The Mayflower Pub in Southwark

The Mayflower Pub is a real gem — full of antique charm and character. You can feel the history in every corner. We sat out on the terrace for a bit, which has a great view of the river, though we were told it can flood during high tide! They even have floodgates they close to seal the pub off — very atmospheric. The food was solid, and the beers were awesome. Definitely a memorable spot with a lot of personality. Worth the visit.

The best Sunday roast I've had in London, worth making a reservation.

We had a very nice lunch at the pub. The hummus and pita were not great. The calamari starter was tasty but the calamari were a bit chewy. The fish platter was great. We liked everything on the platter.

Not to be missed. Good beer.Greay view.

Came here with my friend while trying a bunch of pubs in London. This one is slightly off the beaten path along the Thames and we were glad to find it. The drink prices were very good and the beer garden is really nice, with lots of seating and nice views of the Thames, if you manage to get the seating next to it. The bar staff are friendly and the pub seems to have a healthy mix of locals and randoms. They do food here which we didn't try but it looked very good ! So I definitely want to return to try it ! Recommended!

Absolutely quaint and genuine with an alternative panoramic view of London

I loved the Frame. The food is fabulous. I finally discovered the Sunday Roast!!

It is the oldest pub on the River Thames and has remained in existence since around 1550, under different names. Speaking of Mayflower, it is famous for the name of the ship that the Puritans, who were persecuted due to religious conflicts, sailed to the Americas in 1620 in search of new land, and it is said that the ship departed from near this pub. It feels strange to be in a pub that still exists since then. If you come here, you are one of America's first settlers! The first floor is a pub and the second floor is a restaurant. I think it's better to make a reservation for the restaurant. I went to a restaurant. It took about an hour for the food to arrive, and I wasn't able to understand the drink order properly (maybe it was my English proficiency), but the taste of the food was great, and the atmosphere was wonderful. A short walk will take you to the coastal area, where you can take nice photos of the River Thames. Thank you for the SLR.

Very well attended pup. Good mood. Food came quickly and was very good.

Classic pub. Very beautiful and in a lovely area. Some great food too.

Beautiful historic pub, good beer list

One of the oldest pubs in London, right by the Thames. A good selection of beer, really nice setting, and friendly service. It's smaller than it looks, so you need to get there early if you want to get a table. Went there for lunch, and ordered the fish and chips as well as their fish sharing platter. Both were good. The fish and chips crispy and lightly batterred. The fish platter could have had a bit more bread for the paté (too much paté, too little bread), but everything on it tasted good. Would definitely go there again, especially if I have overseas visitors.

Great food though a bit on the expensive side for a pub. Good service! If you’re sitting out on the deck don’t drop your phone as it may slide through the cracks fall into the sea. Mine didn’t fortunately. Also don’t tell one of the floor managers you prefer assassins creed over red dead redemption. He will give you shit for it the entire time

Great tasty food, really enjoyed my meal. Nice atmosphere and venue. Want to give 5 stars but the service needs work i.e. asked for bill and took 20 mins to get it, asked for small plates and it took 10 mins to get them.

Had candle light dinner after so long

A really lovely pub on the river, great family food and a lovely atmosphere!

I will repeat again this place 100%

Very charming pub overlooking the Thames Great atmosphere!

Nice Pub with stunning views from river terrace and cosy atmosphere ... historic ambiente and fantastic beer

Atmospheric Riverside pub near Brunel museum and Rotherhithe station

Great pub and food, lovely stuff.

Excellent pub! Easily one of the best I've been, if not the best. The food was delicious, service was great, good selection of beers (just what you need). Very calm surroundings as well and the view was amazing.

Wow just wow. Went with my wife and her step brother, food is absolutely on point, beers are great and the atmosphere is amazing. Tables by the window, and the deck have a great view of the river as well.

One of the most hyped roasts in London, so was expecting big things but ultimately it was a let down. Beef roast was £24, but everything except the potatoes was cold. The potatoes themselves were piping hot but undercooked in the middle. The actual beef was tasty, but I expected at least the plate and gravy to be warm, but this was not the case. Everything was also undersalted and the gravy didn't taste off much. I didn't kick up a fuss at the time as I was hungry and they were clearly very busy, but it was a huge disappointment. The interior is dark and very cosy, but I won't be coming back after that meal.

Great pub. Great food. Great service. Loved it.

Hoping my many stars review will help me reserve a table for tomorrow night.

