The Grapes

My official all time first in the history of the universe Unilocal review as a new virgin Mary Londoner. And what better place to break my innocent yet yearning Unilocal virgin cherry than a Fish and Chips place that was recommended by a fellow Unilocalper. Just to paint a picture, the conversation went a little like this:
Me: When I move to London, I require the best fish and chips in my mouth ASAP. Where can I make this shizzle happen?
Fellow Unilocalper: Dude… you NEED to go to The Grapes; it’s in your new hood and one of the best.
So less than a week after my move to London, I find myself walking to this very neighborhoody pub already decked out with Christmas festivities. I let myself in and take in the pub-​appropriate combination stale spilled beer smell and fried yumminess. Unfortunately the restaurant upstairs was fully booked for the night, but luckily we were able to sit downstairs and order from the bar-​menu which to my great fortune… had fish and chips.
Obviously I ordered with no hesitation and what better way to wash down the fishy and starchy grease while tickling my uvula with a cold bubbly kronenbourg beer. My friends are somewhat health-​conscious (a concept I have not been able to grasp) and ordered the grilled fish of the day and a salad. I’m not sure if it was the day, or the moon alignment, the eastern star rising over the night sky, or the fact that I’m a London food virgin… but I felt it was too greasy for me and I wasn’t able to eat all the chips. (which in my books has put shame on me and all my family generations to come!)
Now… before you get all judgemental and start cursing at me for being a complete food wuss, let me just tell you that I can eat plenty of food including fried shizzle. I mean… if you fry a rat, I’ll probably eat it thinking it’s fried chicken. I thought the fried fish was thick with plenty of meat! Just like I like my… mmmm nevermind. The chips… perfect! Thick, firm, perfect saltiness… I could really just put them around my lips and go to town all day long! It was just the grease factor that quickly dealt a KO to my stomach.
With that said, I really like this place and I need to come back for a proper dinner upstairs at the restaurant. If you haven’t seen it, it’s super cute, cozy and a perfect view of the water from the windows. I WILL be back for some pie and no one can stop me!

My experience of this pub isn’t the greatest, simply because I had one of the worst dates of my entire life here, haha. Let’s hope one day I go back and my experience is improved!
The location of this place is fantastic — I work near London Bridge and this place is a mere stone’s throw from there. Their selection of real ales and craft beer can’t be faulted. Their distinct lack of seating, on the other hand, certainly can. This place is often rammed, due to it being full of city workers popping in for a pint on their way home. As I wasn’t stopping in for food, just drinks, I didn’t see any of the first floor. However, the outside beer garden is lacking in personality and covered in this weird plastic grass that makes it feel void of any personality and distinctly lacking in any of the historic charm I’ve seen so many other reviews mention. It’s also laid out in a way that makes it impossible to get a seat if it’s busy, or to even walk around in it, really.
This place is pretty expensive, I’d like to give it another chance due to the good selection of beer, however, if I did come back I’d definitely make sure to avoid it on a weekday evening.

This is an excellent pub in an excellent location. For a great Traditional experience for food and beers in London, I suggest The Grapes. It’s perfectly situated on the Thames — head on upstairs for the view (and additional seating).
It’s easy to get to via the overground and a short walk down Narrow Street — its in a newer/​nicer/​quieter area of London and was very pleasant.
Walked in and ordered at the bar — great bartender with a smile and swift service to boot! The downstairs is tiny and narrow but head upstairs for more tables, seating and an amazing stretch view of the Thames.
I ordered the fish and chips and it was delicious!!! Had a few beers and then walked along the river to the Canary where we shopped a little and then took the DLR to Greenwich. Oh, it was such a great day!
There are no TV’s and there is no music but this allows for excellent conversation with your friends or other patrons while your there.
I LOVED this place and I highly recommend it! Excellent staff, food, beers and a view = WINNING!

4.5 stars.
This is a tiny pub with a restaurant room on the 1^st floor and a nice terrace on Thames river on the ground floor. A lovely place where you can enjoy reading a book, sipping a glass of wine right over the water.
Young but efficient and very friendly staff, this place offers the best fish and chips I ever had!
Wonderful chunk of fresh fish breaded and fried to perfect crispiness. Amazing pea mash and tasty/​rich coleslaw.
Kitchen closes between 2:30 and 5:30pm during week days. I’ll go back as soon as I have a chance to try their dinner menu!

