Grove Lock

The Grove Lock is in a gorgeous position and offers a great place to laze warm sunny evenings alongside a peaceful canal with the luxury of a well laid out pub with a comfortable, relaxed ambience. Well that is always the intention and the ideal but unfortunately my last couple of visits have dropped well short of those expectations.
There appears to be a custom of asking customers to queue up through the pub (and on one occasion out of the front door and up the path). Once there was even 2 queues — 1 for food and another to get served for drinks. I am not sure if this is because the bar staff have problems with serving people in their correct order or if the management consider the as we British seem to enjoy standing in line then they are in fact providing us with an extra free service.
The food, once the ordeal of placing the order had been overcome, was adequate and the beer was OK but then I am a lager drinker.
The pub is probably a victim of it’s own success when the weather drags punters out to find a beer garden as, although there is a large outside area, there is also something of a scrap as soon as a table become available.
On the whole, as a pub to enjoy the best of our summer days The Grove Lock looks the part but don’t go there for a quick pint because you should ultimately buy a double round to avoid the wait at the bar again. As for the food — join the queue before you get hungry.

I was very disappointed with this pub.
Firstly the food. I had a sandwich, and it was severely overpriced. It was sliced bread, and came with no salad/​chips/​side. I expect a lot more for the price I paid.
The beer tasted off, so left before even finishing my pint.
And the service was poor. The barman was not rude, but was surly — both with me and other customers. The most amusing part was when I was asked if I was «upstairs or downstairs» for my food. Well I was on the ground floor… I walked in, and was on the same level as the bar. I pointed to around the corner. «Well that’s downstairs,» he said correcting me. «That’s upstairs [he points to a raised area] and this is downstairs.» Well I call it ground level, and if you know what I mean by pointing there why correct me like I’m stupid?
Well I’ll go somewhere else where the food isn’t overpriced, the beer is nice and I’m not lectured on what the owner deems to be downstairs.

With my mum visiting from Canada we were on the hunt for nice ambiance, water views and tasty food. We decided to try The Grove Lock — new to all three of us. A pleasant surprise all round. Lovely views of the Grand Union and when the weather is balmy (or at least not raining) there is ample space (tables, chairs) outside right on the canal-​side. We even had the chance to spot three canal boats docked up right by the pub so this makes a great spot to bring kids too. Inside, the pub had lovely beams and felt quite airy. We were there in the evening and each table had a candle, giving the pub quite a cozy feel. Though there were lots of families and it was busy, we were able to secure a comfy window table. The service was very helpful and the food tasty. We enjoyed lamb shank (beautifully cooked but could have come with more than the sliver of potatoes Dauphinoise) and a fish pie (which was loaded with fish). We barely had room for dessert but admirably made space for a fresh bread and butter pudding, a gorgeous and ever so chocolaty brownie with ice cream and a toffee pudding. All lovely. We could even wash it all down with a double espresso. Highly recommended for families and groups as there’s lots of space but we did see some couples there too. Overall, a very pleasant experience with lovely views.