The Rising Sun in Southwark

Amazing vibe, the staff are so friendly. I will return again for sure!

Always have a good time in here. Good drinks decently priced in a queer environment. Couldn't ask for more!

Today was my first visit to this pub. The lady who served us was very friendly and the prices were reasonable. I will certainly visit again.

Friendly staff and good beers. The vibe is not bad, but unfortunately the crowd is men only, as we were the only female. Shame. We hoped there was a gay/lsb community in the south east finally. We won't go back, also because the toilets are disgusting.

Very cute bar with a decent amount of space and a great vibe. Attended for one of the board game events and had a lot of fun

Such a fun place. Events, music. All fab.

Popped on for a drink and loved the place, not pretentious at all, a very cool vibe without trying. They don’t do food but are more than happy for you to order in or bring food in with you.

Very nice place. With live music.

Really nice laid back atmosphere and mixed crowd with plenty of seating. Friendly staff and entertainment most nights.

Great to see a local gay bar opening in Elephant& Castle. Drag shows are really good and hosted a great NYE party. Can bring in your own food if needed.

It’s a cute much-needed queer space in south London. It’s a nice place to catch up with friends

Grubby smelly, and very expensive shame

What a great little spot. Went on a Friday evening with my partner and had a great time watching the drag shows. Reasonably priced drinks with a great selection of choice.

Since opening The Rising has become a real beacon, many of my friends travel from other parts of London to go there and it hardly comes as a surprise. Friendly and cosy atmosphere, and a varied event diary (the live music Thursdays and Sunday jazz sessions are unusual but well attended). The DJs are excellent. I really like the drink selection, you can tell the owners are drinkers themselves and are selling quality stuff rather than just big margin macro beer and basic spirits - £6.50 a pint for Gipsy Hill Hepcat is definitely worth it and the house lager is a steal. Nice staff although at times the bar service can be a bit disorganised, but this has been getting better of late. Another (big and glossy) gay bar has opened up locally but I think they will compliment each other nicely.

Lovely atmosphere and staffs are friendly, nice pub!

This place got me rising… if you catch my drift

We just had our Christmas party here and it was AMAZING! The kindest and most helpful bar staff ever. Big shout out to LilY and the team We will be back xx Fay

Terrible service ! Rude people… you need to relax

I don’t think the bar would be the same without Danny. Absolute pleasure and such a vibe, made my night <4

We recently visited The Rising and had an amazing experience! We traveled a bit to get there, but it was worth every mile. We arrived around 3 p.m. and ended up staying until after 11 p.m.—time just flew by because of the incredible atmosphere. Mercedes and the entire bar staff were absolutely lovely and made us feel welcome from the moment we walked in. The service was top-notch, with everyone being friendly, attentive, and fun. The drinks were competitively priced, and the crowd was super welcoming. We couldn’t have asked for a better night out, and we’re already looking forward to our next visit to The Rising. Highly recommend!

Great venue addition to the LGBTQ+ community

Interesting lively gay pub. V friendly staff. Went for quiz but not all that impressed. Quiz was drawn out with hosting Queen frequently walking off. At one one point I timed 5 minutes and 33 seconds between questions. Not rounds, this was between questions. The winning team spent a lot of time on phones unchecked. No point collecting teams between rounds. Never experienced that before so no climax being built. So much talking through the rounds again unchecked. If the microphone wasn’t superb it would have been impossible to hear. As a professional quiz master myself I don’t see the attraction of needing a draw queen in charge. Could be a much better quiz with a more professional approach.

Brilliant new addition to the area. Great staff, entertainment & board games are a lovely touch. Always a nice positive energy from this place.

Fun place for gays and friends, you can eat your own food there which is a real bonus

Great place to meet ur friends or meet new friends! If u r looking for a “off-soho” experience this is the place to be!

Great new local pub. Very inclusive with a fun atmosphere.

