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Detail Pages
The Gipsy Moth, Greenwich, SE10
SE10
SE10 9BL
Pub Type
Castle (Mitchells & Butlers)Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Gipsy Moth
I’ve been in here several times in the past, but having been unable to get a seat, have never actually managed to get as far as ordering a drink, such is this pub’s popularity. Given its proximity to the Cutty Sark, it is perhaps not surprising that it’s regularly filled with tourists, but it can make a visit less than comfortable. You enter into a fairly small front bar with limited seating either side of the front door and this area struck me as the best place to grab a seat if you’re just visiting for a drink. You then have to pass through a series of pillars, behind which you can still catch glimpses of the servery, before emerging into a strangely shaped rear room which is set up more for diners, with plenty of tables available. There is an open kitchen on the right hand side and the space to the left extends quite a long way and had a TV screen showing live rugby. At the rear there is a conservatory type space with a tile floor, which leads out to a large garden which is rightly popular in the summer months. The servery runs down the right hand side of the pub, connecting the front and rear sections, and has a mock ship’s figurehead at the far end, keeping with the pub’s vague nautical theme. Music was playing in the background during my stay, but with so many people in, it was almost impossible to hear it.
The beer range was quite appealing, with a varied line up on my recent visit comprising Sharp’s Doom Bar, Great Yorkshire Brewery Yorkshire Lager, Green Jack Trawlerboys, Fullers London Pride and Bristol Beer Factory Bitter Californian. I gave the latter a try and thought it was a good beer in decent condition. The keg range had a few rarities including Veltins, Hoegaarden and Budvar with ciders from Aspall’s and Bulmers. I didn’t see any menus, but did spot a blackboard which listed various main meals at around the £11.00 mark.
This place is a bit of a mixed bag and from my experience, the timing of your visit will most likely determine how much you enjoy yourself. For a Grade I listed building, there’s not a great deal to admire within, but the interesting ale range and lovely rear garden mean that it’s still well worth giving this place a try.
On 10th March 2013
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3126 recommendations about 3126 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Roger Button left this review about The Gipsy Moth
Originally called the Wheatsheaf, the Gipsy Moth pub was renamed in honour of the boat in which Sir Francis Chichester circumnavigated the world in 1967. The boat was moored in a dry dock not far from the pub from 1972 until 2004 when it was renovated and underwent a second similar voyage after which it now on public display in Cowes. The pub name however lives on.
The building dates from 1795 and is Grade 1 listed although you wouldn’t have thought so by the way the interior has been hacked about by numerous renovations and, according to the barmanI I overheard recently, more is due in a few months.
The smallish main bar is at the front with minimal furnishings giving it a bit of a hollow feel. The pub opens up towards the back with a large odd shaped section that bears further scars of a trendy makeover. Some of it looks particularly ugly, especially the ceiling with a trail of pipes carrying the electrics and some very unsympathetic lighting fixtures. The low flying chandelier may also claim a few victims although it sensibly dangles above a table. The rear section extends to a conservatory and beyond, a deceptively large beer garden with plenaty of cover.
There are at least some decent ales to be found with 5 hand pumps offering Doom Bar, Pride, Sambrook Wandle, Liberation Blonde and Westoons Vintage Organic Cider on my visit. Prices were average for the area. The food menu looked pretty reasonable with main courses between £7-12 and special 1, 2 and 3 course offers.
I’m not a great fan of the interior but if I’m doing the rounds in Greenwich I have no reservations about seeing what’s available on the pumps although I wouldn’t particularly class the Gipsy Moth as an essential pub to visit
On 11th February 2011
- rating: 5
[User has posted 1239 recommendations about 1233 pubs]