The Rockingham Arms

This was our first meal in London after getting off the overnight plane ride. We were looking for the place to meet our contact to get key to apartment we had rented. It was a loud place, weathered and rough. Definitely a place to keep a sharp eye out for your luggage, even signs on the tables said that. It is not a place suitable for children, even though they have a sitting area for families.
It’s a place to drink, rather than eat. Lots of people drinking, few actually eating.
Fish and Chips were tasty and reasonable in price. Service was not fast and you ordered at the bar, giving them your table number for food delivery. Servers were pleasant and the water closets downstairs were something to remember.

Nice little place. About what you’d expect from a Spoons; the ale flows and the people seem shocked by every new entrant.
If you’re up for a trip back in time, venture downstairs to the toilets which magically transport you onto the set of James Cameron’s Titanic. The bit where Jack and Rose get crushed up against the railing? It’s like that corridor.
Otherwise fine.

I go to the university opposite, and usually had good experiences with food and drink as it was the local place to go after class or once the university bar was closed.
However I went there for food, as usual, and out from underneath my chair my rucksack was slid to the table behind me, and my laptop was stolen out of it.
Now I don’t blame the place for my laptop being stolen, that was mostly my fault, however when I told the staff that the couple who had been sitting behind my table had stolen it, they acted indifferent and said they couldn’t really do anything about it. I had descriptions of the couple that stole it but nothing was done.
I went to the police and reported it stolen, and 3 weeks later got a phone call claiming that the view of my laptop being stolen was blocked by a pillar. This is simply not true. They also could have traced the people’s credit card from the table number. I honestly think the cameras are there for show, and don’t actually work?
Maybe this is an unfair review, but I don’t think it’ll stop people from going to it as it is a local pub to the elephant and castle area…

Sometimes you just need something to weather the storm.
When I was a student I can’t recall what it was that drew hoards of us in out of the rain, but perhaps a burger, chips and a pint at a JD Weatherspoons for less than the cost of a Meal Deal at the infamous golden yellow arches was it?
I heard cool kids on the block referred to it as the ‘Sorry Ronnie’.
But there’s no music you say?
Who needs music when you’ve got a song in your heart, a spring in your step and change in your pocket.
Atmosphere, Shatmosphere. There’s atmosphere wherever you go, so long as you stay on this planet, you can still breathe, can’t you?
(Well you certainly Can breathe now that designated smoking areas are now outside and wonder of all wonders, I repeat! What will take your breath away is that you’ll get change for a round too!)
Speaking of outside, no matter where you are in Elephant and Castle, you can take any underpass exit and always paradoxically end up nearest to the Rockingham Arms. It must’ve been a sign to try it and pass it no more.
Now, you can’t knock a Spoons wherever you are. Every one in the nation serves as canteen, crèche and community centre for many; for business, bonding and beers.
Ok so there’s a bit of riff-​raff bawling out the front. But after celebrating one of their excellent real ale festivals without having to take out a mortgage like you do for a shoreditch night out, I was the riff-​raff.
If you do want music there’s always the Coronet across the road, or if you are alone, listen to your iPod whilst you drown your sorrows in your choice of pretty splendid craft beer or if your mood inclines; the cheapest beer or wine on tap in town.
So test your will and try the Rockingham Arms after negotiating the spaghetti junction-​like oppression of the subway, should you find it easily or not, I’m sure you’ll definitely need a drink anyway. Or if you’ve just toured the city sky scrapers and the cost of their cocktail menus have been more for a cause for your vertigo, take a deep breath and feel pretty smug when you get change from your order.
This pub’s pretty convenient for commuters north-​west to south with the train and tube nearby. My tip is enjoy it whilst you can, before E&C explodes and looses its character getting swept up in all the hype on the way to the now pretentious Peckham.
It’s a pretty casual place which caters for workers/​shirkers, loners, daters and haters, but I was pleasantly surprised by the food. I ordered sweet potato curry, which actually was butternut squash, but I’m an idiot and I should have just had a beer and burger. But it was actually pretty good. I enjoyed the plates the most; pretty almost swanky and oversized but nowhere near overpriced.

