Outdoor Pubs in Greater Kennington

Posted on May 23, 2026 by Kennington Observer

We were summonsed into the office today to address that strange, heat producing orb almost never seen on a Bank Holiday. Executed in haste but with exquisite precision, below is our guide top local independent(ish) pubs with outdoor seating. We’ve left out the big chain pubs and those that cram a few benches to within 6 feet of the wheels of the #3 bus.

Orbit Brewery – Walworth. Winners of our highly relished ‘best Sunday Roast’, Orbit is our own little brewery tucked in railway arch in Walworth, with a large and quiet beer garden in front. Tzatzikii beer is on tap.

Old Red Lion – Kennington Park Rd. Fun, young pub with a faux Elizabethan meets car boot sale feel. Shady garden at the back.

The Rosy Hue – Elephant Park. Swishy gastropub in the newish Elephant Park. Very dog friendly and some quiet seats outside.

Betty and Joans – Elephant Park. Cool and trendy gay pub that’s straight friendly. Lots of outdoor space and huge doors bringing the outdoors indoors. They have a cracking comedy night but it is unfortunately not outside

The Black Dog – Vauxhall. When your little pub is name checked in a Taylor Swift song you hardly need our assistance, but were giving it anyway. Friendly but very popular seating area in front and smaller area in the back that reminds us somewhat of a prison cell.

The Jolly Gardeners – Vauxhall. Another contender for our ferocious quest to unearth the best sunday roast, the space outside is often full but there is a less known outdoor space at the back which looks not dissimilar to a ski lodge.

The Duchy Arms – Sandcroft St. We’ve always felt a bit sorry for the Duchy Arms as it suffers from BPLS (thats bad pub location syndrome). But they have been gifted with an outdoor space that is so big it was once a car park. When the smoker is one they have some cracking BBQ.

The Pilgrim. – Ken/Vauxhall – Fun sports pub with a some seating to the front and more in the back. Very lively.

The Ship – Kennington Lane. Another local stalwart with a somewhat private front area. If you visit please keep your personal front area totally private.

The Tankard – Kennington Lane. The only local pub we’re aware of with a rooftop bar, and they make the most of it during the warmer months. Tankard, we are loving your retro Sunday Roast carvery. So pass the Blue Nun and crank up the Bonnie Tyler.

Now, where’s our Pimms?

Best Pub Quizzes in Greater Kennington

Posted on October 8, 2022 by Kennington Observer

After a long day at Runoff Towers, a gaggle of us hopped over to gastro pub The Rose in Albert Embankment to bask in their pub quiz, among other temptations. The quiz is held upstairs and MC’ed by a slightly bumbling but endearing American chap who ironically lays on some very, very tricky questions involving songs, maps, letter games and general trivia (mind bending picture round clues below). There are free drink questions and prizes to be won and on our night the jackpot was at £200. The crowd was very convivial but contained, and there wasn’t a cheating mobile in sight.

On the food front, it pains us to say that the mains had, well, spent most of their short lives in a freezer. However, some of the starters were very tasty and we can recommend the calamari. And, as if arisen from the ashes, there was a pop up menu selection from the short lived Kennington Cross burger joint Rare Burger Co. which looked more enticing. The Rose pub quiz is on Monday nights from 19:00 and can be reserved on their website. Time well spent after a day at work.

If you like a bit of stand up injected into your pub quiz, we highly recommend the quiz at The Old Red Lion pub in Kennington Park Road. Hosted by the deadpan and pseudo legendary ‘Paul Partridge Experience’, there is often a theme (music is common) and games such as throwing rings around bottles or dancing. Listen closely and he will manage to insult most celebrities, and even if ask himself existential questions such as ‘how did my life end up like this’. The Old Red Lion pub quiz is on Sunday nights from 20:00 and can be reserved on their website.

And if you’re wondering if team Runoff won the pub quiz then let me be the first to tell you that we didn’t. That honour was bestowed on the young men with great hair who scored our quiz sheet, who then eagerly informed us that they live in north London and are great friends from Uni. We resisted the urge to say ‘oh yeah, well we all work at an imaginary publishing house so TAKE THAT’ and throw our crumpled quiz sheet at them.