Aldgate Beer Guide: Your Aldgate guide to beer, beer bars, breweries and brewpubs

Latest reviews from Aldgate

80 /100 29-31 MITRE STREET,
“Enjoyable place to close my Friday evening, pretty quiet. Choice of 15+ taps, 3 or so stout options. Friendly service“
Jerseyislandbeer 46 days ago
70 /100 PORTSOKEN PAVILION, 1 ALDGATE
“Visited November 2022.“
fonefan 153 days ago
74 /100 PORTSOKEN PAVILION, 1 ALDGATE
“Placed close to tube station easy to find.. Visited it when it just opened.. Modern style, friendly service and nice collection of beers, served in fine condition..“
Brugmansia 153 days ago
68 /100 PORTSOKEN PAVILION, 1 ALDGATE
“Hypermodern «pub» on the Square. 16 beers on tap. Modern english - and standard german beers on tap. Friendly service! pubwise. (Visited together with Rune 28.2.23)“
Finn 154 days ago
68 /100 47 ALDGATE HIGH STREET
“Nice dark pub, with a cool history. Few cask and taps, and ok food. Good ambiance, better than expected.“
Nordcore 385 days ago
72 /100 PORTSOKEN PAVILION, 1 ALDGATE
“A friendly and talkative bar man told us that this hyper modern, almost futuristic, place is run by the the same people as behind Euston Tap. Central located right in the middle of Aldgate Square with 16 taps, none cask ales. Mostly British and German beers on the tap lines at our stay. A few tables and chairs in front of the entrance. Excellent toilet conditions down stars in this modern building in steel and with large windows. Just a few minutes from Craft Beer Co. - St. Mary Axe. Well worth a visited. (With Finn early on a Friday afternoon 10.02.2023).“
Rune 434 days ago
52 /100 87-91 MANSELL STREET LONDON
“Medium-sized, corner place and a L-shaped room and bar. Double set of six cask ales. Traditional British breakfast for £6.10, still cheap but more expensive than other JDW we went to, maybe because of its central location in the Aldgate/City part of London. Close to Aldgate Tap and Craft Beer Co. - St. Mary Axe. Polite service. (Visited with Finn, 10.02.2023).“
Rune 437 days ago
56 /100 87-91 MANSELL STREET LONDON
“Well kept ´spoons with limited beer selection.“
Finn 452 days ago
70 /100 29-31 MITRE STREET,
“Visited on a quiet January Monday evening, so very far from the busy noisy atmosphere others describe below, with just a few others present. It was the first day opening after a week closure. No cask, which wasn't surprising given how quiet it is, but room for 4 - 5. Spicy Christmas cider in box, one on keg. Good array of beers on draft, some from further afield such as New Bristol and Northern Monk, nothing outlandish strength or style wise, one US import from a brewery new to me. One bottle and one can in the fridge, both expensive (6.8% IPA - £18 takeout) so left those. Overall, it's fine but is a fairly small space and can imagine it being a noisy stand-up drinking spot during peak times.“
minutemat 477 days ago
72 /100 15 PRESCOT STREET
“Nice English pub. Classic interior with a bunch of small tables, also outdoor patio seating. They had 4 casks of Shepherd Neame beers and a couple other drafts as well, plus bottles. Menu is Thai food, which was delicious (somewhat small portions I thought). But a nice quaint place to enjoy a pint, nice location near Tower Bridge.“
LilBeerDoctor 554 days ago
66 /100 47 ALDGATE HIGH STREET
“Typical Aldgate establishment as far as I can tell from my limited experience. A bit soulless and foody (although there's ample space for drinkers) with a somewhat augmented beer choice on account of it being a Nicholson's. A few cask, nothing on my bucket list but a few decent choices, including a milk stout from Sharps. One or two decent kegs including Sierra Nevada California IPA. Really friendly for London. Not too expensive either. A good choice for a more traditional pub near Aldgate station.“
jjsint 1572 days ago
80 /100 29-31 MITRE STREET,
“Were there during after work, very crowded palce and people were at the street also. Wide selection of beers, with around 5 casks. Very comfortable place, although very noisy.“
fantti 1768 days ago
76 /100 29-31 MITRE STREET,
