8 April 2026

Beer and sandwiches: At Big John’s Biltong Bar in Deptford

This column is our weekly pub review, written by pintsmen, women and children across the nation. Suggestions to letters@newstatesman.co.uk

By New Statesman

What do you get when you combine air-dried South African meat, a gregarious New Zealander and the punks, mods and careworn faces of south-east London? Big John’s Biltong Bar in Deptford is a high-tolerance, lackadaisical pub devoted to fibrous, fatty beef – cured in vinegar, salt and spices, marinated for 24 hours then hung to dry for a week. The operation is helmed by John Porter, a former actor (most notable role: an orc in The Lord of the Rings) turned builder turned accomplished publican. Porter produces all the biltong himself, supplying over 800 kilos a month to both the bar and its sister outpost, the nearby Big John’s Biltong Shop.

Beyond the biltong

The pub is confined to a single, intimate room. The walls are a patchwork of beer mats, while display cabinets house bizarre bric-à-brac – from vintage magazines to lamps fashioned in the likeness of nude women. Guinness goes for £4.50 a pint during happy hour, nudging up to £5.50 thereafter. Failing that, there’s Aspall cider, Madrí, Hazy Day, Staropramen and complot – all solid choices, all £5.50. Cocktails, mocktails, wines and spirits are also on offer – you can give those a miss.

Cures for what ales you

Biltong aficionados and first-timers alike can take their pick: the original, fragrant with coriander and black pepper (“fatty or less fatty?”), alongside garlic, jerk and chilli varieties. There are also chilli beef bites, olives, a bowl of gherkins, pickled onions, salted peanuts and pickled eggs. This is not a place for vegans, nor the sensorially sensitive. Sit down on the gnarled Chesterfield and chew your heart out. The saltier the meat, the better the beer goes down.

Big John’s Biltong Bar, 29 Deptford High Street, London SE8