Love the pub feeling with board games and pool… just happens to be for our community. Shows are usually very good and some acts are just insane! Love it!

Nice to have a LGBT friendly venue in the area but the staff are kind of mean and very unresponsive. We wanted to move a table to play one of there many board games and it was a stern “NO because the owners wouldn’t like it” the place was empty and we were a group of 7.

Finally, a brilliant place to have a drink with a fantastic atmosphere.

My favourite LGBTQ+ pub in London

Brilliant queer space in Elephant & Castle. Variety of event on different nighgs. Friendly bar staff and easy going crowd.

Went there last night with my niece had the best night everyone was friendly met the guys who owned the pub bar staff were very nice would recommend this pub am already spreading the word in North london deffo be back

Lovely venue, nice bar staff, quiz ongoing seemed nice. Guinness served was simply not Guinness, it was half mixed with Aspall cider, was the wrong colour and tasted totally wrong. The bar staff knew it was bad and verbally acknowledged it but didn’t try and re-pour or correct it. A shame. Would’ve been an easy fix.

A great addition to the LGBT scene with friend security, nice crowd and entertainment on the saturday night I visited. It's a much welcome addition and stays open till 1am on weekend

An amazing space with amazing quizzes with amazing people. They enabled an inclusivity environment and brought people together that wouldn’t have been together before. Thank you for an amazing night and thank you too thank you too @Norma.desperate brought together everyone!

Amazing place, great events (especially Norma Desperate’s fortnightly quiz), lovely atmosphere, very friendly. Love it xx

Much needed queer venue in south London with an incredible warm, welcoming and lively atmosphere for all. Great schedule of events too - special shout out to Norma’s fortnightly quiz night on a Wednesday 💅

Loveeee The Rising! Great atmosphere and fab crowd.

Great local gay pub with friendly staff and customers and a nice outdoor seating area for when weather is nice. Apparently lots of themed nights so will definitely go back. Nice to have somewhere local that's not as busy or expensive as heading into Soho. Feels like mostly a local crowd, no tourists and properly LGBTQ focussed rather than most of Soho which is more straight than gay these days.

An amazing new addition to Elephant and Castle/Camberwell area. There is a lack of gay places in this part of London and the bar staff working here are fantastic, always smiling and always very polite. The space is very inclusive to all the LGBTQ community, and the crowd is very pleasant and friendly. I will add pictures when I find them . Go! It’s great, fun, and is perfect for catching up with friends, or see a show from the nice performers that are there in the evenings. There is no food but they allow you to have it delivered and you can sit outside on the many benches right outside the entrance!

Long queues at bar. ( 2 staff didn’t turn up). We went to outside area for a time and then they wouldn’t let us back in ( as they were at capacity inside) - but our drinks were on the table inside. Queue to get back in - makes no sense at all. Pity as the place looks good + nice atmosphere.

Needs aircon! Even with the British summer!

Super fan show and great atmosphere. We need more of these pubs in London. The drag show was amazing!!!

visiting from out of town and was suggested this super cute bar. drinks were good, prices right. love the fact that they have games and indoor/outdoor seating. very welcoming vibe. definitely recommend!

Love this bar, has a great vibe, cool games and a nice variety of drinks. Would definitely recommend if you want a social vibe but also spacious, fun and comfortable.

Really lovely enchanting lgbtq bar. Great atmosphere with a great mix of events on during the week.

Amazing place, everyday of the week!! Love the people, the vibe and everything ❤️

The first time I went there last Saturday was terrified by the racism that I experienced. The young lady in the bar area serving drinks is the most racist person I ever encountered. She keeps on serving the people besides me and pretend I was not there. Until two women beside me asked if I wanted to order, then the woman in the counter asked me unwillingly, I don’t know if it’s racism or sexism? If you are not happy to serve gay Asian men go and work in a straight bar!! I have to wait 30 minutes to order. Avoid this bar especially you are Asian!!

Such a nice friendly place, I always have a good time in here.

