist sci-fi book club meeting on the last Monday of the month to see how it differs from normal Sci-fi). The front room and theatre room were used as the Krays' 'Double R Club' in the film Legend, and I believe the pub still has the mirror with the R&R logo that replaced the current mirror in the front bar for the filming. Four ales were on in the front bar and for my visit these were two from the Wimbledon Brewery, Best Bitter and SW19 Blonde Ale, By the Horns Stiff Upper Lip Pale Ale and Bexley Brewery Redhouse Ruby Bitter. I went with the Bexley Brewery Redhouse Bitter and very good it was too. There was a young vibe with the clientele in during my afternoon visit and a cracking 70’s/80’s soundtrack playing. Yes I enjoyed it here and very glad to find it still functioning for the local community post pandemic.

Small confusion with food order but imagine this was due to how busy they were. Card machine not working and having to attempt to pay more than once every bar trip was an annoyance.

Great beers with large local selection. Always a fun atmosphere with lots of interesting groups (book group and a knitting circle). Nice tables out front and big sheltered garden out back. We normally eat their home made pizza - but kitchen is closed Monday; but they were happy for us to order in from our favourite local pizza Mamma Dough. Just about perfect pub experience.

Hadn't been to this pub for many years and was somewhat disappointed. Firstly, they've got rid of their car park and turned it into a "covered outside space", which I suppose is fine when the weather is good but I'm guessing it's hardly been used for the last six months. There is a little car park round the corner, but it's not free. The next thing I found disappointing is that there are only two tables which are normal height with normal chairs. The rest are high tables with tall stools that anyone with mobility issues (me!) or who is over a certain age (also me!) would struggle to get on to! Once settled at one of the normal sized tables, a young lady took our drinks order. Ten minutes later, they still hadn't arrived so we caught the eye of the barman and asked him where our drinks were. He was very apologetic and produced them within a minute. Apparently the young lady, rather than simply give the order to him verbally, had "put it in the system". Clearly, their system doesn't work. We ordered one starter, one main and a bowl of cheesy truffle chips. After a few minutes, the young lady came and asked us if we wanted it all to come at the same time and we said we did and we also mentioned we were a bit short of time as we were going to an event at Tonbridge School. Ten minutes later the starter arrived. After another five minutes there was no sign of the rest of our order so we asked the barman to check. He disappeared and another five minutes went by before he returned with the rest of our food. He told us that, unfortunately, it was a busy time and several orders had gone in at the same time. The pub was less than a quarter full and most of the others weren't actually eating! The food was average except for the chips which were good. The white wine was not cold enough. The service was polite but totally inefficient, there are obviously a few communication problems between the waiting staff, the bar staff and the kitchen staff. Probably won't be returning.

Love this place. Great community vibe. Everyone welcome. Delicious food. Fantastic Wednesday quiz night. Tuesday burger night. Awesome band nights. List goes on.

We went to this restaurant with our friends for the first time. The atmosphere is cozy. The staff is friendly. A variety of cocktails . The dish is served quickly. We ordered pasta. The pasta was cooked amazingly delicious. The prices are reasonable. I recommend.

Chilled, friendly, unpretentious and seems like an all-round great place. History and community innovation fuse with an alchemy few can match. The kind of pub that makes moving in within walking distance a sound proposition. #10 #43

Always loved this pub. Kept the old style decorations, wood panel, stained glass. Nice local historic music posters. Hadroast beef on Sunday, trimmings were next level and they brought mustard and horseradish over when they brought my plate out. Nice people

A beautiful pub, full of character! They have quite good gigs as well. It's London's first community-owned pub ❤️

The best Sunday Roast in South East London!!! The meat was excellent, the vegetables including the roast potatoes were really tasty, and the gravy absolutely delicious!!! We highly recommend this place !

Delicious roast, great carrots and perfectly sliced meat portions. Will be coming again

I love this pub so much, great space for gigs too and has a great beer garden + decent prices.

