Not already a member?
Join our community and
- Rate & review pubs
- Upload pictures
- Add events
JOIN for free NOW
Chat about:
New pub visits 2024 with Mobyduck
on the Pub Forum
Detail Pages
The Spanish Galleon, Greenwich, SE10
SE10
SE10 9BL
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6½ of 10) see review guidelines
Bucking Fastard left this review about The Spanish Galleon
I normally steer clear of Shepherd Neame pubs on account of their disappointing ale,but this one has an attractive curved exterior,great flower display and an unspoiled interior.All three external doors open onto seperate sections divided by archways and throughout the furniture is traditional.Two coal affect gas fires in the larger rooms but good brick fireplaces,fine wood panelling in the largest room and lots of pub ephemera dotted about.If I was a tourist this might tick the box of typical London pub .
The welcome was friendly ,the muzak was laid back and with a wood floor throughout it all felt clean and tidy.I didn't investigate the upstairs seating .
Three Sheps ale on my visit in Masterbrew,Spitfire and Whitstable Bay (£3 half,NBSS 2.5,average at best) .I moved on after a brief half as I'm unlikely to sink multiple pints of ale that doesn't excite me.
However it's worth a squint for the good interior.
On 14th September 2023
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2728 recommendations about 2728 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about The Spanish Galleon
With its buxomly curvaceous frontage, this dates from around 1811 though was seemingly rebuilt in 1834, grade II-listed, the galleon in question being the Santa Maria.
This is very much a Shep’s pub, dark throughout with brown lacquered wood and a chocolate brown Anaglypta ceiling. Furniture is traditional, knickknacks aplenty, many nautical and two very attractive marble fireplaces, one sporting a gas ‘real’ coal fire; good sounds wafted out of a somewhat incongruous jukebox. Customers were, as expected, studenty types and not that many for a Thursday, which seems typical for Greenwich pubs.
A predictable ale range, with just Whitstable Bay, Bishop’s Finger which went off on my arrival and new to me, their ‘Cask Club’ Maverick at £2.40 a half, served by a friendly barman; however, it tasted of garlic, maverick indeed.
This is really quite an attractive pub, but Shep’s beers – especially one tasting of garlic – don’t exactly float my boat, but you could certainly do worse in central Greenwich.
On 4th April 2023
- rating: 5
[User has posted 1985 recommendations about 1951 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rex Rattus left this review about Spanish Galleon
This is a Shepherd Neame pub, which (in the left hand room in which I sat) had on Spitfire and Late Red (£3.95 a pint), with a third pump having a Whitstable Bay clip, but also a "line cleaning" sign hanging from it. The "Great British Menu", as they call it, does have some traditional pub grub on it. The burger is £9.50, with extras at £1 a pop, and sarnies are £7 - £8.45 I had a roast beef sarny (£8.25) which came with a tiny bit of salad, chips in a little metal bucket of course - but was served on a plate instead of the too often seen block of wood. Cod & chips from their "fish & chip shop" is £10.95.
The pub is split into several separate drinking areas. On the left is a fairly plain room - bare-boarded, normal tables and chairs, and with some original wood panelling on the walls. At the back of this room is what is probably an extension to the original pub, with a bit more seating and a glass roof letting in more light. The centre door into the pub takes you into a very small room with just the one table and stools, which I guess is a sort of waiting area as this room has the fish & chip counter, a first for me in a pub. There's a door leading to the "Upper Deck", which I didn't explore.
On the right is another fairly large room, with more traditional furnishings and wood panelled walls, but its attractiveness is diminished somewhat by the presence of a fruit machine flashing away.
This is quite a nice pub, and is really what I would expect from a pub a stone's throw from the Cutty Sark - a tourist lunch venue. Anyway, that's what it was when I was in at Wednesday lunchtime, but maybe in the evening it's a different place. It's not really worth going out of your way to seek out, but a decent enough place to stop off for a pint or bite to eat if you happen to be in Greenwich.
On 27th September 2015
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
hondo . left this review about Spanish Galleon
Shepherd Neame pub across the road from Cutty sark dlr station. Interior split in 2 by the take away chip shop counter. 3 real ales served.
On 1st May 2015
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 2883 recommendations about 2820 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Peter Rydings left this review about Spanish Galleon
Always call in here when in Greenwich had a decent pint of Whitsable By 3.9% nice chatty girl behind the bar from Sweden could have fallen love but the wife was with me
On 11th January 2015
- rating: 8
[User has posted 122 recommendations about 122 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about Spanish Galleon
The Spanish Galleon is a Shepherd Neame establishment that has left and right hand side bars that are split by a central ‘fish and ship shop’ counter. There is a plasma screen in each bar that was airing the hairy Bikers cooking program, which was muted. The right hand bar had some very low background music playing during my visit on Wednesday afternoon last week. The left hand bar is much the same as the right, but there is another seating area at the rear which has a glass panelled ceiling.
