BITE user comments - gearbox
Comments by gearbox
I also discovered this pub almost by accident a few weeks ago and was pleasantly surprised.Really stylish interior design and a fair range of draught beers. The new operator has kept many of the original features but added a continental-style look. I didn't try the food but hope to do that in the near future. Well worth a visit - a traditional pub with a French dimension! I will be back at some stage over the summer.
1 Aug 2007 16:58
The Brewery Tap, Wimbledon Village
The Tap is a pleasant enough pub - particularly for ale drinkers because there is always a good selection available (including some unusual brands). The quality is normally pretty good and the barmaids are normally easy on the eye. It also has a pretty good jukebox which is always a bonus. what more could a man ask for?
18 Jul 2007 16:58
I see from the web site that the pub is about to close for refurbishment from August 8-22.
I just hope that Young's does not repeat the mistake it has made in so many pubs, (The Duke's Head, for example), that is, taking a traditional boozer and turning it into a trendy bar with no personality for 20-somethings with loads of money. We will be watching. The Half Moon is a great music boozer with real character. It could do with a update but must not lose its personality. You have been warned...
17 Jul 2007 16:40
The Park Tavern, Kingston Upon Thames
I haven't been inside this pub for about 20 years but I popped in on Friday and an glad to say it has hardly changed at all time in that time. Still a very welcoming back-street boozer that was surprising busy on a Friday afternoon. A great place for a quiet pint. In a world of grisly chain pubs of the type that now dominate in Kingston town centre, this and the nearby Willoughy Arms are examples of what real pubs can be like. If you want real pubs to survive, you should support these pubs!
12 Apr 2007 12:44
they actually have put two TVs in now so at least you can watch the football which is an improvement. However, the service is still very poor - particularly during busy times at the bar after fulham fc games.
2 Apr 2007 11:57
I went in the pub before and after the Fulham v Tottenham game and the service was absolutely terrible. There was a crowd of people waiting at the bar and there were just three people serving at the busiest time. Absolutely ridiculous. It took about ten minutes to get served which is unacceptable. This pub seems to be surprised everytime there is a rush before or after a football match. Don't they know the FFC fixtures? Sort it out otherwise the small number of customers still turning up will decide to go elsewhere.
23 Jan 2007 17:30
The Willoughby Arms, Kingston Upon Thames
Everybody who values real pubs should actually drop into this fabulous pub as often as they can to support it - while they stil can.
This sort of back street boozer is under threat from the growth of faceless retail chains that target 18-30-year-old and just flog them pints of tasteless lager.
The fact that The Willoughby does so well is a tribute to the landlord and his staff. But this type of back street boozer is increasingly under threat at a time when more people do their drinking at home and big pub owning companies are less interested in middle-aged drinkers and real ale. Support this gem while you still can and don't let Britain become a miserable landscape of JDWs and the like!
16 Jan 2007 16:38
Like many others, I used to frequent this pub before and after fulham games. It was a real back street boozer with a great deal of character and some very interesting characters. Not the most attractive of pubs - but enjoyable all the same.I have been there a couple of times this season and the place has been tarted up but doesn't have any atmosphere.
It has dropped Sky TV - so you can't watch the 5.15 football game on a Saturday afternoon and they have also got rid of the jukebox which was really good and very popular.
I went in there after the west ham game just before Christmas and they had run out of draught ale! How can a pub run out of beer during one of the peak periods of the year and in the run-up to a fulham home game. They must have known the fulham v west ham game was going to take place on that day and you think they would have ordered accordingly.
Lastly, the bar staff used to be friendly and chatty. That is no longer the case. I think the management want to take it upmarket and don't actually like the football crowd because we are too downmarket. As always, the public has voted with their feet and the pub is virtually empty these days. The one advantage is that you can always get served pretty quick these days.
I just wonder if the ultimate aim of its owners (The Spirit Group) is to let it decline so they can cash in on the massive land value the pub and garden could commmand.
11 Jan 2007 16:53
visited for the first time after the ffc v cfc clash. The pub has been tarted up and they have taken away the TV screeens. Don't they realise it is a football pub and that is part of the appeal. Absolutely horrible bright, stripey carpet inside which takes some getting used to. Beer quality variable. Was served a pint of Pride which was undrinkable but the bar was too crowded to take it back. All in all, not a bad effort but I think preferred it when it was a bit rough around the edges!
26 Sep 2006 12:14
This is the pub where Madness played their first gig and it has also hosted a number of other well-known bands on their way up the ladder of fame.
24 Aug 2006 16:16
Well worth a visit if only for the juke box which mainly stocks 60s and 70s sounds. Some really obscure songs on there that you won't have seen for many a year. Also offers a wide range of beers including real ale and imported beers such as Leffe. Cosy little boozer - far better than the chain pubs that now threaten to take over the landscape.
29 Jun 2006 14:40
The beer garden is no longer in use (allegedly due to some dispute with Richmond Council) which means that drinkers are now limited to the pub alone.
28 Jun 2006 15:28
I used to go to this pub 20 or so years ago when it still retained the style of an old house and was really quite charming (and fairly quiet in the winter).
Having visited again recently, what a change. It has lost its charm and is now basically a busy bar and restaurant catering for masses of people most of whom are camped outside at the front when the sun is shining. Inside, most of the old pub has been gutted to cope with the crowd.
The location alongside the river is still very good but don't go here expecting a quiet, relaxing pint by the river because the summer crowds will ensure you don't get it!
27 Jun 2006 12:47
the pub does need some care and attention - the downstairs men's toilets, for example, are in a poor shape and there is graffiti on the walls that has been there for years! the pub just appears unloved so perhaps it is about time that Young's did refurbish it although I do hope they don't destroy the character of the pub in an attempt to make it appealing to the 18-25-year-old audience that brewers are obsessed with.
22 Jun 2006 10:28
A really good old-fashioned boozer peopled by all types of characters. Good quality beer served up in a cosy environment (it's just one room so it's very snug). Not a pub for people under 25 but well worth a visit by anybody older than that.
11 Nov 2005 16:28
A price of Young's Bitter is �2.45 - great value for what is a lovely pub with a great view of the river and the world passing by. Lager is more expensive so don't drink it because it ain't worth it.
A great pub on a sunny afternoon but avoid at weekends when the riverside at Richmond is clogged with people.
21 Jun 2005 15:08
The Willoughby Arms, Kingston Upon Thames
A brilliant back street pub that has everything going for it. This really is an example of how good pubs can be with the right landlord and staff. It puts many of Kingston's other pubs (particularly the managed outlets alongside the river) to shame in terms of the quality of the experience.
21 Jun 2005 12:49
The Half Moon, Putney
It's good to hear that the refurb is fairly minimal and is really to improve facilities (which, let's face it, is probably long overdue). There are many years of smoke damage etched on the ceiling and this could probably do with a paint job now smoking is no longer allowed. I look forward to checking out the new-look Half Moon later in the month and will be reporting back with my views.
7 Aug 2007 16:12