Lerryn's 'Atlas Club' is set to be a frequent South London institute of emerging talent at The Ivy House, itself the beating heart of a community music venue.

Fantastic local with excellent thin-based pizzas.

Great pub, good price drinks, lovely atmosphere

Went for a roast. Lovely. Very family friendly. And there was a great live band

I came here yesterday to celebrate new year, seemed like a nice enough venue however the showing montages of the Russian president on the big screen around the countdown I felt was very distasteful, there was a large Ukrainian presence at this pub who were pretty upset by this. I believe it was a stupid thing to do, two thumbs down from me, if a manger happens to see this give your head a bit of a wobble. I’m all for free speech but I really don’t get the motivation behind this.

Possibly the best chicken burger of any pub. Really enjoyed our visit!

Kitchen closes at 530 on Sundays (not sure about the other days but if you’re heading here on a Sunday eve, eat first!)

A bit off the beaten track you might say , and a locals local too . A bit quirky and I like that in a pub , something very different about this boozer that I can not put my finger on . Great service and very friendly staff and a pub that could easily become one of my favourites . CF

Popped on for drinks. Quite a find.

Staff seem to actively hate you. Slow service and do not serve in turn.

Came for a gig. The room is lovely where people perform and nice atmosphere. Most staff really friendly and nice vibes. Wanted to like the place more as told it’s a queer friendly venue but the manager / supervisor was lacking experience / customer service skills when talking to someone who had brought their dog which usually allowed but wasn’t allowed in gig - easy mistake and bit confusing if can usually but felt they were over the top being rude and shamey. Service hit and miss, I wonder if everyone was a bit stressed maybe manager was just in a mood and it impacted rest of staff? Actual venue is very nice, they can’t make a drink to order just what’s on a sheet (I wanted an alcohol free version and guy said he wasn’t allowed / able to change any drinks). I’d be up for trying again as might have been an off day.

A great little local community pub, we just dropped in for a pint on the way past but managed to score the top spot in front of the fire. The space for performances is fantastic, we heard the bands from the bar. We dog friendly too.

Fantastic all round when Hugh is doing sound

Had a lovely Sunday lunch here with my mum.

Best pub in South East. Pub quiz Sam is a legend.

Lovely atmosphere and always a good set of beers in rotation

Great community run boozer, top drinks selection.

Such a wonderful community owned pub, a happy place to visit for young and old.

Great pub, excellent drinks and a wonderful atmosphere. It’s also a great venue for music with a beautiful stage!

Extremely cool venue for performers. Not easy to get to via public transport, but worth the trip and easy parking right outside if you drive.

A great, traditional pub with many original fittings

Fabulous pub. We were there for a gig, yama warashi, and a few beers. The ale was excellent and the gig was brilliant. Lovely atmosphere and a great room for live music.

Staff are rude and so strict. Very odd for a London pub

Amazing location for music, relaxing and having a catch up The food is fantastic, especially the roast!! The staff are happy and friendly, always willing to help and keep the place running smoothly :) For a night out or a cosy pint in - this pub has it all! Very very pleased!!

Decent pub with a good amount of space but the staff let this place down. Assistant manager told parents with children off multiple times and when challenged, said we should think where we drink if we weren’t able to keep kids on a leash! Grumpy and rude. Won’t be coming back again.

A beautiful community owned pub! Lovely staff and clientele. Only problem is… the lights are always way too bright! This pub would be 10/10 if they just dropped the lights a touch. Good to support local bands too!

Went to my mates catwalk show here!! Such an amazing venue... not great when the 30 degree plus heat of summer, but that doesn't happen often, right? Altho, it will prob be happening more....🤔 Apart from that, really lovely atmosphere, didn't eat, so can't comment on food. Very friendly space.

Wonderful community pub, amazing selection of beers, good pizza, great events, great staff, nice little garden

I booked for 15 of us thinking we would have the Sunday roast/jazz combo. Arrived to an empty barn with a burger menu. Apparently they don’t do roasts in the summer…probably a good decision as it’s a grim old space. But they should have told me. Quickly relocated to The Waverley Arms which is SO much better

Great pub with a great history in Peckham!!

