The Black Dog in Vauxhall was, until the mighty Taylor Swift effect, a fairly average, albeit higher-end South London pub. It hasn’t been a boozer for some time: drinkers will find branded lager, local IPAs and bottles of Chablis; the food menu dips into pub classics but is more a haven to burrata (please take this off) and wild mushroom risotto.
Then the most famous pop star in the world named a song after the place and fans — sorry, “Swifties” — soon started to descend. They turned up to shoot TikTok videos in an unlikely pilgrimage. To tourists it might even be a little hard to find, tucked away behind Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens — it more often serves office workers and locals — and so the sudden deluge is all the more impressive.
