Hermit's Cave
28 Camberwell Church Street SE5 8QU
Tel: 0207 703 3188
For no real reason, we always rather imagined Hermit’s Cave as a rather rough old man’s pub. However, consistent tales from others of its charms and that it has “the best atmosphere in Camberwell” lured us in, where our preconceptions were proven completely wrong. The Hermit’s Cave is a bright, buzzing bar, with no music, and slightly shabby décor (though we liked the Camberwell photographs on the walls), a large bar counter with an impressive selection of beer and cider on tap, and large groups of young, fashionable, arty types crammed into booths, sprawling across chairs, spilling onto the pavement tables, and looking glamorous. Black leggings and microskirts were clearly de rigeur, and the resulting trendy vibe was enough to intimidate this particular reviewer. However this is not a bar for the young and beautiful alone: they seem to take over one part of the pub, while the other part is filled with slightly older people. The atmosphere of this pub is a place to catch up, to meet friends and chat, and most people were part of a group. It is not a pub for romance, and did not feel especially gay-friendly (though nor was it specifically unfriendly). However it has a good selection of drinks (which were surprisingly expensive), it is clearly very popular, and perhaps it is one of the places to see and be seen in Camberwell. Personally, we weren’t smitten, but we do not seem representative in this!
