Grand Union

Had heard good things so decided to pop in on Australia Day. We were told there would be an Australia Day party and a sausage sizzle.
No party.
No sausage sizzle.
Average and quite strongly priced dishes. Unfortunate. Hopefully they are better for tearing the lid on Friday or Saturday evening.

Ordered a chicken BLT sandwich with sweet potato fries! The portion was huge and for £7.50 you can’t complain!
Happy hour Mon-​Fri until 8pm which is great for after work drinks… especially in the summer in the outside huts! Would come here again on a Fri night!

I used to love the Grand Union. Whenever working at Cato around the corner — for rehearsals or testing out equipment. It was a great after work or mid-​day haunt. Nice selection of beer, a basic but great menu — and arguably the best wings and ribs in SW London.
I’ve just visited it after a year and a half away. Not the case any more.
I went in after work one day this week. There were only two beers on, but I thought I’d give it a try two days later out of fairness (might have had a busy Saturday night or something…).
Two days later: only two beers on, Estrella or becks.
Service was dreadful (three people trying to serve three people… but only one person able to use the till — mentally and physically) it took 45 mins from walking in, to food arriving.
The staff seemed fairly clueless — I’ll try again next week to see if it’s an isolated pair of incidents or not, as it’s be a shame to not have so close by.

My favourite of the Grand Union chain so far, and luckily the closest one to me.
They’ve recently revamped their beer garden, which to be fair I liked before, so any update is simply a bonus at this point. And an impressive update it is. Tiki huts all round the edges — which you can reserve for a bottle of Prosecco — exposed globe string lights across the garden, and a fully-​stocked bar in the centre.
Inside is decorated as per the standard Grand Union style, a bit like they asked everyone to bring one thing from their nanna’s house and leave it there. They stay open late and have a DJ on, but unfortunately the dance party doesn’t extend to the beer garden — darn residential areas with their noise regulations and such…
The food here is good too, burgers come on a brioche bun with all the trimmings, and they do lots of sharing plates and platters, including vegetarian options. I really liked the breaded mushrooms — even if I did think they were arancini balls when I took a bite of the first one.

After a few months of living in Wandsworth we decided to try the Grand Union. Upon arrival I was pleasantly surprised by the vintage décor. However, I was quickly let down as we stood at the bar for about 10 minutes before we were served. The bar was quite empty and it smelled like stale beer and sick. After finally being served by a miserable barmaid we received a flavourless cocktail and a pint of cider that tasted stale as if the beer lines had not been cleaned in ages. There were a few patrons smoking by the entrance to the beer garden, the smoke wafted in and overpowered the scent of stale beer, not sure if this was a blessing or the cherry on top of a crappy drink. Needless to say the experience was less than grand and we will not be returning.

Well below par!
The venue is ok and has a large garden.
Service is slow and the cocktail I had was simply disgusting. I changed to spirits and the glass was very dirty, so I asked them to change it. The bar tender poured it I to another glass, I looked at him in amazement and left.
I will never return.
Kx

HUGE GARDEN ALERT.
It’s massive. I’ve actually seen someone, albeit after several ciders, cut a lap in here looking for the way out. It’s seriously big.
The food is hit and miss and the bar area itself is a little sleazy (read: velvet walls with seedy lighting) but that’s what happens when you give a bar manager a big refurb budget I guess.
Great spot for group drinking in the summer.

The Grand Union is around the corner from my flat so it’s definitely become a popular choice for a night out. The outside area is absolutely glorious on a nice evening and it’s central bar and kooky little alcoves make you feel like you’ve been transported out of London for the evening. Unfortunately everyone’s realised this so if you’re with a larger party or you want to be guaranteed a seat I would suggest booking an area. The inside area tends to be empty until the garden closes but once that happens it’s a case of too many people in too small a space to the point of it being unplesant and there is a serious shortage of loos so expect to queue for a while.

I agree with most of the sentiment here. The food is disappointing — my pizza was clearly some pre-​made effort, though the Eton Mess was reasonable — and the drinks range limited and surprisingly pricey (£3.70 for a pint of Youngs Original?). And the background music while I was there was pretty annoying.
But… it has a HUGE beer garden. One festooned with oriental-​styled lights of many colours, hammocks, gazillions of tables and chairs, including some beach-​hut-​style hideaways. And the sizeable interior is pretty classy, all leather armchairs, red-​tassled light shades, varnished tables and quite a few ornate framed paintings and pictures. It’s also got free wifi.
Also praiseworthy is the social hub that this space is converted into come the late hours: I swung by one early morning to catch hordes of revellers closing the night to Zorba the Greek. Quite simply, this is THE main nightlife spot in Wandsworth (the other, much smaller place being the Cats Back, which closes sometime around 1am-​2am). So overall: A-​OK.