Great LGBTQ+ pub! Friendly staff, good vibes and loads of drinks options too.

Came here for a birthday party. Owner was so friendly and we had the best day. You can order your own food in, and it’s dog friendly too! We’re so happy to have a new local.

Came here for the general election announcements. Was the best time!!! Great vibes, bar staff were so great and chatty! Babs Romance killed it!!! Oh the pina colada was amazing!!!!

Very good selection of beer, lots of events going on. Also has a pool table!

The atmosphere and location are great but service non existent and drinks and food horrible. The bar staff have no idea what they are doing, had no training I believe. A very disorganised place. Again, I am just judging the place itself as the atmosphere is created by the people you are with which was amazing in my case. If BYO drinks was allowed here I would do it!

Great queer space in South London where everyone is welcome. Service is good even when the place is packed during Pride. Even the security is friendly. Skip the horrible stewards in Westminster / Soho constantly pushing you to stay behind the line and come here. It feels like a neighbourhood bar but with a very diverse crowd and events every night. So great have these guys in E&C (the new gay capital)!

Love this place. Perfect for a pint in the sun. Super friendly vibes. It's been open for a month and already feels like a staple of the community.

Lovely little pub with something on every night. Outdoor area has sun all day, and most evening on a couple tables.

Great new LGBTQ+ space in south London. Great service really good prices.

Fun new gay bar in the neighborhood. It was lively and friendly, you could spend all afternoon there on the patio.

The problem is the sound treatment of the space; the service was excellent, and the people were nice and friendly, but the sound, oh lord bless my ears. It could be improved with sound panels to treat the sound on the walls. A bar is not only for drinks, and service is also sound; people will be more inclined to be inside if the acoustics are fixed.

Went there this Sunday and had such a great time. Had friendly bar staff and huge outdoor area with tables. There was live band on Sunday and crowd there was friendly and relaxed. Will definitely be back.

Was there a couple of times until I came across Music for Gaza event flyers. I wont be going back. Gen Z can keep their imbecile terror supporting political stances to themselves. I hope they make it to Gaza one day (and make it back out in one piece).

Great place to have a drink with friends. The staff is nice and friendly.

Exactly what Elephant and Castle needed :)

Really nice LQBTQIA+ friendly space, right down to the gender neutral bathrooms, with a great array of drinks, a staff who make it a pleasure to visit, and seating that makes it a perfect to go and enjoy some live music, go enjoy the summer sun, or both!!

Bar staff are lovely and gave us teeny little umbrellas for our drinks ⛱️💅🏻😌

Great new pub, friendly service, reasonable prices. Only giving 4* because although it is all on the flat, there is not yet a fully accessible loo. However they are planning to install one, a welcome development. Wishing this business every success.

Nice place but pathetic too. Absolutely ridiculous to be cash free. I know it’s the 21 century and things are going cashless but have NO CASH option is stupid. I only stayed today as the pint was half poured. So I used card. I DOUBT I’d return

First time here. Lovely welcome and the house wine is good. I hear that the famous Queera Lynn performs here (but sadly not tonight) and she is drag royal quality. I’ll DEFINITELY be back.

I came here on Thursday and had a great time. Brought some friends here just now and the place was closed for a private event! On a Saturday night!? The whole place! I’m devastated

Fantastic addition to Elephant & Castle.

Went for a pub preview before the proper opening in May. Best of luck to the pub as it's great to have a gay bar in the area. Cheap pints are a win!! And I look forward to the big unveiling and to see it in its full glory

