The Amersham Arms

I keep finding myself in here! Perfect for music, art, fun loving locals and during term time, students, too. A nice buzz and the new security are gents, even helped me with my cumbersome bag. As I’m always looking for new music to recommend to industry contacts, this is where much of it calls in, I just find it easier than having to go to Camden etc for credible bands and can afford entry n drinks for a proper night out. The boutique/​real ales bar is a plus, as I have now discovered chilli beer (oh yes!). But yeah, my biggest recommendation is that even if I go by myself the vibe and people there are lovely. Ended up dancing with this legend of an old fella bar regular, until 3am the other week. Comedy, music, theatre, art, gay opera adventures, pirate themed raves, all day festivals, indoor markets, poetry, discos and, this week, wrestling and rock n roll combined (!). Whats not to love. We started our magazine in the back room from the friendliness of uniqulture. Its great living in South East London.

Looking for a decent place down Souf to celebrate St. Paddy’s, my wife suggested the Amersham Arms. She told me stories of how she used to come here all the time because it was cheap, had Irish music and a good indie club attached to it. Her twin brother even used to DJ there nearly 20 years ago.
What did I find? To start, Guinness for £2.50. £2.50! I don’t think I’ve ever bought ANYTHING in London for £2.50. What a deal. A very friendly place full of live music, very social people and a rather solid looking menu. Definitely a place worth coming back to!

This is a great place to hang out with friends in the evening.
I like that they have a huge variety of drinks offered. They even have my favourite beer, which is quite rare. I also like that there’s a great selection of wines. Staff are very polite and work really fast although there’s a great traffic and the place seems crowded. Another thing to add is that there is live music there every night. Decoration is really nice, but not quite my taste. I recommend this place to people, who like spending great time with their friends while drinking.

Looking back at my student days, I’m not sure even why I got dragged here so often.
It’s one for the people who 1. live in charity shop clothes from the 20s/​30s/​40s/​50s/​60s/​70s/​80s or 2. pay stupid amounts of money in ‘vintage/​moch vintage’ shops to look thus.
Either way, its good for groups, big tables and no roaring music. Drinks are pricey and there’s nothing special there.
However, The Amersham has a lot of things going on. Club nights, indoor markets, comedy and stor– telling nights. For that, its awesome, for everything else meh.
I would recommend the comedy. It’s always hilarious, well priced and when I went Lenny Henry turned up out of the blue. Good times.

It has recently struck me that despite having lived in up-​and-​coming NewX all my life and having several glorious local pubs I haven’t reviewed one of them! So I’ll start with the most local and definitely one of my favourites of them all: The Amersham.
A comfy and cosy pub right over the road from New Cross station, the Amersham Arms is very popular with the locals as the food and drink is scrummy and cheap, they have two or three ale pumps, decent atmosphere, there’s a room at the side for bands & club nights and a room upstairs for art exhibitions and films.
The main drinking area isn’t huge so do be prepared to share a large table with others or occasionally stand. I’ve even seen queues outside on late friday & saturday nights on my way home. Definitely the place to go though, when you can fit.

Love this place as its so down to earth. They do a great Sunday lunch too!

Craving a Sunday roast I found myself here looking the part in my well worn into skinny jeans, baggy top and finger brushed hair. I ordered the vegetarian roast option of roasted butternut squash with a pepper cheese sauce and all the trimmings. Not wishing to drink any alcohol, the friendly bar staff made me a a cup of fresh mint tea with plenty of mint and a good slug of honey — exactly what I was after.
The chef wasn’t shy in loading up that plate either. Half a butternut squash filled with a creamy peppery cheese sauce, roast potatoes, three different types of veg, and a huge Yorkshire pudding with plenty of gravy. I have to say I was a bit disappointed with the Yorkshire pud — it was way too dense and heavy. The veg were good however with the string beans retaining a firm bite. For the meat lovers out there, roast chicken, a beautiful roast pork and beef were on the menu too.
With a 8GBP price tag with all the Sunday roast offerings you can’t knock the value.

Not many doormen go as far as to rummage two fingers around in your pants (not why I gave four stars) but at least I felt quite sure that those who pass through the Amersham Arms doors are deemed «safe».
Looking like a standard pub on the outside, the inside is quite run-​down. Dark and only partly decorated. But wait, it’s supposed to look like that. This is a trendy boozer for the trendy crowd of New Cross. So, not «run-​down», «dark» and «partly decorated» but instead, aesthetically distressed with moody lighting.
A main bar area and adjoining function room comprise the downstairs but our group was in the upstairs room. I’d been told of this room before my arrival and wasn’t disappointed.
Much like a large room in an empty, old, haunted house there’s just some old sofa’s and a coffee table at the far end of the room and some tables and benches along the large windowed wall. With only a neon sign and an old lamp in the two far corners and a vast mirror above a fire place at the opposite end, bearing over this particularly tatty/​distressed eerie room. And balloons. The floor was covered with a dozen or so colourful balloons. We were here for some birthday drinks but none of our party had brought them, there were just balloons left around the place. This room could be a metaphor for David Lynch’s psyche, a room that will stay with me.
All in all a good pub and one I’d be happy to go back to,
Ian

This place is always really good on a Saturday night. Plays good music, has a really mixed crowd and has a really good range of alcohol. Well worth a visit.

