please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
This is everything a pub should be and more, ten handpumps for real ale,five handpumps for cider,very cheap lunchtime food midweek.The pub has a back garden and work is ongoing on the nearly complete gin distillery. The beer is a tad pricey but this is off set by a buy nine get one card system.The pub has a very nice bright and airy decor.All of this groups pubs are excellent. No regular beers , the ten rotate and hundreds of breweries have been represented. Two handpumps normally have their own beers .10/10.
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The Albion was the last of this chain of pubs I had yet to visit. So I came along to here one week night in October. All of this chain (Sussex Arms in Twickenham, Antelope in Surbiton, Express at Kew Bridge & Corner House in Windsor) are worthy of a visit, dispensing a good range of ales and ciders in nice settings. This place also served tasty pizzas and has a nice leafy setting overlooking a green. Ales were Titanic Cappuccino, Tempest Little White Cloud, Roosters Assassin & Roots Rock And Reggae, Dorking DB One, Vocation Search and Rescue, Squawk Oat Pale Ale, Big Smoke Sunshower & Solaris & XT4. Ciders were Orchard Pig Navel Gazer & Juggler, Spice Road Dry Cider & Lilley's Merry Monkey. Kentish Pip 2013 Vintage was later added. I'd venture as far as saying that this is now the best pub in Kingston.
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Excellent range of 10 real ales and 5 real ciders. Sister pub to the superb brewpub Antelope in Surbiton.
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A nice pub all round and very pleased to see they have taken to stocking Angus Whitehead's Newtons's Discovery ciderkin on draught. I had not realised it was even supplied other than bottled. Newtons's Discovery is as far as I know the only remaining commercially made ciderkin in the country. While I am a fan of real ciders in the 6% - 7.5% range, a drink that tastes nearly as good but is just 3.8% also has a useful role.
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Hurray, a decent beer focussed pub in Kingston. I can't believe it's taken this long.
The Good :beer selection is really impressive. IIRC 10 on cask, 5 cider cask and 20 on keg. The keg selection is really the best I can think of outside of central London, many new and upcoming macros with the Lager drinker catered for too (Pauline if you ask). The staff are friendly enthusiastic and always keen to let you have tasters. Top marks to the management for including sours- they may not always b to my liking but I appreciate the effort the pub has made, I'm hoping to acquire a taste for them from the freebie tasters.
The Not so Good: The food is very average, this surprises me as the Antelope (it's sister pub in Surbiton) is really quite good without being exceptional. I've had Pizza that really was quite poor, too much burnt cheese and a terrible base- if you haven't got a proper oven and don't hand knead your dough then forget about it, there are too many places that specialise in Pizza in Kingston now and people's expectations have increased over the last few years. Burgers are so so, definitely not as good as the Antelope. Sandwiches are nothing special though the home made soup was quite good when I had it once.
All in all a fine addition to Kingston's pub scene, let's just hope the teething problems on the food front are resolved and we could have the perfect local.
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Now reopened by the Big Smoke Brewing Co. with a large range of beers, some of them Big Smoke's own but also Dark Star and others. The pub is cosy and similar in decor to the Antelope in Surbiton. It's about time this area had a decent pub (again, after the closure of the Newt and Ferret many years ago) and now it does.
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You may have your wish Puppydog. The people who have the Antelope in Surbiton are taking it over, estimated opening date September.
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I hear the idiot Crowley that was in the Fairfield Tavern is back in the Albion.
Whatever happened to good old pub managers. This fella like the horrible couple in the Duke Villiers Rd takes pleasure in using and abusing people and idle nasty gossip about people far better than themselves
All the drinkers seem to be gone to Wetherspoons where a pint is top notch at a reasonable price and nice polite bar staff.
This buffoon won't last long in the Albion like the last buffoon that ended up in court.
Trash!
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I hear the idiot Crowley that was in the Fairfield Tavern is back in the Albion.
Whatever happened to good old pub managers. This fella like the horrible couple in the Duke Villiers Rd takes pleasure in using and abusing people and idle nasty gossip about people far better than themselves
All the drinkers seem to be gone to Wetherspoons where a pint is top notch at a reasonable price and nice polite bar staff.
This buffoon won't last long in the Albion like the last buffoon that ended up in court.
Trash!
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I popped in here with my husband recently. Some Chelsea people turned up as the football was on and I asked the landlady (who was the rudest person I've ever met) if she could put an alternative channel on one of the many TVs. She refused with the reply "we're Chelsea here" and ignored one or two others who backed me up.
Wouldn't go again if they paid me.
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The new owner is lovely, great pub too. But allowing young kids in there at nearly 9 at night is disgraceful. Especially when the pub is absolutely full of Chelsea fans. If this doesn't change I will be sure to send social services there in the evenings to see what they think. Am sorry, love the pub, but this is not on. full school uniform on too. Should be in bed at this time. How's the mothers responsible think their kids will concentrate at school the next day is beyond me.
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I had to pop into the pub as I needed to get my dog some water. Inasmuch as they do not allow dogs, they do have a small beer garden. I asked the curmudgeon with the Australian accent behind the bar for a bowl for my dog and he was plain rude. I was told to go and find something outside "if it hasn't been flogged". I did find an old food takeaway container which was covered in mud and took it to the bar. The curmudgeon just filled it up, didn't even wash it out.
