You can’t keep a good pub down. I only found out via social media that the Vanbrugh pub has risen from the demise of the Duke of Greenwich, which was forced to close due to landlord greed.

I noticed on Instagram that the Vanbrugh was having its opening night on the 1st May, so after finishing my other prior drink-ups planned for that evening, I rushed over to the Vanbrugh, and the place was heaving.
There was a DJ in the corner keeping the atmosphere going; the pub garden was very busy on a nice, sunny evening, and there was an outdoor bar as well.

The general layout of the pub has not changed much, but the toilet facilities have changed drastically. Gone are the Ladies and Gents to be replaced by three unisex toilets with the entrance located by the kitchen and two disabled unisex toilets, one in the room leading to the pub garden and another in the garden.
Unfortunately, all the real ales and craft beers are gone, replaced by generic pub selections.
The food selection has also changed, replaced by what I can only describe as a very middle-class pub menu. Not posh but not your usual pub grub either.

One thing that they have right over the Duke of Greenwich is the pub’s opening times. The Duke of Greenwich did not open on Mondays or Tuesdays and only stayed open for half a day on Sundays. They seemed to treat their opening hours as if they were at a brewery taproom rather than a pub. The new Vanbrugh has decent standard opening hours, though they close at 9 pm on a Sunday, which is still a bit early.
I’m now going to have to remove the Duke of Greenwich review, wait a while and do another review. It’s never fair to give a review on any establishment’s opening night, as it never gives a true reflection of how the place is doing.