Q&A With Love Pub + Grub's George Mensah – Returning for Summer 2022
Love Pub + Grub is undeniably the most fun you will have this summer! London's biggest day out, treat yourself to 360 degrees of delight in the middle of the big city. Set in a magical pop-up venue, it provides an unforgettable experience with sunshine, amazing cocktails, tons of giant games, the capital’s hottest DJs, mouth-watering street food, photoshoot worthy Instagram moments and a huge weekend vibe.
Visiting Love Pub + Grub is the definition of living life in colour. An indoor / outdoor hybrid venue that has been transformed into a vibrant paradise, it offers a unique experience to meet, eat, drink and dance throughout summer ’22. Come and chill with your crew, party with your pals or play giant games with your group in an adult playground that’s set to become an iconic London daytime destination.
"Love, Pub + Grub is a stand out success. The perfect mood board as London's big day out. It's amazing to see regulars and new faces every week. When the doors open, summer officially starts" - Founder George Mensah
Open Every Saturday + select Bank Holiday dates until September 24th
Opening Hours: 1.30pm – 9.00pm
Address: 60 The Highway, Wapping, London, E1W 3BF
Who is behind Love Pub & Grub?
It's the brainchild of me, George Mensah.
George Mensah
What is your day to day role? What do you do?
I'm across everything really, making sure we are adding and improving the experience each week. Our focus is to make a customer come back! What's new for this year, what have you added since last year?
So just after Xmas we began designing the look for summer 2022. We've completely revamped the space. Creatively it was about producing something that couldn't be compared to anywhere else in London, whilst maintaining our trademark colourful vibe. We've added a bar that sells our famous pineapple paradise cocktails. A photo booth. We added more games, built a funky new DJ booth and introduced a brand new food vendor - NUGS.
What did you learn last year, what were some of the best memories?
Just opening was amazing to be honest. The world was in a strange place. It was amazing to have a concept that allowed young London to smile again. The euro finals were great also. To see people united in hope was special. Tell us about the look and feel of the venue - it's pretty vibrant. What inspired it?
It's a site worthy of your very own photoshoot. The definition of living life in colour. Fun, and flamboyant. That's how weekends should be.
What have been the key things to get right for this summer?
Opening more bars for sure. We all got used to ordering from a QR code but the wait times were challenging. So we were determined to serve drinks as quick as possible. Also in terms of the space it's quite big, so I wanted to make sure that every moment/area looked dope, even the toilets! Tell us about the food - what's the vibe, how have you picked vendors?
It was easy. We picked NUGS. A chicken nugget phenomenon. But they are a lot more than that. The full menu is amazing with veg and vegan options. Reis the owner shares the same vision as me. His whole team are amazing. We're going to throw London's biggest BBQ this summer. And about the beer and so on, what are the offerings?
I'm a Moretti man so we've stocked up on that with Heineken. I'm proud of our cocktails. "Bit Fruity", "The LoveJuice" and my personal fave the "Pineapple Paradise" which is served in a real pineapple.
What extra entertainment is there throughout the season?
So as a DJ myself, the music was really important to get right. This season we've gone eclectic. We want everyone to come and enjoy the experience so if you want House you'll get it, but we also play RnB, Hip Hop, Disco, 90's, Garage the lot. Rennie Peters, Skyhigh, Hayley Wallace, Charlotte Van De Peer, Sam Lashmar, Courtney, O'Neil McDowall and more act as the soundtrack. What are you most excited about for the season?
Meeting more people from the likes of Portsmouth, Southampton, Manchester, Glasgow. We get people from all over the UK coming to visit. Jubilee Bank Holiday will be fun. The Queen has given us a good few days to party haha! What makes Love Pub + Grub unique do you think?
Ahh it's definitely because it's multi-functional. A hybrid of a beer garden, a club, a playground and a fashion shoot haha. Our VIP balcony transports you outside of London for the day. It's a daydream up there. With our giant games and DJs who force you to dance, you can have several experiences in just one day. It's a pleasure to watch. :-)
