Ask a Londoner where to find good craft beer near London Bridge and most will point you south, towards the railway arches of Bermondsey. They're right — but there's more to the area than one famous strip. Between the station, Borough Market and Bermondsey Street, this pocket of South East London has quietly become one of the best places in the capital for a proper pint. We run guided tours through the heart of it, so here's our honest, local's-eye guide to where to drink.
Why London Bridge is a craft beer hotspot
London Bridge sits at the meeting point of a few very different beer scenes. You've got historic riverside pubs around Borough, independent bottle shops and taprooms tucked into railway arches, and — just a short walk south — the UK's densest run of craft breweries. Add cheap Zone 1/2 rents that let small breweries actually afford arch space, and you get a genuine working beer district rather than a strip of themed bars. It rewards a bit of exploring, and almost everything is within twenty minutes' walk of the station.
What sets it apart from most other London beer districts is proximity to actual production. Rather than bars simply stocking craft cans on a shelf, many of the taprooms south of the station are attached to working breweries — you can often see the tanks through a doorway or hear the bottling line running while you drink. That's a big part of why we've built our own tours around this specific patch of the city rather than anywhere else.
Start at the source: the Bermondsey Beer Mile
The main event is the Bermondsey Beer Mile, which begins just south of London Bridge along Druid Street and runs through the arches towards South Bermondsey. On a Saturday you can walk from one independent brewery to the next, tasting beer that's often been brewed metres from where you're drinking it. If you want the full picture of the route, stops and timings, see our Beer Mile route guide or the stop-by-stop Beer Mile map. We've been running guided tours down here since 2014, and it's still the best single afternoon of craft beer London has to offer.
Craft beer pubs around Borough Market
Borough Market itself is more food than beer, but the surrounding streets are full of good pubs and bars pouring craft alongside cask ale. It's a fairly traditional pub scene rather than a taproom one — think proper boozers with a rotating guest tap or two, plus a handful of newer bottle-and-can bars that lean fully craft. Opening hours and tap lists change often here, so it's worth checking a venue's website or socials on the day if you have something specific in mind.
Bermondsey Street's beer scene
A ten-minute walk from the station, Bermondsey Street has a different character again — independent, gallery-lined and full of good small bars and restaurants with strong beer lists. It's a nice, less rushed alternative if you want a couple of excellent pints rather than a full crawl, and it sits right between the station and the start of the Beer Mile, so it's easy to fold into a longer day.
Bottle shops and take-home craft beer
Most of the arch taprooms along the Beer Mile sell cans and bottles to take away as well as pours to drink in, so it's an easy place to build a mixed case for later. There are also a handful of independent bottle shops dotted around the wider Bermondsey and London Bridge area with strong, well-curated ranges. Stock and hours vary a lot by shop, so if you're after something specific it's worth checking their website first rather than making a special trip on spec.
Getting there and getting around
London Bridge is one of the best-connected stations in the capital — Underground (Jubilee and Northern lines), National Rail and buses all converge here, so most visitors can arrive without needing a car. From the station it's a flat, easy walk to Borough Market, Bermondsey Street and the start of the Beer Mile on Druid Street, and everything in this guide can comfortably be covered on foot in a single afternoon. There's no need to plan bus or Tube hops between venues once you're down among the arches — it's simply a case of following the railway line south.
The best time to go
Saturday is the classic day for craft beer near London Bridge — most Beer Mile taprooms are open, the area is busy without being overwhelming, and you can move between venues at will. Several breweries also open Thursday to Sunday, and a few midweek, but always check individual opening hours before a non-Saturday visit, since it varies stop to stop. Arriving from late morning avoids the after-work crowds and gives you first pick of the freshest kegs.
Make a full day of it
Craft beer is only part of what makes this corner of London so good for a day out. Pair a visit with the market stalls and street food of London Bridge's other attractions, or start with a walk through Southwark's brewing history on our heritage walk before the beer begins. If you want a wider view of the capital's brewing scene beyond Bermondsey, our roundup of London's best breweries, area by area is a good next read, and our guide to the best brewery tours in London compares the guided options if you'd rather not plan it yourself.
Self-led crawl vs a guided tour
You can absolutely do this area under your own steam — the taprooms are close together and well signposted once you know where to look. The trade-off is time: working out which arches are open, what's worth drinking and in what order can eat into your afternoon, especially on a first visit. Our guided Bermondsey Beer Tasting Tour runs for 2–3.5 hours, £49 per person with beer included at four hand-picked taprooms, meeting at Southwark Brewing Co on Druid Street. A local guide handles the route and the introductions so you can focus on the beer.
Doing it as a group
This part of London is superb for group days out — birthdays, work socials, stag dos and hen parties all suit the format well, since you're moving between relaxed, sociable taprooms rather than one crowded bar. We host private and group tours for 6 to 60+ people, with the route and pace built around your group. If you're planning ahead for someone who loves their beer, gift vouchers are delivered instantly by email and never expire, so they can pick their own date.
A suggested afternoon
- Midday: arrive at London Bridge, grab a bite at Borough Market or wait for lunch on the Mile.
- Early afternoon: head south to Druid Street and start working through the Beer Mile taprooms.
- Late afternoon: a break for street food at Maltby Street Market, roughly the midpoint of the route.
- Early evening: finish back towards Bermondsey Street for a last, calmer pint.
If that sounds like more logistics than you fancy working out yourself, our guided tasting tour covers the same ground with the planning done for you.
More London Bridge experiences
The links below are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only suggest experiences we'd recommend anyway.
- Borough Market Food Tour (6+ tastings) — a guided graze through the market, a good way to line your stomach before an afternoon of beer.
- The View from The Shard — a panoramic look at the city, including the arches of Bermondsey below, right above the station.