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I will be in London for a few days in May before heading to Belgium. First time in London, so very excited. A few questions for the locals and those who have been before:

I’ll be staying in Bayswater. Are there any recommended pubs, restaurants, or bars in the area? I checked the map on the first page and didnt see anything on it.

Since I’ll be taking the Eurostar, would it be recommended to take the Tube from Paddington to St Pancras or will the transfers make it unpleasant with luggage (and thus not worth it?) I figure a cab would be easier but certainly more expensive (thinking like $20?)

Anything else someone who’s never been to London should know? I know to look the opposite way I would normally look when crossing the street, always queue, and stand on the left when on the escalator, anything else?
 
Gaseous Clay said:
I will be in London for a few days in May before heading to Belgium. First time in London, so very excited. A few questions for the locals and those who have been before:

I’ll be staying in Bayswater. Are there any recommended pubs, restaurants, or bars in the area? I checked the map on the first page and didnt see anything on it.

Since I’ll be taking the Eurostar, would it be recommended to take the Tube from Paddington to St Pancras or will the transfers make it unpleasant with luggage (and thus not worth it?) I figure a cab would be easier but certainly more expensive (thinking like $20?)

Anything else someone who’s never been to London should know? I know to look the opposite way I would normally look when crossing the street, always queue, and stand on the left when on the escalator, anything else?
Click to expand...

I would just take the Tube. Depending on which station you are near you might be able to get to St Pancras without having to transfer. I'm kinda cheap so I didn't might carrying luggage.

I was in London last year and stayed in Paddington so I was pretty close to where you are staying. Not a whole lot beer wise in the area, but we went to a pub called the "Monkey Puzzle" a couple of times and enjoyed it quite a bit. Nothing special beer wise, but the people that ran the place were super friendly.
 
flexabull said:
I would just take the Tube. Depending on which station you are near you might be able to get to St Pancras without having to transfer. I'm kinda cheap so I didn't might carrying luggage.

I was in London last year and stayed in Paddington so I was pretty close to where you are staying. Not a whole lot beer wise in the area, but we went to a pub called the "Monkey Puzzle" a couple of times and enjoyed it quite a bit. Nothing special beer wise, but the people that ran the place were super friendly.
Click to expand...

Thanks! Tube looks to be easy since its only a few stops but would include a transfer. My main goal for london is as much traditional pub food and cask ale as I can humanly eat/drink. If Monkey Puzzle can deliver that i'll put it on my list!
 
Gaseous Clay said:
I will be in London for a few days in May before heading to Belgium. First time in London, so very excited. A few questions for the locals and those who have been before:

I’ll be staying in Bayswater. Are there any recommended pubs, restaurants, or bars in the area? I checked the map on the first page and didnt see anything on it.

Since I’ll be taking the Eurostar, would it be recommended to take the Tube from Paddington to St Pancras or will the transfers make it unpleasant with luggage (and thus not worth it?) I figure a cab would be easier but certainly more expensive (thinking like $20?)

Anything else someone who’s never been to London should know? I know to look the opposite way I would normally look when crossing the street, always queue, and stand on the left when on the escalator, anything else?
Click to expand...
Recommend uber (est. £10) to kings cross or bus from that area. Beer wise in the local vicinity I'd recommend the mall tavern. They are on untappd so you can see what they have but be fair warned prices are higher than what you'd be used to paying in the US. Many other places though throughout the city.

If you want to meet up for a drink or open a few bottles let me know. Also happy to pass along other recommendations.
 
duceswild said:
Recommend uber (est. £10) to kings cross or bus from that area. Beer wise in the local vicinity I'd recommend the mall tavern. They are on untappd so you can see what they have but be fair warned prices are higher than what you'd be used to paying in the US. Many other places though throughout the city.

If you want to meet up for a drink or open a few bottles let me know. Also happy to pass along other recommendations.
Click to expand...

Wow thank you!

10 pounds for uber seems reasonable since I wont be traveling alone. Its not too much more than taking the tube at that price.

