The combined heritage of The Cutty Sark with the setting of grandeur in Greenwich, I’d more than write home about the setting of The Old Brewery. We arrive in a barmy summer evening in June and choose a table outside that runs parallel with the Thames accompanied by refreshing glasses of luminous Aperol spritz and the contemporary pub menu.
A former existence of supplying the Royal Hospital Pensioners with their thee pints a day, The Old Brewery has most recently been reinvented by the familiar Young’s. A historical building, Young’s has refreshed the concept with a refurbishment that made sure it sympathised with the surroundings and the Grade II listed status that is positioned behind the porticoed façade of Sir Christopher Wren’s Royal Naval College.
A menu with dishes you would expect from a British pub menu, The Old Brewery offers pub grub but with a USP that elevates their offering ever so slightly to a contemporary stance. Like any other, they serve seasonal food – ground-breaking not so much; but look closer and they vouch to source the vast majority of their ethical and sustainable ingredients from the UK and interestingly with a particular focus on produce from the South East of England. This local collaborative is also in turn complemented with a collection of craft beers and London distilled spirits; true to The Old Brewery’s location.
Starters include traditional easy pleaser starters such as Little Bird gin cured Scottish salmon with crème fraîche, radish or capers and celeriac, Bramley apple and Kentish blue cheese soup sprinkled with walnuts. It’s a Young’s pub menu so no surprise to see their signature ale battered cod and chips (been there, done that, and yes would order again), pork and sage sausages with buttery mash or the 28-day aged Angus sirloin steak with thick cut chips which we shared with their in-house beef burger. These British household dishes also are set alongside the modern poached Scottish rainbow trout with quinoa, lentils and avocado and minted Dorset lamb medallions with ratatouille. Desserts include elderflower and gooseberry Bakewell tart and lemon and raspberry ripple posset with Scottish shortbread.
Revolving around three spaces including an exposed brick lined pub, a capacious dining room and the outdoor space which encompasses leafy Greenwich, Young’s Old Brewery amalgamates the pub’s centuries long brewing heritage with Young’s 186 years of experience. With a bar that prides itself in offering a portfolio of brilliant beers such as the quirky but now so established Beavertown as well as the Howling Hops IPA; they endeavour to offer a beverage for all with worldly wines, bubbles and a classic collection of cocktails.
A new Young’s establishment, this pub is complemented by its recent renovation, striking setting and in depth and historical narrative. Service is incredibly attentive and polite and they seem proud to be a part of The Old Brewery. From birthday parties to corporate events, weddings and family get occasions, a variety of celebrations can be catered to at The Old Brewery. Both the pub and dining room can be booked out separately, while larger occasions such as weddings can take over the entire pub, courtyard and garden.
Address: The Pepys Building, The Old Royal Naval College London, SE10 9LW | oldbrewerygreenwich.com, 020 3437 2222
