The Gladstone Arms

David Jesudason, who wrote CAMRA's book on desi pubs, calls the Glad "the only one in Zone 1," and the kitchen's answer to that is a pie: Anglo-Indian fillings of chicken tikka masala, paneer makhani and goat keema (Foodism, August 2025).

Why go

Megha and Gaurav Khanna have run the pub since 2017, and the pies were not their idea. Jesudason's account is that "the previous owners of the pub made a big deal of pie and pints, and the Khannas continued this custom after speaking to their locals, who remain loyal to them to this day." That the building is still a pub at all is the other half of the story. It was slated for demolition and replacement with an apartment block in 2015, and CAMRA's South East London branch records that "a strong campaign by locals and the securing of Asset of Community Value status by the local CAMRA branch helped see off this threat." It closed in late 2016 and reopened in April 2017. The pub has been on Lant Street since the nineteenth century with a rebuild in the 1920s, and it takes its name from William Gladstone. Three handpumps and ten keg taps sit behind the bar, and the casks rotate rather than sticking.

Order this / avoid

• Order: a pie. Chicken tikka masala is the one the locals push, per the pub, and Jesudason lists paneer makhani and goat keema alongside it. On a Sunday, the roast is railway lamb chops and butter chicken supreme, and you have to pre-order it when you book. To drink, ask which of the two casks is on; Anspach & Hobday's Ordinary Bitter and Sambrook's Junction are the ones CAMRA sees most.
• Avoid: eating here without knowing the score. Southwark inspected the kitchen on 19 January 2026 and rated it 2 out of 5, with a structural score of 15, which is the worst number in this batch of ten venues. Also avoid booking online for more than six people, since the widget caps there and larger groups go through the pub's party form.

What locals & experts say

• David Jesudason, Foodism (29 August 2025): the Glad "is easy to get to and has a very mixed demographic of young music types, craft beer drinkers and pie-lovers." On why nobody wrote about it for years: "before my book was published this was not only an overlooked desi pub in London but an overlooked pub in Borough with many travel and leisure pieces pointing drinkers to nearby pubs; despite its unique food, warm welcome, and wonderful interiors, which draw on both Victorian and desi influences." He also discloses that the Khannas are "almost like family" to him, so read him as an advocate. ref
• Megha Khanna, quoted by Jesudason (2025): "Your book gave us a lot of traction, and central London makes us more accessible. But I also think it's because we're the only Indian pub in London with an Indian landlady." ref
• Time Out (27 November 2023), price 2 of 4: "Beloved pubs getting turned into blocks of flats is a depressingly common narrative in London. So it's heartening that Borough's The Gladstone, having been condemned to the property developer's wrecking ball in late 2016, reopened six months later." ref
• CAMRA, South East London branch (record updated 20 July 2026): "Small and welcoming pub tucked away down a side street around the corner from Borough underground station. A particular favourite with locals... Has three handpumps and 10 keg taps." ref
• Local rec: on Jeff's list for the food and the beer. REAL.

Good to know

• Where: 64 Lant Street, SE1 1QN. Borough underground is a hundred meters away, London Bridge is 750, and the 35, 133 and 343 stop outside.
• Booking: recommended for food, through the pub's own widget, six people maximum. Sunday roasts need a food pre-order submitted with the booking.
• Live music: gigs every Tuesday and Sunday, folk through to electronica, free entry with a hat passed for the artists rather than a ticket price. Comedy and open mic nights too. Seats can be reserved, otherwise it is standing room.
• Upstairs: a lounge, a small roof terrace, and a function room that takes 40 to 45 with a projector and a Bluetooth speaker.
• Hours: it opens at noon. CAMRA's schedule block could not be read cleanly, so check the pub's site; what is clear is that at least one weekend night runs to midnight and Sunday breaks into an afternoon and an evening session.
• The building: an Asset of Community Value, freehold held by Sartorio Ltd. The pub also says Charles Dickens lived on Lant Street and that the road appears in The Pickwick Papers.
• Dietary: nothing published. The paneer makhani pie is vegetarian, which is not the same as a statement from the pub, so ask.
• Hygiene: rating 2, Southwark, last inspected 19 January 2026. Component penalty scores were Hygiene 10, Structural 15, Confidence in Management 10 (ref).

Craft signals (beer: two guest lines, and the kitchen is the real story)

Two drink-side signals, and both say the cellar is modest by design. CAMRA's July 2026 record is two changing beers and zero regular beers, with Anspach & Hobday's Ordinary Bitter and Sambrook's Junction named as the typical lines and Siren Memento logged as a short guest run. Ten keg lines sit behind them. That is a seasonal rhythm on a small cellar rather than a rotating programme. What actually distinguishes this room is the Anglo-Indian kitchen and the live-music commitment, and the ranking rests on those rather than on the taps.

Jeff's take (his words)

• Note: "Good food, good beer local rec" REAL. The food part is well supported. On the beer, note that CAMRA counts three handpumps against ten keg taps, so it is keg-led.

Verdict (Chef Jeff ladder)

should-visit — Worth the detour for what is on the plate and what the place is. David Jesudason, who wrote CAMRA's book on desi pubs, calls the Glad the only desi pub in Zone 1, and the food is Anglo-Indian pies with chicken tikka masala, paneer makhani and goat keema fillings, plus a Sunday roast of railway lamb chops and butter chicken supreme. Megha and Gaurav Khanna have run it since 2017, and Megha's own framing is that theirs is the only Indian pub in London with an Indian landlady. The building only survives because locals fought a 2015 demolition plan and the CAMRA branch got it registered as an Asset of Community Value. Two things keep it off the top rung: Southwark rated the kitchen 2 out of 5 in January 2026, which matters more here than at a pub where nobody eats, and the only in-depth writer on it is close to the family.