please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Popped in on a Saturday night for a couple of pints with a pal. It was packed with several groups so getting served took a short while due to indecisive punters and one or two bar staff not knowing who was next.
Being a Young’s pub all 4 ales were from their stable, there’s also a decent selection of London craft beers in cans and bottles. I stayed on the cask ales and had 2 pints of London Gold that were both very drinkable.
Nice pub, busy, not overly cheap but it is in a large tourist area. More than serves a purpose and is one of the better Young’s pubs in Central London.
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A new pub for me despite several visits to this area over the years. Fairly basic looking place, the most memorable & colourful aspect of the pub was the bar lady's tattoos. I have a few mid life crisis cartoons about my body but hers were wide screen Technicolour. My pint of Doom Bar was satisfactory, though @ 4.30 was by far the most expensive pint of the six I had south of the river.
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A re-visit here for a quick pint on a Tuesday evening while waiting for a train.
It’s just after 5pm when I arrive and its already pretty busy, mainly with local workers.
3 Young's ales, plus Doom Bar on tap. My choice of Young’s London Gold was decent enough.
Music playing, decent crowd and beers are alright, worthy of a stop.
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I arrived into LB early for a few beers with a pal in the LB / Borough area so decided to visit the Bunch of Grapes, a pub that I'm not sure I've ever been in before, which is mighty strange for this area.
A Young's House with 3 of their ales on cask London Gold, Special and Bitter. The 4th offering was Star from Portabello. I went for a pint of London Gold & it was very drinkable.
Attentive bar staff and worth noting that at 4.30pm on a Saturday there were lots of staff in the pub, better than being under staffed!
Stripped wood flooring thorough out with little tucked away area’s with glass partitions.
Garden to the rear was very popular. There’s a dining room upstairs but I didn't venture up. Food available downstairs also and it looked good, but seemed a little pricey but it is a good catchment area for tourists and visitors.
A very decent pub that I feel is worthy of another visit
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The BoG is a nice pub serving Youngs ales, but it's nothing special. I got chatting to a few American tourists who were keen to tell me just how much they love a traditional old English boozer. They can do better than this; there are so many interesting pubs in this part of London. This is a one pint pub - drink it, enjoy it but don't hang around, move on. That said, landmark enthusiasts will be pleased to know it's near London Bridge station, Southwark Cathedral, and the Shard. Woohoo.
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A traditional pub near Borough Market and now in the shadow of the Shard, this was surprisingly quiet on a recent early lunchtime visit.
The main bar area is an open plan, square room, although there are a couple of wood partitions with frosted and etched glass to break up the space a little. The decor is mostly exposed brick that has been painted cream although there is also some cream wood panelling and the paintwork elsewhere is a dark brown to compliment the wood that is used. The flooring is bare wooden boards and there are a number of black and white pictures on the wall, many of the local market and a large Bass mirror at the rear. These have recently been joined by a mural of the Shard painted on to the wall. Large windows look out on to the street. Seating is mostly quite high tables and chairs which can be slightly difficult to manoeuvre in to position as your feet are nowhere near the ground.
There is a courtyard garden at the rear which unusually includes a lower level. Although this has brick walls and is somewhat overlooked by the neighbouring office blocks (one nearby office had a row of skittles in the window?), they’ve nonetheless made an effort to make it feel more homely with gilded mirrors around the walls and a number of heated awnings. Helpfully they also provide blankets to keep out the chilly weather.
The food menu looked to be a decent enough “pub grub” affair with options such as Chilli, Haddock & Chips and Bangers & Mash and these were mostly priced at around the £8 - £10 mark. They are also apparently famous for their burgers and pies (their words, not mine). Bar staff were efficient, quickly wiping down any tables as soon as they were vacated.
Beers on tap were Young’s Bitter, Young’s Special, London Gold and Bombardier. The solitary cider was Aspall’s Suffolk.
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This place is alright. Nothing special, but ok.
I use it fairly regularly as it's handy for London Bridge station. The bar staff can be a bit hit and miss sometimes and it can get quite rammed, but there's certainly a lot worse in the area.
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It's pricey but its a decent hostelry.
