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Disappointment of the week with Mobyduck
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Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Blackthorn _ left this review about The Guinea
Tucked away down a back street, albeit just around the corner from Berkely Square, this isn’t somewhere you’re likely to stumble across by accident, but is worth taking a small detour if in the area.
Internally it’s a single, U-shape room and quite traditional in appearance with black wooden boards on the floor, black painted paper on the ceiling, dark green embossed wallpaper on the lower part of the walls and sandy colour paintwork above. Etched glass windows were at the front of the pub were draped with long red curtains. The walls were liberally covered in pictures, many of them portraits or caricatures, as well as an old menu (not actually that old going on the prices) and a “Pies sold all day” sign. The barmen were very smartly dressed in waistcoats like you might expect in a smart hotel bar, not a back street boozer. It was pretty much full to capacity on our recent Saturday evening visit, and we were initially standing before grabbing a small table in the window when it became available.
Beers on tap were a Young’s London Original and London Special, along with St Austell’s Proper Job. The solitary cider meanwhile was Aspall’s Suffolk. Overall, not a bad pit stop and worth popping in if in the area, but I’m not sure I’d bother going to far out my way to get here.
On 20th February 2023
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1947 recommendations about 1860 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Ian Mapp left this review about The Guinea
Back street, mews based pub that you have to go looking for.
A front bar and restaurant to the side. Appear to trade of their pies, although all the awards detailed on the walls were from the 1990s.
Very smartly dressed bar staff and very low lighting. Gave the appearance of a soho after hours drinking den, although in reality - its just a pub that takes pride in their service.
Youngs range and Proper Job on offer.
Former patrons, booze hounds such as Frank Sinatra, Richard Burton and Princess Margret. They knew what to look for in a pub :-)
On 18th January 2022
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1337 recommendations about 1323 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Guinea
This is a smart, traditional Young’s house down a rather attractive Mayfair back street with a fairly well preserved interior. Two entrances, each with their own ‘Private Bar’ and ‘Lounge Bar’ etched glass panes, both lead into the same partially opened out bar area, albeit at opposite ends of the room. The left side is ostensibly a separate restaurant area with a small partitioned carpeted seating area to the front giving way to a full dining room up a few steps and through a doorway manned by a formally dressed doorman. A gap in the partitioning allows you through to the bar proper – a bare boarded room with a lovely curved dark wood counter along the rear wall and a somewhat underwhelming mirrored back which displayed a very small Young’s sign but was otherwise fairly unmemorable. Low stools and hard benches run along the front wall under sizable windows with nice panes denoting ‘Wines’, ‘Spirits’ and the pub’s name. Two windows has a rather nice brass rail across them with low level lamps fitted to them, which help generate muted, moody lighting once darkness descends outside. The bar and room both turn 90 degrees and run to the ear down the right hand side of the room where a drinking ledge and high stools compete for space in the narrow gap between wall and bar, before things open out again at the back, allowing space for a few more tables in what must arguably be the cosiest spot in the pub. Decor throughout consists of a few quirky adverts, some Hogarth style pictures and the obligatory shot of Prince Charles pulling a pint. The clientele in here was very upmarket on my visit, but I didn’t feel bad or frowned upon propping up the end of the bar in my jeans and hoodie.
On the bar, the two unsurprising Young’s beers – Ordinary and Special – were complimented by a couple of guest ales in the shape of Truman’s Runner and Sambrook’s Pumphouse Pale (£5.15). The latter poured quite temperamentally but settled soon enough and turned out to be a very nice pint. The barman was very polite and formal in his dealings with customers and despite the place having a strong food emphasis, the location of the diners in the rear room meant that the bar area was solely in use for drinkers, making for a better overall atmosphere.
Young’s certainly know how to mess up a perfectly good pub, but with this one they have for the most part, acted as sympathetic, tasteful custodians of what is clearly a fine historic pub. I liked the cramped but evocative bar area and thought they had plenty of interesting features to reward repeat visits. If you’re keen to splash out on a pint in this pricey part of the city, you could do a lot worse than this fine venue.
On 5th June 2019
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about The Guinea
The 1675 sign attests to the age,it's a historic pub but will attract tourists as a result.There are two marked entrances ,restaurant to left with bar to right , three drop down tables exist at the front for exterior drinking.The bar is really quite small,with three tiny tables below the front windows and only enough room for low level stools,The righthand wall has a drinking shelf and bar stools while to the rear there is fitted bench seating,but this pub will fill very quickly and can be uncomfortable at peak times.There is a good internal dividing doorway in wood if you decide to transfer to the first floor restaurant from the bar.Some etched glass also looks authentic .