“With fabulous views of the Gherkin from the outside, this chain bar offers up a decent cask and keg selection not exclusively concentrating on London brews as a lot of other places in London I visit do, so it's a little more interesting than most. The bar is against the back of a rectangular room and was very popular when I visited after the office workers were in their downtime. There is a downstairs lounge but curiously nobody was using it despite limited space atop.“
ManVsBeer 1811 days ago
72 /100 29-31 MITRE STREET,
“Another in the burgeoning chain of London pubs, this one between the City area and Aldgate. It has 2 floors, the bar on the upper, opposite the entrance. Warm and cosy on a grey day. As others have indicated there is a reduced choice in here compared to others in the group, but still enough to make a visit worthwhile. Loudish, intrusive music ruins the atmosphere somewhat, it's not really needed in here, good and plentiful seating. Well worth a visit.“
imdownthepub 1893 days ago
66 /100 47 ALDGATE HIGH STREET
“Visited 22/1/2019. Spacious interior consider its narrow frontage. Decent Nicholson’s pub. Fair selection of ales, with a West Country bias. Service was good. Busy considering it was a Tuesday lunch time, a mix of drinkers and eaters. Close to an office I occasionally visit and fair chance I’ll pop in here again.“
Grumbo 1924 days ago
64 /100 29-31 MITRE STREET,
“Visited 10.01.19. Five ales on cask, served without spaklers. Not as interestingselection of keg beer as I’ve seen on other Craft Beer Co. In addition to the main bar, there is further seating downstairs. Unessecarily loud and intrusive music at my lunchtime visit.“
Holmen2 1944 days ago
68 /100 47 ALDGATE HIGH STREET
“Friday evening 7th Dec 2018. Nice old pub with plenty of history and a few cask offerings alongside a larger selection of keg lines. I like Nicholson's pubs usually and this is typical of their London estate, picked up two new rates!“
BlackHaddock 1976 days ago
76 /100 29-31 MITRE STREET,
“Visited January, 2018. Pretty empty, kind of loud, not quite as solid beer as Clerkenwell location just not quite as good a space.“
WestCoastHawkeye 2034 days ago
68 /100 29-31 MITRE STREET,
“Small interior, about 10 minutes walking from Liverpool. Taplist is decent, though nothing extraordinary. 1/3 pints available, no flights. Service is friendly, if a bit frazzled. Likely not one of the better Craft Beer Co locations, but if you’re nearby, it’s worth hitting.“
mcberko 2224 days ago
80 /100 29-31 MITRE STREET,
“One room on the ground floor with more seating space downstairs. Clientele mainly after work city workers. 25+ taps, comprising cask, keg and a couple of ciders. Prices not outlandish for the area, friendly efficient service. Worth a look in if passing“
Cheeseboard 2246 days ago
66 /100 47 ALDGATE HIGH STREET
“Not that big a selection but they do have some guest beers of decent quality. The place was packed Thursday evening but the service was still nice and prompt. They didn't know much about the beers though. Food wad classic British pub food. Bangers and mash is always nice. Decent prices“
Skjonne 2405 days ago
84 /100 29-31 MITRE STREET,
“27 taps including some casks. Mostly London based breweries. Good quality. Super friendly and knowledgeable service. Prices are decent for this city“
Skjonne 2405 days ago
70 /100 29-31 MITRE STREET,
“Slightly smaller outlet of the chain, not as many bottles to be seen. Got the impression it may have a bit more focus on wine/spirits than the other ones I've visited.“
Scotty001 2431 days ago
76 /100 29-31 MITRE STREET,
“Visited at around 16:00 on Tues 20/06/17. A bit difficult to judge ambiance as were the only customers for around 20 minutes. Then 2 or 3 other people came in. Like a number of their bars, the décor is more trad than craft. Staff were helpful without being overly friendly. Good array of kegs but a number of the casks were off. OK for London prices. Definitely a place to swing by in the area and a good addition to the city but not somewhere I’d specifically head to.“
BeardedAvenger 2511 days ago
80 /100 29-31 MITRE STREET,
“Wednesday afternoon/evening visit. Compact and busy upstairs, quieter and more relaxed seating downstairs. Good service, decent if somewhat corporate atmosphere. 6 casks, and about 12 beers on tap, couple of ciders, plus decent range of bottles (33% discount on take outs). Not the best in the chain but still pretty decent and probably the best service experienced so far.“
