The George, Broad Green, Croydon

Hopes of something special are briefly raised by the lovely tiled exterior that greets you as you approach this place. Sadly that is as good as it gets. The U-shaped single room interior is a bland and tatty affair with some battered looking upholstered benches lining the walls and a few rickety stools holding up the small band of locals. A large screen was showing Chelsea TV with the commentary on, whilst the only other feature of note was a dartboard with a couple of trophies lined up above it. I decided to sit outside in the equally unappealing beer garden which comprises of a couple of benches under some flimsy corrugated iron sheets, all masked from the road by a large tarpaulin sheet. A TV was also propped up outside, but it was switched off. There were no ales available so I had a pretty grim pint of Carling for £2.50, served to me by a disinterested looking barman. My initial notes said something along the lines of 'most unwelcoming pub in Croydon' although to be fair I did get chatting to one of the locals later on as we lamented the sad demise of the pub scene in this part of town. He also sang the praises of the pub's food, which seems to be the route they are using to attract custom, although I can't imagine wanting to eat in such a grubby and run-down environment, no matter how good the food is. A real let-down all told and another pub hanging on by its fingernails.