A TikTok star shared their expedition to a handful of celebrity owned pubs in London, giving his followers an honest take on these boozers and asking if they really are “all that”. Social media user Phil (@Philc84) headed off on a trek across the city to hunt down the watering holes belonging to an array of celebrities.
The pub crawl included Sir Ian McKellen’s The Grapes in Limehouse, Rick Astley’s Mikkeller Brewpub in Exmouth Market, director Guy Ritchie’s pub Lore of the Land, Fitzrovia, Porte Noire in King’s Cross owned by Idris Elba, James Blunt’s The Fox and Pheasant in Fulham, and Ed Sheeran’s Bertie Blossoms, Notting Hill.
Phil said: “Pubs owned by celebrities, let’s see how many we can get through in one day. We can’t go to Ed Sheeran’s until last because he doesn’t open his pub till the evening.”
READ MORE: The MyLondon Awards nominations are now open – nominate your favourite pubs, bars, restaurants, shops and more
Starting off at The Grapes, Phil mentioned the venue’s size and how quiet it was. “But the staff were friendly and I quite liked it,” he said. “Also Gandalf-s actual staff from the movies is behind the bar which is really cool.”
The TikToker was less impressed with Rick Astley’s Mikkeller, a craft beer bar, calling it “pretty empty and bland” before swiftly moving onto Guy Ritchie’s pub. “I thought by coming here I thought I’d feel like the smooth talking gang member of a diamond heist, but instead I just feel poor. Wetherspoons prices these are not,” Phil said.
Phil didn’t even make it into Idris Elba’s wine bar, which he described as, “So me going in is a bit like Idris being the next James Bond, it’s a nice idea but I think we all know it isn’t going to happen”. He explained he had nothing “against” wine bars but didn’t want to fork out “£80 on a bottle of something I don’t really understand”.
James Blunt’s The Fox and Pheasant was described as a “proper pub” with a darts board and “proper” beer on tap. “This is nice, this is my favourite so far,” he said, “We were harsh on James Blunt the first time round, weren’t we? We bullied him as a nation but I think when he took all that time off we learnt that we probably appreciated him more than we realised.”
Declaring the singer’s pub “brilliant”, Phil headed off to Ed Sheeran’s Bertie Blossoms. “This is the one I’ve been waiting for and if I was to describe it in one word it would be… anticlimax,” he explained. “It’s just a really small restaurant, wine and cocktail bar. They gave me nuts with my beer, though you’d never guess it was owned by one of the biggest stars in the world right now.”
He concluded celebrity pubs are “just normal” pubs and to not expect much if you visit one – and don’t presume to see the celebrity while you’re there. Phil’s video racked up over 6.1million views, 615,800 likes and 2,779 comments, at the time of writing.
One viewer asked Phil which pub served the ‘best pint’, to which he replied: “Guy Richie has his own range of beers. The IPA of his that I had was very good.”
Many poked fun at the celebs, as one said: “I’ve always found that James Blunt had been excellent in everything he’s done except music.”
A second replied, “Disappointed Idris’ bar isn’t called ‘Idris Elbar’,” while a third wrote, “James blunt’s pub reminds me of the way she smiled at him on the subway”.
Others were more interested in the dog who made an appearance at James Blunt’s pub, asking, “I need to know more about that dog at James Blunt’s place”. A second agreed: “The dog that appears in the fox and the pheasant wins my heart.”
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Of course we wouldn’t be doing a public service if we didn’t go check out some of these pubs for ourselves. Just last week, one MyLondon reporter headed to Sir Ian’s The Grapes, saying it hasn’t changed in all its 500-year history.
Another headed to Ed Sheeran’s Bertie Blossoms on Portobello Road, however, with not so much success. The reporter wrote: “It might be a decent place to stop off if you are in the area and the weather is warm, but it’s not somewhere I would go out of my way to make a trip to.”
As for James Blunt’s The Fox and Pheasant , well, our reporter simply loved it. “The Fox and Pheasant is possibly Fulham’s best-kept secret,” they wrote. “Its cosiness and charm makes it a perfect escape for Londoners. Despite not seeing James Blunt in the flesh, I could feel his love and passion for delicious, traditional food in every single way. I simply did not want to leave.”
Is there a story you think we should be covering? If so, please email whatson@mylondon.news or at ellen.jenne@reachplc.com
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