please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Worth a bit of a trek from the other pubs we were visiting (and worth trying to cross the really busy junction outside that has no pedestrian crossings!) to enjoy a good selection of beers here as well as delicious, and very reasonably priced, lunches. Recommended!
|
Came in early Friday on way to the Hope.
Best quality ale I have had for a long time.
Will be back again soon
|
Called in and discovered a beer festival going on.There's a stroke of luck we thought. The beers were from the barrel and mainly local micro breweries. Can't remember much apart from the big friendly boxer dog in the garden. Food available and more beers inside. I tried the Longman Best Bitter and enjoyed it.Another good pub on our Carshalton visit
|
After leaving the local football ground I brought my band of pub "tickers" to the last of the 3 in the area that are currently in the GBG.
We arrived at The Windsor Castle just after 9.50pm and the pub quiz was in full flow. Not noticing we had entered the pub full of quizzers we proceeded to speak at the bar amongst our selves until I realized we were being glared at and we hushed our tones.
Now this review goes from the good to the utterly bizarre.
The good was the ales on tap. 3 in total with my 2 pints of Growler's Hound Dog @ 4.2 being extremely good and the best beers of the evening.
Once the quiz ended the pub was pleasant, apart from the quizzers & us 4 this was the clientele for the evening.
The utterly bizarre refers to the young Boxer dog that came around the pub after the quiz had ended. Having sniffed various people and places for a minute of so, the dog proceeded to squat and take a sh*t on the wooden floor close to where we were sitting and outside the gents toilet! The young lad behind the bar leaned over the bar and sort of told the dog off. It was then at least a few more minutes before another bar man appeared with gloves on & picked the sh*t up...by this time the sh*t had started to smell and was most off putting while trying to drink our beers. Then he went into the gents toilet and I presume dumped the sh*t down the lav...lastly he took a large can of air spray and sprayed the area...not wiping the floor..leaving the air with another bad smell.
What a bizarre turn of events that marred my visit to this pub....unsure if I'll ever return based on these events.
If you do visit watch out for the Boxer dog and pay attention if he stops and squats!!
|
Met up at the Windsor Castle pub with some friends I hadn't seen for a while on Sunday, couldn't have chosen a friendlier place, and a proper pub! Great selection of ales for the beardies amongst us and decently kept lagers.
Our lunch was great, good portions and well cooked. We bought a couple of well priced bottles of wine.
Pleasant atmosphere for the whole day and I'll definitely be returning soon. Nice to find a pub that's welcoming and authentic.
|
Absolutely disgusting meal and service. 5 out of 7 sent our food back (the grannies liked their roast, so that was good), but waited so long in the first place for food there was no point waiting again. Burnt, over cooked and elements of the described meal missing. Staff's response was "oh". No apologies, no nothing. And the owner (not naming names, but I'm sure the locals of Carshalton know who she is) then had the cheek to disagree with mum and dad that their steak wasn't over done! Ever heard of customer service? Never again, don't know why I expected a decent meal; you go to a complete poop whole, you're not going to get nice food are you?
|
Enjoyable evening in here last night.Sheps beer and a very entertaining fun band made for a fun night.Busy and friendly as good pubs should be.
|
here for a beer festival, beer is great and plentiful, most on their lists still available on the Monday evening but both London drinker and their own website advertised music and bbq but been here since 3 and neither today, decided this pub
on what was promised and feel short changed!the fact that there are dogs in and
out not the same as it used to be.
|
A lively pub. There was a beer festival on and a band in the evening. Lovely garden area up some steps. I would return.
|
After breaking my 15 pub crawl to go and watch a football match at Stamford Bridge, I returned to Carshalton via the Elm Park in Brixton (not listed on here) and my first point of call was the Windsor Castle. It's a Shepherd Neame pub, but creditably it has some guest beers. The welcome couldn't have been more friendly. The young girl behind the bar gets top marks for friendliness. Locals also seemed to be a fairly good bunch. Shepherd Neame beers were Master Brew, Kent's Best & Bishops FInger. Guests were Hopback Citra, Long Man Best Bitter & Portobello Star. A beer festival was advertised for next weekend. Another decent pub in Carshalton.
|
Did you pay any kind of deposit at the WC. If no compromise was offered on the double booking you may be entitled to take the venue to a small claims court.
