The Grenadier, Belgravia, SW1

Another classic London Pub, hidden down a blind alley street that you need fine map reading to find. Tiny, full of military memorabilia. Dont expect to get a seat and in some ways, your better drinking along the alley or out the front. I did manage to get a last seat at the bar which provided a ring side view of pub etiquette but did leave me getting jostled frequently and in danger of getting a soaking worse than the log flume at alton tower. Hooray Henriettas have sausage fingers whenj handling prosecco. Fraid I didnt have a beer on this visit but i can tell you a small cup of coffee is £3.90 to allow you to decide if it is for you. Worth it for the experience.

It did feel slightly professional and almost sterile after the unforgettable Nags Head, but eventually I warmed up to it. the foreign staff are friendly and helpful, the ale (Landlord) decent and the scotch egg probably the best I have had in a pub. Worth a look but maybe don’t go completely out of your way for it.

I had this on my list of pubs to visit in Belgravia, in part because of its listing on Camra's Heritage Pubs database, so it was slightly disappointing to find that there have been some changes to the wood panelling on the front of the bar counter. Having said which, the new wood looks very smart (and matches the surround of the fireplace on the left) whereas the photos taken by Michael Slaughter (see https://pubheritage.camra.org.uk/pubs/2082) show the old wood looking rather scruffy. The gantry holding glassware above the counter has been replaced, but I very much doubt that the one depicted previously was original anyway. The interior refurbishment, to the extent that it is possible to determine, appears to have been done with taste and in keeping with the pub's history, though it remains to be seen what Camra's heritage group will have to say. (The notes written by Camra even decry the white paint on the exterior, which I can't see a problem with.) The walls have many pictures of soldiers, and the ceiling is covered with banknotes. The bar counter top is pewter, and while not original it is certainly very old, as it has a defunct set of six hand pumps embedded in it, adapted for keg beers. The operational pumps are to either side, with Greene King IPA and Abbot to the left, and Landlord and a house beer to the right. The latter was what I went for: it is brewed by Woodforde's and was very good, though a little pricey at £2.85 for a half of 3.8% bitter.