The Pilot Inn, SE10

Official site of The Pilot Inn - www.pilotgreenwich.co.uk

Official site of The Pilot Inn - www.pilotgreenwich.co.uk

This large Fullers dates back to 1801 and would have served the various industrial workers employed in the area, but now finds itself as the only proper pub on the Greenwich Peninsula, which is of course nowadays associated with the O2 complex - a five minute walk away. The pub underwent a big refurbishment a few years ago and presents itself as an upmarket alternative to the chain bars and restaurants in and around the O2. You enter to the main bar area with the servery down the left hand wall. The bar counter has a chunky wooden top and some rowing oars strapped to the front whilst the bar back has a modern look, having been painted in dark shades, and there is an open kitchen to one end. Some attractive hexagonal tiles map out the floor around the bar and there are bare brick walls opposite bearing a rack filled with the day's papers, some kitsch postcards and a few framed Billy Bunter paperbacks. To the front is a small seating area with a handful of high tables and stools under a large bay window and some aqua-marine coloured wall panelling with the pub's social media details stencilled on. To the left of the entrance is a cosy little lounge with a large rug covering old floorboards. A brick fireplace on the end wall provides a good focal point and there was a TV screen turned off in one corner. Seating here is mainly in the form of comfy armchairs and the space has been decorated with model ships, small cages, seascape paintings and old cartoons. Opposite the bar is a large, open-plan seating area with loads of good standard chair seating with luggage cases placed in various spots around the room and a beautiful wooden globe as a centrepiece. Steps lead up to a small formal dining area to the rear with lots of reserved tables, seashell wallpaper and an unusual large framed light. Beneath is possibly the largest seating space in the whole pub with rows of seating and access to the beer garden. The pub also has several rooms which could be handy if you need to overnight after a show. For such a prominent Fuller's pub, I expected to see their full ale range on the bar, but instead there was just London Pride, ESB and Oliver's Island, with two guest ales from Weird Beard - Black Perle and Little Things That Kill. Keg options included Fullers Honeydew, Meantime Yakima Red and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, with some of these served from taps on the bar back. I decided to try one of the guest ales and ordered a pint of the Black Perle, but was staggered to then be charged £5.25 - surely the most expensive pint of ale on the peninsula. When the barman logged into the cash register to process the transaction, his name appeared as 'Al Capone', which seemed appropriate for such a racket. I was all ready to sing this pub's praises in view of the fact that it's by far the nicest environment to enjoy a drink on the peninsula and actually a very well presented pub in its own right, but the staggering and completely unjustified cost of beer brewed in London means that I will have to think long and hard about frequenting this place again. A great pub if you're loaded and can turn a blind eye to blatant profiteering.

Attractive Fuller's pub in a short terrace of original buildings rather isolated in the mix of new flats and wasteland awaiting redevelopment in the area around the O2 arena. Partly opened-out inside to leave an overall 'L'-shaped split-level arrangement of seating and dining areas. Semi-traditional furniture and decor throughout. Also has a patio area out front. On the real ale front, Pride, Oliver's Island, Red Fox, ESB and Sambrook's Battersea Rye (£4.15) were available from five of the six handpumps.

This is a Fuller’s pub that had on the full permanent range - ESB, Pride, Chiswick and Discovery. The Chiswick was excellent, and at £3.10 a pint a reasonable enough price for London. Sandwiches are around the £5 mark; main courses are pushing towards £10, but the pub grub classic of bangers & mash is £8.50, as is the hitherto unseen (by me anyway) black pudding salad. The ham and tomato baguette I had was of good quality. Inside it’s a comfortable pub, with banquette seating and normal tables and chairs. It’s carpeted, apart from a bare boarded area surrounding the bar, and a raised area at the back where tables were all laid with napkins and cutlery. There’s lots of dark wood all over the place, mainly consisting of adzed beams on the walls and ceilings, representing a classic bit of brewer’s Tudor. The overall theme of the decor is of course nautical. There are numerous prints of sailing ships, model ships, and even a bank of clocks of the type that show the time in various locations around the world. None of them were showing the correct time, but nonetheless provided a most unusual piece of decor. This is the only pub anyway near the O2, but has remained an excellent pub nevertheless. I guess it might be a different place when the arena is in use, but it may still be too far to walk for many to bother. I’d happily visit again.