Nightlife in Greenwich

The Plume of Feathers is one of the borough’s favourite pubs. You’ll find it on Park Vista, you guessed it, overlooking Greenwich Park. It’s a pretty English pub with an iconic, old fashioned green facade. Inside, it’s more of the same; the wood-panel bar and cosy seating have clearly seen a fair bit of use. However, when a pub has this much character and doesn’t feel dated, why bother changing it? The staff are always friendly, there’s a great beer garden for when the sun’s out, and the homemade food is honest, tasty and well priced. In terms of drinks, they look after their real ales, and there’s always a good selection of wine to choose from.

There are two famous Cutty Sarks in Greenwich. One is the ship, which ranks among the top activities in Greenwich, the other is the Georgian pub with a stunning view across the River Thames, which ranks among our favourite places to go for a drink. The Cutty Sark pub has been around for over 200 years. It’s got bag-fulls of character, a solid selection of drinks, and serves good food. We particularly enjoy the homemade scotch eggs.

Away from the tourist trail, The Pelton Arms is a great local pub on Pelton Road. It’s well known for its live music, with high-quality gigs regularly booked throughout the week. However, most of the time it’s just a good, unassuming pub where you can actually enjoy a quiet pint. The range of beers offers plenty of good options. The food is delicious, particularly the Sunday roast. The service is top-class, the locals are funny, the prices are reasonable, the decor is charming, and it’s just an all-round comfortable pub for killing a bit of time.

Another hidden gem, a few hundred yards from The Pelton Arms, is The Vanbrugh. Again, it’s a solid local pub. You can find it on Colomb Street, between Maze Hill and Westcombe Park. It’s great for ale lovers, with just shy of a dozen on tap, as well as an ever changing trio of taps set aside for some always-delicious craft beers. The beer garden is a good size, it’s a good place to go to watch the sport, and if you’re peckish, the food is decent enough.

Heading back to the thick of the action. A good pub in Greenwich Market is The Coach and Horses. It’s the winning combination of being both rustic and airy. It’s perfect if you want somewhere quick to wet your whistle, or you can take a seat and whet your appetite with something from their menu of simple, tasty eating.

Last of all, we’ll give some honourable mentions to three pubs on Royal Hill. The Richard I has been beautifully renovated with a large heated terrace making it a great place to go for a drink all year round. Next door, The Greenwich Union is an excellent pub with good drinks, simple but delicious eating and a wonderful legion of locals. A hop, skip and a jump up the road, you’ll come to one of our absolute favourite pubs in the borough. The Prince of Greenwich is a cosy Victorian pub with an eclectic collection of furniture, including a faux rhinoceros bust. It’s as mad as a box of frogs. There’s regular live jazz gigs upstairs, usually towards the weekends. And to make things even more weird, it also serves a menu of incredible Italian food. The pizzas are the pick of the bunch, perfect with a pint.

Smack bang in the middle of Cutty Sark and the Royal Naval College you’ll find probably the most popular bar in Greenwich. The Old Brewery, as you can tell from the name, was once home to the local Hometime brewery. It’s been spruced up and now is a supremely stylish place to glug down a G&T, or one of their extremely photogenic cocktails. You’ll likely be in the area as The Old Brewery is surrounded by popular attractions. Just pop in and see for yourself, this bar is very cool; you’ll want to find a seat and stay there all afternoon.

From the buzzing Old Brewery to one of Greenwich’s real hidden gems. Cooperage is on Greenwich High Road, just a 5 minute walk from our London Greenwich hotel. It’s a subterranean speakeasy housed in the old wine cellars of the street-level Davy’s Wine Vaults. Follow the staircase underground and you’ll find a cosy candlelit den with plush leather wrap around sofas, vintage wine barrels, and a menu of delicious cocktails. We recommend sampling some of the unique drinks that use their home-infused spirits housed in the old oak barrels behind the bar. Or, you can pick from a 100-bottle-strong wine list.

Studio 338 is the place to go if you want large-capacity late night dancing, world class DJs, confetti cannons, and all that jazz. It’s like London’s answer to Ibiza. The venue burned down a couple of years ago, but it’s been rebuilt and remains as popular as ever. Thanks to its location on the Greenwich Peninsula, from the outside it has the kind of industrial vibe you’d expect from underground venues. However, once your inside – depending on the theme of the night – it can be as slick as some of London’s most famous super clubs. The terrace is a popular place for some al fresco raving, it’s heated, covered, and the largest of its kind in Europe. Considering Studio 338 hosts some of the biggest club nights in the country, including events by rave institutions such as Sankeys, tickets tend to sell out fast. Have a look at what’s on a couple of months before your visit and see if anything takes your fancy.