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Disappointment of the week with Tris39
on the Pub Forum
Detail Pages
The Grenadier, Belgravia, SW1
SW1
SW1X 7NR
Pub Type
Taylor Walker (Spirit Pubs)Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7½ of 10) see review guidelines
Ian Mapp left this review about The Grenadier
Another classic London Pub, hidden down a blind alley street that you need fine map reading to find.
Tiny, full of military memorabilia. Dont expect to get a seat and in some ways, your better drinking along the alley or out the front.
I did manage to get a last seat at the bar which provided a ring side view of pub etiquette but did leave me getting jostled frequently and in danger of getting a soaking worse than the log flume at alton tower. Hooray Henriettas have sausage fingers whenj handling prosecco.
Fraid I didnt have a beer on this visit but i can tell you a small cup of coffee is £3.90 to allow you to decide if it is for you.
Worth it for the experience.
On 20th February 2024
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1337 recommendations about 1323 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Brainy Pool left this review about The Grenadier
It did feel slightly professional and almost sterile after the unforgettable Nags Head, but eventually I warmed up to it. the foreign staff are friendly and helpful, the ale (Landlord) decent and the scotch egg probably the best I have had in a pub. Worth a look but maybe don’t go completely out of your way for it.
On 27th September 2022
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1058 recommendations about 1023 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about The Grenadier
I had this on my list of pubs to visit in Belgravia, in part because of its listing on Camra's Heritage Pubs database, so it was slightly disappointing to find that there have been some changes to the wood panelling on the front of the bar counter. Having said which, the new wood looks very smart (and matches the surround of the fireplace on the left) whereas the photos taken by Michael Slaughter (see https://pubheritage.camra.org.uk/pubs/2082) show the old wood looking rather scruffy. The gantry holding glassware above the counter has been replaced, but I very much doubt that the one depicted previously was original anyway. The interior refurbishment, to the extent that it is possible to determine, appears to have been done with taste and in keeping with the pub's history, though it remains to be seen what Camra's heritage group will have to say. (The notes written by Camra even decry the white paint on the exterior, which I can't see a problem with.) The walls have many pictures of soldiers, and the ceiling is covered with banknotes.
The bar counter top is pewter, and while not original it is certainly very old, as it has a defunct set of six hand pumps embedded in it, adapted for keg beers. The operational pumps are to either side, with Greene King IPA and Abbot to the left, and Landlord and a house beer to the right. The latter was what I went for: it is brewed by Woodforde's and was very good, though a little pricey at £2.85 for a half of 3.8% bitter.
On 2nd February 2022
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3733 recommendations about 3470 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about The Grenadier
As mentioned, this place is difficult to find, not least because of the off-putting sign which informs the visitor that the mews is private.
With a drinking patio to the right side, the exterior is well described by BF, however the interior looks to have been modified in some way, not looking anywhere near as rustic as the photos on CAMRA’s site, for this has an interior of Regional Importance; really?
It’s as described below, but is the metal bar gantry really original? Likewise, the bar front which looks modern and certainly the modern dark boarded floor, which doesn’t appear on CAMRA’s site. Otherwise, it’s a small pub, with two rear rooms, the one to the left with tables laid for dining, topped with wine bottles with a ‘reserved’ tab fixed to their necks. There are bottle green velvet curtains and dark wood wainscotting, above which are drinking ledges. Lighting comes from attractive hanging lamps with fluted glass shades, along with modest brass chandeliers and there’s a log burning stove, which looks decorative rather than functional. The main talking point in here is the glass cabinet displaying a uniform of the Grenadier Guards. There were two tables up front with groups of tourists, thereafter two groups of jolly young northern hipsters. There’s a carpeted snug to the rear right, with a group of jolly older northerners, less hipster, more hip replacement.
Three ales were on: GK IPA, Cedric’s Debt(?) ‘coming soon’ and Landlord at £5.40 a pint and good, 30p cheaper than the Little Driver, a down-at-heel pub in Bow, so Belgravia, one of the world’s most expensive areas is cheaper than an East End boozer?
I wasn’t so enamoured of this place. It’s ok, but I wonder if it has been messed about a bit and recently too. I doubt I’d make a return visit, but this is miles better than the awful Walton Arms, but no match for the Nag’s Head.
On 26th September 2021
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1983 recommendations about 1949 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about The Grenadier
Tricky to find and tucked away,this is a classic mews pub with a sentry box outside to reinforce the military theme.There is a steep climb to the front door with a small tap room ahead with a couple of tables to the left,wooden floor and the bar ahead.There is then a nesting of three rooms,two with bar access with lots of wood panelling,traditional furniture and many military prints dotted about.There are also tables outside and to the side.With internal furniture removed ,this popular dining pub may be heavily booked,although I was squeezed into an internal table on the proviso that it was for an hour only.
