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Terrific pub and excellent service! We had a wonderful dinner and beers at this historic pub on the Aldgate High Street. Even though it was a Wednesday night, the pub was heaving and we didn't have a booking. The wonderful Damian recommended some beers, found us a table and served our meals. The beers were terrific, we loved our fish and chips, and fish pie, and Damian's service was super friendly and professional. Note that there is a 10% service charge for table service but Damian earned every penny of it!
Great little place we found just a few blocks from our hotel in central London. My wife had the beef brisket pie with red wine sauce, while I had chicken and chorizo with a pint of local IPA. Veggies were cooked just right and tasty too. Food was served quickly and price was reasonable . Servers were friendly and attentive. In summary , Awesome ! Support local businesses !
Absolutely love this place. Place is clean. Drinks are price reasonable and service is awesome. And there's live music, what more can I ask for? Will definitely come back at my next trip to this wonderful city.
Fun pub for our last night in London. You can make reservations online which is recommended as it gets busy. Tried the appetizers of the padre/shinto peppers and croquettes. Both fantastic. Good prices. Then we tried the Fish and Chips and Lamb shank pie. So good! You can order via phone by scanning the QR code at the table or order at the front bar. There is no hostess so you go up to the bar to ask for your table (felt dumb standing around waiting for a host, hah). Definitely recommend this place! Note: if someone isn't good with stairs, be warned the bathrooms are a bit far.
Spacious pub! Airy during the day with the beautiful skylight. Lots of comfortable seating - nice pub vibes. Ace was super friendly and informative on the beer choices. They also serve cocktails. Prices are reasonable - we'd return!
We chose this pub because we read great reviews of the top 10 pubs in London: the atmosphere, the cleanliness, the food. The food was simply beyond praise. My husband rated his burger 11 out of 10. My lamb and mashed potatoes were excellent! And I would add one more ingredient: the service. Damian, our waiter, was the epitome of what is called "good service": fast, with pleasant jokes, and very nice. This place is highly recommended. Do not forget to make reservations. I did it a week before online.
The Nicholson Fish and Chips is really good. The batter is light and crispy, and I appreciate the extra salt they throw on at the end. The mushy peas are also good. I ordered the smaller portion and couldn't finish it all. My friend ordered the steak ale pie and he was very very happy with it. The au jus is amazing. You order and pay on the app (scan barcode at each table). This has its pros and cons. There is very little interaction with the servers, as they mainly run food. However you can order from the bar directly. Would definitely recommend this place for a first dinner in town.
We stopped here for the sticky and a couple beers and meat pie. caught great live band and great service from bar etc. pie and beer were excellent. charlie was exceptional as a bartender and server etc. glad we ended up here listening to TP Hendrix Floyd Crowes we are from los angeles are and passing thru to Italia. cheers Tom/julianna
I was here on Sept. 20 2023. Unfortunately as the other reviews point out, Hoop & Grapes is an old pub run into the dust of time by barely-17 year old kids who do not have a clue how to run bars nor serve food. The toddlers have zero dining or hospitality experience! After a looong day seeing London, I whizzed by the old Hoop & Grapes (which is said to have the oldest wood walls of any pub in London). Nobody welcomes you. Even at 5pm there are no tables to sit at, no bar seats - and there were 3 18-20 year old kids sitting at tables used for four, idling, laptops on top of silverware and buying no food and no drinks. So I stand bar side! All day - yes all trip - I had wanted to try a London Pride beer: but 'London Pride' was out. How's that possible in the late afternoon? No beer Pride at Hoop n Grapes? The kids too lazy to switch a keg of beer? The bar tender girlie (barely 18 is busy welcoming her brother, girlfriend