"The Glad" is one of the only Desi-Pubs I've had the fortune of visiting. The term, a categorisation of a British pub, where the owners/managers are from Indian origin, typically with a crossover of Punjabi food and British pub culture. I was first taken here by a friend, set free from Covid, we had hit a few pubs in the area but when he started dragging me down the backstreets of Southwark and Borough I had no idea what I was in for. The visit was fun. Shots, beers, chicken tikka pies, and despite our intentions to hit a few more places, we couldn't pull ourselves away. A revisit at the back end of 2022 then, and refreshingly it still gave me the same warm feeling as before. A tidy and refined range of craft beers on the bar, well kept ales, and an inviting seating setup for communal or solo pints, that on this dreary December afternoon was on the cusp of filling up with the Christmas crowd. I had a pint of Gipsy Hill Hepcat, regretted not ordering food but vowed to not leave it a year again between visits. So, I came back a week later, bringing another friend here, this time for food. Chicken Pao, Samosas, Gobi Manchurian, Cod Fingers and Chips. It didn't hang about for long, each dish inhaled quicker than the last, a comforting blend of pub grub and Indian specialities, some with more of a crossover than others. The roast dinner comes with Bombay potatoes and Yorkshire puddings for example. The Hepcat flew down again too. I'm yet to be here when it's thriving, as indicated by my "just opened" pictures (the best time to snap without invading privacy), but doubling as a music venue, and reading through the endless praise online, I'm going to need to return again. Also, rare that I manage to find a pub with its own Wikipedia article too, but as echoed in the aforementioned reviews, this pub once threatened by closure by the rampant redevelopment in the area, was saved by CAMRA and is now listed as an Asset of Community Value. Check out David Jesudasom reviews of this and other Desi Pubs (the Pellicle Magazine article is great), read up on The Glad, and pay a visit next time you're in town. Save room for food too. Sensational.

🚇 Borough 🍺 £5.90 Gladstone Lager ❤️ A beloved Borough boozer serving Beer and Bhajis. . Tucked away just off busy Borough High Street you’ll find The Gladstone Arms or The Glad if you’re a regular. The nearest Tube is Borough which is a three minute walk away. . This pub was originally built in 1869 and rebuilt in the 1920’s. In 2015 the pub was faced with demolition, but a strong campaign by locals and CAMRA secured the pub as an Asset of Community Value, Pub 1 - 0 Vultures. . This pub is divided into three sections. On the ground floor is a cosy ‘L’ shaped bar that has a traditional pub feel with some Indian influences. Adorning the walls are an eclectic mix of artworks including a mural of India’s past. There are some other nice touches too, there is a Joanna in the corner, British and Indian bunting and contemporary lighting. If you head upstairs, there is a lounge bar and a small roof terrace. . The beer selection includes an ever-changing range of ales and craft beers from local London breweries. I tried a pint of the house lager, my pint was decent and cost less than six quid. The food menu consists of a homemade selection of Anglo-Indian food, combining British classics with Indian flavours, I loved the idea of a Sunday roast with Bombay potatoes. . I arrived mid-afternoon on a sunny Saturday in July. The atmosphere was relaxed, welcoming and had a local pub feel. The crowd was a mix of locals plus a table of a few tourists exploring the area. The soundtrack was excellent, hats off for playing Sly & Robbie. The service was great, I was served by a very nice chap who was welcoming and courteous. There is plenty here to keep you entertained, check out the pub’s socials for quiz and comedy nights plus live music from all genres. . @thegladpub is everything you want a pub to be. It looks after its local community and those from further a field. It has passionate owners who not only have saved the pub but offer a diverse mix of British and Asian passions. The Glad is definitely one for the must visit list. शानदार . ℹ️ Info correct on visiting 15.07.23

Great little find. Really enjoyed the food (a tasty but pricey Indian infusion pie) and a good selection of beer. Friendly staff.

A gem on the London pub scene. Spent Christmas eve here with a group of friends and can honestly say was my favourite Christmas eve in London in 16 years! The food, entertainment and service from this family run pub was just perfect. Thank you