The ale on offer was Genadier Bitter (providence unknown 3.8%),GK IPA,Harveys Sussex Best (NBSS 3) and sadly a TT Landlord which ran out on ordering.The interior is worthy of inspection and the green drapes add to the atmosphere,there is a maasive collection of bank notes with punters names pinned to the ceiling,a veritable heist if you could grab them all.
There aren't too many of these London mews pubs left,so well worth a trip for that alone.
On 11th October 2020
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2727 recommendations about 2727 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Blackthorn _ left this review about The Grenadier
Tucked away down a dead-end private mews, this isn’t somewhere you’re likely to stumble across by accident, and in fact we went to some considerable effort to find it even though we were actively looking. It’s an attractive building with plenty of hanging baskets outside as well as a red sentry box, presumably for the grenadier that the pub takes it’s name from.
Internally it consists of a bar along the front with dark wooden boards on the floor and dark wood panelling on the lower part of the walls with green painted wallpaper up above. A second room at the rear that looked to be more geared up for dining was broadly similar in terms of décor, but had green carpet on the floor and taupe paintwork. A large oil painting of the Thames hung on the wall, and there was a small green tiled fireplace, although this looked to be disused. A rather unique feature of the pub was the ceiling which was completely covered in signed bank notes. Visitors were apparently encouraged to leave one behind, and both a felt tip pen and a Pritt stick were made available to assist, and an American tourist there during our visit dually added a dollar bill to the collection.
The menu consisted of a decent enough selection of “pub grub” dishes such as a vegetarian curry, rib-eye steak or beef Wellington with most of the mains priced somewhere around the £15 mark, although the Wellington was almost double that. My Ox Cheek Croquettes with a horseradish mayo to start and a Fish & Chips with tartar sauce and mushy peas for a main course were both pretty good.
Beers on tap were Greene King IPA, Abbott Ale, Timothy Taylor Landlord and their own Grenadier Ale. The solitary cider meanwhile was Aspall’s Suffolk. According to my guide book, the pub is world famous for their Bloody Mary’s and so I felt obligated to try one. To be honest though, it was far too spicy for my taste although the landlord cheerfully supplied extra tomato juice, and had I realised beforehand that it was going to cost me a tenner, I would certainly have given it a miss. All in all though, a great little pub and well worth taking the effort to track it down.
On 17th September 2019
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1947 recommendations about 1860 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Grenadier
Very small pub (was Taylor Walker, now GK), properly tucked away in a set of exclusive, small and winding mews backstreets in an ‘impossibly unlikely location’ as noted below. Inside, there’s a tight central bar area splitting the pub into two halves (there’s access to both areas via the rear of the bar as well). General décor theme is scuffed wood flooring, dark green curtains, dark varnished wood panels, Grenadier militaria (obvs) and a load of signed money stapled to the ceiling, presumably from former patrons. Dining areas on the rear of either side, which looked pleasant enough and were being used as drinking overspill areas mainly. All-in-all quite cosy and convivial and it's CAMRA National Inventory listed. Four ales on; Tim Taylor Landlord, GK IPA, GK house beer of unknown provenance and Woodfordes Wherry (fair condition); be warned that its Belgravia location means Belgravia prices, I imagine the Taylor’s Landlord would be well-skywards of a fiver. In an 80’s throwback the lager fonts look like mini pumps, tut-tut. All-in-all the ‘quaintness and quirkiness’ makes it well-worth putting on the London list, there’s enough here to make your stay an enjoyable one.
On 28th February 2018
- rating: 7
[User has posted 5072 recommendations about 5055 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
custodian 42 left this review about The Grenadier
Took me ages to find this tucked away place. The bar was in the middle splitting the pub into halves. Nothing of any strength real ale wise, though. Most people were outside on my visit.
On 17th May 2017
- rating: 5
[User has posted 1693 recommendations about 1691 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
hondo . left this review about The Grenadier
Taylor Walker Spirit group pub but you wouldn't know it ( thought all TW pubs had to have black and white tiles at the bar). Tucked away down a mews 4 real ales and food served. Interior as described below.
On 14th October 2015
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 2883 recommendations about 2820 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about The Grenadier
Access to the Grenadier is gained via a few steps up to the entrance, as can be seen in the photographs. The cosy interior consists of a front bar area, the Wellington Room to the left rear and another area with a table to the right rear. There were a couple of people in the bar during my recent Monday Lunchtime visit, but the majority were dining in the rear. I did not see a food menu, but this is a Taylor Walker establishment so I would expect their pub co menu is in operation. The bar supports a standard and premium draught range and the three hand pumps were drawing Woodforde’s Wherry, Greene King IPA and Fuller’s London pride.
It took me all of ten seconds to have a look around this small pub where I discovered the omission of a television and the absence of any background music. To the right of the pub is a bench and ashtray which is the only outside seating other than a bench on the path out front that I’m not sure is actually the pub’s. I found the service to be very friendly and I would enjoy another beer in this pleasant back street pub.
On 14th October 2015
- rating: 7
[User has posted 5233 recommendations about 5201 pubs]