and cellphone on a selfie stick to the pub) has no clue about beer. So I buy (what the bar tendress claimed) was a 'Weston's' cider. I am about to whet my hoarseness, finally have a high % alc. drink, with cider - BUT - !!!!! --------/----- A woman gets up from a seat at a table behind me and squeezes herself in. She left her dirty glass under the ale spout with an earlier bar tender 5 minutes ago. THE GLASS I AM DRINKING FROM IS HERS. I ask a bar tender about the glass and glean no new one (she doesn't give a fig). She says slyly with humor, that the 6 pound cider I am drinking is not the one marked on the tap. So why the fuck did you pour it under false pretenses!? Hoop n Grapes may have old walls or something but the bartender girlies are lazy and don't fill their taps with beer and ale on time. This place is - let me be clear (I review a lot) sold out, unfriendly, it has a cable + lighting problem and as I said: the staff are millennial tweeties who don't know how to be hospitable, pour a beer or be friendly. I will post my receipt and want to be reimbursed for this SCAM! Hoop & Grapes is more like: Dupe & Taped! Review: 2
Even for pub food, the food was really not good. I had the steak and Nicholson's pale ale pie which supposedly has won awards. It was terrible. The name says steak but it was just beef, not actually steak. It came with mashed potatoes and a pea/carrot vegetable mix. Nothing on the plate had flavor or seasoning. The peas and carrots tasted like the Bird's Eye pack of frozen vegetable you buy in the grocery store. I ended up eating the peas and carrots for dinner, after adding lots of salt and pepper. My partner got the chicken sandwich and really enjoyed his, but agreed that my food was bad. The fact that he enjoyed his dinner is the saving grace of this review. There are better pubs all throughout the area; it is not worth wasting your time here.
Brand new to London, we asked our hotel concierge for a nearby British pub with good eats, in particular fish and chips. He gives a strong recommendation to Hoop and Grapes, which has been operating for hundreds of years and withstood the great London fire - it missed the place by 50 yards! So away we go... We're coming off an east coast US red eye so haven't slept since two nights ago at home. Man at bar explains that we order and pay online and just make sure to give our table number. So my NY bank card balks and the pub website wants me to pay again. What fresh circle of hell is this??? I've never been a waitress and I'm not about to try after having not slept in 24+ hours. And then the app asks me for a tip - WHAT?!?! For whom...myself? I go up to the bar and drop a few f-bombs about how we're tired and just want to eat and not do someone else's job. Out he trots the old Covid touchless ordering BS excuse. Come on, man. Enough with this crap, just hire a damn waitress! He claims no payment was received on their side so I pay (again?) at the bar and promise to raise holy hell if I'm charged twice. Despite the ordeal of "just getting some damn food" (per my husband), the fish and chips were terrific. Easily the best I've had to date. And they came with smashed peas which sounded disgusting but were absolutely terrific...they tasted like spring. So if you feel like being your own waitstaff, it's worth it for the fish and chips. Otherwise I wouldn't go back. Because I just don't have the patience for this nonsense, and I go out to eat so someone else can do the whole job, not just bring out my plate.
Hoop and the Grapes is a nice "historic" pub that serves traditional pub offerings like fish & chips, meat pies and cask ales. It is a Nicholson's tied house, so you'll be drinking their offerings. The building pre dates the Great Fire, which apparently stopped very close to the building. So you'll be enjoying your refreshments in a 400+ year old building which is pretty cool. I opted for something called "Toad in the Hole" which got me a giant Yorkshire pudding filled with mash, kale and some sausages plus a pitcher of gravy. I didn't love the sausages but I really did like the crisp pudding, especially with a bit of gravy. Others had a meat pie (really good) along with fish and chips. London is blessed with many historic pubs, and I'd say this is a good place to check one of them out.
