Crown and Anchor

Pub

246 Brixton Rd, Vassal, London SW9 6AQ

£

The Crown and Anchor is a great place to have as a local. Situated on large, busy and very loud Brixton Road, you would think it would be really unpleasant to catch a drink outside, however, given the pub's proximity to Slade Gardens and a pedestrianised stretch of street into the park, it is actually pretty lovely. After finding out this would be my new watering hole after a move this way in May, I gave Crown and Anchor a bit of a Google stalk - finding it to be among the top pubs in London for an intricate and carefully chosen selection of craft beers, as well as in the top 10 for Sunday roasts. Winner winner chicken dinner? Yes indeed.

My 'first time' at Crown and Anchor wasn't really a first time at all, instead it was a takeaway milk carton of beer which I gladly got through in the neighbouring gardens one lockdown summers evening. The manager here is a no-shit kinda guy, which at first I found a little unwelcoming but have now grown to love, the other staff are an eclectic mix of what I presume to be locals, and a couple of new grads which are just pleased to be there. When lockdown eventually lifted in early July, we were among the first there most evenings, scrambling to get our work done early so we could nab a table outside at 5pm (you can't book the outside spots). After multiple evenings getting familiar with the slimmed down wine and beer list, we decided to introduce ourselves to the pub grub that Crown and Anchor had become known for in another life.

First on the agenda was the Tacos: I saw these advertised on their Twitter page and immediately knew that I simply MUST try them. Whoever doesn't enjoy a taco is lying, or simply has no taste. The selection was perfect: fried chicken, pulled pork, Baja fish and black bean to sample. On my first sitting, I tried the Baja fish and Pulled pork, on my second sitting, I went for the pork, and chicken, and on my third sitting, the chicken and black bean. I went back not a second, but a third time for these bad boys. Crispy fried options and deliciously rich alternatives - I honestly couldn't tell you my favourite. They were also a really decent price too, at £7.95 for 4 tacos. My second sitting was the time I was doing the pub quiz, and whilst the quiz itself was lots of fun (would recommend), we lost terribly. If it wasn't for these tacos, the night may have been ruined, but I barely noticed our loss once I had a face full of these.

Second on the agenda was the Sunday roast, and after my tremendous taco experience, I had really high hopes. I am somewhat a disbeliever in a roast dinner out, simply because they are often lukewarm, dry, and disappointing. My mum is the queen of a roast, and her crispy roast potatoes, slightly al dente vegetables, juicy chicken or rare roast beef always hit the mark. So what's the need to go anywhere else? The only roast dinner that has proven a success in my time was Temper, but all others have faltered. Given this was in the top 10, I was extremely surprised to find that the beef was overdone, the vegetables pretty much raw and the gravy tasteless. After such a promising start, Crown and Anchor's food came crashing down in my estimations. I have now vowed to stop trying to make 'roasts happen', because they're 'not going to happen', and keep my cravings for cauliflower cheese to a place which I can trust: Mum's kitchen.

Overall, the Crown and Anchor is friendly, hip, young, and great for some of the food options. It's a great place in summer, and a cosy retreat in winter. It's big enough to get atmosphere, but small enough to feel like a locals local, and I would miss it terribly if it wasn't there.

OVERALL RATING: **** (just don't talk about the roast)

https://www.crownandanchorbrixton.co.uk