please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Popped in for a quick pint before a meeting on a Monday lunchtime. It was surprisingly quiet, but it did enable me to bag a seat and a fast pint.
6 ales on the hand pumps with most offerings from the Greene King stable. My pint of Hardy and Hanson's Rocking Rudolph @ 4.2% was pleasant enough & did the job.
I like this pub, the ales are normally good and there's never any bother here. Nice part of town as well so a traditional pub is a perfect fit.
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Excellent selection of ales and great service for such a busy pub. Nothing special decor-wise - despite the name it's not as "olde worlde" as nearby Kings Arms. Not quite as expensive either...
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Well, well, well.
This couldn't be more different to the Fox in Coulsdon that I just popped a post on.
I used to work near here and first used it 35 years or so ago. I come back quite regularly. In many ways, it hasn't changed a bit - and is all the finer for it in my view.
For sure, it gets packed in the evenings and if you stand near one of the doors then expect to be jostled.
A throwback and not everyone's cup of tea but good fun.
Pippity pop
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The last pub of my 2 quick "ticks" in Shepherd's Market last Thursday night.
Very busy and traditional pub that was heaving at the seams both inside and out, service was extremely quick even though the European barmaid had to ask me twice what beer I wanted, maybe she just didn't hear me first time.
6 beers on hand pump I opted for a pint of Ellgood's CXXX which was excellent. While I was there one of the beers was changed for a fresh barrel, I didn't catch what they put on.
Decent pub and one of the better one's in the very busy and excellent Shepherd's Market area.
Worth a visit but prepared that after work on a week day it will probably be rammed.
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Nice, unpretentious small pub with a decent range of ales and efficient service. Certainly one of the better pubs in the area.
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Interesting little pub with a small outside area in the dinky little street/square that it Shepherds Market. Completely rammed at 6pm with office workers on the Friday that I was there. (That'll be me then.) But bar service was quick and friendly. Pride, Doom Bar, Spitfire and a few others were on. Had three pints of Pride which were fine. Slight tendency to not pour a full pint, but were topped up with no complaint.
Worth seeking out for cheeky one or two. Must be nice in the summer. 7/10
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Pretty busy on Friday evening. Bit disconcerting to see security men patrolling the streets around here!
Despite the sign saying "A fine selection of Real Ales" all that was on offer was Pride and Doombar! �3.50 a pint and we had to ask for them to be topped up.
Wouldn't race back.
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Nice location at the end of a footpath and cul-de-sac just off Mayfair and Green Park. Small seating area behind bar as well as large front bar area and outside standing room. Tried Brains - SA and Bitter on my visit, both served well.
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Nice traditional pub. staff freindly with great food with even better prices. defo reccommend eating there
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Mid afternoon visit meant most of the lunchtime crowds had dispersed by the time I arrived. There were a few outside drinkers but the interior was almost deserted. The decor is pretty spartan with the points of interest coming from a number of glass cases containing stuffed birds and fish and a couple of wall mounted antelope heads.
Ale offerings were interesting with some of the usual suspects - Wandle, Pride, Doom Bar and Spitfire - mixed in with a couple of in-house brews - Ye Grapes Bitter and Ye Grapes Best. I was in a bit of a hurry so did not sample the latter two. My pint of Doom Bar was fine.
There is nothing particularly special about this pub although it does offer outside drinking which may influence whether you want to visit it or not.
It is worth noting that there is also a Thai restaurant upstairs.
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Nice enough place - had some lunch here and a pint - not too expensive but certainly the place was nothing special - its alright but nothing Id go out of my way for again.
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Large, attractive looking, traditional pub set in a corner of the bustling Shepherds Market in the heart of Mayfair.
The pub dates back to 1882 and is a pleasant, traditionally furnished pub with high ceilings and a dark woody feel to it. Of particular note is a splendid collection of stuffed fish and birds which impart something of a rural air to the pub. Brass footrails and comfortable banquette seating help towards creating a homely relatively unspoilt feel.
