Rose Pub and Kitchen

A year ago this was a smelly loud student pub, and now it’s turned into a great regular go-​to place for booze and food smack in the middle of New Cross. They boast a proper old-​fashioned pizza oven and serve up thin crispy slabs of yumminess. The calzones are good although a bit on the bland side for me (I’m a big garlic fan). Don’t let my spicy palate stop you, however, the mushrooms and spinach inside were fresh and tasty. I also recommend the fish pie, full of flaky flesh and nicely baked.
Staff are generally pleasant and the service is good.
Bonus feature: Huge back garden, featuring a space resembling a covered outdoor living room. With all this, a decent variety of beers and ales on tap, at reasonable prices, it’s a recommended pub to drink up or chow down at.

As a West Londoner I don’t come to New Cross that often, but the Rose is almost worth the trip in its own right. Actually, I am one of these annoying culture tourists who generally makes her way to some exhibition or event (Goldsmith’s is just around the corner).
Having walked past this beautiful and very inviting looking pub on several occasions, I finally ventured in on Saturday after an exhibition visit. It was the perfect summer’s day and everyone was crammed into the large beer garden. We decided to move indoors after a while as the DJ made meaningful conversations almost impossible. I’m sounding like a moany old bag here, but how do the neighbours bear it?! There’s music indoors, too, but more of the background volume type.
The pizzas looked very good, but we opted for some bar snacks instead. Home made sausage rolls — perfect! Staff were super friendly and efficient — all you need on a hot summer’s night.

This place has really had an overhaul, from a grotty student pub to an artisanal pizza tavern. The premises are spotless and the staff are very friendly. No longer the place to come and steam through a round of cheap drinks; now The Rose is somewhere to come and savour the atmosphere. Bring a huge group, get to the beer garden early and don’t forget to leave room for snacks!