Admiral Hardy, Greenwich, SE10

Busy pub and a bit of a tourist trap, well it was on a Saturday bank holiday weekend anyway, there didn't appear to be an ale on, unless it was being changed so I didn't hang around, I much prefered this pub when I visited fifteen or so years ago.

Dating back to the early 19th century and grade II-listed, like the neighbouring Coach & Horses this pub utilises the market as a beer garden and recently uncovered, displays some attractive Charrington’s glazed tiling to the fascia, the brewery’s distinctive green banded leaded lights doubling as the clerestories. With a dining room upstairs and split-level drinking area to the rear, this is quite a smart pub with a modern boarded floor, dark green field panelled to dado then duck egg blue walls to a white ceiling. Furniture is mixed contemporary with some tall at the centre, flowers in bottles to tables, light coming from clear spherical hanging lamps and similar sconces. Décor is a little eclectic, with plenty of framed prints and a large rococo gilt mirror over the fireplace; a decent soundtrack played at a volume which I could actually hear. There were only a couple of other customers in, both probably students; why are so many Greenwich pubs virtually empty on Thursdays? Just the one ale here, with Twickenham Grandstand at £2.65 a half, served by a vacant barmaid who very deliberately put the glass onto a silver salver, which I carried to my table lest I cause offence; it was the best half of my seven-hole mini crawl too. There’s no reason to take offence from this pub and it’s actually probably the best – certainly for beer – in central Greenwich, but there’s better to be had in SE10 in exchange for a little shoe leather.

Facebook page of Admiral Hardy - www.facebook.com

Official site of Admiral Hardy - admiralhardygreenwich.co.uk

Facebook page of Admiral Hardy - www.facebook.com

Official site of Admiral Hardy - admiralhardygreenwich.co.uk