The Grenadier

The Grenadier

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They say Ye Olde Mitre in Holborn is London's most difficult to find pub. 'They' have obviously never been to the Grenadier. This bashful little drinking den hides round a dogleg in a cobbled mews labelled 'private road'. Persevere, however, and you'll find a charming little throwback preposterously close, and yet shielded from, Hyde Park Corner.

The Grenadier pub down a mews, painted white with blue and red doors

The interior is as characterful as the exterior. The place is built on the site of an old barracks — indeed, it was the original officers' mess — and you'll find military references everywhere. The Duke of Wellington, who lived nearby in Apsley House, is also much in evidence, with back rooms named The Wellington and The Boot.

The ceiling of the Grenadier pub in Belgravia is covered in dollar bills

The most noticeable quirk is the collection of signed dollar bills appended to the ceiling. The collection has grown massively in the years since our last visit and now decorates almost the entire ceiling.

The veritable fortune is a tribute to 'Cedric' a grenadier who was supposedly beaten to death for cheating at cards. His spirit is said to haunt the pub, every September. It does not.

The interior of the Grenadier pub

The beers seem to be well kept, if fairly mainstream. Best to experience this place on a weekday afternoon, when the small front bar is at its quietest. That said, on one visit, the bar was propped up by a group of finance wankers discussing their various tax avoidance wheezes in loud braying voices. One of the perils of drinking in Belgravia.

A small library of books and a pint at the grenadier pub in london
A tiny library.

Last updated April 2023.

Address: 18 Wilton Row London SW1X 7NR

Phone: 020 7235 3074

Website:
http://www.taylor-walker.co.uk/pub/grenadier-belgrave-square/c0800/

Monday: noon-11pm

Tuesday: noon-11pm

Wednesday: noon-11pm

Thursday: noon-11pm

Friday: noon-11pm

Saturday: noon-11pm

Sunday: noon-11pm

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