True to Guinness custom, there's been a toe-tapping wait for the Irish beer brand to open its London brewery.
Initially slated to arrive in Covent Garden in 2023, the Guinness Open Gate Brewery was set back two years after its lead contractor went into administration. It will finally open its doors on Thursday 11 December 2025, presenting London with its very own House of Guinness. Tour tickets and restaurant reservations will be available from November.
Situated in Old Brewer's Yard — historically the home of the Woodyard Brewery — the 54,000-square-foot, £73m venue will be part-brewery, part-visitor experience, featuring:
🍺 A brewery crafting limited-edition brews and seasonal specials. You'll be able to book onto guided tours.
🍺 Old Brewer's Yard; a bar and outside drinking area (with pints and pies by chef Calum Franklin), plus two restaurants — Gilroy's Loft and Porter's Table — helmed by chef Pip Lacey.
🍺 'Step into the Pint', a 360-degree immersive experience telling the story of Guinness's heritage within Covent Garden.
🍺 Exclusive tasting sessions curated by Master Brewer, Hollie Stephenson.
🍺 A 'Pour Your Own Pint' experience.
🍺 A Guinness shop, flogging various harp-emblazoned merch.
It sounds like a similar setup to the Guinness Storehouse in the beer's hometown of Dublin; the downside of London's venue is that it won't feature a show-stopping bar with 360-degree views of the city (perhaps why they've installed a 360-degree immersive experience instead). The pro is that you will get to see beer being made (an honour that you don't get in Dublin). That said, it's not clear if any classic Guinness will be brewed in Covent Garden.
The folks behind the black stuff surely can't believe their fortune at the surging popularity of their porter — what with influencers like Prime Mutton splitting the G in establishments like Soho's Devonshire, and the recent release of Netflix romp House of Guinness. 'Good Things Are Coming' promises the London brewery's slogan. Could 2026 be the year that we all hit Peak Guinness?