Wandered by this place on my way to Canary Wharf. Cute area, excellent pub. The food is great (we had the fish case and the penne pasta), the drinks are good pours, and the staff is nice.
Definitely enjoyed the evening here.

Travelled down from Newcastle upon Tyne yesterday with my friend. Just popped in for a drink and food, and so glad we did. Fantastic would be an understatement. I actually commented to the staff on how amazing the food was. We both had pie of the day. Really tasty and very filling. Great atmosphere too. Will most definitely be going back as I visit London often.

Perfect Timothy Taylor Landlord, plenty of other superb ales, awesome fish and chips, a view onto the river, a dash of Sir Ian McKellen and a good infusion of history. The only thing that would make this pub better would be if they stopped serving continental larger…

Three stars ONLY because one of the bar tenders was pretty rude.
The food and drinks was great!

Nice little pub very small. Haven’t been to the restaurant so cannot comment on the food. Drinks are a little expensive but I suppose this is because of the area. Very traditional feel. Nice and relaxed if your looking for a quiet drink.

I stumbled upon this little pub and was extremely happy I did! The interior is homey and fun. There is a decent selection of beer and spirits. The staff was very friendly and helpful.

Excellent little historic pub on Narrow Street. This is where I take my out-​of-​town friends for a proper pub experience. The fish and chips and real ales never disappoint, but what really makes The Grapes stand out is its atmosphere.
The interior is cosy, crooked, and I imagine hasn’t changed much since the days when Dickens frequented the area. It’s just the perfect little place for a pub lunch or to catch up with old friends. If you visit, dont forget to check out the outdoor seating area in the back. The views of Canary Wharf and the Thames are marvellous.

This is a proper local pub the way it should be. It’s a lot busier than it should be because everyone knows that Ian McKellen part owns this place, and a lot of people come on the off chance that they will see him.
I live close to this bar and frequently visit, the service is consistently great, food is lovely and have never had a bad experience here.
Well worth a visit.

This was my favorite pub during my nearly 2 years I spent in London. While exploring Limehouse one day, I stumbled upon Narrow Street and this absolute gem of a pub. First off: where else in London can you have an (affordable) pint of Guinness while literally standing on top of the Thames? The view from the pub is breathtaking: on your left is Canary Wharf and the new money wizardry of 21^st century London. Across the water and on your right are the various WHARF’s that subtly remind you of the Docklands not-​so-​glamorous recent past. Majestic.
Second: the chips. These are the best chips in London. YES… They are. In fact, I called to get the recipe after I moved back to the US. On my last day in town I went over to The Grapes in the late afternoon to get one last order but they were closed between meals. I left saddened but knowing this place is 5 star bar none.

I have been there about 5 or 6 times already. To me it is the exact representation of what an English pub should be –without being touristy or caricatural. The staff is also very nice. The Grapes has kept its old school look and its authenticity. My friends and I love to have a drink there as they have a great selection of beers and a full bar.
Oh! And did I meantion that Charles Dickens actually wrote his books there? And that Ian McKellen — our dear Gandalf in Lord of the Rings — is the actual owner? I still have to meet him there though…
You can also eat there. I will say that the cuisine is «homie», but I think the food is a bit heavy on the stomach.
The only complain my friends was that their are no TV, nor music playing in the background. Personally, I like it that way because for once I do not need to shout to have a decent conversation with my friends.
All of that said, The Grapes is a GREAT English Pub. I strongly recommend it.
PS: You must go at the back on the balcony and admire the Thames!