we're here on vacation from the US and this is our second time in a week coming here because it's that good!! the whole vibe of the place is so warm and welcoming. drinks are amazing and very affordable! food is also so so yummy we had their famous pot pies and they were delicious and our second night we got the fish and chips. bartenders are very nice , overall 10/10 would come back in the future
Our tour guide recommended this bar as it was right near where we got left off for the Jack the Ripper walking tour. The history of this bar is very interesting so it was a pretty cool find and for such an old history, the bar was pretty well kept! The interior is well lit and inviting. The bar tenders were very friendly and helpful, good drinks on tap and bottle. The music was great and made for a fun uplifting vibe. The sticky toffee pudding was just ok - we were able to get non-dairy custard instead of ice cream which was nice for lactose Intolerant people as myself. read more
This was a great spot to spend my first night in London. On a rainy Jan night after a 9h+ flight to London, I just needed a spot to energize myself. Fortunately this spot was super close to my hotel. Despite the rainy gloom, this pub was busy and lively! The front end of the pub was mainly for ordering at the bar, but the back end was for proper sit down dining. I got myself a table in the back and the waitress was super nice in giving recommendations for food and drink. I got myself a hard cider on tap (£7 = ~$9 USD), Ocean's fish and chips (£23.50 = ~$31 USD), and sticky toffee pudding (£8.50 = ~$11 USD). The cider came out first and I instantly fell in love with it. Had a nice bubbly fizz to it, but it was incredibly light and refreshing! I haven't had a cider like that in the States, so I was cherishing every drop I had. The Ocean's fish & chips came out next and it was A Lot of food. The fried fish was amazing, as the batter wasn't excessive but still had a substantial crisp to every bite. The fish weren't fishy and tasted quite fresh. The fries were just standard and the mushy peas weren't half bad. Really the fish was the star of the show. I wish I held off before ordering sticky toffee pudding because the fish & chips filled me up. But I'm a dessert (or pudding in the UK) sucker, and it helped round off the meal. Overall very fresh and the ice cream complemented the pudding very well. Good amount of toffee with every bite! Price point mostly felt on par with dining at a standard US restaurant in the Bay Area (fish and chips seemed pricier than what most US restaurants would charge, but it was A Lot), but I left feeling absolutely stuffed but incredibly satisfied. read more
Terrific pub and excellent service! We had a wonderful dinner and beers at this historic pub on the Aldgate High Street. Even though it was a Wednesday night, the pub was heaving and we didn't have a booking. The wonderful Damian recommended some beers, found us a table and served our meals. The beers were terrific, we loved our fish and chips, and fish pie, and Damian's service was super friendly and professional. Note that there is a 10% service charge for table service but Damian earned every penny of it! read more
1 year ago
Great little place we found just a few blocks from our hotel in central London. My wife had the beef brisket pie with red wine sauce, while I had chicken and chorizo with a pint of local IPA. Veggies were cooked just right and tasty too. Food was served quickly and price was reasonable . Servers were friendly and attentive. In summary , Awesome ! Support local businesses ! read more
6 months ago
1 year ago
Absolutely love this place. Place is clean. Drinks are price reasonable and service is awesome. And there's live music, what more can I ask for? Will definitely come back at my next trip to this wonderful city. read more
Fun pub for our last night in London. You can make reservations online which is recommended as it gets busy. Tried the appetizers of the padre/shinto peppers and croquettes. Both fantastic. Good prices. Then we tried the Fish and Chips and Lamb shank pie. So good! You can order via phone by scanning the QR code at the table or order at the front bar. There is no hostess so you go up to the bar to ask for your table (felt dumb standing around waiting for a host, hah). Definitely recommend this place! Note: if someone isn't good with stairs, be warned the bathrooms are a bit far. read more
3 years ago
Spacious pub! Airy during the day with the beautiful skylight. Lots of comfortable seating - nice pub vibes. Ace was super friendly and informative on the beer choices. They also serve cocktails. Prices are reasonable - we'd return! read more
We chose this pub because we read great reviews of the top 10 pubs in London: the atmosphere, the cleanliness, the food. The food was simply beyond praise. My husband rated his burger 11 out of 10. My lamb and mashed potatoes were excellent! And I would add one more ingredient: the service. Damian, our waiter, was the epitome of what is called "good service": fast, with pleasant jokes, and very nice. This place is highly recommended. Do not forget to make reservations. I did it a week before online. read more