Great to finally see a nice pub with a friendly and exciting atmosphere around here. During the day, the bar serves food from the kitchen and the atmosphere is relaxed with good music. During the eves, the front bar becomes more of a casual/​hipster hang out and the back opens with a second bar, louder music, bands, late license, etc.
The upstairs is great for events or to chill out, overlooking New Cross station. The Amersham Arms definitely seems to be a positive preview of where this area is heading. The only down side is the limited choice of draught beers and the price, with sometimes even an entry fee. If I could give it 4 and a half stars, i would.

The Amersham Arms in New Cross is great, affordable, dirty fun, just the way us youngsters (yes, I’m still young) like it and need it.
Located as it is in one of the seediest, roughest parts of Souf East Lundun, innit, you’ll want to be sure of a lift home or operating trains before you stumble into the neighbourhood.
Someone on the R&D team who developed the AA’s style had been to dirty Hollywood before. The AA in all its kitsch and glory is a direct copy of a thousand clubs and bars in deepest, reddest-​glow WeHo (for reference, please see The Short Stop on Sunset Blvd).
However, in New Cross, it works — the neighbourhood is studenty, grungy and truly unsavoury, which is the vibe the AA gives off.
Staffed by trendier-​than-​thou, non-​committal 20-​somethings desperately trying to pass off as students, getting served at the bar offers a lesson in indie social etiquette — anything more than a stiff nod of the head will get you served last.
However, the service is efficient, the beers are decent (hurrah for Red Stripe on tap), and the cocktails are muy yummyo.
The crowd is young, or at least pretending to be, but still very friendly. I had lots of good chats and even some perfume sharing in the ladies toilets, which are cleanish, hideously ugly, and functional.
The front bit of the AA is more comfy seating and kitschy décor, whereas the back bit is for the live music, DJ area and dancing. It’s very functionally decorated in black and red, with a nice, circular bar, and the more friendly version of the hip bar staff.
Older folks will still feel comfortable here, as two of the AA’s regulars have a combined age of 145 years, and are greeted warmly by regulars and staff.
The music was good, trendy but still eclectic, and there were enough geeky people bopping about that even if you’ve got two left limbs on each appendage, you’ll still feel comfortable two-​stepping to some two-​tone. And other two puns as well.
Unfortunately, the bouncers are a bit paranoid, and I watched as one very undrunk fellow literally simply tripped over the ledge at the entrance, and was immediately barred, without them even hearing him speak. They weren’t rude to him, they just jumped the gun a bit, so watch out if you’re mobily impaired.

This pub was on the map of our Time Out Deptford art tour. We came here looking for art but the bartender said their not having a show until summer. The work would have been from the Goldsmiths collage students.
It was quiet Saturday afternoon and a much needed rest and drink was needed. Its a great big pub next to New cross station, the interior was lovely very old style looking and wooden They put out the Saturday papers for your enjoyment, if they had free wifi, that would of been the icing on the cake. They seem to attract trendies here, that’s due to the collage not being far. They seem to have a lot events happening here whether that be club nights or a band’s playing.
I noticed that the bus 453 from baker street comes down here which is good plus it helps that you can use your oyster card fully on the overground now. If you want you can also take trip down Amersham vale road at the end of it is the Old police station (check out the Unilocal review for that) highly recommended.
Its a shame this pub is not my local, but would definitely come back.

I dig this place. Nice refurbished pub, new painted outside and interior décor. Cool crowd — the young, hip residents of New Cross (see Goldsmiths students.) Plenty of indoor seating — just wish it had some patio tables for those rare sunny days outside…
Great 2-​for-​1ish drink special (Buy one drink for 5.95, get another for 1 GBP 5 – 10 M-​Sat and ALL DAY Sunday), with a healthy selection of fancy cocktails like the «Bloody Hell» bloody mary or a cocktail made with ginger beer and vodka. Yum.
Haven’t tried the food yet but saw it coming out and was lookin’ pretty tasty and (actually) homemade, as they advertise on the building. Definitely want to hit up the Sunday Roast to start off my week soon.