Grumbo 2575 days ago
78 /100 29-31 MITRE STREET,
“Disclaimer: visited on a Friday late lunch time. Of course it was packed full of suits. Very busy around the bar and took a while to get served each time, though the bar staff weren’t slouching. There’s the main room with the bar on the entrance level, and a quieter seating area down below. Lovely old building with some wonderful features. Wins my prize for best shitters by having actual "antique" Crapper company toilets! The beer selection is typical Craft - A cracking selection of cask and draft, you can’t help but find ticks. Nice bar for sure, though at the end of the day it is a watering hole for the local office workers. I’d rather go to Clerkenwell..“
kermis 2608 days ago
66 /100 47 ALDGATE HIGH STREET
“Nice historic bar that looks tiny from the outside but is actually the tardis, expanding into a long interior of comfy worn seating and wonky wooden beams. The beer selection is nothin to go out of your way for, but there was no problem for me finding a nice tick there. A few bottles and cans available too, mostly Brewdog and Firestone Walker. Certainly worth popping into if you’re passing by.“
kermis 2608 days ago
78 /100 29-31 MITRE STREET,
“A bit of a gem in the City and well worth a visit. It’s never too busy as it doesn’t serve the overpriced Peroni beloved of the City boys and it has a good atmosphere. The beer selection is good and the cask beers are very well kept. But it is eye wateringly expensive.“
Davros IX 2609 days ago
84 /100 29-31 MITRE STREET,
“Can’t help but love this place. While it may fall short in selection when compared to other CBC pubs (such as Clerkenwell and Covent Garden) it’s got atmosphere in spades. Probably the nicest CBC atmos-wise. It’s busy but far from packed to the gills on a weeknight. And the service may just be the best in London. Worth checking out at the very least.“
jjsint 2715 days ago
48 /100 15 PRESCOT STREET
“Cosy place with a nice garden, but beer selection is not impressive. Good side is it seldom gets overcrowded, even on Friday evenings.“
malushky 2718 days ago
54 /100 72 BACK CHURCH LANE
“Used to be cheap and dodgy but after recent refubrishment it is quite ok. What is most important, some craft beers have been introduced.“
malushky 2785 days ago
80 /100 29-31 MITRE STREET,
“Visited on 20th July 2016. Tucked away in the back streets of the city, not far from the gherkin is this spot. It’s 2 floors with high and normal tables upstairs and a lounge area downstairs. The upstairs and bar area was busy on arrival but the lounge area looked pretty deserted. It’s a nice looking place with plenty of wood and decent decoration. The beer range is good with Thornbridge and Tiny Rebel dominating the cask beers and a decent mix of UK and US keg beers on tap. Prices are not too bad although Thornbridge do seem a little overpriced. (4.3% English Pale almost £1 more than Wild Beer Sour 6%). Service was good. A nice spot and if in the area would revisit.“
WingmanWillis 2847 days ago
60 /100 47 ALDGATE HIGH STREET
“Very old timber framed pub, leaning to one side, that seems to have escaped the Great Fire. Very atmospheric, decent hand pump selection.“
geauxT 2853 days ago
84 /100 29-31 MITRE STREET,
“Visited on the Friday evening, lots of people from the City. Quite crowded upstairs, but plenty of room downstairs. Nice interiors, good service. Impressive selection, plenty of interesting stuff both keg and cask. If in the area I’d consider it a must visit.“
Iznogud 2908 days ago
62 /100 47 ALDGATE HIGH STREET
“Visited by accident. Good looking pub. Quite busy. Good food and an average selection. Nothing special.“
Abijen 2919 days ago
62 /100 47 ALDGATE HIGH STREET
“Good pub with some nice but averige selection of ipa, pale ale. Nice menu, good food. Barman did not now much about beer.“
Bosbouw 2926 days ago
76 /100 29-31 MITRE STREET,
“Monday lunchtime and there’s tables free as there’s just 10 or so suits in. Nice relaxed space (under the circumstances!) with a decent beer range and music. My cask ale was a couple of degrees too warm, but OK. City prices, so nothing under £4 a pint.“
