Sir Ian McKellen’s pub loses two stars from hygiene rating

The Grapes in Limehouse, a Grade II-listed pub mentioned by Charles Dickens in Our Mutual Friend, has dropped from a five star hygiene rating to a three star one after an inspection from Tower Hamlets council.

Originally called The Bunch of Grapes, the pub has been part of Limehouse life for almost 500 years. Since 2011, McKellen has co-owned the pub with director and former partner Sean Mathias, and Evening Standard owner Evgeny Lebedev, the trio forming The Pies Pub Co. McKellen is known to attend the pub’s weekly quiz on occasion.

However, the actor, who contended with Saruman in The Lord of the Rings trilogy and mutant-killing robots in X-Men: Days of Future Past, must now deal with an altogether different challenge.

While Dickens wrote of it as a “tavern of dropsical appearance”, a spot check from Tower Hamlet council in October uncovered several instances of poor hygiene, as reported by The Mirror: salmon that was 12 days past expiration, noodles 19 days out of date, and one fridge that was 11°C above the recommended temperature.

The inspection also noted the lack of antibacterial soap and some spots in the kitchen which were not as clean as they should have been. As a result of all these infringements, the Thameside pub has been docked two stars from its hygiene rating.

A spokesperson for the council said: “We must ensure that the public is protected and that high standards are maintained. Businesses are not pre-warned about impending spot checks.”

According to the Tower Hamlets council website, the cost of requesting a re-inspection is £195.

WLC has reached out to the pub for comment on what it is doing in response to the loss of its five star rating.

To read about more famous pub landlords, click here.

Leave your reply

Most Recent Stories

French Michelin Guide sees influx of new stars

Yesterday's launch of the 2024 Michelin Guide for France saw 62 restaurants gain stars, bringing the country's total number of starred establishments up to 639.

What to drink at Morchella

Coming from the team behind Perilla, newly-opened Exmouth Market wine bar promises a European-focused list.

Wine List Confidential: Stem and Stem

Douglas Blyde stops and smells the roses at restaurant and florist Stem and Stem in the City of London. Fittingly, he finds dishes "accented in chlorophyll hues", and a "bouquet menu" that "borrows the language of a wine list".

Sommelier training reshapes the brain, study reveals

It's official: sommeliers are smarter. A new study investigating brain response to tasting wine found that sommelier training doesn't just refine the palate, but reshapes the brain itself.

Fine wine collection gathering dust in abandoned Somerset hotel

Valuable bottles of fine wine have been left languishing in an abandoned hotel, shrouded in dust, since the venue ceased operating during the Covid pandemic.

Most Recent Stories

French Michelin Guide sees influx of new stars

Yesterday's launch of the 2024 Michelin Guide for France saw 62 restaurants gain stars, bringing the country's total number of starred establishments up to 639.

What to drink at Morchella

Coming from the team behind Perilla, newly-opened Exmouth Market wine bar promises a European-focused list.

Wine List Confidential: Stem and Stem

Douglas Blyde stops and smells the roses at restaurant and florist Stem and Stem in the City of London. Fittingly, he finds dishes "accented in chlorophyll hues", and a "bouquet menu" that "borrows the language of a wine list".

Sommelier training reshapes the brain, study reveals

It's official: sommeliers are smarter. A new study investigating brain response to tasting wine found that sommelier training doesn't just refine the palate, but reshapes the brain itself.

Fine wine collection gathering dust in abandoned Somerset hotel

Valuable bottles of fine wine have been left languishing in an abandoned hotel, shrouded in dust, since the venue ceased operating during the Covid pandemic.