The top line: Gilroy’s Loft, which pays tribute to John Gilroy, whose artwork for Guinness advertisements has become synonymous with the brand, sits atop the newly launched £73m Guinness Open Gate Brewery, which is housed on the site of Old Brewer’s Yard in Covent Garden. The kitchen is led by Pip Lacey, formerly of Coal Drops Yard restaurant Hicce and who also oversaw the food at Jeremy Clarkson’s farm restaurant before the powers that be closed it down, who has created a seafood focused food offer designed to pair well with Guinness (other beers are available), even though the black stuff isn’t actually brewed at the new venue.
On the menu: Playful interpretations of classic British and Irish dishes is how the food at Gilroy’s Loft is described, with line-caught fish from Wright Brothers and produce sourced from small growers along the British and Irish coast. The menu starts with a selection of oysters, from Jersey, Achill Island, and Galway, shucked and served with either shallot vinegar, lemon and Tabasco or cooked and dressed, such as grilled and served with fermented chilli, turnip, horseradish, breadcrumbs and chive oil. Beyond that, the menu features a range of dishes, small and large, that include beer and potato bread with butter and seaweed salt; Guinness-rarebit chicory with pink grapefruit, carrot, pickled walnut, and coriander; Cornish mussels with chorizo, beer, leek and tarragon paté and melba toast; and a king prawn cocktail with radish, baby gem, rye bread, miso mayo, avocado, and shiso. Also available is a fruits de mer platter of rope-grown mussels, Palourde clams, Atlantic king prawns, Jersey oysters and sea bream (£72) and a grilled half native lobster, served with tomato and pine nut brown butter, green peppercorn, and herb salad, which is priced at a pretty hefty £48. Despite its strong seafood focus, Lacey seems well aware that the tourist nature of the brewery will bring in people will all tastes and has leant heavily into a plant-based offer, with a section dedicated to ‘dressed plants’ and numerous dishes on the main menu that are meat free. As you’d expect from a restaurant located within a brewery, every dish can be matched with a selection of beers such as The Brewer’s lager, Triple Berry ale, apricot sour, and Piazza pale ale as well as the black stuff, but a tight wine list is also available.
The vibe: A 20-seater zinc-topped curved bar is the centrepiece of the 75-cover restaurant that has views overlooking Covent Garden. Interiors have been designed to reflect the heritage of the Guinness brand with a mix of wooden, stone and natural-toned yarn furniture, and the whole thing feels very smart and polished.
And another thing: As well as Gilroy’s Loft, the brewery is home to a second restaurant, The Porter’s Table, that serves a large range of grilled meat, fish and vegetable dishes, and also courtyard space Old Brewer’s Yard where you can get your hands on one of pie master Calum Franklin’s creations - pies on the launch menu are braised beef cheek and Guinness; chicken, tarragon and wild mushroom; and spiced squash, Graceburn cheese and Carlin pea. A mini pie flight of all three is available for those who can’t choose between them.
Shelton Street, London, WC2H 9PU / opengatelondon.guinness.com/en/gilroys-loft