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I only use this pub 3 or 4 times a year but I have to say that i find some of the cooments about the staff to be very wide of the mark.
Good solid boozer.
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Best pub in the area
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I love this pub and i think it has a great atmosphere. I think that the staff are great. I have read the pervious comments and I do not agree. i find that some times you get some really snobby groups that come in and I have heard the way they treat the staff and ignore them when asked to finish their drinks. No matter what pub I go to and my friend go to, we all know that we have 20 minutes to drink our drinks, what makes other people think that they are more special then us law abiding people. Anyway this pub has been my place to go to since i started working in London bridge, the only thing I hate other than spoilt rich kids that come to this pub once in a while and make a mess is that the chip sizes are so small for their price, you get more if you bought a packet of crisp there.
If visiting london Bridge this is the place to start off with. Really carming little pub.
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I genuinely hope that this review puts you off going to this pub!
The bar staff were incredibly rude to a group of us from the moment we bought our drinks (for absolutely no reason). It was almost as if they didn't want our money.
With plenty of other really good bars around this area, I see no reason why you should consider going here.
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Popped in with a small group for a swift end of evening drink. Bar staff tersely informed us immeditaley that we only had 15 minutes until last orders, and appeared unhappy that we ordered individually rather than as a group. Over the next 25 minutes our group was hassled a dozen time and informed that they are shortly closing and its to drink-up, etc. When we picked-up one particular member of staff on her tone and general rudeness, she then squared-up to a member of our group and refused to acknowledge their was anything lacking in her service, and that you "think you can drink here all night". I appreciated staff have a difficult job around closing time, but the rudeness and tone was completely unnecessary and unacceptable. Judging by other comments, this doesn't seem like a one-off.
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Fairly standard slightly higher than middle of the road Youngs pub. Ales were pretty good, food distinctly average and bar staff generally quite pleasant. I'd stop off here but probably wouldn't stay for long.
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Popped in here a few times now and tried the acid test of a Sunday lunchtime. Found that we got served quickly, with a good pint of the Ordinary, and was able to grab a seat by the window. Not only that does this appear (in ale terms at least, and ignoring any Weatherspoons) one of the more reasonably priced pubs in the area?
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Very busy pub near to London Bridge train station.
Had a very well kept pint of Youngs and all the other ale and lager looked well kept.
Drinking area on the pavement in front of pub and a outside drinking area at the back of the pub.
Good pub on the London Bridge/ Borough Market crawl.
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A Youngs pub with a fairly big downstairs, an outside yard and a big room upstairs (although without a bar). You can expect the various Youngs beers, but also Bombardier. It's perhaps not as great as it could be (and I mean that as a strange sort of complement), but it's pretty good all round. Very good location if you're going/coming from London Bridge station.
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One of the best pubs in London Bridge / Borough as it is low-key and off the main tourist drag, an ideal spot for a post-work liquid massage, pre-football food on Saturdays also pretty good. It's a great pub with a Victorian interior and although I agree that the barmaids can be a little dense at times it's a minor point.
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Took an age to get served at lunch time, wasn't even busy !
�4.10 for Staropramen.
Wont be rushing back !
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I have to say that I love the bunch of grapes, I hate the prices but you pay for a great service from most of the staff. You have the assistant manager Mark who is also the musician that provides the the live music and the landlady Vicky has to be one of the pub managers in the area. The barmaids are great looking, friendly and remembers your name and face, the Asian girl Nina is really funny and sweet and also really fiesty when it comes to the end of the night but it's good to have someone like that in a pub that would keep trouble away. Ellie is my favourite and just having her there gives me a reason to come back for a drink everyweek. Only bad thing are drink price unless it's a spirit �because you get 35mls which is an alright price. Love all the staff but the boys behind the bar are the only things letting them down, they look scruffy and never order a pint of them because it would be flat and never ever order a pint of guinness of magness especially because he would spend ages putting a picture on it, now unless I am a tourist that wants to wait 10 mins for a silly picture on my pint. We would any one in their right mind want to drink that? I give this pub a 7 out of 10 and if you get rid of the boys or White haired men I would give this place a 9
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The barmaid, a young Asian girl, early 30s,last Friday night, charged about 28. 85 for a round of 6 drinks. When I queried this (mostly pints... 5 quid a drink??) she explained how this was a very expensive bar... etc... the till receipt, when it came, revealed she had charged for a mixture we never had and also overcharged on the whole by six quid - no explanation why she'd charged over 4 quid more than on the receipt... Most of our group said they were surprised by their bill and the other bar staff seemed very interested to see someone query the bill.... Most annoying as I used to work near there for 12 years and have gone in occasionally over that time. If you have to go in here ask for the till receipt and check your change as they will scalp you if you're not careful. Won't be back. Perhaps the management could keep a closer eye on the staff... as it's expensive enough without the staff adding a 25% 'tip' on top !!