BeerViking 2934 days ago
74 /100 29-31 MITRE STREET,
“Visited on Tuesday, 05/04/16 between 5 and 530pm. Two floor venue just down the road from the gherkin I was surprised at how quiet it was ... pretty clear upstairs, perhaps 20 folks and not a soul downstairs !! The decor is simple and pleasing on the eye ... All wooden floor and brick, a tiled ceiling and brewery ephemera adorning the walls, largely in the form of mirrors. At the business end around half a dozen cask and a dozen keg lines on offer (wasn’t counting but seemed more than the purported 15). Usual CBC offerings, a Kernel pale, a Siren Linner, Tiny Rebel, Blackjack and more ... plus a solid range of bottles. Service was prompt and advice on beer offered if needed. Overall another solid CBC venue but probably not one I’d venture out to unless there was a special event on.“
Theydon_Bois 2954 days ago
78 /100 29-31 MITRE STREET,
“Visited December 2015, shortly after they opened. Easy to find since it is placed just next to the "Gurken". The bar is placed at ground level, downstairs huge seating area ( and toilets ). Very cosy atmosphere. Beers served in good condition and a nice range on the taps. Lots of buisness looking people and fewer hipsters, than the other Craft pubs. Friendly staff, free WIFI and no food. Remember to check out opening hours before going there..“
Brugmansia 2966 days ago
72 /100 29-31 MITRE STREET,
“Seemed to be a typical Craft beer co venue. Reasonable selection of beers.“
Stuu666 2976 days ago
72 /100 29-31 MITRE STREET,
“A nice City pub which is extremely well-stocked with good beer. Nice old pub and brewery signs. Quick staff who serve you efficiently despite being under pressure with a huge City crowd presence. Professional staff. However the prices are simply disgusting. I paid £12.95 for one bottle of Tilquin which used to be £8 in Craft Bars not too long ago. Until management stop being greedy and realise people can’t afford these prices I won’t be attending. I thought it was £11 but £12.95 came out on my card. I’m disgusted.“
tdtm82 2978 days ago
92 /100 29-31 MITRE STREET,
“Nice pub, cosy atmopshere and a good selection on cask and keg. Also a decent selection on bottles, esp sour ales from Belgium. mostly a business crowd as I was the onyl one not wearing a suite. But that was not hindering the vibe. Soft music, they also have a lounge downstairs. Staff knows a bit about beers. Recommended highly if you are in the area as their beers change a lot and they have good taste.“
Eevolute 3010 days ago
78 /100 29-31 MITRE STREET,
“(Visited Nov 2015) Nice pub and a good new addition to this great chain. A couple of minutes from Aldgate underground station, towards the Gherkin. Nice pub in street level and a generous seating area in the basement. As usual, nice and friendly service with good knowledge about the beers. I visited on a Thursday afternoon, so it wasn’t too crowded. Since it is in the City, I was the only guest not wearing a suite. Good beer selection, 8 (or so) cask ales and around 15 interesting keg beers. Closed weekends. As good as expected, so definitely worth a visit.“
Svesse 3016 days ago
80 /100 29-31 MITRE STREET,
“Nice building, the downstairs feels very comfortable. Maybe will be a bit too full of city types for me (well, it is in the city, I guess, so I shouldn’t complain). Imagine it gets a bit busy in the evening so I’ll stick to visiting mid afternoon. The usual excellent selection, so not much to differentiate it from the other branches in that respect.“
shoulderbroken 3039 days ago
84 /100 29-31 MITRE STREET,
“It is always a great pleasure to visit a new bar in the Craft Beer Co chain, this one should be the number seventh in London and is located right in the heart of the City of London, close to The Gherkin in St. Mary Axe 30. The place gives a recently opened impression, modern and stylish in outlook. The bar is located at the ground floor with a four-sided room in the basement delicately decorated with mirrors, brick and wood interiors. As usual for the chain, there was plenty of craft, cask and bottled beers on offer. Nearly 30 keg and cask lines altogether. We had a good drinking time downstairs with well-kept beers from breweries like Against the Grain, Fyne Ales, Brixton, Dancing Duck Pressure Drop, Beer Here, Five Points and Cigar City. The drinking pleasure was supported by a splendid chose of background music; Who, Smiths, Van Morrison, REM and Cream. Friendly service with recommendations. Great place (visited with Finn early on a Monday afternoon, 30.11.2015).“
