Eventually enjoying The Duke of Greenwich

My trip down to The Duke of Greenwich started badly having taken the wrong train at London Bridge (mistakenly to East Croydon) and it continued in this vein when I then took the wrong exit at the correct destination (Maze Hill) train station.

The first mistake was mine while the second was down to poor signposting on the platform. Thankfully, having arrived a good one hour late, the pub had a decent selection of cask beer in great condition to banish any thoughts of my arduous trip (from North London) from my mind.

The pub is now in the capable hands of three experienced co-owners Dan Blucert, Nick Blucert and Jon Kaye who have created a very welcoming venue out of this hidden away boozer that dates back to 1868. A long-standing resident friend had never heard of it so it is either genuinely well tucked away or he doesn’t get out enough.

The three owners have corralled their extensive hospitality skills and done an excellent job of developing a comfortable wood-rich interior space with separate dining room and extensive garden. On my late-lunchtime visit the tennis from Wimbledon was being shown on the big screen outside while the barbecue and external bar were being set up for that evening’s England game against the Netherlands. It’s a great spot to watch the sport.

The tennis was of little interest as I was concentrating on my pints of Heatwave from By The Horns, Breakspears Blonde from Brockley Brewery, and The Ordinary Bitter from Anspach & Hobday. Each was in great condition so I assume the pub does decent volumes of cask. It also had a fair selection of keg beers from the likes of Bianca Road, Villages, Forest Road and Signal.

The food menu comprises a large selection of small plates along with a concise offering of larger plates. There is a focus on what is described as “high-quality smokehouse fare” with the garden housing a bespoke fire cage BBQ and smoker. The ingredients are predominantly sourced locally and the meat comes from regenerative farm Lyon’s Hill in Dorset.

My own choices comprised scallops, BBQ lamb ribs, harissa houmous with black tahini, and fries with smoked peri-peri salt. This was followed by the only two desserts listed, Maze Hill mess with summer fruits and peanut butter cheesecake, which were both winners.

It’s worth making the effort to seek out this backstreet boozer that is proving to be a locals’ favourite and which also welcomes visitors from further afield including those with amateur travelling capabilities.

Thanks to the team at The Duke of Greenwich for the hospitality, especially our server Laxmi.

Glynn Davis, editor, Beer Insider