BOOKINGS ARE NOW OPEN FOR THE GROSVENOR ARMS, EARLSFIELD’S NEW NEIGHBOURHOOD PUB
Former Fallow Head Chef Fergus Wilford takes over the kitchen for a limited-time residency, alongside morning coffee, freshly-baked pastries, proper sandwiches and local beers, at a pub made for settling into.
Currently undergoing a complete refurbishment, The Grosvenor Arms has a simple ambition: to create a really good local. A proper British pub built around great food, good drinks and warm hospitality, brought to life by a group of experienced locals who wanted to restore one of the neighbourhood’s Victorian corner pubs.
Open from morning until late, doors will open from 7am for coffee from Brixton-based Assembly Coffee, alongside freshly baked pastries from Greenwich’s Paul Rhodes Bakery and breakfast sandwiches served on sourdough. Expect sausage, egg, cheese and hash brown; halloumi with egg, avocado and sriracha; or a plant-based Symplicity sausage sandwich, alongside croissants, pain au chocolat and cheese and Marmite straws, baked fresh each morning until they’re gone.
From 11.30am, lunch kicks off with generously filled sandwiches made to order on freshly baked bread. The menu includes mortadella with stracciatella and pistachio pesto; harissa-pulled chicken with cabbage and dill aioli slaw; calamari with crushed split peas and tartare sauce; and crispy fried cauliflower with garlic kale and melted cheese. All available to eat in or take away, alongside rosemary salt fries, house slaw and a green salad.
With fast Wi-Fi, plugs at the tables and no passes or bookings required, guests can settle in for a little ‘work from pub’ during the quieter afternoons, before the pub shifts gear as evening approaches.
At the heart of The Grosvenor Arms’ food offering is Fergus Wilford, who will take up residency in the kitchen from opening for a limited time. Following four years as Head Chef at Fallow and a recent sold-out residency at Naughty Piglets, Wilford will bring his own take on modern British pub food to Earlsfield, with seasonal British produce, bold flavours and a fresh take on shared dishes.
Fergus’ menu will champion whole-animal butchery and whole fish, making the most of each ingredient and allowing different cuts and dishes to appear throughout the week. Expect cooking that’s generous and comforting, familiar at heart but with the creativity and ambition that comes from years spent in some of London’s most celebrated kitchens.
The evening menu will move from snacks and smaller plates through to larger dishes and sharing cuts. Highlights include Potato Wotsits with chive emulsion (£7); Baron Bigod cheese crumpet (£12); Hispi cabbage with Marmite butter and yeast crumb (£16); Old Spot pork collar with char siu and pickled turnip (£14); and fried cod wing with mussels and tartare sauce (£26). Larger plates include wild venison with beetroot and Kalibos cabbage (£32), alongside a showstopping 30-day aged Longhorn ribeye on the bone, served with whipped beef fat butter and priced daily on the board.
It’s modern pub food with a little more ambition; exciting enough to make a reservation for, while remaining somewhere locals will want to eat every week. Sunday lunch will also form part of the weekly offering, made for long, lazy afternoons and generous helpings.
At the bar, 16 taps will showcase some of London’s best-loved breweries, including Coldharbour Lager, Reliance Pale Ale and Electric Tropical from Brixton Brewery; Hepcat and Bandit from Gipsy Hill; and Star and Polari from Portobello Brewing.
Classic cocktails will include Old Fashioneds, Negronis and Margaritas, alongside spritzes, wines by the glass, carafe or bottle, and a proper no-and-low offering featuring Botivo, Seedlip, Guinness 0.0 and Days AF. The bar will remain open until midnight Monday to Saturday, welcoming those stopping by for a quick pint, dinner with friends or a late-night drink.
The newly refurbished pub will retain its traditional Victorian layout. Interiors will take a deliberately considered approach to restoring a proper British pub, with a wood-panelled bar, marble top and brass foot rail, mosaic tiling, warm brass lighting, navy panelling and classic round wooden tables. Illustrations by Satoshi Hashimoto and playful window signage will add personality, without losing the character of the original building.