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Going there for a pint with you mates, probably ideal, going there for lunch with your parents......I wouldn't do that again. Ordered food at the bar, the lady took the order 3 times, very casual and 'whatever' attitude......and surprise, she got it wrong!
The fella who then brought the food out, very polite and tried hard but needs guidance and training on customer service! Food was just ok, Welsh Rarebit......squeezy cheese sauce on cold toast!
I have been there on a Saturday night and was great atmosphere. As i said, place to have a laugh and drink up with your mates. Lady manager, helpful, polite, friendly, pub let down by sloppy attitude of some of the staff working that day.
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recently moved here and so far this is one of the better pubs in the area.
can get busy with the after work crowd - but never too long a wait to get served
ale-wise you can depend on the Young's and Young's Special. For variety there's usually a good guest ale too, like Gem
anonymous - 20 Oct 2010 10:14 |
what a great pub!! great food and good beer! good atmosphere and one of the best in the area!!
red67 - 22 Aug 2010 14:18 |
what a great pub and great pub to be in with fun and what fun we had on Friday night with the power cut they had great service thoughout all the trouble!!! will be back!! thumbs up!
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Would that be the very same 'Dicky Ainge' who left working here a few weeks ago and is friends with the new manager? Well it certainly says something when you are asking your friends to 'big up' the pub on your behalf.
As a (not very) regular (enough to see the changes in attitude and morale of the guys and girls who serve you), I must say that since your's and the previous managers departure the atmosphere has been somewhat slighty (read largely) more downcast and generally a 'don't want to be here attitude' is felt by all customers, by all employees.
Like I said, it says something when you get your mates to write reviews for you. Pop round the corner to the Kings Head (??) where its cheaper, and more fun.......
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Went in the other night to be greeted brightly by the new manager who introduced herself and was very attentive to my needs, felt at home, great tasting beer and as my friends were late i was taken under the wing by their canadian barman Mark. great location just off borough highstreet atmosphere was awesome. A local in the city (not something you can find easily)
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Went in here on Tuesday and the bar girl was absolutely fantastic - offered the upstairs room when she saw my wife and I were sitting on two (seriously) different heighted chairs..... When I said I was happy downstairs (there always seems to be more of an atmosphere) she disappeared and returned a minute later with a chair that she had brought down from the upstairs herself. I don't mind if the staff dress like crap when you get service like this.
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Youngs pub housed in a Grade 2 listed building in a side street just outside London Bridge Station.
It's a smallish bare boarded single bar pub broken up by some wooden screens and pillars into a number of nooks and crannies. The walls are traditionally decorated with a particularly large Bass mirror being worthy of note. Unusually, and notably for the area, is a split level outside garden at the back.
The pub seems to attract a wider client mix than the nearby Barrow Boy and Banker - it's much less dominated by suits, but, being close to the station, it's invariably busy.
I'm no fan of staff in pubs being made to wear a "corporate" uniform - eg short sleeved black shirts - but I have to say that I do like staff to be reasonably presentable. On my two recent visite here, staff have looked somewhat dishevelled - resembling the type of people you see selling The Big Issue on street corners, or homeless people sleeping in a cardboard box under the arches. Perhaps it's an age thing, but I do find it a bit offputting.
I still have a bit of a soft spot for this pub - it was here that theYoungs 135 Association held their farewell "bash" many years ago - and the beer, whilst not cheap, is usually in reasonable nick.