The Amersham Arms is probably the best pub in New Cross! It sometimes has live bands and it really good when the room at the back is open.
It gets quite busy at the weekends where you can’t really have a calm pub night to chat with a friend though. But in fact a night at ther Amersham is more than just a night in the pub but like a proper night out!

This place was alright. Their free friday night dance party was always a good time, only unless you’re completely knackered. I went there sober once and will never do that again. The food is pretty good, nothing special. The one good thing is that they sometimes get some good DJs and performances at this pub. It’s usually full of students or middle-​aged cheepers… go with a group of friends!

Sitting in the Amersham Arms a couple of weeks ago on a Sunday, I really wished it was my local. It has a wonderfully atmospheric ambience perfect for nightimes and days alike. Dark décor, fairy lighting and mismatched furniture create a cosy setting for lazy days, reading, chatting and eating your time away. The later is a particularly good option due to the excellent menu. Sunday roasts are amazing, but run out quickly, and the pies on offer later are hearty and delicious too.
At nighttime the place transforms itself into an excellent club venue hosting a huge range of nights from Matthew Herbert to local bands. I first went here for a night out, and didn’t recognise it when I returned a few weeks later for the day. There’s also a separate section next door if you fancy a break away from the mayhem.
As I said, I wish the Amersham Arms was in Camberwell. New Cross isn’t far, but it’s not that convenient to get too, with no tube station. It’s difficult to convince people from further away to go there, although sometimes the act playing is a good enough incentive.
New Cross, home to Goldsmiths, has a very arty feel. It’s pretty grotty, unattractive and grey, but the Amersham shows how the people and the vibe of an area holds precedence over its location.

This place stands like the Bates hotel in Psycho, in a sea of grey, there it is, this freestanding neon light building. I thought it was forward thinking from the people that renovated this place; those behind Lock Tavern, maybe they are heralding the rise of the new hip area in London, with the Goldsmith University so close, who knows. I liked the fact that the beer is super cheap, and they host amazing music nights, from Peaches, to Rusty, to The Mystery Jets, really not too shabby. The only thing so that it’s so far from Central London, it took me a long time to get there, and get back. I keep telling myself I took the wrong bus, so that next time I head there it wont be that long to arrive.

The Amersham Arms was renovated last year, going from a rather dodgy old man’s style place to an almost painfully pretentious new venue, associated with the famous Lock Tavern in Camden. Pretentiousness aside, they have done a really good job with turning the Amersham into a welcoming and cosy new place with a vartiety of attractions and nights on offer.
The food is amazing and wholesome, and not too pricey for what you get. The sunday roast is something to behold with an almost canteen style distribution of food; you line up with your plate, chose your meat and then take your pick of veggies and potatoes and of course condiments. Seconds if it all hasn’t been gobbled up! Good fun and great for hangovers. The burgers are delicious too– the real real deal.
During the day it’s a great place to just hang out, read your paper catch up with friends etc but at night it turns into a proper venue with up and coming bands, DJs, theme nights, comedy etc. Upstairs is an art gallery showing off local artist’s work– quite hit and miss but by no means the main attraction.
The crowd is very studenty and fashionable (sometimes perhaps a little too fashionable for my liking) and bodes for a good atmosphere.

The quality of the food at the Amersham surprises me no matter how many times I go there. Pub grub as pub grub should be: simple, fresh, tasty and affordable.
The music is always great and the bar staff are unfailingly sweet (although, as they all go to nearby Goldsmiths college, they have the advantage of knowing most of the punters). It seems a bit silly to go on about vibes — but the Amersham Arms has a fabulous vibe. I live a good twenty minute walk away, but dare anyone to say it’s not my local.

The Amersham Arms has a lot to answer for: in the style of its sister pub The Lock Tavern, it puts on free gigs in New Cross by some of Europe’s most contemporary musicians and DJs. It’s a bit of a mission to get there, but the crowd is cool. Now, the cons. Because of this dedication to free music, you’d better get there much, much sooner rather than later, as your ability of actually getting into the club with your friends decrease minute by minute after ten. Worst case scenario? Failing to get into the actual club room, go to the pub section and get drunk: Kronenbourg is priced at an honest £2.40.

The Amersham Arms is the pub/​music venue that New Cross has been waiting for. It is a palpable step up from the gritty but cheap New Cross Inn and a current haven for the Goldsmiths crowd.
The Live music roster has been good but not quite as consistently excellent as its sister pub the Lock Tavern in Camden. That said, it’s a fair bet that on a weekend you’ll find a decent band or dj staking their claim for the fashionista crown.
The drinks are reasonably priced, service is good and they offer a rather spiffing Sunday Roast.