please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
I can't really add too much following RogerB's eloquent and accurate review below. The Chiswick was refreshing in taste and price at £2.55 and I agree the garden at the rear is very nice and tidy too. I found the landlady to be very efficient, friendly and welcoming to visitors and regulars alike. Its always nice to be acknowledged straightaway on entry and she made the point of checking later that everything was ok.
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I agree the food could be better for the prices being charged but it is handy for the O2 and the choice of Fullers ales is hard to fault
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First established in 1801 the Pilot is a rather isolated pub tacked onto the end of half a dozen cottages that appear to be the last remnants of a wave of redevelopment ahead of the Millenium. With the Dome being built nearby, the pub came into prominence as it was the nearest (actually the only) pub in the vicinity. When the Dome shut, the Pilot reverted back to its quiet and peaceful old self however since the Dome reopened as the O2 Arena complex, the Pilot would have expected to find itself at the forefront of mass invasions from Concert goers, Cinema fans and, currently, Egyptologists. Incredibly, most people still don’t realise that the Pilot is a mere 5 minute walk away and it currently remains a haven of decent beer, sensible prices and pleasant surroundings, a far cry from the crowded, corporate drinking and dining hell that exists underneath the O2 masts. How long will it last I don’t know but for now the Pilot gets my vote every time I am in the vicinity.
The mock Tudor interior has several nooks, crannies and split level side rooms. They carry a good selection of Fullers beers including any seasonal or commemorative specials and the quality justifies their Cask Marque accreditation. I have always found the service to be excellent (including recent visits) and I often feel like a regular despite my sporadic appearances. There is a general nautical theme throughout the pub with ship pictures, reproduction smuggling posters, wreck details, lifebelts, model boats etc as well as museum like informative displays about the observatory, Greenwich Mean Time and the importance of Greenwich and its maritime history. If that is not enough, there are also a few newspaper cuttings regarding the pub itself and its role at the time of the Millenium. The small, slightly more tatty TV room (there is only the 1 small plasma TV in the pub to my knowledge) to the left of the bar has a few old bits of Charlton Athletic memorabilia including carictures of the 1947 Cup Final team. The star of the show in the summer months is the well kept beer spacious garden with plenty of cover just in case! Overall I have always found the Pilot to be an excellent pub although I can’t comment on the food aspect as I have never eaten here. I just hope that the pub remains 5 minutes too far for the bulk of the O2 crowds.
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havn't been in for a few months but it seems like my last disappointment with the food wasn't a one off judging by the last review,i've had enough good meals in hear,and the beer and setting have always been good so I'll probably give it a go over the bank hols'so I'll be in touch
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Disappointment. The one word that pretty much sums up the Pilot Inn these days. After having been a quasi-regular for the past 4 years, last night's visit will be the last. The beer is still in reasonably good shape but the food and service has gone down hill faster than the olympic bob sleigh team. Not just the once but over the past 4 or 5 visits things have got progressively worse. Gone is the old menu, gone is the seafood slanted menu board, gone is any semblance of service, and sadly gone is the atmosphere the place had. In its place dire sub-pub food trying to masquerade as gastro, indifferent bar staff, noisy TVs showing football, and a pub that now resembles most other pub-in-a-box boozers. Fancy sliced lemons don't make up for a tasteless and under cooked fish & chips. As for the burger, I'd have been better off with a hockey puck. At least they dropped the so called 'pie' from the menu. It was basically tinned stew in a bowl topped by a bullet proof pastry.
Pilot Inn, RIP.
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I visited the Pilot Inn yesterday afternoon (August 21st) with many friends prior to attending an excellent Rolling Stones concert at the nearby O2 arena. What a pub! Cosy and well furnished, I felt completely at ease inside and indeed outside this multi- levelled Fullers pub. The garden is most pleasant. It’s just a shame the weather was bleak. There was the usual range of ales on offer and the London Pride (£2.80) was served in decent condition. I’ll be here again next Sunday for the same reasons as yesterdays visit. In dull area made up of warehouses and err, the David Beckham Academy, the Pilot Inn is almost a little oasis. When visiting the O2, don’t drink inside; visit this excellent little pub instead.
HTM69 - 22 Aug 2007 12:51 |
One of only a couple of ten out of ten pubs that i have recorded on here. The pub is a beautiful building especially during the summer months when u can sample the delightful beer garden. The food was great and the range of Fullers ales were really well kept and delicious.Like i say a deff 10/10!
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hadn't been in here since Fullers took it over,so when i popped in a few weeks ago and found a full range of well kept fullers beers I was quite pleased that they seemed to be keeping the tradition of the last landlord as a real ale pub,although the bar maid who kept winking at me didn't go down to well with the wife,so I thought i'd come back and try the food as that used to be great,so we went in on Saturday night,to be greeted by the winking barmaid again,the service seemed o.k. but unfortunatly the food wasn't really all that,I got gravey with my steak and ale pie rather than parsley sauce,and the mash was lumpy,and my wife said her steak was worse than Wetherspoons,which was a shame as the beer was great and the pub its self is lovely
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hadn't been in here since Fullers took it over,so when i popped in a few weeks ago and found a full range of well kept fullers beers I was quite pleased that they seemed to be keeping the tradition of the last landlord as a real ale pub,although the bar maid who kept winking at me didn't go down to well with the wife,so I thought i'd come back and try the food as that used to be great,so we went in on Saturday night,to be greeted by the winking barmaid again,the service seemed o.k. but unfortunatly the food wasn't really all that,I got gravey with my steak and ale pie rather than parsley sauce,and the mash was lumpy,and my wife said her steak was worse than Wetherspoons,which was a shame as the beer was great and the pub its self is lovely
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The former owners of this pub were family friends and they were SERIOUSLY good publicans.
