Bunch of Grapes, SE1

Nice smallish pub, tucked away of busy Borough High street. Youngs ale on sale. A small bar area to the left, dark wood interior. Has an outside seating area on multiple levels, blankets are available for use in cold weather. There is an upstairs dining area. The only downside I noticed, was all the doors slam. The exit, gents and ladies. No one tried the garden door while I was there.

This is a Young’s house, with Bitter, Special and Bombardier on during my visit. The only seating inside is tall stools and tall tables, but there were some benches outside at the back being mainly utilised by smokers. The ceiling, and the ducting thereon is painted black, adding to the darkness of the place. There were clipboard menus on the tables – sandwiches were in the £4.50 - £7 range, and main courses were in the £8 - £11 range, e.g. the steak and ale pie was £9.95. Not cheap, but not overly expensive for Central London. Some soul classics (Aretha Franklin, Eddie Floyd, et al) were blaring out far too loudly for my liking. It’s probably just me, but pubs seem to be playing music louder than ever these days. There are a few bits of etched and cut glass around the place, as well as a couple of nice brewery mirrors, but other than that there are no endearing features as far as I could see. I found it uncomfortable and noisy I’m afraid, and nothing like the decent pub it obviously once was.

My impression of this pub from my short visit was extremely positive in stark contrast to some of the bewildering reviews below. The interior to this Youngs' house is splendid and would I'm sure be to the liking of a number of notable users - witness the marvellous glass panels, vintage Bass mirror and some rather lovely prints of Borough Market and other landmarks of the surrounding area. Youngs' Bitter and Special were both served in tip-top nick alongside Bombardier and Kew Bitter. Excellent.

A better outpost of the Youngs empire, a decent selection of their beer in good condition. An inviting pub set out on two floors, with the cosy upstairs in particular being an excellent place to a enjoy a Winter Warmer in a comfy chair next to a real fire, with the downstairs being a dark wooden panelled affair (not old, I know). In the summer the little garden/patio out the back is nice. A downside are the prices, which seem to shooting upward at a trajectory far steeper then a lot of the surrounding competition. A definite place to hit on a Borough crawl or worth seeking out for a relaxing/intimate occasion.

Randomness Guide to London - Bunch Of Grapes entry

Randomness Guide to London - Bunch Of Grapes entry