On my recent Saturday lunchtime visit, the pub was gearing itself up towards showing that afternoon's Rugby Internationals, although condiments on the tables and a cup on the bar counter for customer tips indicated that the pub was also aiming for trade from passing tourists.
On the beer front, the 6 pumps were serving Pride, Doom Bar, Sambrooks Wandle, Brains Bread of Heaven ( 2 pumps ) and a beer from Cottage Brewery. My pint of Wandle - � 3.40p - was reasonable, but, not surprisingly at that price, I didn't feel inclined to contribute to the staff tips kitty.
There's an upstairs restaurant serving Thai and traditional British food.
This strikes me as being a perfectly adequate pub and I wouldn't be averse to calling in again if passing by.
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Paid my first visit today, having had a peek through the window while shut to establish whether decent beer was on offer. Glad to say there was a goodly selection when we did go in and opted for the Doom Bar which was in good nick. Nice olde worlde pub in the quaint area of Shepherd Market that I must return to and explore more thoroughly - recommended.
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Popped in post shopping on Saturday and only a smattering of people inside and out. Shepherd Market is a nice little oasis away from the bustle at times like this. Service was good, noted that they were quiet, and with a smile, all in all a good experience.
rpboy - 27 Jul 2009 17:09 |
Inexplicably, the Grapes is still in the Good Pub Guide. The editors clearly haven't visited for about five years.
The beer is appalling, the decor (once warm and traditional), is cold, scruffy and reliant on printed promotional material stuck to every available surface.
Staff are disinterested.
I had my birthday do here a few years ago, and it's a great shame to see it in such a sorry state.
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Possibly the most traditional decor of the four pubs I visited in Shepherd Market, though at times it's awful hard to tell with the number of people who visit the Market on a spring Friday evening. However what made my day with this pub was the sight of Cain's Mild on handpump. Mild is not really a 'draught of the warm south' (warm?) and so it is pleasant to see it in a pub in London. Though the beer is not cheap, as a previous reviewer notes it was �3.50 a pint last July and up since. For when the �4 pint? Had I not given up ye trulls I would have to give them up if I wanted to keep drinking beer. And that 'ye' isn't pronounced as in 'come all ye', by the way, it's 'the', and the 'y' is the old letter 'thorn', so the inclusion of the Ye in the pub's name is superfluous.
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Overcrowded but it was a Friday evening after all.
Good selection of beers and I only had two so can't really comment on anything else.
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Not cheap and was better inside before they repainted it poorly (twice).
Apparently serve Thai food (how novel) these days, although I've never seen anyone risk it.
Still a regular stop-off despite the poor value, grotty decor, disinterested staff and overcrowding.
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�3.50 for a pint of Sharp's doom bar really is stretching it, even in this part of town. The beer was better kept yesterday when i went in though than for several years, definite improvement as it's been on the slide for a long while. Also seemed to have been a refurb, or at the very least a tidy up of the place as well.
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It was with great trepidation that I entered this pub, after reading previous reviews. I'm happy to say that the staff were not "surly" and made sure I knew that I was to be served everytime I visited the bar. I had a good pint of Fuller's Chiswick and would go back again if in the area.
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dark, dismal and dirty dosen't desearve to be located in Mayfair.
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Beautiful exterior, interior ok and beer (Sharp's Doom Bar)good also. Pricey, but we didn't expect anything else in this part oftown.
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The exterior of this pub is so interesting that one is almost obliged to enter - only to be disappointed. It should be so much better inside than it is. A pub can be a bit tatty yet retain a lot of character; but this isn't one of them. Top of the range prices too - I had a pint of "Piss in the Cold" (I think) - even if I'm not 100% sure what the beer was called I do remember that it cost me �3.30 a pint. There are better pubs in the Mayfair area.
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Sharp's DoomBar still on tap. Some other very good guest ales including Hobgoblin's winter ale and Hogs Back's Traditional English Ale. Also Adnam's.
Agree about the decor. A bit of a dump
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Bit of a dump, surly patrons and bar staff but it did serve Sharps Doom (which was pretty well kept) so for that reason alone if I'm in the area I'd go back again.