The bar is stocked with standard and premium draught products that extend past the usual Shepherd Neame selection. The banks of three hand pumps found in each bar were drawing Spitfire, Whitstable Bay’s Pale Ale and Samuel Adam’s Blonde Ambition. Traditional pub grub is available alongside the fish and chips with the mains starting at around £8.
There is an advertised function room with separate bar.
I found the service in here to be polite and the Whitstable was decent enough. I would have no problem returning if passing.
On 11th June 2014
- rating: 7
[User has posted 5254 recommendations about 5222 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Malden man left this review about Spanish Galleon
As referred to previously the pub name reflects the capture of the Spanish vessel, the Santa Maria way back when, with the captain's portrait remaining over a chimney breast. Effectively two rooms although not formally separated, old looking decent boarded flooring and half height wood panelled walls, there is an understated maritime and historical theme, oval engraved portraits of various persons including Sir Francis Drake and Queen Victoria, ship's gauges and dials, maritime prints, Thames' maps and a couple of ship's wheels including one behind the bar forming the front to a wine rack and another in the small conservatory add-on. The bar is of the island type, serving both rooms, the curved counter looks of an age and is possibly walnut. The brewery is Shepherd Neame, there are also the usual collection of brewery prints and a piece of barge wood from a delivery vessel on display.
Regular seating with a pair of drinking shelves, TVs had the FA Cup build up on Saturday afternoon. This was muted while music played, not obtrusively.
Two of the three pumps each side in operation, just Spitfire and Whitstable on. SN are not my favourite beers I have to say but my half a Whitstable was in good shape and served by a smiley friendly barmaid and without any top-up issues.
Food served, they'd be bonkers not to around here but no tourist pandering obvious. Looks good value too, East End pie and mash £7.95, F&C £10.95. A decent spot.
On 18th May 2014
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1708 recommendations about 1681 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about Spanish Galleon Tavern
Attractive-looking Shepherd Neame pub in a prominent street-corner position. Irregular layout with multiple seating and dining areas, but quite difficult to find a seat on a Sunday afternoon. Traditional furniture and decor. Several sports TVs in the main bar areas. Two banks of three handpumps, both offering Spitfire, Whitstable Bay and Bishops Finger (£3.85).
On 15th March 2014
- rating: 7
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about Spanish Galleon Tavern
The Spanish Galleon is a Shep Neames outlet sitting on the corner of College Approach, a short distance from the Cutty Sark DLR station. It takes its name from the Santa Maria, which was captured by the British, along with its captain Don Emanuele, whose portrait is the centre piece of the right hand bar.
Extensively a two roomed pub, it has the strange feature of having an in house fish and chip takeaway as you enter through the front door before deciding to go into either the left of right hand bars.
Didn’t seem to make much difference which bar you chose as they were very similar in wood floor, wall and table and chair decor. And both have the same beer dispensers which include three handpumps in each section. Unfortunately these were dispensing the same three Shep Neme ales of Spitfire, Bishops Finger and Masterbrew., so a bit of a disappointment on the choice front there.
I got the impression that this place was more geared up to providing a food service than being a tradition pub experience, which is perfectly fine and is what we utilised it for.
But the food, although being perfectly edible, was decidedly average, and along with the ale ,which was also perfectly drinkable but also average in quality along with the choice, I was overall disappointed. In that I had set my expectations much higher for a flag ship Sheps outlet in this part of town, when I had walked past it earlier in the day and mentally positioned it for a return visit.
On 29th March 2012
- rating: 5
[User has posted 2111 recommendations about 1992 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Roger Button left this review about Spanish Galleon Tavern
Dating from 1834, this Shepherd Neame pub is situated in the heart of tourist Greenwich. It has always been a solid and dependable pub and doesn’t pander to upmarket trends or blatant tourism.
The interior is divided into 2 bars interconnected by a wide corridor section. Both bars have basic furnishings, bare floors, some large Shepherd Neame mirrors and an underplayed maritime theme that includes a few ship wheels, anchors and various nautical charts and maps. Pride of place in the main bar goes to a reproduction Van Dyck portrait of Don Emanuele Filiberto (who?), such a legend that I could barely find any English websites with anything about him suffice to say he was captain of the Santa Maria which is presumably the ship that the pub name refers to and who died in Greenwich in 1624 having been captured by the British in the days when we had a navy.
There were 3 Sheps ales available on my most recent visit (Master Brew, Bishops Finger and Spitfire) although there is enough pump capacity for more if the demand requires it. Quality is generally fine and prices are pretty good for the area with Master Brew currently £3. Food ranges from usual pub grub to steaks with prices ranging from around £8 to £17.
A well positioned flat screen in the main bar panders to the sporting fraternity and there is unobtrusive piped music. The rear bar has a small vaulted room to one side that can be used for small functions
.
The Spanish Galleon will never be anyones favourite pub in the world but it has always been consistently reliable over the years and will hopefully continue to be so.
On 3rd February 2011
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1239 recommendations about 1233 pubs]