I appreciate the recommendations! Mall tavern looks to be fairly close to where im staying so I will have to drop in. Pretty much everything in London is more expensive than what i'd pay for it in the US so that is to be expected.

If my partner is game to meet up with a TBer I will certainly reach out.
 
Is there anywhere in London where you can find vintages of Old Chimneys Good King Henry Special Reserve (any vintage will do)? Will be in London in 2 weeks and would like to try it. Cheers.
 
BeerWorld said:
Is there anywhere in London where you can find vintages of Old Chimneys Good King Henry Special Reserve (any vintage will do)? Will be in London in 2 weeks and would like to try it. Cheers.
Click to expand...

No, it doesn’t go into distribution. Should be easy enough to trade for though. I would try to get an older vintage if possible.
 
Gaseous Clay said:
Wow thank you!

10 pounds for uber seems reasonable since I wont be traveling alone. Its not too much more than taking the tube at that price.

I appreciate the recommendations! Mall tavern looks to be fairly close to where im staying so I will have to drop in. Pretty much everything in London is more expensive than what i'd pay for it in the US so that is to be expected.

If my partner is game to meet up with a TBer I will certainly reach out.
Click to expand...

If you’re going to be in Kings Cross would suggest checking out Spiritland. It’s a ridiculously high end audiophile bar in the Japanese style. They had Cloudwater on last time I was there. Near’ish to the Queen’s Head which is a great little pub.
 
Padraig said:
If you’re going to be in Kings Cross would suggest checking out Spiritland. It’s a ridiculously high end audiophile bar in the Japanese style. They had Cloudwater on last time I was there. Near’ish to the Queen’s Head which is a great little pub.
Click to expand...

Im supposed to show up early for my train anyway so might as well hit that spot before checking in (unless I can check in and dip out for a bit). Thanks for the recommendation! If you know any other recommendations (or happen to know of any good music events going down the last week of may) feel free to drop me a line.
 
Will be traveling to London from Brussels on 5/4 after Quintessence and some tourism in Belgium. Me, wife, and two kids (3 and 6).

Beer related question is: anything new that is must-see? I reviewed the older points in the thread and found some things that still look useful, but I imagine there's some new stuff to see at this point too?

A couple non-beer related Qs if anyone cares to offer an opinion:

(1) I'm an Arsenal fan and would like to try to take at least my 6 year old daughter to the Arsenal v. Burnely game @ the Emirates while I'm in town. Any good secondary market options for tickets? Could I reasonably wait to get tickets until I get there? Seems like this is a good year for it since there won't be anything being played for at that point.

(2) Staying at an AirBNB in Brussels. Have had a couple folks suggest we not do that in London because of something along the lines of "you need to book everything in London, and hotels can help you with booking." We don't have any firm plans just yet, but I'm sure we'll do some of the major tourist stuff it being our first time and being there with kids, we won't be able to get too adventurous. Anyone support/contest this idea? Anyone stay in AirBNB in London before with positive/negative experience?
 
Kraftster said:
Will be traveling to London from Brussels on 5/4 after Quintessence and some tourism in Belgium. Me, wife, and two kids (3 and 6).

Beer related question is: anything new that is must-see? I reviewed the older points in the thread and found some things that still look useful, but I imagine there's some new stuff to see at this point too?

A couple non-beer related Qs if anyone cares to offer an opinion:

(1) I'm an Arsenal fan and would like to try to take at least my 6 year old daughter to the Arsenal v. Burnely game @ the Emirates while I'm in town. Any good secondary market options for tickets? Could I reasonably wait to get tickets until I get there? Seems like this is a good year for it since there won't be anything being played for at that point.