Being a Youngs pubco means suffering both their Ordinary and Special with guests on my trip Truman Runner and Sambrooks Pumphouse Pale (acceptable ).There is a sandwich and pub snack menu ,the latter advertised on bar mats and containing some traditional dishes so maybe the food is better than the ale,if you are lucky enough to get seated.
I've ticked it off for it's historic interest but I won't be rushing back.
On 8th March 2019
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2727 recommendations about 2727 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about The Guinea
A pub has stood here in some form since around 1423, with the current incarnation dating from 1741. A first in here the other night and the immediate thing you notice is the enormous number of drinkers standing outside. The second thing you notice is the frontage with name of the upstairs Guinea Grill picked out in awful garish yellow neon lights which makes the place look like a lap dancing club.
As mentioned, it's a very small traditional pub with much dark wood and selection of Young's beers served with admirable efficiency by the overworked bar staff; a pint of Special was very good though was £4.90 which is what you expect if you drink in the world's most expensive residential area. Still, I've paid more in substantially less genteel areas. A scotch egg was nearly delicious but was marred slightly by the addition of far too much salt.
Overall it would seem that this is a very decent boozer which I'm informed does indeed get packed at lunchtime. However, it was absolutely packed on our evening visit and a couple of groups couldn't contain their 'exuberance', resulting in a very noisy evening, so much so that in the end we gave up and went to look for somewhere more restrained; this is probably the first time that I've been forced out of a pub by the noise of conversation.
I'd generally be happy to come here again but only at a much quieter time.
On 23rd November 2018
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1983 recommendations about 1949 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about The Guinea
The Guinea features a slightly rough public bar to the front, with more salubrious surroundings for customers of the Guinea Grill further back in the same building. The presence of a number of original fittings qualify the pub for Camra's regional inventory of historical pub interiors, which makes it worth a visit. There are two front entrances though the original rooms have been opened out somewhat so they both lead to the same place. A remarkable preservation is the curved panel and doorway to the public bar, which can be seen if using the entrance to the left (or going out by the exit to the right). Four hand pumps with Youngs Bitter & Special, Sambrooks Pumphouse Pale Ale and Sharps Doom Bar, so nothing special but the Bitter was in good condition.
Date of visit: 21st November 2017
On 10th January 2018
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3734 recommendations about 3471 pubs]
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custodian 42 left this review about The Guinea
Small Young's pub with their usual selection of real ales. Most people were outside on my visit which was just as well as I doubt they would all have fitted in.
On 24th May 2017
- rating: 5
[User has posted 1693 recommendations about 1691 pubs]
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Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Guinea
Small mews pub, with a little 'L'-shaped bar separated from the corridor leading to the famous 'Grill Room' by a traditional wooden screen (with a low door to catch out the unwary). Also has a separate 'Boardroom' available for private hire upstairs. Seating and decor is distinctly old-fashioned (in a good way). Efficient staff. Four real ales on handpump - usually Youngs Ordinary and Special, Bombardier and a seasonal or guest (Wandle on this occasion). Worth seeking out.
On 20th September 2015
- rating: 7
[User has posted 8086 recommendations about 8086 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about The Guinea
This is a good pub for a couple of beers when the sun is shining and one can stand out in the quiet back street, but probably one to avoid if it is gloomy as it is not the biggest pub. It seems to have been split to accommodate the grill upstairs, which had it's own doorman in fancy garb.
I'm not a massive fan of Young's beers, but I enjoyed the Kew Gold very much and I would return.
I found the staff to be very friendly and I will return when next in the area.
On 1st September 2009
- rating: 7
[User has posted 5233 recommendations about 5201 pubs]
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Rex Rattus left this review about The Guinea
This is a Young's house that has somehow managed to retain pretty much all of its original features. In fact I don't think that it has changed much since I knew it back in the 60s – although I don't remember the tartan carpet! The upholstery on the settles has seen better days and probably needs replacing sometime (soon). The ales were what you would expect in a Young's pub – Bombardier; Special; Bitter; and Kew Gold. I had the latter which was pretty good, but at £3.30 a pint. But (leaving out the Guinea Grill, into which I didn't venture, and on which I therefore make no comment) this remains a good pub, and I would be happy to visit again.
On 5th August 2009
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]