http://www.beerintheevening.com/pubs/show.shtml/660

Hello - many years ago I worked in a pub called the Cartoonist off Fleet St (worth a look not for the pub but for the cartoons) the above link is quite good to plan a "pub crawl" and Fleet Street (from its associtation with the Press and late night working) has quite a few interesting places ( Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese comes to mind!) what ever enjoy your time and try not to have a pint in each pub or you will not get very far!!

The OP asked about the Grenadier. IMO the nicest thing about it is the location - great neighborhood, and as a mews pub it always feels cozy and "undiscovered" even if it turns up in every guide book (and can be occupied almost exclusively by tourists some times.) I don't know about the Beef Wellington, but my recollection of the food there was it was okay, nothing special, but pricey. Mid-week afternoon on a warm day, though, not a bad place.

My favourite Pubs
- The Prospect of Whitby
57 Wapping Wall, Wapping (Wapping Tube)
Traditional Pub with a small riverside garden, serving good food.

-Perseverance
63 Lamps Conduit, Holborn (Holborn Tube)
Excellent gastro Pub, but haven?t been in a while. Environment and atmosphere of traditional boozer.
-Scarsdale
23a Edwards Square, Kensington (High St Ken Tube)
-The Union Tavern.
52 Lloyd Baker Street St Pancras
Traditional Victorian Pub with gastro pub pretensions ie excellent food.

I hope that this helps
Jim

I recommend the Nags Head in Peckham from Only Fools and Horses, although it is a bit overpriced for that part of London.

England enjoys two kinds of pubs. One is for the casual visitor (tourist). The other is the 'local'. This is the one that discourages casual visitors. Try the St. George near Victoria Station. It is for visitors and some locals. Further down the street is the 'Greyhound'. It is for locals. A single visit will not establish you. Try five years! Looking for conversation? Try a hotel bar that caters to USA visitors. Best ploy, "Suggest a beer, I am a stranger here".

I would recommend the following:

Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese - Fleet Street. Very old historic pub with good but cheap beer. Great atmosphere with several different rooms in which to have a drink and something to eat. Haven't tried the meals so I can't comment. There are several other good pubs along Fleet Street.

I would also recommend the Albert on Victoria Street (as posted in an earlier reply).

There are several pub walks organised by London Walks, each of which take in several old and historic pubs. Walks cost £5 and normally last for 2 hours and begin and start from a location near to an Underground station. The guides are very knowledgeable and are great fun. Leaflets are available from most hotels, underground stations and attractions.

The Maple Leaf in Maiden Lane, Covent Garden is not a historic pub, but great if you want to catch up on baseball or american football news. It shows several live games per week of all American sports (baseball, hockey, basketball, football - pro and college).

Hope this has helped - enjoy your stay!

Cheers!

Andy

Just gotta say this:

Interior Human Mouth: 98-99 degrees

British Ale Ideally Served: 54 degrees

That isn't "warm" beer except to someone who drinks 40-degree beer.

We loved the Red Lion near Parliament. Incredibly cozy downstairs, incredibly warm staff, lots of government/historical oddities on the walls. Apparently it also has a division bell so MPs can rush back to work when there's a vote.

We also loved the Cheshire Cheese. While it had a slightly less dignified clientele, it has a great atmosphere, good prices, and lots of history and creaky staircases. Definitely worth a stop.

I second St. Georges behind Victoria Station. Excellent fish and chips.
Another with good food though it may have a few tourist is Shakespeare oppo
site Victoria station. Great bangers and mash and fish and chips.

I liked the service and the fish & chips at Shakespeare. The tables were pretty close to each other, but the folks at neighboring tables were friendly.

London has sure jumped as a topic! Looks like 1/2 the board bought tickets on this sale.

Perhaps there should be a Fodor's get together in March or April.

Keith

We like the Lamb and Flag (a/k/a Bucket of Blood) near Covent Garden. Also enjoyed the Albert near Victoria for lunch, and am partial to the Cheshire Cheese, due in part that it was one of the first hirtoric pubs I chanced upon. The George Inn Southwark is one we visited on a pub walk and will someday return.

GOT TO GO TO THE GRENADIER!!! This pub is so amazing. It is old, and you can almost feel the 'Wellies' hanging out here when not battling. The artifacts on the walls are outstanding. There is even a tablet written by The Duke of Wellington himself, right out of his diary. The food is very good. I had steak and ale pie, and my dad had the fish and chips. Both were great as were the ales. The bar has its original pewter top. The place is small and a little hard to find down a dead end, but sooo worth it. It was my favorite pub when I went to England.

Len