This is my favorite local haunt and serves excellent food, cocktails and beer with a quirky décor and friendly staff everyday of the week. It has recently been refitted with an eclectic mismatch of styles and colours which complement the contemporary vibe and crowd that hang out here. There is fantastic garden with bean bags, hammocks, bar and Chinese lanterns that constantly change colour; great party area in summer and cozy with patio heaters in the colder months.
For girls the berry mojito is a must and gents can’t go wrong with a pint of doombar. Their burgers and ‘stacks’ are particularly tasty, they also cater for events and offer party platters and pizza.
On Friday and Saturday nights The Grant Union heaves; around 10pm they clear tables away and have a small dance floor with a great mix of tracks. If you are on more of a budget you can’t go wrong with the house white at £13 but due to the general ‘sausage fest’ a girl will often find herself with more drinks she can manage! There are worse things!!!
This place also has the added benefit of being somewhere you can take your parents when they visit on the following Sunday lunchtime!

I was so entranced by what I’m betting was recycled velvet from one of Hugh Hefner’s robes that intimately adorned every wall, lamp shade and cushion that I nearly missed the beer garden.
But luckily the beer garden went on, and on, and on, and on, and… with the aid of some exceptional onion rings, the rest of the mediocre drinks and expensive food was manageable, that is, once I was fixated on idea that when I’m back here in the summer there will be nowhere on Earth I’d rather be.
Seriously, that beer garden was like Narnia. Except in this version you have to go through Hef’s closet.

«This place looks like a whore’s bedroom.» Yes, it was me that said that. Are you even surprised at all? My mouth tends to run away with me, but this was the overwhelming impression I got the second I sat down.
Flocked wallpaper, gilt finishings, day beds, lavish couches and fringed lampshades. Oooh. la. la.
It was like the Moulin Rouge exploded all over this place with a glitter cannon. But considering I described the Grand Union in Islington as Hugh Hefner’s wet dream, then maybe this is the style of this group of pubs. Other than that it feels a bit gastro pub-​ish. Maybe because it is a huge venue, better suited to a ‘spoonies* than a classy cocktail bar. The venue in Islington is lucky with a much more intimate and funky style building.
But it seems like a cool place to hang out. Grab a big couch and if they showed the playing of the football, it would be super comfy. Cannot comment on the food, standard pub grub by the looks of the menu. Again, two rungs on the ladder above a ‘spoonies.
* Wetherspoons: that unmistakable chain of bland establishments like a rash that has taken over our beloved city. You’ll know when you’ve been ‘spooned.

A colourful pub with odd décor that really works. The most comfy arm chair Ive ever sat in. Wallpaper with a vintage look and a neon sign in hot pink DANCE. Someone described the interior as a whores bood waahh The biggest outdoor area with coloured lanterns, heaters and lots of sections.
The food was ok. I had Thai fish cakes. Big menu, Big bar, Big beer garden and Big pub. Im thinking in summer this would be the best for the outside area. its cruisy and laid back inside and out.

Someone I know suggested that it looked like a high-​class sex-worker’s boudoir in this place. And this sentiment is pretty spot on, which makes me love the Grand Union in Wandsworth. So that’s at least one thing I have in common with a prostitute — interior décor aesthetics.
And the beer garden at this place is massive.
MASSIVE.
It’s massive, people.
Did I mention it’s massive?
It has its own island bar (a massive one), enclaves with oversized bean bag chairs, a hammock and table after table after table. It just goes on and on.
Why someone would open a bar with such a massive beer garden in the dead of winter is beyond me, but there you go.
The food was a bit crap. And by ‘a bit crap’, I mean it was average and overpriced. The fully stocked bar was impressive, as was the cocktail menu. The £7.50 price tag for a cocktail in Wandsworth Town — not-​so impressive.
And there you go. A-​OK. I’ll be back in about six months. When I’m sipping on cider and swinging in the sweet summer breeze on that hammock.
Then again, I might return Tuesday night to down G&Ts in red-​cast lighting, on a chaise longue — the height of hooker sophistication.
…Only the best.