Fantastic family pub staff and customers make you feel so welcome

🚇 Elephant & Castle 🍺 £4.40 Heineken ❤️ A proper London locals boozer. . The Rising Sun is located on Harper Road on the edge of the Rockingham Estate near Elephant & Castle. The nearest Tube is Elephant & Castle which is a eight minute walk away. . This pub was built in 1938 and is the last remaining pub on the Rockingham Estate. The Royal Standard, The Uxbridge Arms and The William IV have all gone, the development vultures wanted to knock The Rising Sun down and build a six storey block of flats in its place, thankfully Southwark Council put the kibosh on the idea, meaning this pub is now an asset of community value (ACV), great news. . This is a clean and tidy no frills pub that is simply decorated. At the centre of the bar is a horseshoe shaped servery that has s solid wooden counter. There is plenty of seating around the pub, most punters sat on the stools that surrounded the bar. Around the walls are framed football shirts, a jukebox and a dartboard if you fancy a game or arrows. On the left of the bar is a pool table, behind that is a stage when the pub has disco’s, live music and functions. . The beer choice was straightforward and inexpensive, I had a pint of Heineken, my pint hit the spot and cost just over a four spot. There is no food here but plenty of crisps and nuts to keep you going. . I arrived just after 3pm on a Saturday and the atmosphere was chilled and relaxed. I was served who I presume was the Landlady, we had a bit of banter about paying cash instead of card, I felt very welcome. There were about six punters in when I arrived, an old fella was studying the form, another lady was having chat with the regulars at the bar and a couple of lads were playing pool, everyone new everyone. . As I left the pub, I got talking to a Father and Son who have been regulars here for years. They told me about the amount of pubs that have closed in the area and their concerns about new generations supporting and frequenting The Rising Sun. . If you’re ever in the area, work close by or just interested in pubs, why not pop in here for a few drinks and enjoy a proper London locals boozer. . ℹ️ Info correct 11.03.23

Best place to get a good pint a and the most friendly staff

Good atmosphere and a good pool table

It's a nice calm family pub that u can sit and feel at home in the staff are all lovely sweet kind . There laughs tears hugs and cheers at this lovely family pub so please go and check it out for yourselfs .. seriously people ... ❤️❤️🙏

Accidentally stumbled across this pub for being directed to the wrong postcode 😬 Toilets smell beautiful! Always great in a boozer if you ask me. The lady behind the bar was very helpful, kind and even brought water out for my dog 😊 Great experience all round 👍

Just love this place, great staff and great customers. Not one for the 'real ale' community as only keg on tap. However, still a wonderful pub to visit and enjoy. I thoroughly recommend. A back street boozer par excellence.

حانة (استغفرالله العظيم وأتوب إليه)

Absolutely fabulous. Jane the manageress is a rare diamond. Very friendly and hospitable establishment. Everyone gets on like family. I wouldn't go anywhere else.

Good staff especially Jane Good beer I.e taste and price Good atmosphere

Great old school boozer with live music on Sundays

Proper local pub and best in the area! Amazing staff and great regular customers who are always very friendly and accommodating!

Good service, quiet and friendly

Limited, but they're doing their best

A fantastic local pub. The people couldn't be nicer - staff and other customers alike. Absolutely brilliant.

I just love the rising sun pub. Its saved my sanity many times its a great little pub the people are so kind and friendly. And there's never any trouble in there either..I've met some very nice friends there who I wouldn't have met otherwise. Please don't close it down its all we have left to entertain us all and socialise...

Great atmosphere friendly staff

Great local pub, not many left so needs our support. Have a beer and keep it going! Good decor friendly staff and customers.

Nice pub, Nice people in there.

Lovely place, friendly bartender. Sad I didn't see the twin cats :p

Fantastic place friendly atmosphere

No me reio más porque no podía. Si vuelvo a Londres no dudo en volver a ir a tomarme una cerveza ahí.

Excellent local pub, no food but great size

Music a bit loud (hard to socialise with new friends), but otherwise it's a pub like any other...

Amazing New Year's Eve party and open mic on Sunday is a must.

Not a nice place. Dark n dingy. The only good thing is the music sun afternoons.

Scruffy old pub but very friendly had a good time Nice people lots of singers

Mick and O die play here. Good night for singing and having a dance. Friendly people. A good Saturday night.