"Not as warm table service as I recall in the past here, but unchanging 19th century decor. There’s a constant flow of tourists who want to see Wellingtons old officer mess, so this is a franchise. We’ve been coming for decades. Mostly for a couple of pints in a weekend afternoon or when heading out for a restaurant meal. Tonight we tried the meal service. It was meant to be a special evening for a 90 year family member who was excited to be visiting us in London. Despite there being three empty tables that would have been fine, we were crammed into a small table that was right next to the crowded bar. The waitress said she was saving the three tables for larger parties, so we dutifully agreed, but we then watched the three more hospitable tables gradually fill up with parties of four. It turns out that Open Table, the firm the runs Grenadiers’ reservation book, doesn’t assign individual tables. We had two orders of duck, billed as a special variety but it was nothing special, fish and chips and a veg entree. One starter of buffalo mozzarella was good. This is not remotely a gastro- pub. Best advice is to stick with the basic pub food you’d expect, like the fish and chips or a hamburger. The chips are the processed kind, delivered frozen from a restaurant supply and formed into chip like shape rather than hand cut. But hand cut prices. The aubergine veg option was not very good. It tasted like leftovers warmed up from the night before after shriveling in the cooler. The dinner bill for one round of drinks (plus an extra pint), three starters and four mains was £173. We didn’t stick around for coffee or dessert because the table was a torture device for someone 6 ft 4. In the past we’ve had many great evenings that started at the Grenadier. That’s something in common with most of the people in the bar, plus the 40 or so who are outside in the cobblestones by 6 most nights. After a few pints and maybe a few crisps or other bar snacks, you move on to a restaurant with great food and a real dining table. Or you save your shillings and get a superior Piri Piri or Big Mac for a lot less than £173 elsewhere. If you eat at the Grenadier, go as simple as possible. Soak in the atmosphere and the good beers on tap like Grenadier bitter but don’t expect a fine dining experience and get the burger or fish and chips."