|
Having previously used the Cottage Room at the Windsor Castle for 2 previous family functions, it was the obvious choice when celebrating 3 family birthdays. Booked it nearly 3 months prior to the event and was sad when they called me 3 weeks before the event, telling me we could no longer have the Cottage Room as they had a beer festival on that weekend. They offered to close part of the pub off for our celebration, which I refused as we wanted a private area for the function. Obviously I struggled to find an alternative venue at such short notice (all the invites had been sent out). Eventually I found another venue, but the food was more expensive, we did ask the Windsor Castle if they would contribute a little towards the difference in food costs - after all, they had let us down at the last minute. They refused to do this. Such a shame! So disappointed.
|
Located on a very busy crossroads about 1/2 mile from the main shopping area. It is a traditional pub with oak panelling on the walls and a centrally located bar with plenty of bar stools around it. A good selection of real ales 3 from Shephards and Neame and the food was reasonably priced. Seating was comfortable. There is a patio area behind the pub with a separate building called the Cottage Room where a beer festival was taking place.
|
It's not bad , but there's something that I can't quite put my finger on about the place. Even sitting high up in the garden you feel a bit uneasy as the passengers on the upper deck of the bus look at you. Probably just me , there are certainly worse places in Carshalton.
|
This pub seems to be on the up. A good place to drink on a Friday night with your mates. If you get the right barstaff serving you it's a good experience. Larger usually good but the bitters have a tendance to run out too quick.
|
agree about the decor (dated!), limited vegetarian options on the menu and the staff could be a lot more friendly. i have my husband get the drinks when we go because i fear the staff! ;) very clicquey. if you don't like your job, please find another one. in the end, i ignore them as i have friends to hang out and share smiles, laughs with- don't *need* bar staff for that....
|
We are now spoilt in Carshalton in as much as we have a number of very decent pubs; but we feel the Windsor holds its own in many ways. We are real ale drinkers and the beer is always well kept with a continuous succession of interesting, visiting beers. We have never been disappointed. I have always found the staff courteous and friendly and unerringly professional under the watchful but unobtrusive eye of the landlady. I�ve never seen anyone wait for any significant period of time even on the busiest of evenings as the staffing levels are appropriate and the staff keen and attentive.
We often go there for food. The steak and kidney puddings are particularly fine and the menu is proper, satisfying old-school pub food; the type that many places ape but completely fail to provide. Many of our friends demand to go back there when they visit us (and we can cook!). My only complaint is that the vegetarian options could be a little more varied and maybe �lighter�.
There are often high quality bands in and although this is not a big venue, the atmosphere is fun and the locals inviting.
The Windsor is NOT a cutting-edge, stripped-down, fashionable concept bar. It is, however, a fine example of a proper London drinking establishment and we are thankful there are still a few left.
|
Yet again another pub in Carshalton that is very dated in decor and needs sprucing up!
|
Very interested in ibeer's comments. Very much inline with my recent experience. Great shame if the food has gone down the pan, it was one of Carshalton's undiscovered gems. Used to eat there often, with no complaints. Not interested in music at this place at weekend's, place too small. Not a bad pint of beer, i agree with the comments about the staff. A smile goes a long way, especially, in these fincially troubled times. Strange cloing times at the weekend.
|
Punters are generally friendly and very welcoming with a core of regulars. The only beer I like is the Harveys and sometimes they've had Dark Star's Hophead to compete with the emerging Hope pub down the road. The Hope has been real competition for the Windsor as many regular punters have left for the diversity of its real ale offerings. The staff are generally friendly but there are two exceptions; one a young man who gives the impression that he's doing you a favour by serving you and the other a young feisty woman who has a similar attitude. If you're lucky, you may get the odd smile from the landlady if she's in a good mood. This is definately not the case with the landlord who appears in a constant state of meditation. I've heard that the landlady has asked bar staff not to get friendly with customers! Surely a chat with the bar staff is a normal part of a pub encounter? The Windsor used to get many punters for its food especially on Sundays but much of this has dried up now. I think the Sun (pub) and the Racehorse are the places to eat in Carshalton now! Best time to visit the Windsor is on Saturday evenings when they have live music. This is when the place gets packed out. The downside is the difficulty of having a chat with friends or get to the loo easily! I have to admit that I come to the Windsor to meet many of its regular punters rather than its beer, food or service. Though I fear that many regular punters are leaving for other pastures in Carshalton.
|
My local pub.