First trip to UK - first pub in UK! Lovely people and a very cosy place. Enjoyed the well chosen collection of beers from tap! Next time in London again

Decent pub, awful service and rude staff

The place is so good lovely place to be recomendimg to everyone

Excellent community owned pub. Great food and the staff were fantastic

Didn't try or see if there was food, but an awesome hangout spot, good beers, locally owned, a library, and events for the community. Truly a gem.

Saw Joshua Idehen live. Great little venue

A great place. I'll get to see a show and eat there... one day !!

Lovely bar, nice staff, and usually have a gluten free beer on tap! +

Community owned boozer with added bonus of live music from time to time

Absolutely love this pub. If I was nearer by it would be 100% my local.

The pizza and Sunday roast is amazing! The staff and service is great. Food can take a while though. Lots of bands always playing and often not filled up.

Great beer selection. Fabulous friendly staff. A good looking boozer with a great events space and a top roster of music.

Really wanted to like this place for it being co-op. However, it is clear run by amateurs. It feels dirty and smelly. The pizzas were mostly dough and tomato sauce (where was the protein?). Toilets are disgusting and the place just feels like a student uni bar but they've now had kids.

The clientele has changed a little over the years but what hasn't is the warm community feel. I have no idea why I always write these with such an earnest tone of voice, but just deal with it. Anyway, Lucky Saint on tap which is a rare but pleasant sight for the 0% heads out there!

nice chill environment, excellent service

We visited for the first time for a Mother's Day roast lunch, and were looking forward to supporting a co-op. We arrived shortly after opening and they seem to be understaffed or still getting ready. We gave up waiting to be served and found our own reserved table. The staff were approachable and accommodated our request to be moved away from the door for the sake of our kids. We had no trouble ordering at the bar. Inside is pretty interesting and you get a good sense of history. It was a little cold however. We wanted to look around more but didn't have the time (see later). One table was seated directly outside a toilet door and one of the bathrooms had a flickering light bad enough to induce an epileptic fit. Food came out fairly quickly but that's where the problems started. The vegetables were barely cooked and a knife wouldn't go through the parsnip. Everything was cold to lukewarm. Kids chicken was OK and they ate that without complaint but understandably refused all the veg. Texture of the mushroom wellington was mushy and unpleasant. Everything felt rushed or poorly pre-prepared. We couldn't get the attention of staff as there weren't many around and we had to leave before the kids started losing it. I would come back here for a pint but that's it. Hopefully our experience was an anomaly because the country needs more co-ops.

very atmospheric pub, but too spicy lamb. But naans are the best!

My favourite pub in southeast London. I love the charm of the building. It feels cosy but it's also got lots of space. Usually a very friendly atmosphere whenever I've been. Beer garden is cute. An unexpected surprise when you first enter.

One of my very favourite places. Great people and, great bands and events. FAB.✊✊

Really disappointing - booked on a Sunday, for a family gathering… the roasts were 50/50 - delicious meat with raw veg; staff totally disinterested and couldn’t have been less helpful. Couldn’t be bothered to clear tables after food, difficult when people wanted to have puddings. No knowledge of drinks, offer kids portions but only giant cutlery, and when asked anything the main response was a shrug. A community-owned pub put being let down by its staff and a general lack of interest.

Amazing pub. It's like a TARDIS inside, much bigger than it looks. Went on a Sunday afternoon. Great beer, jazz band, busy, great atmosphere. Would visit again next time I'm in the area

Terrific community run pub, great beers, great atmosphere

Beautiful old building.,it reminds us of olden days

Super friendly staff and really nice chips

What can I say about the absolute chaotic energy of the Ivy House, the pub that was 50 metres from my door for over 8 years? The absolute focal point of the south Nunhead/Newlands/Ivydale/whatever you want to call it community. Part of the charm is the disheveled nature of the place- on any night you go the menu could be totally different, there might be an event taking up the main room and try as I might I never managed to make an evening of the feminist scifi book club who meet there. The events are pretty much everything- Sunday jazz, Wednesday quiz, endless country music. About the only thing they don’t do is a panto (they should do a panto). If you live locally, go and appreciate the bone deep affection that the regulars have for it (even if they mainly express it through complaining). Kid friendly (brought both my kids in when they were less than a week old, and they have plastic cups behind the bar), dog friendly, lonely guy at the bar friendly and cold-friendly (they’re doing the warm bank thing and I think they have free coffee).