Given its closeness to the station, it's a good place to launch or berth a crawl of the area's many fine pubs.
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Well-run and popular Young pub, but for me it lacks a bit of character: it's neither cosy nor rocking! Wouldn't want to stay the whole evening there. Good for a quick pint before a train out of London Bridge.
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This is a rather bland Youngs pub that had four of their ales on during my visit along with a standard and premium draught selection. Unlike some others on here I found the staff to be friendly enough although the other customers were rude and obnoxious, especially the morons drinking at the small bar so as to leave no room for people to be served. I was also disappointed with the quality of my Guinness which was sub standard, especially for this area full of good beer pubs.
I see no reason to visit here again.
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This is my local pub near work. It's a superbly run establishment and the guys, especially Richard worked incredibly hard on the evening of our Christmas Party. Richard is the current deputy manager - I've never met a guy who is so into the running of his pub - sterling job..and now that Rod has departed for Putney, why on earth isn't Richard the manager? More than capable and certainly gets the vote of all of the regulars I meet in there! Finally, on Richard's initiative, the pub started to have highly successful music nights and Mark Curran (who also happens to be one of the bar staff) has proven himself to be brilliant singer with a great gravely voice (better than Axel Rose accordng to my better half!) So there Mark, have a pat on the back from us. Cheers M
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Single room bare board Youngs pub close to London Bridge Station. This a reasonable place with the usual Youngs ales and a relaxed atmosphere. It's not as good as some of its competitors in the area but if stuck in London Bridge station its proximity means it's handy for a swift pint while waiting for the next delayed train.
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I was very excited when I heard this place had a "3-tier beer garden"... but it's not all that.
OK food, OK drinks, good (if quirky-looking staff) and great proximity to McDonalds.
Not bad, not perfect.
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I must say I am surprised about the comments on the staff and service here because, having been here several times over the last few weeks, the staff have all been efficient and friendly, notably the (Fijian?) manager.
The only downside this Tuesday evening was the jazz band they decided to employ. The Grapes is just too small a pub for live music inside and after having our group's conversation killed stone dead as we couldn't hear each other we jumped ship and went down the road to a quieter pub (and probably spend upwards of �100 on drinks and food there!).
Definitely worth visiting - if they got rid of the stupid music I would rate it higher.
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I have visited this pub twice, and will not be going back a third time. The decor and layout is ok, fairly standard i guess. The beer is on the expensive side, but hey, it's London. The main reason I would reccomend anyone I care about to steer clear of this pub is the staff.
On both my visits the service has been terrible, the staff seem to be too interested in their conversations about who wears the tightest jeans to notice the appearance of potential customers at the bar holding empty glasses. In the abscence of any conversation or text messages from their friends, they will, on occasion, serve members of the public a tasty, though slightly overpriced beverage. Be warned though- in order to appear quirky, they will sometimes do away with the time honoured tradition or serving customers in the order that they arrive at the bar.
Oh, and don't EVER point out the fact that you ordered the steak, when they (eventually) bring you the steak pie. They will insist that YOU are mistaken. Despite the fact that you clearly remember specifying 'Rare'
In summary, Imagine that scene at the end of Shaun of the Dead, you know, where they put all the zombies to work ferrying supermarket trolleys around car parks. Imagine that, but in what would otherwise be a reasonable pub. And the zombies wear tight jeans and have trendy haircuts.
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My son went in last nght with friends after work. They were robbed during their stay, coats, bags, briefcases - all gone!
Beware and keep your belongings with you if you don't want to suffer the hassles of protecting identity, getting copies or losing precious papers and documents.
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My impression of this pub from my short visit was extremely positive in stark contrast to some of the bewildering reviews below. The interior to this Youngs' house is splendid and would I'm sure be to the liking of a number of notable BITE users - witness the marvellous glass panels, vintage Bass mirror and some rather lovely prints of Borough Market and other landmarks of the surrounding area. Youngs' Bitter and Special were both served in tip-top nick alongside Bombardier and Kew Bitter. Excellent.
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Now I can only report what I find, and I found no problem when I visited for the first time at 5.30PM last Thursday evening to start my mini crawl of the local vicinity.