My friend Matt is a hard man to please. So when he suggested that we came to The Grapes for a business lunch I knew that I was in for something special. And not even an Ian McKellen in sight.
Truly a traditional London pub, they served a great array of ales and beers as well as a fully stocked array of liquor. However, on this occasion we both went for the delicious Fentiman’s Ginger Beer!
All of the staff members here (and the place was very well staffed) were friendly, engaging and efficient in their tasks.
So then, on to the food. Firstly, it was heartwarming to see many people of senior citizen age coming in to eat the special of the day, which on this occasion was a Spaghetti Bolognese for the mere price of £5. It looked great and especially nice to see the chance for most probably lonely older people having the occasion to socialise and get quality food within their pension budget. However, I broke the budget at £8.95 and opted for the fish and chips.
Now then. When friends recommend particular dishes in restaurants to me I have to listen. However, I am a hard man to please when it comes to fish and chips. there are many great fish and chip shops and restaurants across London which I would include The Golden Hind and my personal favourite Nautilus in West Hampstead at the top of the list, but The Grapes most definitely hold its own against the best in town. It was served with decent enough mushy peas are nice old wedge of lemon. However, they did fall down on the quality of the chips that they provided. They were the type that had that fluffy flour mixed centre to them as well as some kind of salted/​MSG flavouring to the exterior. When I have quality fish and chips I really do expect sliced potato that has been fried to perfection. This is the only area that they did not deliver on.
So despite Matt’s recommendation for me to have the fish and chips, he opted for the beef burger. His meal looked tremendous with a plump, juicy beef patty that positively oozed deliciousness.
I was very impressed with my 1^st visit here and will definitely return for more.

Charming pub. Get thee to the deck in the back. You will get a lovely view of the Thames, up close and personal. There’s no other place like it.

A lovely old narrow listed pub serving good real ale and (it was unanimous among those who indulged) delicious fish and chips (which you can get downstairs, or in the restaurant bit on the 1^st floor)
The pub dates back to 1720, so more than 250 years older than most of the ugliness nearby! Hard to believe you are a stone’s throw from Canary Wharf here, in what was originally a working class kind of place (although Dickens came here… come to think about it his name crops up when mentioning most of the pubs in this part of London! Boozehound)
Also has a prime waterside location that is to be envied in summer, particularly if the no kids rule is strictly enforced!

A wonderful pub, tucked away near Limehouse, it’s very cosy, has personality and atmosphere, and is quite what you’d imagine a classic pub to be like. I like the downstairs area, but it’s quite small and always crowded, perhaps because it’s owned by Gandalf himself (there’s a small Gandalf statue in the window. Courtesy of Sir Ian McKellen?)
The upstairs is lovely and cosy as well and you NEED reservations. I went there for lunch and it was a proper English meal, excellently prepared and very good. The atmosphere was also excellent and all in all, we spent a very happy rainy afternoon there. I would definitely recommend and I want to go again!

If I could award 6* then the Grapes would get them. This is a Pub for all seasons, creeds and styles. It’s rare indeed to come to place where you instantly feel at home, this is one of those places, for regulars and drop-​ins alike.
The Grapes fits me like a glove (Yes, it’s that small!!) and I have had many happy nights here, eating and drinking with family and friends and bantering away with other kindly souls who have chanced by. It is almost as though stepping through the door wipes away any woes you may have had and leaves you chillaxed to the max.
There is nothing they could add here as it is already perfectly balanced with classic interior, cosy bar, great ambiance and a riverside patio at the back. Head up the rickety stairs to a superb restaurant with views across the Thames. Try their Fish & Chips, not even Toffs of Muswell Hill can match them, I kid you not!
Out of all the pubs in this neck of the woods The Grapes is the pick of the bunch for me.
*Nota bene*
for all you Hobbits out there …this where Gandalf (Ian McKellen) gets his magic refills so don’t be surprised if you should bump into him or Merry, Pippin or Samwise at the bar

We’d been walking for hours and just when our energy levels began to plummet, this gem of a pub appeared to us and we eagerly went inside to refuel with a pint of ale!
The beauty of this pub — in my opinion — is twofold: one, the amazing views over the river Thames as well as the narrow wooden interior, make you actually think that you’re inside a pirate ship. Two, the patrons of this pub were a good mix of locals — who hung out at the bar and chit-​chatted with the bar staff — and people like us — who seemed to have discovered this place by accident and enjoyed its cozy and low-​key atmosphere.
I also had a peek upstairs, where they feature a very nice restaurant, with stunning views of the boats roaming by at a dangerously close distance. Judging by the stickers outside the pub, the restaurant seems to be well-​know and I made a quick mental bookmark to return for a classic Sunday roast one day…

Spécialité pas mal
Le restaurant parfait pour manger des fruits de mer, on y trouve des crevettes excellentes, du crabe et pleins de produits frais. Très bien car pour 15 livres vous mangerez de succulents fruits de mer…