The Rake Reviews Summary

Beer Selection

Pros:

• "A fantastic range of beer albeit in the smallest space."
• "Great selection of real Ales."
• "Wide selection of craft beers, which is awesome."
• "Always good rotation of excellent beers that you won’t find at your typical London pub."
• "Incredible selection of highest quality beers, local and import."
• "Amazing selection of beer and knowledgeable staff."
• "Great selection of beers."

Cons:

• "Second time I've visited the place and I was a little bit disappointed with the beer options on tap."
• "While I used to love the Rake because of its extensive beer list and chilled out patio, I've noticed that the Rake may be the most overpriced non-cocktail bar in all of London."
• "Only downside is if you find a particularly good one it might be gone in a few weeks owing to the rotating selection."
• "Some pints are quite pricey."
• "Used to be a great place for unusual beer but the prices are ridiculous now."
• "Some of the imported keg beers from the US can cost upwards of £6 a pint so be careful!"
• "Beer selection pretty good. However pricing is a bit OTT compared to other sites with similar products."

Atmosphere & Location

Pros:

• "It's not a big place, so it can get a bit crowded, but that adds to its charm."
• "The atmosphere is relaxed and unpretentious, making it a great place to hang out with friends."
• "Wonderfully oddball little bar with a cosy and friendly atmosphere, plenty of space outside for summer drinks (well heated in the winter too)."
• "It's situated just behind Borough Market, so very good for the start of a night out around the London Bridge area."
• "The walls have tons of street art graffiti on them, giving it a nice, urban feel."
• "Lovingly squished in near Borough Market and with space in the bar for no more than 20, craft beer fans will adore The Rake."
• "An excellent craft pub, right in the beating heart of Borough Market."

Cons:

• "Not the most comfortable or pretty spot, but handy for a quick drink near borough market or London bridge. Crowded"
• "Decor.... hmmm, what decor?"
• "Not much to look at. But cosy. Comfortable. Homey."
• "Squashed between the waste bins for Borough Market and some pretty horrendous public toilets the experience is somewhat Medieval, perhaps fitting... There are much better places for similar or less across London."
• "The garden is next to the market toilets so you drink your £7+ pints with the fetid odour of urine/etc wafting so you feel more like you're drinking tennants super with the local drunks at a premium cost."
• "Standing room only most of the time."
• "The Rake is ever popular across London's beer drinkers, however the prices are on the high side, a pint of 3.8% for £6.50, and frankly the place stinks."

Service & Staff

Pros:

• "They are also very quick and while the place can get quite busy for it's small size queues at the bar are always dealt with in a speedy manner."
• "The staff are all very knowledgeable on the different types of beer."
• "The service staff is always polite and friendly."
• "The staff are very friendly and knowledgeable."
• "Staff is really friendly especially Matt, the best!"
• "Friendly, knowledgeable staff."
• "The staff are pleasant, which is impressive considering the number of tourists they have to deal with on a constant basis."

Cons:

• "The staff were certainly trying to play the miserable hipster card sadly…"
• "Miserable unhelpful staff and nowhere near enough seats inside."
• "What surprised me most, was that on a busy Saturday afternoon, when footfall surely must be at its highest, the staff were lacklustre and unwelcoming."
• "Sadly, we were served by some really rude staff members on the day."
• "Bar Staff very rude and bored, visited on a rainy afternoon and regretted it."
• "Experience tainted though by a bit of a condescending attitude from a couple of the bar staff."
• "The rotten pompous attitude of a few staff have taken this establishment a few steps outside of the craft beer culture they claim to promote."

Value & Pricing

Pros:

• "Great beers of all sorts and these are by keg so massive variety but get in quick as they change regularly."
• "The price of beer varies from around £3.50 a pint up to £6 but in fairness it is a good range."
• "Draught beer was a reasonable price, to be fair."
• "Great selection of craft beers and very well priced compared to other places in the area."
• "Good value at £4.95."
• "Lots of pints available for under £6."
• "Amazing selection of beers (they change them quite often) and reasonably priced."

Cons:

• "Very expensive for a pint of some drinks."
• "Unfortunately my friend has a gluten intolerance and paid £10 for one can of gluten free IPA."
• "Prices though are high (definitely the highest I've seen recently on many visits over the years - used to be very reasonably priced)."
• "Prices have always been on the high side."
• "I can live with the over crowding. What I cannot live with is over £10/ pint."
• "£13.40 for a pint!? Ha! Downgraded further to 1 star...."
• "It is a bit on the expensive side though - from £5 to £15 for a pint."