Not even close to being the oldest pub on the Thames and the lies on the pub's website are shocking. No, you can't see the mooring point for the Mayflower as nobody knows exactly where it was moored. It was just 'somewhere' in Rotherhithe. No, it's not the oldest pub on the Thames - what with not being built till the 1800s. Don't know why they insist on spouting this nonsense. Sure, there may have been another pub on the site - so? First, it was a different pub (The Spread Eagle). Second, note that St Paul's Cathedral doesn't claim to be 1500 years old, what with being built to replace the previous cathedral - which replaced the previous church, which replaced the church before that... It correctly claims it was built in the 1600s ON THE SITE of previous iterations. If St. Paul's doesn't claim to be 1500 years old, it's nonsensical that a pub built after WWII can claim to be built in the 1600s. There's not even any evidence the Mayflower (ahem, Spread Eagle) existed before the 1780s. And as the pub was utterly destroyed by the Blitz, one can hardly claim that this pub has any history whatsoever. Don't be fooled by replica interiors (dating from the 1960s) and PR lies. Don't get me wrong - it's a nice view and is lovely to have a pint overlooking the river. But others are genuinely 'old' pubs - none of this crass lying PR rubbish. It's like Disney pretending their castles are real! For those American tourists, or any tourists really, interested in visiting the actual oldest pub, that's Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese - a pub building in continuous service as a pub since the 1500s. The oldest pub on the Thames is likely The Anchor, built in 1676 (predating the one built on the site in 1616). The oldest in East London on the Thames is the Trafalgar Tavern.

Great history with timbers from the original Mayflower, delicious food and great drinks.

Great London pub. Wish we were local, but we will make the effort to visit again & again! A friendly welcome and great service. Good food & choice with gluten-free options, too.

Great to revisit the Mayflower for an unprompted lunch, after four or five years. Warm and welcoming atmosphere, good pub food (we had a sharing plate of fish, and chips on yhe side). Good wine, and beer. Attentive service. Crowded as people looked for table spaces, increasingly limited after about 1.30pm. It was a sunny Saturday!

Amazing old world pub with an unrivaled history. Good food and great ales. I have been twice now and both times the service and atmosphere were fantastic.

For £19 does a customer have a reasonable right to expect non-frozen chips on a fish and chips main course? I would hope so but this was not possible at The Mayflower. The fish (size of portion) also seemed somewhat small and at £6:50 for a pint of IPA with service on top it felt like a sting rather than a really enjoyable experience in a pub with a degree of character. Sorry to say l won’t be returning.

Proper old-school vibe here—everything creaky, wooden, and full of character. It’s not the cleanest place by my standards (hence the 4 stars), but honestly, that’s part of the charm. The food was good, with a few decent veggie options too. We liked it overall. Also good to know that the Mayflower pub is named after the ship that famously set sail for America in 1620, and apparently, the actual Mayflower is believed to have departed from right around here in Rotherhithe. The pub itself has roots going back to around 1550, which is kind of wild when you think about it. Definitely worth a visit if you’re into old-world charm and a slice of history with your pint.

Bit too much gravy? Never thought id say it but on the chicken roast it was swamped. Everything else was very good and traditional

I keep coming back to this pub even though i don’t line near there any more. Perhaps that’s all there is to it! Inside feels ancient in the best way, outside gives you the best pub on the Thames experience.

Classic London pub! Plenty of history, atmosphere, and amazing views over the river. The service was friendly and attentive, and was really impressed with the menu as well. Such a good range. Highly recommend the seafood platter. Easy to get to from Canada Water or Rotherhithe stations

Good food and service by friendly staff. Recommend booking as very busy

Great food, great service, great atmosphere, and lots of history! Definitely stop by this pub if you are looking for a place to grab a pint and some food! The inside is very cool and the outdoor seating has some heat lamps which are a nice touch. I’d recommend trying the beef short rib and mashed sweet potatoes.

Excellent pub for pints by the river.

Great food but very poor and disrespectful service for a Saturday lunch.

Good and diversified food. Very pleasant atmosphere. Normal prices for London

As others have said - amazing location and a really atmospheric historic pub. Lovely to walk there from Blackfriars (an hour). Service very friendly. Food nothing to get excited about which is a shame as if they got that right too it would be spectacular. Nonetheless very enjoyable!

Great for a Monday night's sausage and mash!

Der Pub liegt direkt an der Themse. Wir hatten einen Tisch zum Sunday Roast reserviert. Um garantiert einen Platz zu bekommen, ist das absolut empfehlenswert. Unser Tisch war im 1. Stock und der Platz bot einen schönen Ausblick durch das Fenster auf das Treiben auf der Themse. Die Bedienung war sehr freundlich und aufmerksam. Neben Sunday Roast Gerichten gab es natürlich auch die übrigen Speisen auf der Karte. Wir entschieden uns für Pork und wurden nicht enttäuscht. Als Getränk bestellten wir Ale, was sehr gut zum Gericht passte. Die Preise sind etwas höher, für die Gegend aber auch nicht ungewöhnlich.

Super friendly staff, excellent, tasty food, and great tips for dining and excursions. We felt very comfortable.

Great historic pub. Fantastic atmosphere and very welcoming. Great views along the river from the terrace.