Fullers however, have destroyed it somewhat. Service is not as good and the food has definitely taken a turn for the worse.
However, I cannot blame the former people for leaving. The money Fullers paid them for the privilege of ruining this pub is unbelievable.
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Been away from this pub for a while, always very popular for the service and the food that to be honest was never cheap but always of a high standard. Unforunatley it seems that fullers have taken over from the Irish guy who had run it for years and the result was very dissapointing. The service was amaturish with the previousley good food bloody awful. A real shame as i was staying at the truly awful nearby hotel on a short visit to visit family but was badly let down. Very sad as the Pilot WAS one of the last decent pubs in the area.
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Went to this old-school traditional Victorian pub last night with a friend. North Greenwich is such a bleak place - all modern warehouses and carparks - that it doesn't look promising ground for a good pub. In fact, this place looks like it might be the only pub on the peninsular. And it's a great one. The pub and the little terrace of Victorian cottages that its a part of look like the only old buildings in North Greenwhich. Has a bit of a villagey feel. A masive range of ales is on offer, and the food was very good and ambitious (my friend had a game pie and I had butterfly chicken), if overpriced (most mains cost around £10). The staff, all semingly from eastern Europe, are attrractive, attentive and friendly. What a great find!
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I was a regular visitor of the Pilot with my husband and family for the wonderful roasts offered on sunday and also occasional drinks when it was a privately owned freehouse.
Since the lovely original landlord and landlady left -and Fullers took over - it seemed the the personality of this pub was killed - I still go occasionally but the first time I did eat there when it had been taken over I was quite ill - now that had never happened before! The food since seems ok, but it just isn't the same - the food was never cheap here but in the past it was very high on quality - everything fresh and quality meat.
I mourned the day when Fullers took over and haven't managed to fall back in love with The Pilot since - despite the fact that I would love to re-discover what it had.
anonymous - 12 Feb 2007 15:25 |
The only pub on the Greenwich peninsula. Formerly a freehouse but recently taken over by Fuller's. Lost most of their former bar staff in the chageover and the current crowd aren't a patch on the old lot. The food's not as good either. However, it is a shade cheaper than before.
Ianah - 12 Jun 2006 14:28 |
It’s a nice walk to/from this pub, pity the atmosphere inside isn’t more inviting: the staff need to learn how to smile. The décor is 1970s chintz, with a nicotine washed ceiling for effect. Fullers are spending money renovating the building; they also provide excellent beer - which makes it worth the trip. The price of their food is extortionate.
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Have always enjoyed our evenings there. Good well kept beers, decent food, and massive portions. Recently purchased by Fuller's. Fortunatly the only changes have been minor tweaks and an improvement to the menu. Excellent service from a great staff, and worth the trip off the beaten path to get there.
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A marvellous survivor in the middle of a horrible area dominated by the D**e and Becks' Academy. Warm and friendly; excellent young staff; wide choice of sandwiches, baguettes and full meals; decent pint. Unfortunately there is a strong suggestion that it's about to be acquired by Fullers....
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Ideal for me, the wife and 2 young kids. The service was slow but friendly and the garden was great for the kids to run around in.
The food wasn't great but it was reasonable.
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Cracking food and very friendly and prompt service. Nice beer garden when the sun is out. Slight critiscim is the lack of parking when it gets busy (Particularly on a Sunday afternoon)
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Really Friendly service Im making it my local
Penelope - 21 Feb 2004 11:16 |
i know the owner used to run the valley was offered loads of money 4 pub when dome was open should have taken it otherwise nice pub nice beer well run
andy - 5 Jan 2004 11:15 |
Good atmosphere, good beer, good food, friendly bar staff when I was there.
Peter - 9 Dec 2003 18:43 |
Nice looking pub, shame they spoil it be storing rubbish be front entrance.50+ Boxes and Rubbish bags in large pile by doorway, could smell stench from back garden.
staff rude service slow garden tip, maybe short staff but no glasses cleared in hour or so in garden.
try Anchor and Hope towards Charlton or Cutty Sark other way down river.
anonymous - 27 Jun 2003 16:08 |
You can choose which fresh loaf you want them to use to make your sandwiches, decent sized doorsteps too!
Really lovely garden. Parking space can get a bit tight.
Helen - 19 May 2003 11:53 |
Real old gem - one of the last buildings left from the pre-Dome days on the peninsula. Has kept the same old crowd throughout, despite the yuppie village growing up around it. Highly-rated restaurant too, though does have a habit of playing the badly-tuned radio at ear-drum busting level so the bar-staff can hear it.
Darryl - 27 Apr 2003 22:59 |
In middle of nowhere i.e near Milenium Dome. Never been in too far away from anywhere to drop in.
Andy McCullock - 7 Apr 2003 11:50 |
The row of cottages have now been redeveloped by Dome workers in exchange for lodgings and the pub is a great little find in the middle of the Greenwich Peninsula. Good food, lovely south facing garden - great for an all dayer
Paul - 18 Mar 2003 15:29 |
Tucked away at the end of an old row of cottages (which fortunately seem to have escaped 'redevelopment') near the Millennium Dome, this pub is a little gem!
mike - 3 Jan 2003 19:01 |
