GRAPES E14

.....a great little survivor......
GRAPES	LONDON E14 8BP	76 Narrow Street
The fact this long, narrow little pub has managed to survive the frenzy of Docklands redevelopment shows what a special place it is. Now a 'listed' building, it stands at the end of a row of similar dwellings, some of whose residents are Knights and Lords, giving the area a whole new status. Built in 1720, on the site of a previous pub, the Grapes was a working class tavern, serving the workers of the Limehouse Basin. There are unsavoury stories of watermen taking drunks from the pub to drown them in the river, then sell their corpses for medical dissection. Charles Dickens knew this pub well. As a child, he was made to stand on a table and sing to the customers.	As an adult, he immortalised it as the Six Jolly Fellowship Porters pub in Our Mutual Friend . Today's customers are a mix of original Eastenders and wealthier newcomers. Both seem to enjoy the informal public bar atmosphere. The front bar has dark stained timber clad walls; an assortment of odd wooden chairs and tables and bare floorboards. The back bar has an open fire and steps leading to a deck over the Thames. Up some very narrow stairs is the small restaurant which looks out over the river. It has a good reputation for its fish and seafood, indeed it has won first prize in the Fish Awards, the best of 1600 pubs! Be sure to book!
		OPEN Mon-Fri 12.00-15.00 & 17.30-23.00 Sat 19.00-23.00 Sun12.00-15.00&19.00-22.30 TEL 020 7987 4396 Credit Cards: All major.
		FOOD Bar Mon-Fri 12.00-14.00 Mon-Sat 19.00-21.00 Restaurant Mon-Fri 12.00-14.15 Mon-Sat 19.30-21.15
		BEER Tetley, Pedigree

.....a great little survivor......