In fact I walked straight up the bar and was provided with a well served pint of Youngs Special almost instantaneously, which was kept well and a good way to start the evening off.
But I appreciate that one swallow does not make a summer, so I bow to the greater knowledge of the previous posters who have more experience of this establishment than I do, and consider that perhaps I was lucky on the service front.
If there is a problem then I hope they sort it out because I really liked this pub.
Although quite modern in d�cor internally, it�s a grade II listed building and was apparently a pair of Victorian houses converted into a Freehouse and you can still see some signs of this which survived the �07 refurb throughout dark wood panelled ground floor bar.
The homely upstairs bar area is like sitting in a cosy large front room, but I really liked the out back split level patio area which is a great way of providing a decent outside drinking area in a limited space.
Usual Young�s Ordinary, Special, and Waggledance on and CW Bombardier as guest.
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Been to this pub a lot in the past - will avoid it in future, service poor, bar menu hugely overpriced.
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If you only do one thing in life, please make sure it�s never to visit here. Do not go here! I have never been to a bar and been so astonishingly offended by the bar staff, as they told one of our party she needed to loose at least two stone! Placards should be erected in honour of how monumentally offensive the bar staff here are. Suffice to say the bar staff are so impressively rude they make Prince Philip look like Henry Kissinger. A more unpleasant group of staff you could not hope to find. Avoid this place like the plague unless you like being insulted and paying for the experience
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I used to like this place, but a recent visit on a busy Friday night put me right off. Reasonably kept beer, refurb relatively sensitive as these things go. Must say on a busy friday night barstaff didn't seem on the ball in any way. My advice would be there are far better pubs nearby but if you must drink in here watch your change carefully.
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I used to like this plays, but a recent visit on a busy Friday night put me right off. Reasonably kept beer, refurb relatively sensitive as these things go. Must say on a busy friday night barstaff didn't seem on the ball in any way. My advice would be there are far better pubs nearby but if you must drink in here watch your change carefully.
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Went in there on a Saturday evening. Beer was good but despite the fact they had lots of staff behind the bar the service was shocking.
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Excellent patio/underground area for smokers, pretty busy when i was there (a wednesday night) and a bit understaffed, but on the whole not bad at all.
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I meant " I always have to ask for a top up," but you knew that!
Don't you just hate that predictive text?
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No improvement in service here at all. Seriously understaffed at peak periods. It also continues to operate a short measure policy as I always have to ask dot stop up, and then a second top up as they don't do it first time. Shame as the beer is very good quality.
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S'alright. I wish they'd learn to pour Guinness properly though.
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Sussexred will be pleased to note that, even when rammed, service is now very speedy. The bar staff are friendly and very efficient - and a bar lady who's particularly easy on the eye. The food (served til 9) is great although the menu is a little limited. They have a lovely sheltered heated beer garden at the back, which is perfect for a comfortable smoke - even on a chilly winter's night. This pub has come a long way and the improvements are evident. We'll definitely be back, and may well make this our after work regular! Highly recommended.
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I too found this pub when avoiding the rain. Typical modernised Youngs/Wells pub. Very busy at 7 on a Tuesday night with office workers and the two staff were very busy trying to keep up with the demand. After a long wait at the bar I had a pint of the guest Tribute which was excellent - but had to get the short measure topped up twice. I would have stayed for another but couldn't be bothered queueing again. I'll come back when it's quieter or when they have got more staff.
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Opens at 9am, ideal for those special occasions when you need an early livener...
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Great pub for a quick drink before heading home from London Bridge Station although I do always end up staying longer than I mean to!
There is a brilliant open mic night on Tuesday with some surprisingly good acts.
I can thoroughly recommend the Waggledance on tap, delicious.
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Found this pub by chance trying to avoid the rain other day. Stopped for a pint with my mate Dave from work. Friendly place that thankfully has an outdoor area for smoking. Gets really quite busy when the office lot finish up but there's plenty of room to chat and quite a wide selection of beers. I'll be going back again.
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I stopped by the pub last weekend to have a quick drink with some friends I hadn't seen for ages. Turns out we ended up having more than just one quick drink and stayed there for the evening. We ate, the food was tasty, reasonably priced and served with a smile. There's even an outdoor area to sit, drink and smoke. Fantastic. Enjoyed the evening and recommend the pub for food, ambiance and a good evening out.
