Even my boyfriend shamelessly eyeing up the hunky waiter couldn't sour our evening at The Rake. It has a really friendly atmosphere and the big comfy sofas make lazing around with a martini or two almost too easy! Darlings, The Rake is wonderful!

The Rake is a really lovely, cosy pub. The staff are great and very smiley which makes an amazing difference in London. The Rake has a really nice outside area which will be brilliant in the summer.

Weird place, feels almost as if it doesn't have a licence and has just been set up in a shed round the back of borough market toilets but rest assured it does and is a pleasantly surprising change as a drinking establishment. Serving either their own beers or not conventional fair it is a definitely one for the real ale/beer consider crowd as well as the suits and market workers. Bar staff are bohemian in look and attire but prompt in their service around a usually packed and cosy bar area. Ale was well kept. Overall the standard of pubs is high in borough and this is no exception. Recommended.

Don't bother with this place on a Friday night.It's just too small, and the staff are clearly not interested.

I spent ten minutes fighting through the crowd of suits clinging to the bar, and then watched thirstily whilst the bar-flys had time to drain their drinks and then get served again before I even got a look in.

Head for the Market Porter instead, especially if you're thirsty.

Well - a touch of realilty is needed here. Yes they have a fabulous selection of bottled beers, and a consistently excellent choice on draught. Its popularity speaks for itself. However having been a regular from day one, I'm now starting to feel ever so slightly exploited. As the prices increase, so the attitude of the staff becomes more aloof. Now the 'suits' are more in evidence expect to pay £5 or more a pint. Why charge that? Because they can! Still a lovely little pub, but be careful Rake - it could still go Pete Tong.

The Rake is a very quaint little bar near the edge of the Borough Markets. Also has a nice little area outside - the bamboo trees liven the background.

If you do want to lose yourself in the many beers that are on offer, the bar staff are readily (and happily) available to give their suggestions making selection easier.

The Rake's a superb little place with a good crowd - always buzzing.

I think the last reviewer's got this place mixed up with somewhere else - it isn't somewhere that serves martinis (or any cocktail, for that matter), and there certainly aren't any sofas.

The bar itself is tiny, and always seems to be buzzing. Most of the seating is outside in a covered, heated patio. They now offer two cask ales and there's a steady turn over of guest keg beers from Belgium, the US and elsewhere.

Yesterday, the imports on tap included Geants Ducassis (Belgian fruit beer), Van Honsebrouck Bacchus (a Flemish sour ale), Anchor Steam (a Californian craft lager) and Gordon Highland Scotch (a Scotch-style ale from Belgium).

Because none of the usual suspects are available (there's no Stella or Guinness here, chum) everyone has to get involved and try a variety of beers. The staff are knowledgable and make first class recommendations, so don't be afraid to ask if the unfamiliar draught line-up and fridges full of bottles intimidates.

The Rake is a perfect addition to the already excellent scene down in Borough, the food and drink mecca for Londoners.

Set up by beer traders Utobeer and tucked behind Borough Market, The Rake prides itself on one thing and one thing alone: its huge selection of independent beers.

The Venue
The Rake is easy to miss, as its sign is low key and at a casual glance it more closely resembles a brightly lit front room than a traditional pub. Calling it tiny is not an exaggeration - the main room has bar stools and high tables for about ten people and the walls are decked with posters for exotic beers from around the world. There’s also a heated, decking-covered garden, although smokers are banished to the street when the ‘jumbrella’ (a massive umbrella) is up.

The Atmosphere
If you’re anticipating the stereotypical CAMRA type then you might be surprised – on a recent visit there wasn’t a beard in sight and no-one had brought their personal tankard along. In fact, the clientele is more likely to be made up of professional types living or working locally. Although the pub is only a couple of streets away from the legion of pubs around London Bridge station, there seems to be little passing trade and certainly the vibe is more relaxed and less hectic than what’s going on in Borough High Street. Come here for a catch up during the week, but expect to stand and raise your voice a bit at weekends, when its diminutive size means it can get somewhat swamped.

The Drink
Don’t walk in an order a pint of Foster’s unless you’re trying to wind up the staff - chances are you won’t have heard of many of the 160-plus beers on offer, so be prepared to ask for some advice. That said, staff can sometimes come across as gleefully aloof and, if you’re not careful, this can lead to an order of a very expensive beer or one that’s got a potent ABV. A pint of Infrared, weighing in at a relatively wimpy 6.2%, goes down beautifully, it is evidently well kept and it comes blessed with some slightly psychedelic after-effects The hefty £4.50 price tag is just about justified.

The Last Word
The Rake certainly isn’t for everyone. If you’re the kind of person who gets wound up by the geekier end of the beer market then definitely avoid it. But if the quality and diversity of the beer on offer is top of your agenda then there’s no question, you will love it.