The Rake ~ London, England

Borough Market, 14A Winchester Walk, London SE1 9AG, UK 

Recommended by knowledgeable beer guys in Luxembourg as a fave beer bar when traveling to London, I gave it a try while on a long weekend in the UK. The place is a short walk from London Bridge. The guy pouring my first beer was coming off shift when I sat down, so I bought him a couple beers and picked his brain. My 4 beers – only remember 3 of them – were a German smoked lager, plus 2 different beers from a local London brewery (The Kernel). By far my favorite was the Kernel Pale – far better than the IPA from the same brewery. Crisp, a bit hoppy but not over the top, this was my favorite beer in a weekend spent in the UK. 

The other funny about this place: very high ceilings, maybe 12 foot. In a corner on the top of the wall near said ceiling, someone had signed the wall and placed a sticker from Left Hand. On a fundraiser bike tour a few years later, was riding with Left Hand co-founder Eric Wallace, a lanky fella and solid rider. Over a beer at the Left Hand tent I got to talking beer joints around the world with Eric, and the Rake came up. I mentioned the high wall signing and raised an eyebrow at this 6’ 6” guy with the ask, “Was that you?” He answered with a grin, “Maybe…”.

- Rude Dante review

credit to Visit London for photo.