To hear more about this great pub, go listen to our podcast, Pubtrotters Pubcast! #21 The Gladstone - Desi pubs, care home servings & end of a road. WE ALWAYS GIVE 5s AS ALL PUBS ARE DIFFERENT AND GREAT, ANY 'NEGATIVE' SOUNDING COMMENTS ARE PURELY BASED ON MY OBJECTIVE EXPERIENCE CONTEXT I was there to record a podcast for Pubtrotters. As ever, i was there a bit early to take it in. Was there from about 4:30pm - 7:30pm on a Monday. ATMOSPHERE For a Monday, there was surprisingly a nice hubbub about the place. It helped there was a wine tasting happening, but there were definitely some locals and other more 'business' like people in there doing end of ay meetings. There was definitely an atmosphere, which was helped by the general size of the place. STYLE A small and old pub, from the 1800s! This pub has clearly gone through several iterations, which i also learnt whislt doing the podcast. Recently it has been taken over by a brother and sister from India, the sister, Megha, the first Indian Landlady as far as we're aware! There is obvious and classic 'old London' vibes about this place, interspliced with Indian heritage and decor, its quite a beautiful pub from my perspective. Also has a great little outdoor area on a terrace, which is very cosy and over looks a playground, which is funny, as kids kept trying to kick footbals up at me (I was protected by a fence, i assume this has happened before!). SERVICE Very personal and lovely service from bar lady (in this case was the Landlady Megha), very friendly. As mentioned, this is a small pub, and so has a small bar, which was pretty much surrounded by people sat on high chairs at the bar. I'm always in conflict about this, I LOVE sitting at the bar, but I also hate not being able to get to the bar, because people are sat in the way, end up having to look under people's armpits to look at the beer choice. This being said, the people sat there were very lovely and friendly about it. TOILET Couple of different toilets in the pub, obviously only saw the mens. Classic pub toilet downstairs and then a very homey toilet upstairs, reminded me of my grandmothers toilet, little books to read and such. PRICE Oooof London is getting pricey now isn't it! This is no reflection on the pub, for the great beer they service, (which is what i was drinking), its just the market price now. Didn't seem like there are any drink offers on in the week or antyhing, your looking at £6.50+ a pint. FOOD & DRINK The drink selection was fabulous! 1 beer on Cask, which they do change apparently, then around 12 beers on keg, with plenty of choice from a pineapple lager (what i had) to some great looking pilsners. I didn't eat hear, but i heard great things from the locals about how good the food here was. Very much Indian affair, with british twists and vice versa. Their sunday roast, with bombay roast potates sounded particularly exciting! Superb pub, I WILL BE BACK!

This place was brilliant! I recently attended with a dozen members of the Gay indian Network (GIN) UK. I co-organise this group with Praveen. We had no problems with ordering, even though we had a dozen members pre-ordering. The pub could not have been more organised in dealing with us. This was for our annual Christmas Party. The food is a fantastic twist on traditional British pub food with an Indian twist. I would recommend the chicken tikka pie! It caters for Indians, British-born Indians and the wider community. For a Central London pub, the prices are very reasonable. Having run a fusion street food business myself, I really appreciate the thought that has gone into the menu. The family team at Gladstone Arms - brother/sister duo, Megha and Gaurav are warm, welcoming and very efficient. I will be returning for the Sunday roast with my husband in due course!

Lovely pub with a great vibe! Awesome live music - definitely recommend, we went on a Sunday and they had live music but they may also have it on other nights. They also had really nice Indian food, I had the vegetarian sliders and they were really good! There was also a lovely semi-outdoor area upstairs (see pic!) and a separate private room that I think you could book.

I took my team to the Gladstone Arms for our Christmas get together, and had the Indian canapes. It's a great place with a traditional vibe, serving wonderfully flavoured food. The staff are incredibly friendly, helpful and attentive. I am definitely planning to have a return visit as a team sometime.

The foods were good and we got a lot huge smiles from people working there! Really good place for having a beer and talks before dinner.

Great service! Friendly staff and some unique Indian fusion dishes.

As a loving tourist of London, I've visited and had a pint into many pubs. But I must confess, the Gladstone was the nicest. It's cozy, it's well decorated, but mainly, it's held and managed by caring and loving brother and sister. Please if you walk by, go say hi. The building is cute, the owners are lovely. Five stars.

One of my favourite pubs, always such a warm welcome. This pub has one of the most genuinely friendly atmospheres about! A true "IYKYK" pub, one of the greatest pubs in London in my opinion. Also great beer, fantastic food (go for the roast on Sunday, it will blow your world).

Found this gem by accident. Run by brother and sister as music (some nights)/curry (all nights) pub. Dreat atmosphere. Truly delicious home made Indian (and other Asian) dishes. Thoroughly recommend. We will definitely be back. Only sadness was that they did seem to currently have a real ale on. But we hope that's a blip!

Love this pub. Excellent beer choice. Stunning Indian food. Fairly affordable too.

Pub is a little small bathroom could use some attention. The food however is truly amazing and compares with a few Michelin star restaurants I have experienced. The chips (fries) were the best I have ever tasted and they have truly accomplished a great fusion of Indian and English fare!

An absolutely find, just a few minutes walk from Borough tube. A family owned business serving really wonderful Anglo-Indian food and a good selection of beer, including small beer. Live music, open mics, AND two tables always kept back for walk-ins/locals. A proper pub in an area where few remain.

Lovely pub a short distance from Borough tube. It is on more than one floor with an outside terrace upstairs together with a dining area and a nice bar on the groundloor where you can also eat. The menu is Indian inspired and looked really good and plenty of people where eating the food which is a healthy sign, however I had already eaten so cant really coment to much about the offering. They had a varied selection of beers from local brewries together with a good selection of wines too. The loo was very clean, had soap and everything worked. I went on a Sunday as they have live music on Sunday and Tuesday, the artists I saw were excellent. Pricing is typical of the area, the atmosphere was nice, the staff friendly so overall well worth visiting.

Snall back street pub liked by its locals. Looks like a traditional boozer from outside but indoors was quite different. Strong live music scene by the looks of it.