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We had a meal and drinks there last week Friday after work. The upstairs lounge was lovely and not over packed so made for a pleasant experience. The service was great and the food excellent. Great value for money and the beer batter fish and chips I had was awesome.
Unfortunately they were having problems with their ale lines so couldn't sample one. Pity.
Do recommend for good priced pub food and a quick pint.
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Went in after hearing about their weekly open mic night from a friend and found a great boozer to relax after work. friendly staff and good beer being my seller with red stripe on tap (awesome), the upstairs was decked out for acoustic artists (just for the evening) with quality performances and an abundance of styles. the back garden also meant no worries of falling into the road when popping for a smoke. well worth a look in if you in the borough high street area, tuesday open mic is top
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Went here for lunch the other Sat. Still a good pub with good beer......But!
�5.50 for a cheese and pickle sandwich that consisted of two slices of cheap, medium slice brown bread that had been toasted as they were stale, the thinnest piece of cheap cheddar and bog standard Branstons was not what I expected. Moreover, the other dish, Mexican Chicken, had way too much cheap, tinned salsa that was over sweet. Good pub, but need to sort out the menu, and also the toilets had not been cleaned for a week by the look of them!
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Popped in again a few weeks back - still like this place quite a lot, especially the little garden/patio out the back.
Decent range of Youngs beer served in good condition. Recommended.
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We used to love this place when it was non smoking before the ban, and you could always find a table upstairs. Now its a tad rammed and there is nowhere to stand really, unless you want to be stuck outside with the smokers.
Best thing are the plastic cows with your number on when you order, have to admit I stole one once, then posted it back!
Its great if you can book the big back table upstairs in advance. Really friendly and safe place, esp for in this area.
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Nice enough Youngs pub conveniently placed near to the station which I think is very thoughtful.
Wells Banana Bread beer is a guilty pleasure of mine and they do it here.
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Good Youngs pub just round the corner from Borough Market. Has been done up in the last couple of years, and although not a fan of pub referbs, this one is not too bad.
Has Youngs Special and Ordinary on, which are both kept well, to compliment the usual selection of others and softies. The Fentimans (sic) Ginger Beer goes down rather well with Mrse1 when she�s off the oil.
Major attraction here I feel is the rather comfortable upstairs seating, which is still in good nick from the aforementioned referb and always a good bet for a seat, as I�ve never seen it busy.
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I was here on Wednesday night and I liked it a lot. The bar staff were pleasant, reasonably quick to serve, and the crowd was friendly...mainly suits (nothing wrong with that!).
The menu looked good and reasonably priced, although I did not order anything. The drinks are not cheap but I did like the quality of my glass of wine.
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Recently spent the evening here for a friends leaving do and its an ok sort of pub. Staff were reasonably friendly and i would go back if thats any sort of recommendation. My only criticism is the lack of space in the main bar - large pillars taking up a lot of space made worse by some huge tables which restrict the standing room somewhat. Looked like they had a decent sized area outside at the back for smokers though..
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Caught by the old scam where a half of something non-alcoholic costs as much as a pint of beer, and you order a pint without being warned that it'll cost more than the GDP of Zanzibar... a round here was the first and only time I've broken through the four-quid-a-pint barrier.
It's OK other than that but stick to the booze, for God's sake, you could go bankrupt drinking orange and lemonade.
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Certainly better than the watering holes inside London Bridge station, but there are much better pubs nearby.
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Not impressed by this pub. Ordered food which took over an hour to arrive and tasted pretty poor when it finally did. Not cheap compared to other pubs in the area either.
This may be forgivable but the attitude of the staff certainly isn't. They couldn't care less that we were waiting, nor would they apologise, nor would they let us speak with the manager. They actually told us that we were being unrealistic if we thought any pub in Borough would be able to serve food within an hour of ordering!