I gave it 4-​starts because the dollar is so weak in England, this place stretched our money. The drinks are cheap, the food is cheap but it’s a clean and welcoming place. In the mornings, the older locals frequent this place while reading their newspapers but at night it a younger crowd keeps it alive, standing room only at times and drinks continuously flowing. There is a bouncer at the door to make sure nothing gets crazy but it still felt pretty safe. You can have 2 – 3 beers here for the price of one beer at bar closer to the tourist attractions. We were staying at a place behind this bar so it was convenient for us to pop in and pop out. We had their classic breakfast our last day in London and it wasn’t bad at all. Their regular menu food all looked good and good portions too. If you are new to London, the rule is to find a table, note the table number and go to the bar and order your food and drinks. They will bring you the food. Aside from water which they refill at your table, you have to keep going to the bar to get your drink. Enjoy!

A zoo — an absolute zoo on those MOS headliner nights.
Located just a stone throw away from the Ministry of Sound, the place is crawling with trance and house heads loading up for the night ahead.
Being a Witherspoon operation one can expect a dash of rowdiness to air with reasonably priced drinks.

It was a bit of a dive really this pub it situated on the edge of one of Elephant Castle under pass exits, inside I was met with a very tatty and worn wooden tables and seating area, the pub is a fair size though but the toilets very trashy in fact they ended up flooding just before I left. So it wasn’t my best Wetherspoons pub experience, very sadly. but funny enough this place was pretty packed with the locals from the Elephant & Castle neighbourhood I had to wait quite a while to get served too. All in all if your in the area and fancy a quick half I guess it’s okay, I suggest though, you drink it quick and move on!! lol. If you’re out to impress a date hmm! perhaps it maybe a good idea to give this boozer a miss!!!

this is as good a place than anywhere around Elephant tube, good meeting place and stop off for a bus going anywhere else in London! Staff friendly, toilets clean, you get what you pay for as in all Wetherspoons.

Not a bad little place. Very conveniently placed near E&C tube station. Definitely lacks atmosphere though a rather bland building, and no proper pub atmosphere, though I guess the fact I was there on a Monday night didn’t help. Food was served promptly, good food, though being wetherspoon’s it’s much the same. Overall not the nicest of places, but cheap, does the job, and good food.

This pub is quite useful for is location to elephant and castle underground and the shopping centre nearby it does lack atmosphere but makes up for it with cheapish alcohol and decent food. It is a weatherspoons so is busy most nights of the week and often most Friday and Saturday evening it can get quite busy. The bar staff are friendly enough and the food service is quick. Only downside to this venue is the toilets like most weatherspoons they are not perfect however the ladies loos I’n this place have smelled terrible every-​time I have used them it could be that they are situated downstairs with no ventilation system however not somewhere you want to stay I’n longer then you need to no make up touches I’n there! However overall decent enough pub for a few drinks.

How apt that this Wetherspoon pub the chain is oft nicknamed God’s waiting room is a former DSS office.
If memory serves it was the office where the homeless of South London were directed to collect emergency handouts. A particularly violent and intimidating atmosphere. If you made it to the PO, cashed your giro and got out the area in one piece. you were lucky.
Hopefully someone stood outside on the 11^th May 2011, paid respect to the 70^th anniversary of a particularly brutal bombing raid, and mourned the passing of a once great area of London.
The Germans don’t have such depressing drinking establishments. Why do we?.
I blame Churchill for not letting Liverpool lie.

I have heard that is one of the dodgier ‘spoons in london, but my experiences certainly did not reflect this. I have been here more than once for the curry club and my food and pints were good quality.
The building has absolutely zero charm though and I did have to try not to get caught in a conversation with some of the usual ‘characters’ lurking by the bar.

Ok, so if I was just doing a review on their breakfasts — I’d give it four stars. Value for money is shockingly good. I’m not sure how they get it this cheap but I’m sure it probably involves child labour, minimum wage and pigs in cages. And it’s delicious!
Two fried FREE-​RANGE eggs, two rashers of bacon and two sausages, served with baked beans, three hash browns, a large flat mushroom or black pudding and half a grilled tomato and two slices of toast all for £3.89 — I’m not joking.
However, the atmosphere is crap and most other meals are pretty awful in my experience. On the plus side my husband really enjoyed the banana beer they had on tap.
Try to avoid 11am on a weekday as all the students from South Bank come over for cheap coffee and the waiting time for yummy cheap breakfasts gets way longer.