With its open fires, wooden floors and rustic country pub furniture, at first the Hermit's Cave might seem a little out of place in the middle of this inner city South London. But on closer inspection, Hermit’s is the true heart of night-time Camberwell, welcoming a clientele every bit as mixed as the area it lives in.

The Venue
A distinctive semi-circular building occupying the corner of lively Camberwell Church Street and the much posher Grove Lane, Hermit’s Cave looks and feels like a village pub. In the winter, the seats around its roaring fires are the top spots to secure. In the summer, the front of the pub opens out to let in the breeze, although the crowd often spills out onto the pavement for a smoke and a chat as the evening progresses. There are smaller tables for more discreet chats, but most come in bigger gangs and settle around its circular seats which can accommodate up to 10 people.

Traditionally this is the principal hangout for students from the nearby Camberwell Art College, so you can imagine yourself sat in the company of past luminaries such as Syd Barrett and Sarah Brown. But it also tempts in a good selection of locals and is more mixed, both ethnically and in terms of age, than any other watering hole in the area.

The Atmosphere
A great mixture of the highbrow - the art student quotient means you can expect plenty of portfolio cases and discussions about where multimedia animation is heading these days - and the earthier pleasures of at-the-bar banter or watching the obscure football ties being shown on cable. Because it’s the only place in Camberwell you can get a late drink without being sonically assaulted by DJs or a jukebox - there’s not even a CD on - this is definitely the talker’s pub of choice.

The Drink
With no music and no food beyond crisps and nuts, the drink had better be good - and it is. As well as the usual pints of IPA (£3), Staropramen, Guinness, Stella and so on, the pub stocks real ales like Shrimpers (£3.60) and Amarillo, as well as an array of organic farmhouse cider. With an enviable collection of spirits, cocktails are popular, but there’s also a menu of more country pub-style drinks like Irish coffees, hot toddies and mulled wine (£3.95) that you‘d be hard pushed to find anywhere else nearby. If your party is on a budget, there are bottles of house white and red or jugs of Pimms, all at an equitable £10.

The Last Word
It may be no frills in some respects, but on the really important things like drinking and chatting well into the small hours, Hermit’s scores every time.

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