Rune 3057 days ago
64 /100 47 ALDGATE HIGH STREET


I visited Hoop and Grapes on Friday 18th December 2015. We actually would have walked right past this place last Saturday but I don’t remember even noticing it. But for those searching it out, this place is quite easy to find, it’s located on Aldgate High Street and is close to both Aldgate and Aldgate East Tube stations

I was intrigued by the name and looking on the pub website noted that it was originally called the Hops and Grapes to show that it sold both beer and wine. Further research elsewhere showed that it was built around 1593 and survived the Great Fire of London some 70+ years later. Also interesting was the restoration undertaken in the 1980’s as the pubs entire timber frame had to be propped up by a steel frame as the pub itself had sheared sideways by 18 inches it cost £1.2 million back in the 80’s.

I rather liked this pub, it was very popular on my visit, it was rammed, I struggled to get to the bar and so gave up on ordering a drink (I will return here again sometime) so I had a quick look at the interior instead, that is what I could actually see through the masses. It really is a lovely historic place, the bar I visited (tried to visit) was off to the LH side on entry. Beer choice looked quite good, certainly better and more varied than some Nicholsons pubs I’ve been to. The place was full of old timbers, though I guess many of the original ones have now been faithfully replaced during the restoration works. I like this place and will return. “
Fin 3061 days ago
78 /100 29-31 MITRE STREET,


I visited Craft St Mary the Axe on Friday 18th December 2015. This was another pub which I was visiting for the first time. It was rammed in here with more suits than Moss Bros’ but despite this I was able to get to the bar easily and order really quickly despite the throng, so that was pretty handy and most welcome.

As the name suggests this is just a short walk from one of the more famous high rise landmarks in the capital namely the Gherkin or by why I understand to be its official name of St Mary the Axe. This place is only a 8-10 mins walk from Liverpool Street, in fact perhaps quicker if you’re a local. It seems to me (the non local) that the completion of Crossrail may make it even easier to get to, only by virtue of the fact that the boarded up areas will be removed, not sure from a station/travel perspectives if it will help.

It was so busy it’s difficult for me to give a good overview of the layout but I will have a go. You enter at the LH side of the pub which is a wide rectangular shape, ahead are stairs leading down (never explored but I guess toilets are down here). There is a nice wooden floor, plenty of exposed brickwork (on LH side) and a ceiling which reminds me of one of their other bars (forgot which one).The bar is ahead on the back wall to the RH side. Beer choice not as big as some of the others but still very good, I had a new Beavertown beer on keg. I liked it here but prefer some of the others in the chain.“
Fin 3063 days ago
86 /100 29-31 MITRE STREET,
“Craft St Mary Axe is had recently opened near to our last visit so had to go have a look when meeting some mates/old work colleagues in the city on a late Monday afternoon/evening. Definitely one of the most impressive sympathetic redesigns of a bar I have seen for a while, with great period features and references (right down to the Thomas Crapper) :) Of course the beer is what you are really here for of course and there was a great selection of keg/cask/bottle on our visit -although understandably not quite as much as some of the bigger Craft Co bars. Will definitely be visiting again (especially if over visiting/working in my employers London branch) Great spot.“
Desverger 3072 days ago