Big fan of this place - located not far from Borough market and Borough tube station, bit of a hidden gem. Good beer selection and a good and friendly boozer. Punters in there are as lovely as the staff.. really good vibe about the whole place.. if you are a bit of a craft boozer like me it’s got to be up there to tick off in London.

Awesomely friendly pub with a great vibe and friendly staff. This is exactly the sort of place that locals covet and out-of-towners dream of having for a local. Come in for the atmosphere. Stick around for the impressive tap list. Enjoy a great selection of music – both live and streamed. And be sure to take advantage of a menu of pub faves and Indian/British fusion deliciousness.

Invited to The Glad music pub, by Fern bandleader of Foxpalmer. The band that was top-of-the-bill on Sunday's altfolk, jazz and blues night. Great musician community! Great atmosphere, good for casual meetings with friends over drinks and good food. Food was British-Indian snacks and full plated meals. I had the Indian spin on Fried chicken and chips. Delicious!!!!!!! Would thorough recommend the Gladstone Arms free house, SE1. I have just discovered my new bolthole!!!!!

We went with a friend by accident, looking for a pub to end the night with a pint. They had a live that day and so we ended up staying until the end. Such a cozy space, staff was so friendly and warm, it felt really intimate. I saw they do regular open mics and lives so def recommend a visit

Love this pub, lovely welcome from the owners and always have a good selection of beers on. We tried the Sunday lunch with an Indian twist, delicious. Can’t wait to return, highly recommended and well worth seeking out

Lovely friendly pub that emanates from the brother and sister duo; had a wonderful birthday celebration in their upstairs room with great food and ambience (party music allowed!) Nothing was too much bother and made for a fabulous evening. Thank you to Meg & G for their hospitality and did I mention again that the food was delicious (highly recommend the chicken tikka masala pie!)

The best pub in SE1, no question. A must for either live music or a fun or a chilled vibe. Amazing food. A rare independent. The owners are awesome. Go. Don’t think twice.

Decent pub just off Borough High Street close to Borough tube station. Only one cask beer on handpump when I last visited. Upstairs lounge and roof terrace. Indian influenced menu.

Incredible pub with a rotating selection of the best beers, a different and exciting Indian/pub classic fusion menu and the most welcoming and passionate staff. Absolute gem!

True gem of London Borough. Very unassuming from the outside, but amazing food, drink and vibe inside. Run by a delightful family who are very welcoming. Definitely worth the visit.

Always a great time at the glad, and no different this time around for the winter world cup. A welcoming atmosphere with lovely staff and management. The boneless tandoori chicken thighs are amazing and I highly recommend the karaage.

Great friendly local pub. Wide range selection of craft beer. Don't forget to try their chicken karaage and goat pie.

Lovely backstreet pub, excellent food, the Karaage Chicken is amazing. Great selection of beers, the staff are very friendly and helpful re the beers. Live music too. Has a real local feel.

My favourite pub. The beer and food is the best and the staff are even better. Much love to the Glad X

The owners are the most welcoming couple you could ask for. Incredible food - choice of beers and spirits - entertainment. Fantastic.

Top beer selection here if you're into IPAs (a lot of which I'd not heard of or tried before). Atmosphere was really good (not a lot of seating space but we stood at the bar most of the evening). Bar staff were super friendly which as always is a gray incentive to keep coming back when in the area

Very good pub. Food is great, beers great and bar staff also great. Bar staff notable in that they helped us choose beers, seating and vibe (downstairs for the live music or upstairs for something more lively). Highly recommend this pub, we had a great time.

As close to a traditional London “boozer” as you can get - expect that it’s clean, welcoming, with great food and beer selection. It’s a small venue - a real corner pub - complete with period tiles and dubious furniture. Yet they squeeze in a large bar area stack with a couple of dozen premium and craft beers, two sport screens and an open mic area. It’s like Tiny Living for pubs! The star twist here is the food, however - Indian small plates, and a twist on our+chips to be a curry pie. Vegetarian-friendly too. It’s right next to Borough tube. Feels a bit of a walk if you’re starting from the City but it’s worth it. Be early if you want a table - we arrived at 5.15pm and were fine.

This is a gem in the heart of Borough, a great pub with a buzzing environment and great atmosphere. We went for a Christmas meal with our social group, and the team did exceptionally well at catering a large group of 16. Food was brought out on time and it tasted great. This is Anglo-Indian pub food as it states on the menu and did not disappoint, I would particularly recommend the cauliflower dish, samosas and also the paneer pie! These guys have done a great job at creating this new type of cuisine whilst encorporating the best of Indian and English favourites! The service is great and the hostess (and co-owner) really looked after us and made sure we had a great time. Very much looking forward to coming back soon!

We love this pub, the staff are great, the food is excellent and it has a great atmosphere. We recently organised a Christmas dinner with friends (and children) and Megha was so accommodating. We had to postpone the dinner at the last minute and they were happy for us to transfer our deposit to another date without issue. On the day we had lots of space for buggies and the food was great. Would recommend for all occasions! We’ve also been previously with our dog and they were very dog-friendly too!