Friendly staff and delicious vegan hot chocolate 😋

A brilliant pub. The Wednesday quiz was amazing

Very good Nunhead pub. It was the first community owned hostelry in London. Three cask beers on handpump when I last visited. Previously known as the Newlands Tavern it was a famous South London pub rock venue in the 1970s and some posters from those days still adorn the walls. Nowadays the pub hosts a range of entertainment including theatre, quizzes and live music as well as community events such as a book club, children's drama classes and yoga. Lots of outdoor seating in the front and in the beer garden to the rear.

Cheryl who works behind the bar, makes this pub for me. She’s such a babe and she draws a great pint!

Great atmos, lovely pub, occasional live music. The roast dinners are pretty small for £16 or £17 each. Nice flavours and well cooked but nowhere near enough food on the plate. Top tip to chef: bulk it up with more potatoes, cabbage and veggies - all the cheap stuff. The meat and the mushroom roast taste great - but there's nowhere near enough potatoes. Two hours after eating it I am actually - very - hungry. It's a bit of a poor show, I'd say.

Saw live band karaoke here and they were sensational! The pub was nice too. Great staff, fair prices

Great venue/pub/beer/staff/food 11 out 10

Sadly I am not a comunity owner, but wished I am. I've been coming to this community pub since its opening. A best friend had his 40th here and his brother provided the Elvis tribute entertainment, because it has, scarce for a pub, a proper stage. Saw the house tribute band perform a tribute to Bowie after his early death. Then there is the atmosphere of an unspoiled pub, friendly staff, local ales, craft beers and tasty food (try the gourmet pizzas), which all adds up to a super local. Try it as a destination pub; you will not be disappointed.

Unusually rude and impatient bar staff. Seemingly incapable of simple politeness, let alone good customer service.

Community owned pub with an awesome beer selection and two backrooms that make perfect music performance spaces. The Goose Is Out folk nights and the Live Band Karaoke nights are worth a visit!

Lovely place, friendly staff, good beer selection, lots of seating in the ballroom and also in the garden.

Great local pub, Great beer selection. Great music events. Food has improved massively in recent years.

Loved this place and the community here staff so friendly had bloody Mary here that was great definitely coming back here to have a Sunday roast

Nice spot for music and easy going.

Good beer. Relaxed. Friendly. Great building.

Love this pub! Epic Sunday roast, live music, fantastic selection of local beer, plenty of space inside and out, community owned. What more can you ask for!

Top notch local pub, good beer selection, small outdoor area, live music/events, community library section Well worth a visit

A community pub where the community clearly love working behind the bar, putting on gigs, serving food and creating a great ambience. But where nobody on the community seems to want to clean the toilets. This place is let down by stinking gents urinals with no hand towels and a broken air drier. It needs a thorough deep clean and then an hourly wash down every day.

Quite hot n sweaty, even at the back

Community owned pub with great beer and lots of space.

Great selection of beers, dog and human friendly, charming staff for the most part, and plenty of interesting things going on. The food can be a little bit hit and miss but food isn’t really what this place is about. It has a strong local following and a diverse and eclectic following from further afield. I’m delighted to call the Ivyhouse my ‘Local’ along with the very different but equally local Waverley Arms just down the road.

Very good pub plenty going on well worth a visit

Excellent food service and venue.

Love this pub! The staff is very friendly, great selection of beers, very nice space inside with a theater and space outside. Community owned, great plus!

Excellent menu and great selection of beer