Picture of Grape And Grain, SE19 2AA

Historical version 3 of Grape And Grain, SE19 2AA (view current version)

A well-stocked pub for ale lovers in Crystal Palace, overlooking the north-west corner of Crystal Palace Park. It used to be the rather less salubrious Jack Beard's at The Palace (amongst other guises).

Jack Beard's retained the lease for a while after the name change, but according to a comment on Beer In The Evening, the licensees (Rick and Angela) took on the lease in July 2010 after the Jack Beard's chain went into adminstration — there's more information, including input from Angela, on the Virtual Norwood forums.

There are tables outside on a paved area overlooking a busy road junction (and the corner of the park), as well as plenty of space inside. On a very sunny Sunday afternoon in May 2010, there was still plenty of space to sit.

There are now eight handpulls for ale, with a rotating selection of beers and ciders, including ones from the Dark Star and Westerham breweries (Freedom Ale on Ewan's May 2010 visit). There are also plentiful draught taps for such quality lagers as Meantime Kölner Bitburger, Licher Weizen, Sagres and Amstel, as well as Aspall's cider.

The food menu cleaves to pub standards such as sandwiches, burgers, fish-based dishes (fish cakes, scampi and the like), and Sunday roasts. Ewan's scampi and chips were excellent quality, served with perfectly-cooked peas, and some flat, crunchy fries and a bit of fresh salad. Kerry's burger was somewhat disappointing, as the patty was thin and rather processed, but a fishcake salad was substantial and filling.

Ewan's verdict: This is a fine addition to the already good standard of pubs in the area, but importantly adding a destination venue for ale drinkers, though they have no shortage of other quality options.

See also:

Last visited by Ewan, Kerry and Sara, 23 May 2010. Opening hours taken from website, May 2010.
OS X co-ord: 533733 OS Y co-ord: 170720 (Latitude: 51.419205 Longitude: -0.076499)
This is version 3 (as of 2010-07-24 22:07:16). View current version. List all versions.