Northern pub chain is bringing £3 pints back to London

London has long been heralded as one of the world’s greatest cities, famed for its rich history, thriving nightlife and vibrant cultural scene.

But if there’s one thing our nation’s capital isn’t known for, it’s being a cheap night out.

And with the average pint in the Big Smoke setting punters back a whopping £6.50, prices are only going up.

But cheap pints are making a long-awaited return thanks to a northern pub company which is opening up shop down south.

Amber Taverns already has 175 branches across the country, mainly in smaller towns in the north of England, the Midlands, Wales and Scotland.

Now the Blackpool-based business has plans to conquer the other side of the M25, starting in Bromley, southeast London, with pints ranging from £2.50 to £3.50.

James Baer, Amber’s chairman, reckons this is just one of many opportunities to expand into the south of England and described the move as a ‘natural progression’.

‘We are ambitious to grow. We feel the retail model now is strong enough to expand,’ he said.

Amber buys up ‘unloved’ locals and ex-retail units and will replace what was once the Barrel and Horn on Bromley High Street with the new boozer, Saving Grace.

The company was founded in 2005 and, unlike some of London’s other establishments, is ‘wet-led’.

That might not sound appealing, but what it means in practice is that it focuses on the drinks it serves rather than its menu, which is limited to bar snacks.

This has protected them from the rising costs of running a pub kitchen, including energy bills and national insurance contributions.

Amber pubs do have many of the other trappings of a typical British boozer, including screens to show sports events.

More than anything, Amber says it wants to provide good value for money.

‘People do still want to very much go to the pub, it’s just a matter of offering good value and a warm welcome,’ Baer added.

Amber already has a handful of pubs in the south of England, starting with The Erasmus Wolfe in Gosport, Hampshire, in September 2025.

Since then it has expanded to Taunton, Stroud, Weymouth, Barnstaple and Salisbury.

Other towns and cities, including Cosham, Colchester, Eastleigh, Hastings, Dumbarton and Thornaby, North Yorkshire, could soon get their own budget boozers in the near future, though plans have not been confirmed.