Good real ale, reasonable pub food.
Nice restaurant section with generally very attentive staff.
I would go there more often if the vegetarian food was more inspiring and less cheesy.
|
This is a great pub for cracking live bands on a Saturday night. The landlady is very fussy about who she has on so music is decent quality. The last band I saw there were called Inside Edge and they were great. Friendly crowd on music nights and a good range of well kept real ales. A good atmosphere if you fancy something other than the usual kakaoke dross.
|
Was a great pub with a brilliant selection of well kept beers - going down hill rapidly since Shep-Neame takeover.
|
Apologies the above should read "non white face" not black.
|
First the good bits, good range of beers, old fashioned lay-out that uses the space well..now the bad bits, nearly impossible to cross the road to get to, "skinhead" themed bar-staff (short hair, white tee-shirt, if I was eye-balled once aggessivily I was 20 times in just under an hour and a half), nearly an hours wait for a burger and chips (not worth the wait) and for some reason an over-riding unease of not one non black face in the place (a feeling not helped by the arrival of a bunch of wanna-bee Hells Angels sporting german insignia).
Needs some work on its public face!
|
I do wish that alleged buisnesses such as Shepherd Neame and Punch Taverns thought about the effect of buying /selling pubs has on the local community.
This was , in my opinion, one of the best pubs in London before the selling off to Shepherd Neame. It is a mere shadow of its former glory and this has nothing to do with Pam and John but the asses who are allowed to buy and sell licensed community centres, for after all thats what a pub is.
I forget how many awards the pub has won, numerous that I do know. Now I feel that the award for ' letting down the cusromers of Carshalton ' must go to these two alleged pub companys.
Shepherd Neame and Punch Taverns have treated this pub as nothing more than a commodity, a mirror of Browns Britain.
Disgusting traders who should be bought to task over this. I find it mind blowing that they are allowed to get away with the wholesale destruction of community spirit.
If CAMREA had a terrorist wing I would consider joining.
|
Now a Shepherd Neame pub (ex Punch) 3 guest Ales and Oranjeboom.
|
Investigated the beerfest Sat, pretty good, printed selection listed 27 ales (I think). Stills were set up in the large (I want to say �shed�, but it�s rather more substantial than that, oh sod it�) �shed� across the little courtyard, and also in the cellar of the main bar where I pitied the staff the trek downstairs for each indoor order. Beers were well-priced, averaging ~�2.30. Choose your table in the bar, the paved outdoor area, the shed, or up in the lawned garden. I note Mike�s disbelief (Mar04) that anyone would take a bus here from Mordon; well, someone turned up from the Traf who had followed the Wandle on foot from S.Wimbledon to Carshalton lakes, haha., and hadn�t even known about the �fest. And I met slerpy & his better half! As Sam points out below, the pub is to come under Shepherd Neame control so presumably the ale range will be standardised with SN brands, & the prices will go up.
|
Today is the start of the Beer Festival with usually a fine selection of ales.Numerically over 40!
|
Apparently now sold to Shepherd Neame. What that means to the pub I don't know.
|
This is by any measure my local - the exterior and bar are a bit grim but the beer garden is good in summer and strangely quiet given how close it is to some busy roads. Friendly staff. Will be back when it is warm.
alext - 19 Jan 2009 00:47 |
Nice pint of Black Sheep. Landlady and staff very friendly and so were the the locals. "The (Insert Name Here) Mummers will be performing their St George Play play as part of the "Isn't Xmas bloody over yet" tourette on Saturday 27 December at about 12.30.
|
was in last saturday, band were what you would expect from a pub covers band, certainly seemed to be keeping the punters happy and drinking, which is the idea. had the 6X and the harveys best, both very good, would return.
|
The band were awful, and you can't hear yourself think. I won't be returning.
|
All the best members of staff have decamped en masse the the Greyhound! The landlady's always drunk, and always bullying the poor staff members! Best to follow the staff members and bugger off down the road too!
|
Dartmoor Best, Pride, Harveys Best, Youngs Special, Wadworth Horizon, Robinsons Dissy Blonde (I don�t have any reversed �z�s on my keyboard), the latter was beer of the week on offer at �2 ppint. Big horseshoe bar, carpetted, bench settle surrounds and standard dark wood tables/chairs. Wood panelling to rear around victorian style fireplace (gas effect) and beyond this a nice little wood panelled dining area, not orig build but looks good and, with net curtains and wall paintings for sale, it very much evokes a country inn feel, specials board showed mains at �8-12. There must be a function room to the other side as they were catering for a funeral party on the day of my visit.
|
This Pub got me out of the House on a Saturday night,
i have not enjoyed myself so much in years.
