Ed’s Central London Pub Directory

Brewpubs in London

London Pubs, Bars & Taverns in Zone 1 from

PUBNETWORK.COM™ and the barstool of Ed Vidunas

 

Posted November 2004

 

Freedom Brewing-Carnaby Street (Freedom)

Ganton Street off Carnaby Street in Soho

Oxford/Piccadilly Underground Station

            I have not been to this location so I can’t say what you will find. This part of Soho is very interesting. Have fun. Freedom does brew but not Ye Old English Ale but rather Continental Pilsner.

 

Freedom Brewing-Covent Garden (Freedom)

41 Earlham WC2 in Covent Garden in the basement of the shops

Covent Garden Underground Station

Phone: 020 7240 0606

            This first opened as the Soho Brewing Co. but was purchased by Freedom soon after. An ultra-modern drinking place, it’s more of a club than a brewery. They do have equipment on display and should brew during the day. At night this is more of a club.

 

Mash

19 Great Portland St (on the left walking north) W1 in Marylebone

Between Margaret Street and Castle Street (just north of Oxford Street)

Oxford Circus Underground Station

Phone: 020 7637 5555

            I walked by this pub for three days before I realized that it was a pub.  It looks more like a nightclub. The brewing equipment stands at the rear of the room and it’s hard to see from the street despite being ultra-bright orange.  The beers are very good but a bit more in price than older pubs.  I do recommend stopping in. They should be open until 1:00AM but a web site gave 6-11 PM. Of all the brewpubs in London this just might be the only one worth going to. The beers are well made and should not be missed.

 

Orange Brewery (Scottish-Courage) OPEN BUT NO LONGER BREWING

37 Pimlico Rd SW1 at St. Barnabas St in Begravia

Sloane Square Underground Station

Phone: 020 7730 5984 or 020 7824 8002

            This is and always has been a nice pub but it no longer brews. This used to be one of a few authentic brewpubs in London but S-C discontinued the brewery operations here as well at the Yorkshire Grey. The building is architecturally simulating.

 

Pacific Oriental Restaurant & Brewery

1 Bishopsgate EC2 between Cornhill and Threadneedle in The City

www.orientalpacificrestaurantgroup.co.uk (site may be dormant)

Bank Underground Station

Phone: 020 7621 9988

            The beer menu leans towards German lager. A nice place indeed, but it is more of a restaurant than brewery-pub. Check out the web-site for more information.

21-22 Maiden Lane

 

Porterhouse Brewpub

21-22 Maiden Lane WC2 E7NA at Exchange Place in Covent Garden

Between Bedford Street and Southampton Street

Exchange Place can be entered from the Strand

Phone 020 7379 7917, Web www.porterhousebrewco.com

Covent Garden Underground Station

            A modern: visually impressive, restaurant and bar. The roots of this pub grew in Dublin, Ireland yet the make-up of the facilities is firmly Industrial England. I am not taking the space required to say what needs to be said about the beers. The impressive menu displays a good range of draft ale and a great bottle selection that should satisfy anyone’s thirst.

 

Yorkshire Grey CLOSED

(Enterprise Inns bought this from Scottish-Courage)

2 Theobalds Road WC1 at Gray’s Inn Road in Bloomsbury

Phone: 020 7405 2519

Chancery Lane Underground Station

            After the sake to Enterprise the brewer was made redundant and the beer came from the Orange Brewery for a while. Then the pub closed and its future is uncertain. I plan to have an up-date after my January 2005 visit.

 

Zero Degrees

29 Montpeiler Vale SE3 Blackheath (near Greenwich)

Phone: 020 8852 5619, Fax 020 8852 4463

Blackheath Rail Station

 

The operations of these places could change without notice but should not be life-threatening unless you are a stockholder.

 

Pub Tours

            Pubs, in general, do not have tours. But on several occasions I have been given a tout of the basement. I once toured the basement of the Chandos, St. Martin’s Lane WC2. Seeing how the casks were set-up for service was interesting. Another interesting tour for me was at the Orange Brewery, Pimlico Rd. SW1 when it was an active brewery. This was another time when I stuck my head in the formation tank. Talking to the bartender or brewer during a quiet time can bring an invitation but they are, sorry to say, far and in between.