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Great location, but it is a dump
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I totally agree with cleversaz and theregent except that I would also like to add that I ordered a pint of lime and soda and a pint of Stella on 3 separate occasions and I was charged 3 different amounts ranging from �4:30 to �5.90. I was going to watch the Saturday evening rugby game in here, but due to the atmosphere I decided against it.
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Overrated, this place is a dump par excellence, a real charm free zone
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Our visit here would've been a much nicer experience had it not been for the overtly surley barman whose aggressive attitude conveyed an air of severely misplaced superiority. Abysmal service generally, staff seem oblivious to who's next which is not the best way to get customers back. Can't say I'll be visiting again.
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Matty rules ok
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There was a bald chap without a tie on doing the moonwalk in the outside drinking area, which was a constant source of entertainment....
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Great for the summer and the beer is good. However, expect to wait about 25 minutes for a drink from pretty useless staff and a landlady who is possibly the rudest on the planet. She's more interested in shouting at punters who escape the roped off area outside and has an air of arrogance that suggests she's doing you a favour letting you buy a pint. It will be a while before I go back. Shame really.
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Definately a summer pub but then Shepherds Market is better in the summer. Can get very busy. To be honest its not worth going out of ones way for.
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Priced for the tourists or the areas wealthier residents. Beer was fine and so were the staff although it was fairly empty with some transitory punters going 'to and fro' Getting a tad tatty around edges and not worth aiming for. Some may like the market area but not when the weather's cold!
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One bar girl with a full pub on a hen night, waited ages to get served and then paid �6.30 for a Guinness and a Boddingtons! Nothing amazing really, better to window shop in this area than actually go in anywhere!
Hucks - 20 Aug 2006 15:24 |
'Ye Grapes' - one of few 'No Smoking' pubs in London.
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SHEPHERDS MARKET, MAYFAIR, W1.
Thats the place to visit in the summer months!!
Ye Grapes doz not serve food, so you mite wanna try the Shepherds Tavern, or O'Neills bar around the corner if you're hungry. Either way, check out this whole area, narrow cobbled streets & alleyways, with an 'oldey-worldey' Old London feel to it.
Ye Grapes is good in an evening, but compare it with the other two pubs (literally a stones throw away) before settling down for the night. Hard to believe you're almost in the shadow of the great Hilton Hotel (Park Lane) a couple of blocks away! Nice area. Can u believe i found a �20 note on the pavement outside this pub earlier in the year! Whoever dropped it didn't miss it, the area smells of dollars..& Ferarri's..!! TJ
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Me likes this place! But...despite a sign on the door saying the ales were so well kept..and despite a good choice...none of the ones I had tasted right!! �3 a pint as well. It's expensive work this pubgoing! Not an inspiring beer selection outside of this either. Nice little place in a nice little area. Bring loadsofit though!
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Beer is absolute rubbish. Dreadful pint of Boddy's. lagers awful. Avoid unless you want an upset stomach.
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oi, rude swedish geezer from last january -- don't queue barge me at the bar, pal.
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Nice little place with great atmosphere in the summer when everybody is spilling out all over the streets of shepherd market. Can be entertaining to watch all the businessmen who think that no-one knows they're with hookers - definitely some fun people watching to be had!
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Yup, it's a good un. Sleazy red curtains and a slightly threatening ambiance. Just what Shepherds Market is all about.
anonymous - 21 Feb 2006 17:58 |
Last time I was in here, I had to leave half of my pint - Enough said methinks !!
The Kings Arms, just over the way, is much nicer (and so is their beer).
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Excellent pub but rammed on the Friday night we visited. Stag Heads and enormous Fish, etc as decoration. Nice quiet location away from busy roads.
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Seem to remember this is a very nice pub, had a girlfriend who worked next to it and she used to take me there. No food which is a good thing.
anonymous - 6 Feb 2006 12:02 |
i used to work as manager in this pub. if youl look in the pic, my bedroom was just above the sign...wow! that room seen some action. usually with the barmaids! one big party. great little pub..if you can brave the heaving crowds in the summer well worth a visit!