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Shame about the refurb but still a good place for a pint or two if the Market Porter is rammed. Have always found the staff friendly, and beer OK
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I couldn't agree more with porks, BothamsAshes and GrumpyDwarf. But this is what Young's are doing to their pubs. I'm afraid that the Bunch of Grapes is not an isolated case. If you have been to the Britannia in Kensington and/or the Dog and Fox in Wimbledon you will see even worse examples of sterilization than that inflicted on the Bunch of Grapes. It's a crying shame.
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Oh Youngs! What have you done!!??? This was a terrific, well run boozer - whether for a couple after work before the train, or a more determined effort. Whilst the odd "sprucing up" is a must, even for spot-on watering holes as this was, this one has gone horribly wrong. Sterile, characterless and clumsy (although now has one of the better outdoor drinking areas). Worst of all, it seems the landlord who ran a brilliant ship there has (been?)moved on and consequently waiting times (which were minimal, even at the busiest of times) have increased 3-fold. aaagh!
porks - 15 Aug 2007 16:57 |
TheBeerMonster and SonOfTheBeerMonster visited after the Tour de France hit London. The beer was good, and the service was very quick (okay it was a Sunday morning..). Decided not to sit outside, as the bar-b-que looked like a disaster with smoke all over the garden.
It's just by London Bridge station, and it's a convenient watering hole. I've not seen it in the rush hour, but early on a Sunday morning it's a very pleasant boozer ...
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Have to agree with Grumpy Dwarf, whoever was responsible for sanitising this place should be shot. Gone are the distinctive grape carvings above the bar, the snob screens and the old signs. Yep the beer's still good but there's now no special reason to visit, there are more characterful pubs near London Bridge. Nice one Youngs.
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What went wrong? They've turned a proper old boozer with character and a cosy - if at times cramped - atmosphere into an All Bar One lookalike, complete with stained wood and rows of wine bottles on shelves behind the bar. Shocking, some might even say criminal. The beer's still superb though.
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I concur with the comments about the beer, which is well kept. The place can get very, very crowded especially on a Friday after work and some of the regulars seem to take a proprietorial view of the space they take up which causes some friction, but the bar staff are always alert and getting served, even when some fat regular is propping up the bar, never seems to be problem.
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so busy ,can take an age to get served.
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Pretty sterile Young's pub, of the sort that is becoming more typical of the brewery. But it was comfortable enough and the Special was good enough. I think the main attraction is the outside seating area at the back, which was well patronised on a very warm May afternoon. I don't think I would go out of my to visit it again, but OK for a quick stop if you happen to passing London Bridge.
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Liked this place so much I missed my last train. Decent ale and service, pleasantly tipsy Irish OAPS singing the auld songs in the courtyard.
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nice pub - nice little space outside for enjoying the sun. Pub is convenient for Borough Market and the Old Operating Theatre Museum which is across the road and well worth a visit
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Just been done out, a great improvement on a great pub. It now boasts an expanded outside seating area. Still good beer. The service is still excellent as well.
tanky - 17 May 2007 15:16 |
I frequently visit this pub and would agree with much in the previously posted comments. The �Grapes� is well worth a visit. A word of warning it can get very crowded. On two recent visits, both Thursday evenings around 6:00, it was impossible to get in.
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Decent enough Young's house. Nice original 'Snob Screens' all over the place, and a bit of a self-conscious 'spit and sawdust' approach. Beer was OK - and got better as the night went on.
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A better outpost of the Youngs empire. An inviting pub set out on two floors, with the cosy upstairs in particular being an excellent place to a enjoy a Winter Warmer in a comfy chair next to a real fire. Would be a great place to take the missus I think.
Too leathered to make any notes about the beer range (so a ready-made excuse to go back), but this was certainly an excellent terminus for the Friday crawl and a great opportunity to wind down in nice surroundings.
A definite place to hit on a Borough crawl, and worth seeking out for a relaxing/intimate occasion.
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Situated very near London Bridge station, The Bunch Of Grapes is a Young�s pub very much in keeping with others run by the brewery. I paid a visit last Saturday (6th Dec) and my time spent here was pleasurable enough. I liked the wooden feel and thought the lit candles on the tables made for an intimate and relaxed drinking experience. The selection and beer quality was good, but prices were a little dear and I did find the piped in music to be bland beyond belief. Get past these couple of niggles however and you�ll find here to be a pretty overall decent venue for a drink or two to escape the hustle and bustle of busy old London. Recommended.