(2) Staying at an AirBNB in Brussels. Have had a couple folks suggest we not do that in London because of something along the lines of "you need to book everything in London, and hotels can help you with booking." We don't have any firm plans just yet, but I'm sure we'll do some of the major tourist stuff it being our first time and being there with kids, we won't be able to get too adventurous. Anyone support/contest this idea? Anyone stay in AirBNB in London before with positive/negative experience?
Click to expand...
1) https://www.reddit.com/r/Gunners/wiki/faq#wiki_1._where_can_i_buy_tickets.3F

2) I've used Airbnb in London with absolutely no issues. What type of stuff are you looking to book? Most things can be found online these days.
 
JCastle said:
1) https://www.reddit.com/r/Gunners/wiki/faq#wiki_1._where_can_i_buy_tickets.3F

2) I've used Airbnb in London with absolutely no issues. What type of stuff are you looking to book? Most things can be found online these days.
Click to expand...

We just went to London and stayed in a hotel for the early check-in. Otherwise they weren’t of much help.

I’d be curious what needs to be booked using a hotel. London eye is one of the few attractions I looked at that seemed to sell out.

The other thing I noticed is you can always pay a slight premium to do these things through a tour company (they seem to be the ones that buy up all the tickets)
 
Hello! I’ll be in London for a few days mid-November – haven’t booked a hotel yet but probably staying nearish to Hyde Park. I’m the kind of person who prefers to go to places that are quiet and not too busy so that I can sit at the bar top and just talk idly with the bartender, especially if they’re also kind of a beer dork. As I’ll be traveling solo on this trip, that preference is doubly so (I don’t want to just have my nose buried in my phone the entire time). Any recommendations for places that fit that bill?
 
Central London bars don’t typically have seating at the bar so it’s more a case of standing there. Also the good ones tend to be pretty busy so talking at the bar isn’t really a thing. It’s different in the suburbs and quieter neighborhoods. Having said that places like Craft Beer Co. in Farringdon have banks of seating around the wall and small high tables where it’s very easy to get talking to people around you. It’s a definite beer nerd hangout. Would also suggest The Harp near Trafalgar Square. It’s an exceptional cask beer pub, like seriously I’ve had some transcendental experiences in there drinking stuff like Dark Star - Hophead and Crouch Vale - Brewer’s Gold. The Rake in Borough Market is another tiny pub that always has good stuff on and it’s quite jovial. There are other newer nerd hang outs like Beer Merchants Tap are worth checking (they are Cantillon’s uk distributor).

I can’t think of much to recommend around Hyde Park. All the good stuff is out East or south of the river. Maybe jump on the Victoria Line and head down to The Cask in Pimlico. My knowledge is all 2 years out of date though and stuff moves there pretty fast there these days.
 
Padraig said:
Central London bars don’t typically have seating at the bar so it’s more a case of standing there. Also the good ones tend to be pretty busy so talking at the bar isn’t really a thing. It’s different in the suburbs and quieter neighborhoods. Having said that places like Craft Beer Co. in Farringdon have banks of seating around the wall and small high tables where it’s very easy to get talking to people around you. It’s a definite beer nerd hangout. Would also suggest The Harp near Trafalgar Square. It’s an exceptional cask beer pub, like seriously I’ve had some transcendental experiences in there drinking stuff like Dark Star - Hophead and Crouch Vale - Brewer’s Gold. The Rake in Borough Market is another tiny pub that always has good stuff on and it’s quite jovial. There are other newer nerd hang outs like Beer Merchants Tap are worth checking (they are Cantillon’s uk distributor).

I can’t think of much to recommend around Hyde Park. All the good stuff is out East or south of the river. Maybe jump on the Victoria Line and head down to The Cask in Pimlico. My knowledge is all 2 years out of date though and stuff moves there pretty fast there these days.
Click to expand...
Perfect – even with the caveat of having been away for a couple years, this is exactly the kind of information I’m looking for. Thanks so much! :)
 
Sage said:
Hello! I’ll be in London for a few days mid-November – haven’t booked a hotel yet but probably staying nearish to Hyde Park. I’m the kind of person who prefers to go to places that are quiet and not too busy so that I can sit at the bar top and just talk idly with the bartender, especially if they’re also kind of a beer dork. As I’ll be traveling solo on this trip, that preference is doubly so (I don’t want to just have my nose buried in my phone the entire time). Any recommendations for places that fit that bill?
Click to expand...
Feel free to hit me up before you visit would be happy to meet up for a drink or can share recommendations for places to visit. A decent place in West London is The Mall Tavern.
 