The Nicholson Fish and Chips is really good. The batter is light and crispy, and I appreciate the extra salt they throw on at the end. The mushy peas are also good. I ordered the smaller portion and couldn't finish it all. My friend ordered the steak ale pie and he was very very happy with it. The au jus is amazing. You order and pay on the app (scan barcode at each table). This has its pros and cons. There is very little interaction with the servers, as they mainly run food. However you can order from the bar directly. Would definitely recommend this place for a first dinner in town. read more
2 years ago
We stopped here for the sticky and a couple beers and meat pie. caught great live band and great service from bar etc. pie and beer were excellent. charlie was exceptional as a bartender and server etc. glad we ended up here listening to TP Hendrix Floyd Crowes we are from los angeles are and passing thru to Italia. cheers Tom/julianna read more
1 year ago
3 years ago
I was here on Sept. 20 2023. Unfortunately as the other reviews point out, Hoop & Grapes is an old pub run into the dust of time by barely-17 year old kids who do not have a clue how to run bars nor serve food. The toddlers have zero dining or hospitality experience! After a looong day seeing London, I whizzed by the old Hoop & Grapes (which is said to have the oldest wood walls of any pub in London). Nobody welcomes you. Even at 5pm there are no tables to sit at, no bar seats - and there were 3 18-20 year old kids sitting at tables used for four, idling, laptops on top of silverware and buying no food and no drinks. So I stand bar side! All day - yes all trip - I had wanted to try a London Pride beer: but 'London Pride' was out. How's that possible in the late afternoon? No beer Pride at Hoop n Grapes? The kids too lazy to switch a keg of beer? The bar tender girlie (barely 18 is busy welcoming her brother, girlfriend and cellphone on a selfie stick to the pub) has no clue about beer. So I buy (what the bar tendress claimed) was a 'Weston's' cider. I am about to whet my hoarseness, finally have a high % alc. drink, with cider - BUT - !!!!! --------/----- A woman gets up from a seat at a table behind me and squeezes herself in. She left her dirty glass under the ale spout with an earlier bar tender 5 minutes ago. THE GLASS I AM DRINKING FROM IS HERS. I ask a bar tender about the glass and glean no new one (she doesn't give a fig). She says slyly with humor, that the 6 pound cider I am drinking is not the one marked on the tap. So why the fuck did you pour it under false pretenses!? Hoop n Grapes may have old walls or something but the bartender girlies are lazy and don't fill their taps with beer and ale on time. This place is - let me be clear (I review a lot) sold out, unfriendly, it has a cable + lighting problem and as I said: the staff are millennial tweeties who don't know how to be hospitable, pour a beer or be friendly. I will post my receipt and want to be reimbursed for this SCAM! Hoop & Grapes is more like: Dupe & Taped! Review: 2 read more
4 years ago
Even for pub food, the food was really not good. I had the steak and Nicholson's pale ale pie which supposedly has won awards. It was terrible. The name says steak but it was just beef, not actually steak. It came with mashed potatoes and a pea/carrot vegetable mix. Nothing on the plate had flavor or seasoning. The peas and carrots tasted like the Bird's Eye pack of frozen vegetable you buy in the grocery store. I ended up eating the peas and carrots for dinner, after adding lots of salt and pepper. My partner got the chicken sandwich and really enjoyed his, but agreed that my food was bad. The fact that he enjoyed his dinner is the saving grace of this review. There are better pubs all throughout the area; it is not worth wasting your time here. read more
3 years ago
Brand new to London, we asked our hotel concierge for a nearby British pub with good eats, in particular fish and chips. He gives a strong recommendation to Hoop and Grapes, which has been operating for hundreds of years and withstood the great London fire - it missed the place by 50 yards! So away we go... We're coming off an east coast US red eye so haven't slept since two nights ago at home. Man at bar explains that we order and pay online and just make sure to give our table number. So my NY bank card balks and the pub website wants me to pay again. What fresh circle of hell is this??? I've never been a waitress and I'm not about to try after having not slept in 24+ hours. And then the app asks me for a tip - WHAT?!?! For whom...myself? I go up to the bar and drop a few f-bombs about how we're tired and just want to eat and not do someone else's job. Out he trots the old Covid touchless ordering BS excuse. Come on, man. Enough with this crap, just hire a damn waitress! He claims no payment was received on their side so I pay (again?) at the bar and promise to raise holy hell if I'm charged twice. Despite the ordeal of "just getting some damn food" (per my husband), the fish and chips were terrific. Easily the best I've had to date. And they came with smashed peas which sounded disgusting but were absolutely terrific...they tasted like spring. So if you feel like being your own waitstaff, it's worth it for the fish and chips. Otherwise I wouldn't go back. Because I just don't have the patience for this nonsense, and I go out to eat so someone else can do the whole job, not just bring out my plate. read more