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Hadn't been here for a while as it seemed to be going downhill last time I visited. Pleased to say that it seemed to have improved. Friendly atmosphere and efficient staff - even though the pub was busy.
The Winter Warmer wasn't bad either - more like I remember it from last year than some other Young's pubs.
I'll definitely pop in again when in the area.
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Visited early evening for a couple of hours and found the Young's ordinary beer really fine. Good atmosphere in the place and pretty full. Staff friendly and worked hard to keep the place tidy. Sadly too cold to go outside into one the more unusual beer gardens in London.
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A much quieter lunchtime sanctuary than the pubs across the market. It�s Youngs, so it must be good? Their Ordinary was like drinking chilled lager, the beer dead and void of taste. Switched to a bottle of Special and had to direct the bar staff away from the chill cabinet towards the shelves. I appreciate they�re attractive, reliable and polite, but Youngs cohort of Eastern European staff have been weaned on Polish Spirit, they don�t appear to understand what beer is about; thought it highly amusing that I�d want to drink �warm� beer. And the food, what that about? Who eats this garbage these days? It�s a sacrilege, so close to Borough.
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Very decent, well run Youngs boozer. Well kept Young's range, polite and quick staff, genuine atmosphere. Landlord who knows how to run a pub. Worth a visit. Or two.
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Nice traditional Young's pub, always good beer nice food as well, in warm weather there is a little garden out the back that is very pleasant to sit in. Well worth a visit.
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Seems ok but it was closing (at 4pm) when I arrived on a Saturday so only had time for a half.
anonymous - 3 Jan 2006 13:27 |
What a pleasant change, a pub that does what you expect a pub to do. That is to say, keep and serve good beer!. A couple of pints of Youngs are most welcome at the end of a hard days work, and the BoG is the place to drink them!
anonymous - 13 Dec 2005 13:40 |
Youngs Ordinary was in fine form on my visit yesterday - in contrast to the rather insipid offering from The Wheatsheaf from where I had just come. Its also 15p cheaper in The Bunch of Grapes. Will try to come here more often. Recommended
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Good 'old fashioned' boozer. Well kept Youngs (should think so too!!) Good location for Borough Market. Would certianly visit again.
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Friendly atmosphere, landlord welcoming. Perfect location. Reasonably priced. Well worth a visit
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I agree with previous contributors - it's a nice well run reasonably traditional pub quite convenient for London Bridge station - hence full of homeward bound commuters.
Beer was in good nick. There's an impressive Bass mirror on the rear wall. Nice to see the picture on display of the Queen Mother pulling a pint - all Youngs pubs used to have this picture - but it's becoming a bit of a rarity to see it now as you go round the houses
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Nice youngs pub, good place to go if you're gonig to borough market or london bridge. The beer is very good and they have a sizeable range of youngs bottled beers (available to take home too). Prices not bad for the area.
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Fairly standard Youngs pub (not a bad thing) but the beer is well kept and the licensees/bar staff are exceptionally friendly and obliging. The food is good too. Does tend to fill with the after work crowd but I don't think we should find that desperately surprising! One of the best pubs in the area if like me even the thought of going into an ABO/P&P makes you want to hurl yourself off the nearest tall building.
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Visited last Friday. A good pub, reasonably well-kept Youngs Ordinary. Mainly city types in for a swift pint before their journey into the weald of Kent.
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Thanks Anja for suggesting this quirky boozer, it certainly is a cosy place with friendly (albeit eccentric) staff. I heartily recommend the Bunch of Grapes for lunches, with prices from �4 for decent home-cooked fare, and beer in a condition you would expect from a Youngs pub.
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One of our office locals, and probably the favourite if we just want a regular boozer.
Friendly staff, good service and well-kept beers, Youngs seem to have kept an eye on what's important with this traditional cosy pub.
Mike Hughes - 14 Mar 2004 13:46 |
Great Youngs pub with good staff, cosy, intimate beer garden and good clientele. Worth a visit.
Anja - 17 Oct 2003 14:22 |
