Hare and Billet (Greene King)

2015-09-25. A relatively short walk from the Royal Observatory that felt longer while hungry! Interior feels a bit more upscale, or trying to be at least, than many of the pubs we have been frequenting in London. It has a traditional but polished renovation feel to it. Server was friendly, decent selection of casks and taps, and a tasty upscale food menu. Most of our group opted for the fish and chips , while I had the quail. The fish was very good but simple. The quail was delicious and well prepared, but possibly more work than it was worth for the small amount of meat - the quail’s fault, not the chefs! The rest of the menu looked very tasty as well, prices are higher for the fancier options. We opted for beers from Thornbridge, Salopian, Bristol Beer Factory and Tiny Rebel today. Not necessarily impressive enough to warrant a trip on it’s own but definitely recommended for a meal and a pint if in the area.

Really like it here, lots of choice on the hand pumps and keg lines. Though the bottle range is small and a bit boring. My only gripe would be the price of some of the keg lines on the back wall. But i guess that is par for the course now. The hand pulled beers are good value though!

First of all big thanks to Reuben (Desverger) for drawing my attention to this place.This once was a bit of a beer Mecca back in the 90s as a Hogshead. Since the demise of that chain the choice had been quite average (Fullers, Youngs, Adnams) and quality wasn’t always up to scratch. To be honest I thought that Greene King’s grasping paws might get hold of it and destroy it’s character. Luckily enough this hasn’t happened and the pub has been sensitively transformed into a rather pleasant drinking establishment with sacks of choice on the pumps and some interesting craft kegs. Nice ambiance, friendly staff and well kept beer. Could quite easily become the best pub in Blackheath. Very impressed with the changes and without a doubt this will be my first port of call whenever I’m next in Blackheath.

22/02/2013: Has recently reopened following a refurbishment and the changes include a great new selection of diverse cask ales as well as guest kegs. There are 10 cask pulls, 4 guest kegs as well as 8 other lager/cider taps. On recent visit Dark Star featured heavily, and also included The Kernel, London Fields, Gadds, Adnams, and others. Staff were knowledgeable, helpful and attentive. Prices range from the expected for cask in centralish London, but the guest kegs/bottles are pretty pricey. Overall a good rebirth/welcome addition to Blackheath, and well worth checking out if you are in the area. 4/5 8/10 13/15 N/A 7/10 15/20 Update:28/08/2014 - This place gets better with each visit, always something new each time, great diverse and mostly pretty rare hard to find brews - place rating updated. 4/5 9/10 13/15 N/A 8/10 17/20