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I like this place - decent selection of ales including some direct from the barrels, which is pretty rare for London. Plenty of stuffed animals for those who like that sort of thing too...
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Nice small cozy pub, beers were fairly good. Had a pint of Boddies Cask which I hadn't seen elsewhere. Worth stopping if if your in the area, but don't go out of your way.
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Visited twice...or at least tried. Second time was good: large crowd outside and a decent pint of London Pride, but at a high price. First time was a non-starter, as the pub was closed without notice. Overall, have had better luck at the Kings Arms.
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I used to like this pub, but I went last week and was faced with the rudest barman imaginable. You know who you are - I bet your mother is ashamed.
Git.
anonymous - 15 Mar 2005 14:19 |
I came, I saw and I slurped ale, which was not as bad as the reviewers make out. Nice pub, but the trouble is that a whole subway load of nobodies who think their somebodies hang around here. It is small and cramped and a few too many egos can make it even more cramped. Go at the weekends when all the yuppies have taken the train home (cos they cannot afford cars ironically). I took a foreign friend here, and he thought it was the bees knees. The bar staff are a bit full of themselves; a bit like the pub of a Friday night - though the beauty of Shepherd Market is that there are another 3 boozers close by to try if your knowledge of derivatives aint what it used to be. Tally ho!
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How very disappointing this pub has become. As others have found. It used to be a gem in the 90's. Now it has very rude staff. And a barman that swigged a leftover drink! If I worked with those people I would drink too. The beers are now poor, even the IPA was off. An awful night and now a rotten place to go. Avoid.
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excellent venue for the summer, although very popular so can be slow to geet a drink. Be careful not to cross the line on the pavement outside as this separates the Turkish Restaurant (kebab shop) from the pub. The owner gets quite cross about this.
Poor lager selection but the beer is good.
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Well, well. Has this pub changed. I am not surprised by the first two postings. This pub used to be smashing in the 80s. Very comfortable, fun bar staff, great outdoor drinking. I was completely shocked to go back for the first time in '01 to see it gutted out and boring. Zzzzzz.... No atmosphere at all. I'll drink at home. The staff were boring as well.
Joseph - 15 Oct 2004 18:09 |
Went there with my wife on Friday night (24 Sep 04). Despite its CAMRA ratings and the range on display both beers were poorly kept and weren't finished. Staff were busy and hopefully this was a one-off; particularly as the pub notic outside extolls the virtues of its well kept beers. Will try again but with caution.
Gary W - 26 Sep 2004 23:08 |
Nice pub, shame about the manager. He threw us out for inadvertently smoking in the non-smoking area last night. He told us "people like you are were better suited to O'Neils round the corner". So we went there - much more relaxed atmosphere and friendly staff.
Emma D - 3 Sep 2004 09:55 |
One of the highlights of being in London during the summer. Many a sunny evening spent drinking outside, after a hard day's toil in front of a PC. A lovely, happy atmosphere all the way to 11.00pm. I don't think I've ever come here outside of the spring / summer months, however.
Tony - 23 Apr 2004 14:39 |
Was there Friday evening. Be warned, at 11.20pm on the dot, your glasses (regardless of how close you are to finishing) will be demanded back as pub property. Most draconian pub clearing I have ever witnessed. My nerves wouldn't let me venture back!!
D Hartnett - 23 Feb 2004 09:31 |
Used to be very good for real ale about 4 yrs ago. Is Nik the barcellerman still here - he knew alot about the ales and made everyone laugh! ?
anonymous - 31 Jul 2003 18:12 |
An outstanding freehouse, offering many real alea, is located in one of the narrow warrens of Shepherd Market. Pleasant days provide for a mew-like clustering of people outside.Inside the decor is quite eclectic, providing a source of interest when the conversation becomes dull.
Bob F. - 13 May 2003 16:36 |
Visit here at 7.30pm on Monday 9 June to see the London Pride Morris Men dance!
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