If you like a pint of Guinness, you may have heard of — or been to — the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin. Well, London’s now getting the next best thing.
The Guinness Open Gate Brewery opens its doors on December 11th, and combines a Guinness micro-brewery and other attractions in the centre of Covent Garden. It’s more than just a museum, more than just a mini brewery. But the first bit you’ll probably want to check out is the tour.
It includes a “360-degree immersive experience” that tells you about the history of Guinness, followed by a brewery tour and, of course, a tasting with a Guinness Master Brewer. It’s topped off with you getting to pour your own pint of Guinness using the brand’s famous — although some claim unnecessary — two-part pour.
We don’t yet know how much tour tickets will cost, but they will be available to snag from some point in November. They are unlikely to hang around for too long, at least for the first handful of weeks. Eyes peeled.
Pints 'a plenty
But if you’d rather just try out a pint of Guinness how it’s meant to taste — which is not a given in many a London pub — you can head to the Old Brewers Yard.
It’s an open area at the centre of the Guinness Open Gate Brewery London, perfect for a chilled-out pint. No reservations required, although fortuitous timing probably will be. Covent Garden is generally busy, but in December? Come with a plan B.
Guinness Open Gate Brewery is also home to two restaurants, one a fish spot, the other featuring a menu based around British food.
Gilroy’s Loft is the statement piece here, a rooftop fish and oyster restaurant promising “skyline views.” We’re not talking Shard levels of elevation here — the building is just a few storeys high according to our Google Maps satellite view poking around. But it should make a great date spot.
The restaurant is named after John Gilroy, an artist and the man behind many of Guinness’s classic advertising posters.
A little further down the glamour spectrum is The Porter’s Table, which will serve dishes made using “locally sourced ingredients” to attempt to bring a touch of down to Earth flavour that isn’t that common a currency in Covent Garden.
Does that mean we’ll get reasonably priced pub grub fit for today’s struggling working families? Probably not, but there may be some more hearty options than you’ll find in Gilroy’s Loft.
Exact menus are TBC for both restaurants for now, but they are overseen by chef Pip Lacey, who worked with Angela Hartnett before taking over as Head Chef at London’s Murano. She left to establish Hicce in 2017, in Coal Drops Yard, but the restaurant sadly closed in 2023 after they were turfed out by the landlord.
Reservations for the restaurants will begin in November ahead of their December 11th opening.
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