Now, I am not sure if that the pub has enough passing trade already that it doesn't have to worry about being polite but on the day I was there, there were only two other punters in the bar. With or without the dog, I will not be returning.
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Great pub. the staff are first class beer tastes good food is good live soccer
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Nice place to relax but no atmosphere for music time, prices in plus from next door pubs
I will come back for more ales which i like in this pub
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New owners, new atmosphere and decent pub food.
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I went to this pub the other night and had a great time with the NEW Aussie owners and they have cleaned up the place and are now serving great food, which is what this place needs in the area also they have added some more real ales. It is a lot cleaner then the Cricketers on the other side of the greens, will come back again for more AUSSIE hospitality. Glad the old owners have GONE, give the new ones a visit.
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Awful - AVOID - Landlord does not know how to run a pub.
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Looks nice enough; but one real ale - and that's Greene King IPA - plus a generally dead atmosphere. Even with the Cricketers currently dead and the Honest Cabbage apparently flickering on the edge of extinction there are better pubs around the Fairfield area.
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Have been posting my views on local pubs. I suppose its very clean etc but it does loose some of the authenticity.
Didnt like the staff, found them very rude and uncaring and really brought the place down . Landlord impolite etc.
Prefer the fabulous Honest Cabbage and the Tup can be quite fun sometimes.
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The landlord is a dissinterested Old racist.
No punters..No Service..No idea. Avoid like the PLAGUE!!!
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empty on my visit just me what is happening to pubs in kingston g king on pump bad taste
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absolute disaster of a pub- avoid at all costs! kingston's allright tho.
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Rude and abusive staff and landlord - accused us of sneaking in to watch the football without having bought a drink, and wouldn't accept that he was wrong. Apart from that, nothing at all makes it stand out, so if there's no friendly atmosphere, what's the point? Won't be returning.
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Tradional pub very clean and tidy downside only g king ipa on pump seems nice place . bring real ales
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Quiet but unpretentious corner local, only one ale (GK IPA), simple food menu, a good view over Fairfield and also outside seating around the back.
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Great little pub, away from the new 'boom' of Kingston town centre a nice place to go for a quiet drink and a chat.
Plus a pool table!
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The pub has just been re decorated and an extension built also has outside seating. Beer, food and atmosphere very good with a mixture of older and younger people.
anonymous - 7 Aug 2007 14:27 |
Much maligned I see. However it's a good little pub in an oasis even though it's Yet Another Greene King pub.
Locals are decent enough and I would most certainly go again if I am ever spilling over the Surbiton/Kingston border.
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The few times I have been in this pub, it didn't have any beer. Strange.
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Not a big fan of the pub but they had an amazing football team!
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pub with no music or atmosphere 4 old people
anonymous - 1 Jan 2007 21:44 |
Actual pub is a bit dull and lacking any sort of atmosphere, however, the Thai food is the best in Kingston and the beer was good. This place is alright...
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went in on fri night empty and no atmosphere there . what a place avoid iff u can . totaly non pub place look like place to end days !!!
anonymous - 11 Jun 2006 19:39 |
This pub is under new management and they are what I would call good old fashioned landlords who talk to their customers.
Clean and welcomming surroundings
anonymous - 7 Jun 2006 13:15 |
Unremarkable and uninspiring modernised single bar Greene King pub. Not worth going out of your way to find
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I've been in here twice and both times I was the only person in there apart from the manager, who wasn't behind the bar on either occasion.
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was xmas shopping in kingston,and needed a break from the crowds,went into the albion,fab boozer!great landlord,fab food!going back again very soon,well done!
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Whilst in the Albion i have experienceed Karoke and quiz nights as well as live bands. It has a good crowd and the staff are really friendly. Food is excellent and you get plenty for the price.
anonymous - 5 Sep 2003 15:58 |
The Albion is a friendly pub with a fab manager. Its great for a game of pool and meeting up with mates.
caz - 5 Sep 2003 15:50 |
If you and your mates fancy running a pub for an evening, go to the Albion on any week night and I garuntee yours will be the biggest group in there. If you are looking for girls, walk quickly past the Albion and don't look back.
M-Lin - 16 Apr 2003 13:39 |
If the Overlook hotel in Stephen King's 'The Shining' were a pub - The Albion would be it. It's solitary pool table is the only feature hat saves it from drowning in a sea of dull, creepy, blandness. One to seek out only if you enjoy staring at yourself in oddly placed mirrors and trafficking with whores/travellers
Jesse Ross - 11 Apr 2003 16:45 |
Played football for ATFC for many years. I would say (and in my experience) it was a 'spotsman's pub' (packed out Saturday afternoon and Sunday lunchtimes after matches). 3 Football Teams play out from the Albion on Saturday afternoons, 1 Team on Sunday Mornings. Also in summer a cricket team. Add to that football training and opposition teams using it and I think you get the picture.
Few years back there was quite a good Friday night crowd (lots of Uni students used to go in there), but this seems to have tailed off now.
JBH - 28 Mar 2003 12:29 |
Weird bar people and weird customers
Steve - 9 Nov 2002 23:20 |
The landlord appeared to have stopped even trying to be nice about 18 months ago, and I have deliberately avoided this pub ever since. My last experience of this pub was being ignored at the bar while the landlord chatted to his mates - after about 5 minutes I gave up and went somewhere better. It's a real shame, because this place used to have a bit of life, attracting a crowd similar to The Ram by the river.
Do you have any more recent experience of the Albion? Is it still surly and shit?
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