Expectations were absolutely exceeded! The food was perfect, the service was very friendly, and the ambiance was lovely. We'll be back!

We have done a break here during our London trip it was very nice a good beer and a good meal.

One of the oldest pubs just outside London proper. Packed, but got a table for dinner in about 15 minutes, first come first served so keep eyes open for a table! Very interesting history here, do some research and see! It's pretty cool.

A small but very cute pub that is definitely worth a visit. The staff is very friendly, even if it's busy at peak times. The menu includes somewhat wild creations that taste good, but are not exceptional.

We JUST left the pub. Our favorite in London. Incredible food, incredibly nice people, the atmosphere is everything you want in a local London pub. I could not recommend this place more.

Feels weird that there is a 5/5 Greenking pub out there... Their food is so much better, excellent service where the staff actually seem happy and helpful and the pub itself is beautiful with the quirky decor and the way their outside area around the back is set. Will definitely be returning soon

Ottima soluzione per una cena british in un tradizionale pub. Lucy ci ha servito ed è stata cordialissima e disponibilissima. Ci torneremo

Recommended place. Cozy environment. Good food, and thanks to Lucy for her welcome, availability and kindness. We will return

Loved finding the Mayflower Pub! As a traveling celiac, food is always the hardest part. While my partner can eat anything, I’m incredibly limited. Was delighted to find gluten free options on the menu, including the traditional fish & chips! They have a separate dedicated fryer for a reduced chance of contamination and the service is both friendly and knowledgeable.

Como lugareños, hemos estado en The Mayflower antes, pero esta vez, trajimos mis leyes, que estaban de visita, para la cena, y fue una experiencia maravillosa. Mi madre - suegra - es celíaca, y estaba encantada de encontrar un montón de opciones sabrosas sin gluten. Toda nuestra comida era delicioso! Además de eso, nuestra camarera, Lucy, era absolutamente increíble - atento, amable y profesional. El servicio era perfecto, la comida era excelente, y, por supuesto, hay una de las mejores vistas de Londres aquí! Muy recomendable!

Fantastic Experience! As locals, we’ve been to The Mayflower before, but this time, we brought my in-laws, who were visiting,for dinner, and it was a wonderful experience. My mother-in-law is celiac, and she was delighted to find plenty of tasty gluten-free options. All of our food was delicious! On top of that, our waitress, Lucy, was absolutely amazing—attentive, friendly, and professional. The service was perfect, the food was excellent, and, of course, there is one of the best views in London here. Highly recommended!

Buzzy, authentic pub on the water. Lovely outside on a sunny day, cosy inside on a winter’s day. Lovely ale, more than solid pub food.

Only 4 for the food as I only had a drink and the sticky toffee pudding ! Which was one of the best. Really want to try the roast dinner! Service was great very welcoming and chatty.. good with baby's and dogs.

All the meat dishes were found to be tough. Didn't try the fish. Sticky toffee pudding is recommended. Wouldn't recommend any of the other desserts

Lovely quirky pub, but always super busy and dark inside.

We only passed by because this historic place is very popular. Warm atmosphere, popular place that deserves to be known. I strongly recommend. Arrive early.

Visited on Sunday, and here again this evening. Super accommodating, found us a table upstairs despite being really busy. Was served by Lucy who was an absolute treasure! Just want to add, the best vegan sausages and mash I've ever tried!

Very unusual place, English pub atmosphere and candlelight dinner (upstairs, it's very nice) we are immersed in the Mayflower era. Small downside, it was a little expensive in the end for a dish, wine and dessert

Really great little historic pub tucked away in Rotherhithe. Lovely staff as well.

Love this pub, really cosy and the people who work there are great. The only thing I'd change is to have more ashtrays on the decking - people smoke and just drop their ciggies which then go into the Thames, then inevitably the sea. Save the fishies!! 🐟

Great views of the Thames, great ale

Really gorgeous traditional British pub with a garden right over the river, the interior is just ad gorgeous as the view. Staff were awesome, friendly, attentive and kind. Would recommend this as a good spot for a cosy date.

Absolutely stunning pub with amazing food and amazing pints.

Authentic pub with great food and atmosphere. If you want somewhere different from the classic pubs located in central London this is perfect.

Fab traditional pub with a lovely outdoor seating area which sits right on the river Thames! Highly recommended

Love going to this little gem in Rotherhithe! Amazing Sunday roast too

Amazing food! Seats are not very elder friendly.

We stopped here during the week for lunch in February. It has charm, great food, and a wonderful server who has the perfect kind of attitude. I would definitely recommend this pub and would return if I visit London again. I had the calamari (4 out of 5), the soup of the day was Lentil soup (4 out of 5), and my husband loved the bangers and mash (5 out of 5). The beer was cold, the wine was tasty, and the sun was shining. (10 out of 5) 😁 There is a porch out back that overlooks the Thames and has seating outside; I bet it’s great on a beautiful day.

