The Dolphin

Good food and beer, nice garden and family friendly. What more can you ask of a local.

lovely pub. good food and a great gården.surprised that it only had a three står rating. Very pleased to have it in Sydenham.

So we tried it again a year or so after I vowed not to eat here, and I was right. I tried the short ribs (a favourite after my US stint) and my friend had the fish and chips.
The fish and chips were served in a basket, so we had to ask for a plate. The chips were slightly undercooked (I’m guessing they had only been fried once), with a very dry, powdery centre. The fish was mostly batter and not particularly nice.
The short ribs were two enormous pieces of meat on bones, with no sauce. It was good quality meat, but too dry. The mashed potatoes were overly buttered, but under seasoned.
We mentioned all this and got a round of drinks free. However, I’m not going back for food again.
The service is generally lovely and warm, although I did get a snappy reply when I very sweetly (and acknowledging that it was unlikely to be possible) asked if they could possibly turn the music down in one corner. («This is a pub, Love!»)

Beautiful wood pannelled bar, should really be serving über fine gastro pub food, with a ragingly good beer selection. Wrong. Food is bogstandard with not a hint of care or imagination. Beer selection is plain boring and over priced. Staff off hand. How this place survives is beyond me.

Great pub, usually nice and quiet so if your looking for some loud music and short skirts on a Saturday night look elsewhere. This place is more relaxed, few comfy sofas dotted around and nice small tables for dates.
The menu is varied and always cooked well (recommend the steak) pretty reasonably priced, and some dishes come in a small size if you’re looking for a light lunch.
Stunning beer garden out the back which is easy to miss. Definitely worth enjoying a cold one out in the sunshine on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Beer prices could be a little more competitive, and the lighting could be better, but still a great pub.

I try this place often. But have had too many bad experiences now. I ordered a butternut squash risotto once and they forgot the butternut squash. When I pointed this out they said «oh well». Often they try and sit us somewhere horrible in case they get other customers. Like under the loud tv, even if they’re empty. we have to fight to change seats. And the veggie choice is limited at best. The garden is nice though in the summer, so perhaps best to keep it just to drinks.

Great pub, superb beer garden, good selection of ales. What more do you need!

There aren’t many good pubs with great foods and beautiful beer gardens in this part of London. The Sunday Roast is pretty fantastic and I think for the quality of the food the £11.50 price tag is pretty reasonable.
The garden is like a little oasis. You really lose the fact that you’re on Sydenham High Street. It feels like you could be out in the middle of the countryside.
The prices in the pub do reflect this; it’s not the cheapest place in the area. In fact, it’s probably slightly priced out of the area. If you’re seeking a little bit of calm and good pub food it’s worth the premium.

I live not to far from this pub exterior of the pub looking from outside is very nice and clean mind you inside furniture décor is very glum they used old furniture well looks like, as like that old style pub inside I will say though this pub is very popular choice for locals in the Sydenham area.
beer garden at the back is nice enough though especially in the Summer.
I don’t drink in here very often as I find it truthfully for inner London pub very pricey infact it’s on parr with Westend prices I think.
If your in the area and can afford Westend prices then yeah it’s for me pub’s okay, but as I said too pricey.

I used to like The Dolphin a lot. Good beer, the food’s pretty good, prices reasonable and the garden is lovely. Generally a very pleasant place to while away a couple of hours. However, I won’t be visiting the place again because it simply can’t be relied upon to actually let you in! I arranged to meet my wife there after a busy Saturday, only to find that there was a private function on. Not the first time this has happened either. And I didn’t appreciate being banished from the garden due to a play being staged a few weeks ago. Seems to be more function room than PUBLIC HOUSE.

Went for Sunday roast. The pub is nice and the garden will be great all Summer. The food was a bit disappointing and overpriced though. The nut roast was just mush. Couldn’t identify any veg or nuts. My mate had the chicken, which he said was dry. Such a shame as it’s the first nice pub tl open in Sydenham.

A properly run and managed gastro pub. Great food, good atmosphere, good prices. Nice option are the small plates and plates to share/​ample size to cater for all appetites. Great wine list. Sister pubs in Forest Hill and Depford. A nice asset for Sydenham. Also hold arts events as part of Sydenham Music and arts festivals. Ps free wifi!

This is a good gastro-​pub with a stylish interior. There is always a warm, friendly ambience inside with friendly bar staff.
The food is tasty with good sized portions but is slightly overpriced in my opinion for pub grub.
The beer selection is good although they recently changed the tap lagers on offer. I preferred the previous selection of tap lagers and it loses half a point.
In the summer the splendid beer garden is used to put on plays. The Sherlock Holmes play in the summer (2009) was excellent and a really good night out.
A final added bonus is the free WiFi which is excellent for those with laptops, iPhones etc.
Overall, this is a good local pub with an excellent beer garden. With keener pricing for food and an improved tap lager selection, I would have awarded 5 stars.

From the outside it looks like a great new addition to Sydenham high street, but inside feels like it is lacking in atmosphere. Haven’t eaten here yet, but not in any rush to come back really.

Hooray for the wifi, the comfy armchairs, the range of drinks and the atmosphere, but what a shame about the portion size! Is it me? Am I turning into a supersizer? But it’s frustrating to end up ordering dessert not because you’re feeling indulgent, but because you still feel hungry. It’s odd, as well, because the portions at their sister gastropub, the Dartmouth Arms, are completely respectable. They do have a lovely, large beer garden though, which is rare for London. And I’m reliably informed they even put on A Midsummer Night’s Dream there last summer. So go on Dolphin. Pile more food on the plates, and you’d jump straight from three stars to five!

If I could live in a toilet I would build my shack here. The Dolphin in Sydenham has the most beautiful loo, arguably, that human civilisation has ever produced. The tiles are black and there are vintage women posing naked surrounding you while you wee. Never has letting yourself go been such a fabulous experience.
The pub itself isn’t that bad either. The beer garden in the back is outstanding. If I had the money, I would rent it out and throw my birthday party there every year. It’s huge, the layout of the garden is Zen-​chic and in the summer, when the flowers are blooming it’s gorgeous to look at.
The Dolphin serves really posh food. Like plum with capers and baked duck on mash. It’s quite delectable and surprisingly upmarket. The prices for both food and drink are typical though, nothing in this place is exorbitant. Hopefully, if I beg and plead hard enough, they will let me move into their toilet and when they let me move into their toilet I can run naked in the garden in the middle of the night while no one is around. OK… I may be getting a bit too attached to this place, but you would be too if you visited.