Craft Beer near London Bridge: The Rake

The London Bridge train station is in the midst of a massive five-year infrastructure project. The neighborhood has changed dramatically over the past decade, bookmarked by the recent opening of the tallest building in Europe – The Shard. Historically, the south bank was a gritty working class section of the city. However, the changes along the waterfront in the late 90’s have slowly seeped south and resulted in a really neat mixture of ultra-modern and classical Victorian, side-by-side in some cases.

In the London Bridge neighborhood there must be no less than 25 pubs. Some are throwback boozers to the days when a 3% ABV was the drink of choice for laborers at lunch time, and some are newer, more modern pubs devoted these days to the young after work crowd (these pubs are always busiest at the end of the month – payday time!).  Having now lived in London for 16 months – we have some clear favorites based on the type of beer or atmosphere we crave…for real ale, the Market Porter, German beer hall – Katzenjammers, or a good pub crawl boozer – Wheatsheaf.

But for craft beer, there is only one that makes it to the top of our list – The Rake!!

Where:  Near to the crowded stalls of Borough Market and some significant historical landmarks (including the gothic Southwark cathedral and an area where the original site of Clink Street prison used to stand), The Rake is in the middle of a fun, lively area, close to the London Bridge station. See map.

Inside the Rake

Why you should visit:

• A perfect dive bar completely devoted to craft beer, “graffiti” fills up all the empty spaces on the wall. In order to add to the wall graffiti, you have to be a brewer or a significant player in the beer business!  “Nothing but good times & great breweries at the Rake,” signed by Ian Stone of Stone Brewing Company, and “To the Rake, my favorite London pub,” signed by Doug Odell of Odell Brewing Co.  are examples of this particularly cool touch to the bar’s interior.
• Whether you’re a one-time visitor or a once-a-day visitor, you’ll always have a variety of draft beer choices. Kegs are regularly rotated and changed.

Overall comments:  An interior no more than 150 square feet, the bar is the leading act, and it should be, with approximately 7 keg beers and 3 cask beers on tap at all times, including two refrigerators that stock unique beers from all over the world. The outside deck is an added bonus, and larger than the interior space, which also makes it a perfect spot to secure a seat if you’re lucky!

The atmosphere is fun and casual…and normally frequented by other equally passionate craft beer fans. On a recent visit,  Jim and I began talking to people at the table next to ours. Before the night was over, we played an 8 person card game and exchanged lots of notes on our favorite craft beers.

An always-outstanding craft beer selection…we first learned about some of the Italian brewers here, as we sampled the Zona Cessarini and Grooving Hop bottled beers from Birra Toccalmatto based in Fidenza.

Every time we visit The Rake, we pat ourselves on the back for choosing to reside only a 15-minute walk from this bar.

If you’re a visitor to London, seek this place out as you explore all the hidden gems on the south bank of the river Thames. (See my London walks post).  If you’re a London resident, why haven’t you been there yet?? It’s worth it – you won’t be disappointed.