1 year ago
Hoop and the Grapes is a nice "historic" pub that serves traditional pub offerings like fish & chips, meat pies and cask ales. It is a Nicholson's tied house, so you'll be drinking their offerings. The building pre dates the Great Fire, which apparently stopped very close to the building. So you'll be enjoying your refreshments in a 400+ year old building which is pretty cool. I opted for something called "Toad in the Hole" which got me a giant Yorkshire pudding filled with mash, kale and some sausages plus a pitcher of gravy. I didn't love the sausages but I really did like the crisp pudding, especially with a bit of gravy. Others had a meat pie (really good) along with fish and chips. London is blessed with many historic pubs, and I'd say this is a good place to check one of them out. read more
2 years ago
2 years ago
we're here on vacation from the US and this is our second time in a week coming here because it's that good!! the whole vibe of the place is so warm and welcoming. drinks are amazing and very affordable! food is also so so yummy we had their famous pot pies and they were delicious and our second night we got the fish and chips. bartenders are very nice , overall 10/10 would come back in the future read more
3 years ago
4 years ago
Really enjoyed dinner here before the Jack the Ripper tour. Had a few pints and fish and chips. Both were very tasty and the perfect meal before a walking tour! read more
2 years ago
3 years ago
Great atmosphere and delicious food! Drinks are also 10/10. Highly recommend when you're in London. read more
2 years ago
4 years ago
3 years ago
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7 years ago
Absolutely amazing! We got the fish n chips and the soft shell crab burger which were delicious! Fancy G+T and beer were also amazing! The toffee pudding was devoured in minutes. Service was absolutely lovely, we definitely recommend read more
4 years ago
4 years ago
4 years ago
3 years ago
18 years ago
The Hoop and Grapes is a far more mysterious venture than you first might imagine. It's the last stop on the East-End Jack the Ripper tour and beneath its floors are apprently blocked-off tunnels leading to an unknown destination. It's also very old; parts of the building have withstood the great fire of London and it's rumoured to be the oldest timber framed building in London. As such it's a pub thats very proud of its history. Snug would be the perfect way to describe this relatively well-to-do drinking establishment. Lots of dark wood, comfy seating and deep autumnal decor make this a great place to relax on a cold winters day. The oldy-wordly elements are also quite a feast for the eyes, this place is swimming in character. Despite its slightly sordid past the Hoop and Grapes only attracts corporate criminals these days who mix alongside trendys of the East-End as well as one or two locals. On the whole there is a pretty friendly atmosphere though everyone more or less keeps themselves to themselves. Drinks wise this place has a very decent selection, specialising in Kentish ales in addition to a fari array of international lagers. It's a little more expensive than I hoped but is still a far cry from West-End prices. I really liked this place and I reccomend it for a lazy Sunday afternoon. read more
Stopped in for a quick pint while wandering around the area. The selection of beer is good. It is a lot bigger on the inside than it looks from the outside. I noticed a lot of families having dinner here which is a good sign of the food. Located down the street from Aldgate underground station, it is pretty close to the City. read more
Sought out Hoops and Grape, once we saw it listed as one of the oldest pubs in London. What we found was a normal looking pub with low energy. Having had a recent renovation, it looked far too modern than it should have. Some original brick was left in the fireplace toward the back, and the bathrooms and staircase were the highlight. Given we were really seeking an older pub, it would have been helpful if the remodel kept it's old charm and history in tact instead of whitewashing the past in favour of a modern look. read more
4 years ago
3 years ago
4 years ago
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