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The Grapevine , Exmouth

Victoria Road
Exmouth
EX8 1DL
Phone: 01395222208

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Reviews (Current Rating Average: of 10) Add Review see review guidelines


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Pub SignMan left this review about The Grapevine

This smart brewpub has a great central location, just off The Strand and within easy striking distance of the train station, making it an ideal start or end point for any crawl around town. The pub has a slightly food-led feel, thanks in part to the retention of certain Covid-era practices, such as table service and a rope across entrance for punters to wait at, in order to be seated. Once admitted, you find yourself in a tiled floor room with bare boarded raised seating seating areas to either side. High tables and stools run through the centre, in the space opposite the bar, whilst both of the side seating areas have regular tables and chairs in abundance. The walls are painted in dark shades and decorated with Crossed Anchors signs, Six Nations promotional crap and a few simple mirrors. The servery is to the left and has a timber clad counter bearing the pub’s name, and a deep bar back with keg taps mounted on an ugly steel fronted unit beneath a basic image depicting the brewing process. Unusually, the bar canopy holds a collection of, what I assume are, rarer Crossed Anchors beers in large bottles. The windows have some nice stained glass upper panes, but there’s not too much else that puts you in mind of a traditional pub here. Beyond the bar is a rear area with bare boards and a mix of high tables and stools and picnic benches, with an open kitchen to the left. More bottles are displayed on the shelves back here, seemingly available for off-sales, and beyond this, there may possibly be a final room to the rear, but I didn't fully explore. Quiet tunes played in the background but a good Sunday evening turnout created enough hubbub to render it unnecessary. The staff here all seemed very friendly and they gave a lady who bought some take out bottles a free branded bottle opener.
Unsurprisingly, Crossed Anchors beer dominates the bar, with American Pale Ale, Big Red Ale, Devon Premium Gold and Sweet Session O'Mine available on cask, alongside eight of their keg beers plus a few guests from Stannary, New Lion and Powderkeg. I tried the American Pale Ale (£3.80 a pint) but found it almost entirely devoid of flavour, which was a real disappointing end to my crawl around town.
I wanted to like this place, which on the surface is a smart, well run brewpub with a good selection of beers and a comfortable environment in which to enjoy them. However, this was tempered by the food-led feel of the enterprise, poor quality homebrew and the relentless Six Nations branding throughout the pub. Ultimately, I left feeling a little unfulfilled and would think twice about giving this a second chance.

On 5th June 2022 - rating: 6
[User has posted 3102 recommendations about 3102 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Ian Mapp left this review about The Grapevine

Decent brewhouse - a converted victorian street corner pub - it is single roomed but has the benefit of a covered and heated courtyard.

An extensive range of Cross Anchors beers - where a clip board with a printed menu is available on every table. Also an extensive (and slightly expensive) range of European beers - including a first ever spotted Ayinger Winter Bock.

Friendly staff - who are currently taking orders at the bar and then delivering the drinks to you table.

I liked this place.

On 21st November 2021 - rating: 8
[User has posted 1329 recommendations about 1315 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Graham Coombs left this review about The Grapevine

A much renovated old pub which is home to the Crossed Anchors Brewery. The single room is broken up with balustraded areas and still features the dark blue-grey walls, quite up-market if perhaps rather overwhelmed by the large graphic text adverts. There is a courtyard outdoor area at the back. Draught ales are from their own range, in this case including two bitters, an IPA and a very nice porter. On keg are various others of their own and sundry guests of the craft persuasion. Food is from an American Diner-style kitchen, mainly burgers, but nice enough. A bonus point for the beer selection.

On 9th October 2021 - rating: 8
[User has posted 3322 recommendations about 3259 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Quinno _ left this review about The Grapevine

Trendy bar serving as a showcase for Crossed Anchors brewery, I had no idea I was re-entering a pub I had previously done a few years ago under a different guise. Trendiness comes in the form of interesting but uncomfortable high seating and a shade of greyish blue that seems to be colour of choice these days to show how new you are. To be fair it's quite well done and there are no holes in the ceiling or crumbling plasterwork. Six pumps at the bar with 5 Crossed Anchors and a Bristol Beer Factory guest. My Crossed Anchors American Pale was clearly the first one out since the previous evening (NBSS 2.5), served up by disinterested staff. Also two proper ciders and 12 keg beers with a decent selection. With a bit more care and attention this place could be fairly good but a lack of basic bar skills means it’s a disappointing 6.5

February 2014
Wedge-shaped corner building. Massively upmarket compared to the others I tried in Exmouth and seemingly up-scaled from a rather more earthy place called the Viper a few years back. Six pumps, with five ales and a cider (Devon Farm). My Moor was cloudy which, I understand, is how some of their beers are (though a bit of warning at the bar would’ve been helpful) but it tasted good and a follow-up of local Hunters Best was even better. An impressive bottled list if somewhat expensive - ‘boutique pricing’ I would say. Fentimans softies available, which got Mrs Quinno smiling. Friendly bar service and the staff were coping well with a capacity crowd, being well-marshalled by the bar manager. Quite an open, sonorous interior with dimmed lighting. Décor is best described as ‘London-lite’. Some board games available and we had a game of dominoes to pass a bit of time. We decided to eat and our food was very good (upmarket English tapas), though the lady on the table opposite complained about her salad being, basically, a load of lettuce leaves (she was right, IMO) but it did get sorted and the replacement looked a lot better. Whilst this place might not suit the traditionalist, they seem to be doing very well and getting a lot of things right. Worth making the effort to get to. Rated 8

On 21st April 2019 - rating: 6
[User has posted 5043 recommendations about 5026 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Glass Monkey left this review about The Viper

This pub is gone. It is dead. It has ceased to be. New owner says he's aiming for the new pub to be as different from the viper as it is possible to be - we'll wait and see.

On 19th October 2010 - no rating submitted
[User has posted 12 recommendations about 12 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


russell skinner left this review about Pitchers

now called the viper this is a young persons pub one of the last stopping off places before hitting one of the three nearby nightclubs

On 9th December 2007 - rating: 4
[User has posted 7 recommendations about 7 pubs]