The Union Pub
Royal Hill.
This is best known for its beer. Greenwich Meantime Brewery is justly renowned for its attention to detail and fine ales and The Union is its preferred watering hole. A friend of ours who travels all over the world writing books about beer still reckons that the Meantime Brewery is among the best - certainly in Britain. I guess we're lucky to have a local pub that only serves decent brews. Of course this means nothing to me as a non-beer drinker, but my partner is a big fan and is always delighted to sample a new beer in the name of Quality Control.
I confess that beer is the best thing the Union pub does. Saturday was our latest visit. They're friendly enough - though admittedly we weren't allowed to sit where we liked in an otherwise empty pub because they were expecting a "large party" - who never turned up.
They supply papers so you can lounge around reading and drinking, but - well - for me, the place lacks atmosphere. Decent beer goes a long way - but this place is either full of hideous trendy types - or empty of anything other than the aforesaid beer. The menu looked ok on Saturday so we decided to forgo The Hill, which we were on our way to (they do good chips) and try out the food.
It took several beers to arrive though I didn't mind too much as the music was good. Trouble is - the food just isn't much cop. I had to send my fish and chips back - the fish was still uncooked, inside very underdone batter. The second version frankly wasn't much better - sloppy, watery, anaemic and bland. The chips were a similar pale cream colour. My partner's food was just about ok - but as he admitted - what can go wrong with a baguette?
As we were leaving the trendy brigade was trickling in - suddenly we just didn't feel even slightly welcome any more. It needs more than good music and beer to make a pub work - and somehow I realised that I was never going to fit in here. My partner's a big fan of the beer - but you can buy it in bottles from The Cheeseboard down the road. We won't be bothering with the pub any more.
This is best known for its beer. Greenwich Meantime Brewery is justly renowned for its attention to detail and fine ales and The Union is its preferred watering hole. A friend of ours who travels all over the world writing books about beer still reckons that the Meantime Brewery is among the best - certainly in Britain. I guess we're lucky to have a local pub that only serves decent brews. Of course this means nothing to me as a non-beer drinker, but my partner is a big fan and is always delighted to sample a new beer in the name of Quality Control.
I confess that beer is the best thing the Union pub does. Saturday was our latest visit. They're friendly enough - though admittedly we weren't allowed to sit where we liked in an otherwise empty pub because they were expecting a "large party" - who never turned up.
They supply papers so you can lounge around reading and drinking, but - well - for me, the place lacks atmosphere. Decent beer goes a long way - but this place is either full of hideous trendy types - or empty of anything other than the aforesaid beer. The menu looked ok on Saturday so we decided to forgo The Hill, which we were on our way to (they do good chips) and try out the food.
It took several beers to arrive though I didn't mind too much as the music was good. Trouble is - the food just isn't much cop. I had to send my fish and chips back - the fish was still uncooked, inside very underdone batter. The second version frankly wasn't much better - sloppy, watery, anaemic and bland. The chips were a similar pale cream colour. My partner's food was just about ok - but as he admitted - what can go wrong with a baguette?
As we were leaving the trendy brigade was trickling in - suddenly we just didn't feel even slightly welcome any more. It needs more than good music and beer to make a pub work - and somehow I realised that I was never going to fit in here. My partner's a big fan of the beer - but you can buy it in bottles from The Cheeseboard down the road. We won't be bothering with the pub any more.
Labels: Drinking
posted by The Greenwich Phantom at
14:03
6 Comments:
The beer is excellent and the staff, in my experience, are very friendly and welcoming. Anywhere that has enough faith in, and enthusiasm for, their product to allow people to try samples ahead of purchase usually deserves a commendation. The food is relatively simple and I have not had a bad meal here- perhaps the reviewer visited on an off-night. Sadly, the Tuesday evening live music sessions are a thing of the past- the open mike arrangement often gave really talented musicians a good break and dross was rare. As for the clientele- there are a few showy and pretentious visitors- but no more than you will encounter elsewhere in the likes of Bar de Musee or The Vanbrugh etc. Generally, I consider The Union to be very friendly and I'm really glad there is a pub this good in Greenwich.
In many respects you're right - the samples are a great idea and the staff ARE friendly. In fact I do go there quite a bit (I like the little garden at the back,) but I'm afraid not to eat any more. Someone I was with a couple of days ago had a meal, and it was ok - but only ok. He is a big beer fan and always likes to go there whenever he's in Greenwich, so it has his vote, but I doubt he'll be eating there again either (we actually ended up eating somewhere else later as he was still hungry after a full meal.) The place IS growing on me, and I seem to have been there rather a lot recently, but sadly the food just doesn't cut it for me. I do like simple, but the simpler food is, the better it needs to be cooked. So - top marks for the beer and staff, fewer for the food.
Hi GP,
just wanted to let you know that I was at the Union on bank holiday monday , in the mid afternoon and in my humble opinion they got everything just right. There were plenty of punters without it being crowded, food was good and beer excellent. perhaps we had a good day....
Hopefully they've improved it. Certainly there's nothing to moan about it beer-wise and I like the place itself. And the punters have seemed a bit more friendly on recent visits.
It's certainly head & shoulders above most of the pubs in the area.
I'll admit straight away that I'm biased, being one of the brewers at Meantime, but I feel you should give the food another go, as there has been a change of Head Chef since your review was written, and I honestly feel that the food has greatly improved. Certainly there was a time when I was seeing meals being sent back to the kitchen, being undercooked, as has been mentioned, but this doesn't happen anymore.
May I say how good it is to read the many favourable comments on our beer - thank you. We take quality issues very seriously in the brewery, and it's good to hear that the beers are well received.
I stumbled across this review in a random Google search of Greenwich pubs and it confirms my own view that the Union just doesn't hack it. It is hard to put your finger on exactly why - the beer is good, the staff are tolerably pleasant - but it lacks any real atmosphere. I agree that it attracts a particularly up-themselves kind customer. I've given the pub a number of chances - thinking maybe I was just unlucky on previous occasions. But, no. Always the same. I have never stayed for more than one drink and probably won't bother again. Frankly I'd rather drink in the Albert. It may be an old gits pub where your feet stick to the beer-soaked carpets but it has no pretentions to be anything else.
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home