The Kings Arms in Bethnal Green is another good one. Staff were always really cool in my experience. Bit of a hangout spot for various faces on the scene (brewers, journalists, beer Twitterati, general hangers-on). The hideous quality of the cask was a bit of a running joke but the keg selection is usually great. Lots of takeovers, MTBs etc.
 
Hi guys,

My first post here.

I´m planning a weekend in London for next month (from October 12th Friday till October 14th Sunday). I arrive to Gatwick and I have a Hotel room booked near Whitechapel tube station.

My initial idea is doing a pub-crawl on Friday around Hackney area, something like this:
Brewdog Tower Hill (12:00h), Craft. Beer Co. St. Mary Axe (13:00h), Hotel Check In (14:00h). Public transport to The Cock Tavern (15:00h), St. John at Hackney (16:00h), Clapton Craft (17:00h), The Experiment (18:00h), Deviant & Dandy (19:30h), Redchurch (21:00h), Signature Taproom (22:15h) till late.

Then, the Saturday doing the Bermondsey Beer Mile.

I´m travelling alone and in ticking mode so if anyone wants to pop up at some point for a bottle share or pub crawling, please feel free to contact me.

Cheers!
 
I just got plane tickets for six days in London this March. Right now I’m looking to stay around Shoreditch. I found a Premier Lodge for about $80/night which is relatively cheap and has great reviews right by the City and Shoreditch. Now I’m researching pubs. I’m curious as to what cask ales are well-regarded nowadays. I think we’ll also take a day trip to York. I wonder if Sage has a bunch of spreadsheets?!
 
Last edited:
falc0n2600 said:
I just got plane tickets for six days in London this March. Right now I’m looking to stay around Shoreditch. I found a Premier Lodge for about $80/night which is relatively cheap and has great reviews right by the City and Shoreditch. Now I’m researching pubs. I’m curious as to what cask ales are well-regarded nowadays. I think we’ll also take a day trip to York. I wonder if Sage has a bunch of spreadsheets?!
Click to expand...
Heh, I’ve been really busy the past few weeks (launching a new website for my company) and so I’m massively behind on planning my trip – haven’t even booked any hotels yet. After my trip I’ll be sure to send you my spreadsheet though and thoughts!
 
For well-regarded cask ale, go for the venue first and foremost - you can't go wrong with The Harp, for example, and it helps that their selection is usually second-to-none. Alongside the usual suspects like Fullers, Thornbridge, Dark Star etc, Burning Sky's cask is typically very good, although very different from their bottles - Plateau and Aurora are both excellent.
 
Sage said:
Heh, I’ve been really busy the past few weeks (launching a new website for my company) and so I’m massively behind on planning my trip – haven’t even booked any hotels yet. After my trip I’ll be sure to send you my spreadsheet though and thoughts!
Click to expand...

Also interested. Heading there early December and have done almost zero research. Kinda trying to go in blind, but I know I'm gonna want resources/recs once I'm there.
 
zieglemt said:
Also interested. Heading there early December and have done almost zero research. Kinda trying to go in blind, but I know I'm gonna want resources/recs once I'm there.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately I had to cancel my trip at the eleventh hour due to a serious infection (I’m fine now, but I would’ve been out-of-my-mind miserable if I had gone). FWIW, here are the items that were on my list, but un-ranked and obviously I have no constructive feedback about any of them at the moment:
  • Grant Museum of Zoology
  • Natural History Museum
  • Greenwich Foot Tunnel
  • Museum of Brands
  • Stonehenge/Windsor/Bath
  • London Transport Museum
  • London Eye
  • Museum of Water & Steam
  • Gloucester Tube Station
  • The Craft Beer Co. Clerkenwell
  • The Harp
  • Holborn Whippet
  • Dishoom King’s Cross
  • Dishoom Shoreditch
  • Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese
  • Euston Tap
  • The Rake
  • Beer Merchants Tap
  • Cask Pub & Kitchen
  • The Mall Tavern
  • Anspach & Hobday
  • Brew by Numbers
 
