Guinness Open Gate Brewery London

The Guinness Brewery experience in London is well designed and clearly very well marketed. The space looks great and the theme leans into the history and heritage of Guinness, with an old style industrial feel throughout. There is a strong focus on merchandise, with lots of Guinness items for tourists to buy, which does feel quite heavily pushed. That said, there are some cool concepts, such as being able to engrave a product and enjoy a drink in their own Guinness bar, which adds something a bit different to the experience. Overall, it is okay, but if I were choosing a brewery visit, I would personally go to the original Guinness Storehouse in Dublin. The London version feels more like a themed attraction, whereas the original feels much more authentic and tied to its roots. Still, it is a decent experience and a nice concept, especially for Guinness fans

I had such a lovely time at the Porters Table restaurant. The pictures don’t do it justice but the food and cocktails were amazing, everything here is done to a high standard and everything tastes fresh and high quality. Most of all the staff are so welcoming and friendly, everyone was delightful, such a lovely experience, I’ll return soon!! The onions with roast tomatoes and fermented chili brown butter was one of the best things I’ve ever tasted. The skewers and sirloin steak was fabulous aswell. The Bloody Mary & Toucan Colada was to die for. Also best soufflé I’ve had. Thank you Guinness open gate brewery!!

First Through the Doors: Touring the Guinness Brewery, Covent Garden Thursday 11th December Being part of the very first group to tour the new Guinness Open Gate Brewery in Covent Garden felt genuinely special — one of those rare London moments where history, atmosphere, and anticipation all collide. From the moment we stepped inside on Thursday 11th December, there was a real buzz in the air. The space itself is stunning: a clever balance of Guinness heritage and modern design, tucked into a site that has been linked to brewing for centuries. Knowing we were among the first ever visitors made every detail feel heightened — the smell of malt, the shine of new copper, the quiet pride of the staff as they welcomed us in. The tour was informative without being stuffy, and what really stood out was the storytelling. This wasn’t just about beer — it was about Guinness returning to London, reclaiming its place in the city, and doing so with confidence and creativity. The brewers clearly love what they do, and that passion came through in every explanation and tasting. Sampling beers brewed on site — beers that almost no one else had tasted yet — was a highlight. Each one felt intentional, experimental, and respectful of the Guinness name without leaning on it too heavily. And yes, finishing with a perfectly poured pint in such a setting was hard to beat. There was a sense throughout the tour that we weren’t just guests, but witnesses to the beginning of something new. Being in that first group felt like a privilege — like having a front-row seat to the opening chapter of what will undoubtedly become a Covent Garden landmark. A brilliant experience, a proud moment, and one I’ll remember every time I see a pint of Guinness from now on

It’s the staff that make this experience so good. Everyone we met was polite, helpful and seemed genuinely invested in creating a great experience. Tour was engaging and well presented. Great to have a go at pouring the perfect pint. £30 and lasts 1.5 hours. Tours leave every 15 mins so can be a little delayed on route. Choice of three eating options and whilst the restaurants looked fairly expensive the pie and mash food truck was a good choice. Little cold sitting outside in the forecourt but nice atmosphere. Two souvenir shops, amazing what you can brand Guinness - bar accessories, clothes, cook books and crisps - not the cheapest but guess certainly busy.

Our brewery guide Chris and the tasting room guide Leo were both excellent, informative and made the tour very enjoyable. It isn’t cheap but with the tour, the tasting and pouring your own pint of Guinness at the end is good value. We finished off with beef and Guinness pie from the food truck in the courtyard. All the staff we encountered during the visit were super friendly. The whole development is a really great piece of urban regeneration.

Our group of friends were super excited to visit the Guinness Experience. We got there a little late, but the team were friendly and accommodating. Our tour guide, David, was super knowledgeable and really friendly. He knew so much about Guinness, the history, the processes. Have to give a him a special shout out for taking us round. The tasting was great fun all finished off us pouring our own pint of Guinness.. lovely!

It's good for the space they have. Personally this was a very mixed experience, the tour from tour guide of the Micro Brewery (and don't be fooled it's a narrow brewery) was very good and the staff were friendly and helpful. General Tip for Tourists: At the time of writing this review in December 2025 the price of a pint at the Open Gate Brewery is £7.20 just incase you end up paying more in the near future. In my opinion no pint should ever cost more than £5, so maybe venture around Covent Garden (Bow Street and Floral Street) as the pubs there do a good pint in that area. Firstly, if like me you have done the Storehouse brewery tour in Dublin then you should NOT try to compare this to it at all as it's not even on the same level. And even though I just wrote that I will not for the sake of the review compare it slightly for reference to the Covent Garden Open Gate Brewery so that expectations can be set. The Open Gate itself is somewhat a slight let down, I think that the 90 minutes tour (of which 30 minutes if your allocated bar time for your pint) is nothing you wouldn't miss if you read about it online. The tasting experience in the tour was good as you got to try some of the beers actually made in the brewery, but in all honesty it's just not very on brand with the Guinness experience and does feel like slight gap filler before you get the 30 minutes in the bar. The bar time itself is also a little awkward, you have 30 minutes to finish the pint bought with your tour ticket (the pour yourself one). However, if you get a Stoutie (personalised pint) you have to also finish it in the timeframe. While that sounds very doable for some it's a bit of rush and Guinness isn't something you usually swig down fast (unless you do, each to their own). The courtyard area is definitely going to be a summer hit, that is no brainer so will be good to go back just for that if they adapt it to have maybe some music or a bit more atmosphere. Overall the experience was ok, I think that given the area of Covent Garden and what it offers it's definitely a great Tourist attraction. If you do get the chance to do the tour then feel free to it but I would always recommend the Dublin one. The main selling point for me was the outside courtyard area, that has huge potential. Lastly the staff and tour guide was great, but for what it offers I think it was a little bit of a let down so definitely room for improvement. And if you really need to kill 90 minutes and they have spaces for a tour then I guess go for it, in the end Guinness is Good For You 🍻.

I visited Covent Garden's new Guinness shop, and courtyard two days after it opened. Much had been written about it, including Times Out. Although I'm not their typical customer I was curious to see what they did with the yard, and factory buildings they took over. Especially after years of zero public activity. Living in the area, I hoped for a thoughtful design that complement other local offerings, and a sense that the finished works belong in Covent Garden. I was impressed, walking through the courtyard to study the architecture, and design features. The one thing that stood out? Every member of staff that I encountered smiled, and was super welcoming. It immediately made me feel at ease. And I had a good look inside the Guinness shop. There's a lot to see - might return to get a few things for myself. Hope you enjoy the images I captured here 📸