We were out walking and stumbled across this super, very old pub, just overflowing with history. Open fire, G&T's, just what we needed. We did not eat, but the fish and chips looked amazing

Tomó un amigo, como yo había sido muchas veces. Honestamente no puedo fallar la visita. Los dos tuvimos los pasteles absolutamente deliciosos y abundantes. Increíble, personal servicial, en particular la encantadora dama irlandesa que nos sirvió. Perfecto.

A well known pub but doesn’t disappoint. Nice and friendly service. Good range of beer and a great atmosphere.

You can imagine the pilgrims sitting here for a pint before they set off for the new world... great setting for a pint after long walk...

This is place to be if you're looking for a place to chill and experience a real English pub. What sealed the deal for me was the glorious food. The coconut curry mussels are to die for! It could easily be the best I've tried in my life! Friends ordered the fish and chips and the grilled cod were just as amazing! The service was impeccable! The seating space was a little tight but hey, you feel better connection with the people!

This pub is steeped in history and has incredible charm, less can be said about some of the staff who I’d put on the mayflower 2 and hope it sinks. Don’t add 12.5% service charge, it’s a working class pub in South London, don’t be American, ya wankers

We were very pleased to be at Mayflower with my daughters. Giovanni’s service was amazing Thank you Tia Aydın

Gorgeous place. Lovely views of the River Thames. Friendly staff.

One of the best pubs in London for dinner - especially if you love looking over the river like me! An extra special thanks to Lucy, who always goes the extra mile to make the whole dining experience so memorable from beginning to end. Thank you, Lucy, and see you soon! Mark

The best front of house staff, and bar staff, friendly, professional, the best ever!!! Erica, Paulo, Giovanni, Eddi, Milosh. Thank you for the unforgettable evening! We will come again!

Such a cute pub! We met a few friends for a couple of drinks. We’ll definitely be back to try some food!

Always heaving and warm with friendly staff and lovely food

I absolutely love this pub. Hidden behind the Brunel museum in Rotherhithe, it has a tasty Sunday roast and a nice beer selection.

Cool cozy place, gentle and polite service

This was our second visit to the pub, and we we enjoyed it as much as our first. Charming interior, good beer selection, friendly staff and lovely home-cooked pub food. Worth noting that if you don't want to drink your beer from a jug, you need to ask for a straight glass. Also, if you want to avoid the 12.5% service charge, best to order at the bar in the pub area. There seems to be an annoying trend in pubs where they offer to take your order from the table and bring drinks your drinks over, and then add service charge.

Steak pie was possibly the best I've ever had! Pastry was crisp and really tasty. Beers were good and staff nice and friendly.

Cosey pub. Beef pie was very good. Was full when we visited so had our meal on the terrace. A bit cold in january, however heating lamps helped. A service fee of 12.5 % is added to the bill.

A lovely, cosy pub. Food was excellent in both quality, presentation, and taste, with a good drinks selection as well. The place was packed for Saturday lunch and I can see why.

That jam is a godsend. The skin is crispy, but a little crunchy. It would have been nice if there was a slit in the middle. But that Yorkshire pudding is so delicious. It was delicious, not just oil, but something different.

The BEST vegan bangers & mash i have ever had!

This is one of the oldest pubs in London and I highly recommend it. Delicious food, great atmosphere, fantastic location with brilliant decked area to the rear right overlooking the River Thames. In the winter they supply blankets and hot water bottles. There is also a fire inside to keep you warm. Recommend you also check the specials board for more deliciously tasting food. Staff are friendly and welcoming. Can be very busy so you may want to book a table. Perhaps I shouldn't be recommending as it will only get busier. I recommend everything on the menu 😋

Beautiful pub where you can eat really well! Beautiful atmosphere and decor! Online account, very kind service! Excellent beers

Great little pub with stacks of history. Cosy but the atmosphere is amazing 🤩 great food, friendly welcoming staff. Views of the Thames from the balcony, worth a visit if you’re in the area. 🏴‍☠️

Super cozy pub a little outside central London. There were no tables available, but we had a beer standing at the bar. Worth a visit.

The most delicious food (literally had a mandarin cheescake served as a ball which tasted divine)! The people that work there are always so warm, caring and just a pleasure to chat/deal with (they even got us food after the kitchen closed when we turned up late one evening despite the place being rammed) I don’t give somewhere 5 stars often but this place knocks it out the park for food, service, location (it’s right over the Thames) and vibes - its beautiful and old inside and has gorgeous views outside - go go go!!!

Please bring back the Caesar salad, it was just amazing and duck croquettes. Love this pub, staff are nice, the food is so good. I come here all the time. Wish it was slightly bigger with more seats inside, but they obviously can’t do anything about it.