Sage said:
Unfortunately I had to cancel my trip at the eleventh hour due to a serious infection (I’m fine now, but I would’ve been out-of-my-mind miserable if I had gone). FWIW, here are the items that were on my list, but un-ranked and obviously I have no constructive feedback about any of them at the moment:
  • Grant Museum of Zoology
  • Natural History Museum
  • Greenwich Foot Tunnel
  • Museum of Brands
  • Stonehenge/Windsor/Bath
  • London Transport Museum
  • London Eye
  • Museum of Water & Steam
  • Gloucester Tube Station
  • The Craft Beer Co. Clerkenwell
  • The Harp
  • Holborn Whippet
  • Dishoom King’s Cross
  • Dishoom Shoreditch
  • Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese
  • Euston Tap
  • The Rake
  • Beer Merchants Tap
  • Cask Pub & Kitchen
  • The Mall Tavern
  • Anspach & Hobday
  • Brew by Numbers
Click to expand...

Cloudwater just opened a London outpost in Bermondsey so near to BBNo and A&H. Moor is also near there and should be good for crask (The Harp is a must visit for this as Andrew said above). Taprooms are mostly a bit crap in the UK (and ****ing freezing in winter) versus what we get in the US so I'd maybe focus more on the pubs.

Brewdog in Tower Hill looks like it might be worth checking out if you're in the area.
Harvey's (great old skool real ale brewery) have a pub called The Royal Oak in Borough which if highly regarded.
 
andrewdrinks said:
For well-regarded cask ale, go for the venue first and foremost - you can't go wrong with The Harp, for example, and it helps that their selection is usually second-to-none. Alongside the usual suspects like Fullers, Thornbridge, Dark Star etc, Burning Sky's cask is typically very good, although very different from their bottles - Plateau and Aurora are both excellent.
Click to expand...

See also Crouch Vale which is often on in The Harp.
 
falc0n2600 said:
I just got plane tickets for six days in London this March. Right now I’m looking to stay around Shoreditch. I found a Premier Lodge for about $80/night which is relatively cheap and has great reviews right by the City and Shoreditch. Now I’m researching pubs. I’m curious as to what cask ales are well-regarded nowadays. I think we’ll also take a day trip to York. I wonder if Sage has a bunch of spreadsheets?!
Click to expand...

Ha! Funny enough the girlfriend and I'll be in London in late March as well. Came here to stalk for some ideas/recommendations.
 
It’s fine on a Saturday morning, it’s a bar under a railway arch, but if you’re visiting at this time of year then go somewhere comfortable.
 
oelayan said:
If you could go to one pub/craft bar in London and one pub/craft bar in Liverpool, what would they be? Making a quick trip for the Chelsea v Liverpool match in a couple weeks.
Click to expand...
Tough one as I have not really drank in Liverpool in 15 years, a lot has changed.

The Baltic used to be the place, these days I will try and do some reseach and ask a few people and get back to tou.
 
Final update.

Ship and Mitre or this place

2A4BE447-D91D-446D-B447-E9ACFA3720F5.jpeg


For the record, mate who sent that is ISO a ticket for that game
 
drgarage said:
Biggest thing it looks like it's missing is that Cloudwater, who kick all kinds of ass, now have a taproom in London:
https://cloudwaterbrew.co/location-enid-st
Click to expand...
Have done the walk from Tower Bridge to the taproom a handful of times, always on a weeknight, and Bermondsey is relatively dead which could be great or not - depending on your preferences. Have stopped into Hawkes cider for some cider and pizza there coming home from Cloudwater as well. Not bad if you don’t have anything else going on!
 

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