The live music is usualy of a high standard, the locals are the best i have ever met, i now count myself as one of them.
I dont use the pub during the week so i cant pass comment, but on a Saturday night i wont go anywhere else. Most highly recomended.
|
Used to be my favourite pub when I lived down the road. Could take dominoes in without attracting satrical comment and despite the often uncompromising attitude of each Landlord (examples include no face paint during World Cup 2002, a moving target as what constituted "regulars", a Pop Quiz held grudgingly a Thursday night but with the sound turned down unlike the Saturday night bands who played to ear splitting volume) a good place to sit with friends and chew the fat, especially on lazy bank holidays when time has no real meaning. Good range of beers, used to see Windsor Davis wander in every now and then.
|
Unexpectedly good beer (Pedigree) in a typical one-bar pub with lots of interest; great fire too.
|
I like this pub, it has a nice feel about it. A good selection of ales which are served well. Highly recommended (careful crossing the road though).
|
Beer selection pretty good and not tooo expensive. You can hire cottage rooms for parties.
|
Seems okay but can get a bit rowdy but wine list has improved a lot over the years.
anonymous - 25 Jun 2007 01:14 |
I liked this place. They had a number of slightly different ales on � Tiger and Hancock � that were nicely-priced. With beer mats practically acting as wallpaper, it showed the place has some history in sampling different ales.
The staff and punters, although quite �local�, seemed alright, The pub was large enough, with a courtyward and garden. It is one of the better places in Carshalton alongside The Greyhound, but the real plus is it a bit more personal and has alternative ales to Young�s.
|
i cant remember the mans name think it was robbin bibbins or something, anyway could someone tell me when the band are next on because last time it was a fantastic night.
anonymous - 21 Dec 2006 16:47 |
Not a bad pub, but it has the most obnoxious landlord in the south east .....but the rest of the staff are pleasant and friendly
|
Well done Peach, there's some bands been waiting for years to get in down here, and some punters been waiting just as long for a change from the same old bands week in week out. Perhaps the lazy booking policy's changing, (though I'm not holding my breath). Otherwise, this is a great little pub, good beer, friendly.
|
Was invited down to this pub by a work colleage,and have to say that it was nice to visit a real pub,good choice of ales,good food,a bit off the beaten track,but worth a visit if not for the guest ales alone,nice!
|
In Carshalton, second to the Greyhound.
If you want to use a mobile go outside!!! If you can't organise your life before coming out then you deserve a 50p fine!! If I need to use mine, I will quite happily walk outside.
Have always managed to get food, however sometimes need to book. Food is excellent.
Beer isn't as good as it used to be though, down to some duff choices and cellar management.
Is one of the meeting places for the local CAMRA branch, so it can't be that bad.
As for expense, for Bitter it is quite reasonable with a 10% discount for buying a 4 pint jug, together with a beer of the week at a reduced price. Much cheaper than any local Youngs pubs!! Don't know how cheap it is for lager, I have taste!!
Jeff "Sandy" - 22 Oct 2004 01:13 |
Yes still friendly with good beer.
For sale - Mobile Phone Ring detector!
CT - 1 Apr 2004 14:30 |
Great pub. Been going there for years. Don't know what Mike is on about! I guess it's not his cup of tea. It's what a proper local should be. Local, Proper beer, friendly & fun. The mobile thing is a bit of a laugh. If your phone goes off after 7pm you will be asked to donate a "fine2 to the RNLI box. It's all good fun. I've been had, so has most of the regulars...
