The Grapes, Limehouse, E14

There is something very apt about the fact that this fine historical pub is located on Narrow Street, given the extremely narrow layout encountered upon entering the premises. A plaque on the wall outside notes that there has been a pub on this site since 1583, although the present day building dates from 1720, and it has attracted a fair few distinguished customers over the years including Samuel Pepys who mentions the pub in his famous diary, and Charles Dickens who introduces the pub as The Six Jolly Fellowship Porters in his novel ‘Our Mutual Friend’. Today, the pub’s leaseholder is the actor Sir Ian Mckellan who stepped in after the long standing previous licensee decided to retire. Despite the celebrity associations (the likes of Patrick Stewart, Anthony Gormley, Kirsten Scott Thomas and Sting have been spotted drinking here since Mckellan got involved), the pub has very few pretensions and offers a classic traditional London drinking experience. The front room has bare floorboards and dark wood panels with red walls and ceiling. Some settles are arranged along the left hand side before the servery appears and there is an interesting fixed seat in the small curved front window, which is beautifully etched with the pub’s name. A few old pictures dot the walls, in keeping with the pub’s art heritage (Francis Bacon used to drink here) and Mckellan has written a piece on the pub’s website giving details about several of the paintings on show. The servery makes the room even narrower, as does the staircase leading up to the restaurant, before you emerge in the rear snug with its fixed seating and vinyl flooring. There is a fireplace on one wall and the complete works of Dickens are available for perusal, alongside a figurine of Gandalf – Mckellen’s character from the Lord of the Rings movies. Both rooms are free from distractions such as TV screens or piped music, with conversation dominating and it is telling that when the owners insisted the former landlady had to have a fruit machine in the front bar, she put a sign on it asking that people refrained from using it, which resulted in the machine lasting just two weeks before it was taken away again. A small outdoor platform has room for no more than three or four people, but gives some unbeatable views down the Thames for those lucky enough to bag a spot. The restaurant was set up very formally with white tablecloths and another fine view of the river below. We had some food, but plumped for burgers from the considerably cheaper bar menu, which we ate from bar stools as the few tables downstairs were already fully occupied by the time we arrived. The pub seems to keep a core range of ales in the shape of Sharp’s Doom Bar, Taylor Landlord (off on our visit), Marston’s Pedigree and Adnams Southwold Bitter, plus a guest which was Shepherd Neame Master Brew. Not the most thrilling line up, but my Doom Bar was in good condition, despite the barmaid’s complex routine of pouring the pint into two different glasses before combining them to ensure a full pint. For such a small pub, there is a lot to take in here and I really enjoyed our food and drink in these civilised surroundings. It’s surprisingly easy to get here from the city and anyone walking the Thames Path would do well to build in a drinks break here. A fine traditional pub that knows how to continue attracting customers – I’d happily return, hopefully to snag that table on the balcony.

Official site of the Grapes - www.thegrapes.co.uk

Official site of the Grapes - www.thegrapes.co.uk

Historical Dickensian dockside pub that has survived the Luftwaffe and 1980’s redevelopment. Not easy to find and is a semi-confusing ten minutes’ walk from Limehouse DLR. The interior is long and narrow (must be barely ten foot wide), replete with dark wood paneling, settles, tables and uneven wood floor. The old style semi-oval bar adorned with nautical paraphernalia makes for a nice focal point, with maritime pictures and plates adorning the walls, along with etched windows at the pub’s front. The pub has no TV or piped music which I think adds to the atmosphere. Some board games were available and the pub appeared to be dog-friendly. Four ales (TT Landlord, Adnams Bitter and two Marstons brews) available on my visit. My TTL was in decent nick though I observed the unsupervised surly Eastern European barmaid filling up other punters glasses from the drip trays, so I assume she must have done it to mine - oh dear. To the rear of the pub, up several steps is a small little waterside balcony (no smokers!) which gives a nice view of the river; craning your neck a little you can see the Docklands redevelopment to the east and the London Eye to the west. A quick mention should be made of the toilets, which are a splendid display of green Victorian tiling and mahogany trim. All in all, this is a fine old boozer but the barmaid’s antics left a sour taste and made me wonder quite how well the place is run. A shame as it should have been a default 9.