Stu - 26 Mar 2004 18:32 |
Not a good advertisement for Carshalton. Expensive and dull. Miserable staff and possibly the most unfriendly landlady in Surrey/England. Do not use your mobile, do not play the fruit machines (unless you are the bar staff of course), do not sit in the �garden� (unless you are prepared to sit in silence), but it is ok for screaming kids to knock over tables, and it�s great for under-age drinking. The Fox and Hounds, Coach and Horses, The Woodman, go to any of these instead. As for the suspicious positive comments, briefly: Who exactly is going to take a bus ride there from Morden (a minimum 40mins rather than going 5mins to Wimbledon, and BTW, the bus stop is more or less opposite the vastly superior Greyhound), that one made me laugh the most, although �professionally run� was funny as well. �Huge Beer garden�, erm, no, and not often open. And �women drinking pints of bitter�, what woman are these then. it's men only in the WC, and only about 5 of those. The WC�s only saving grave, is that it�s not as bad as The �Racehorse�. Great food? Well, I wouldn�t know, the various times I�ve been annoyingly forced to go there (over the last 17 years, it�s not as if I haven�t given the place a chance!), the food, mysteriously has always been �off today�. To prove a point, it�s 9:00pm Sunday night, I�ve just walked passed, there�s about 4 people there. The only time is was any good, was when part of it burnt down a few years ago, pity it was re-built. I�ve heard they have laid off Staff recently, how odd for a such a �popular� pub.
Mike - 21 Mar 2004 21:23 |
Great to visit a "proper" pub with friendly staff, an ever changing range of first class guest beers and fantastic food. Top notch.
L Owen - 18 Feb 2004 14:26 |
Craig is a lucky man, I have seen a mobile in a pint glass in another pub! Full of beer.
The Windsor Castle is a friendly pub with great people, great beer & great bands. (Oh and no Mobiles!)
Yes I do have one and I walk outside without taking offense.
(-;>
Tango - 3 Feb 2004 17:00 |
im sorry but this pub is not as it say i went there and had a phone call on my mobile and the land lord asked me to leave the pub "HE SAID MOBILES ARE BANNED IN MY PUB!!!!!!!" how rude is that
craig ferrand - 4 Dec 2003 11:35 |
Had a cracking meal in the Windsor Castle last weekend, Barnsley chops, mash, green beans and mint gravy! The beer is top notch, especially if you're an ale man, the staff and management were really friendly. Has some great live bands by all accounts and we'll definitely be back for that!! 10/10
Mark Simons - 21 Nov 2003 16:25 |
Interesting anonymous comment below! Most ordinary drinkers who visit this pub will realise it's a down to earth friendly pub which treats locals and non-locals equally and well deserves the good commentary posted by the first 4 out of the last 5 shown. For the anonymous visitor who had such a bad time I would suggest Yates's or Its-A-Scream if its more your type of thing. And as for the women drinking pints of bitter, what a refreshing change! - Good for them. The food's good here too but just a little bit pricey. I am still giving it 9 out of 10, and I would give it 10 out of 10 if it were easier to get to!
|
Worst pub in the area. Def a locals pub, very hippy crowd so if you are dressed up for a night of clubbing avoid this place BIG time. I went in all dressed up and got stared at all bloody night you would think I had 10 heads. Music is far far too loud, I think most of these guys who play there think they are at Glasbonbury. If you are very late 30's into beer (most of the women were on pints) and you are dressed in jeans you will probably enjoy it. Sorry not for me.
anon - 25 Sep 2003 15:55 |
Friendly pub, discovered this after the Croydon October Fest at nearby Wallington Halls. Good range of beers, friendly barpeople and live music as well. I recommend it.
Tim - 30 Jul 2003 12:48 |
This pub is one of the nearest drinking establishments to Carshalton Beeches which is a 'dry' area as far as pubs are concerned. Saturday nights are very good, with live bands usually playing 60s music. The beer is excellent too, with a variety of guest beers such as Piddle brewery and Ballards, which is a welcome break from the local fare (Youngs).
StevieBach - 2 Jul 2003 11:21 |
Cracking pub, good beer which is always changing, friendly staff. Live music every Saturday night, huge beer garden. Quiz night during the week. Very professionally run by Pam, John and Chris, with Zoe throwing in her 2p's worth every now and again.
Mr & Mrs Zippy - 11 May 2003 10:16 |
Genuine freehouse, serving a constantly changing range of guest beers, with good offers such as jugs of 4 pints for the price of 3, etc. Food is v. good but you often need to book beforehand. Piano may or may not be in use. Accessible by bus from Morden tube station.
|
