please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Nice old pub. But at Sunday lunchtime, it seemed to be all diners. All tables were laid out for food, making it uncomfortable for drinking. The various rooms are full of character. Ales were Timothy Taylor Landlord, Sharp's Doom Bar, Fuller's London Pride, Purity Ubu & Mad Goose & Rudgate Hop For Heroes. None of the ales really appealed to me. I went for the Rudgate one, having not seen it before. But as expected, it was not my kind of beer. I did later notice a few interesting looking bottles and cans in the fridges. But it didn't seem like a place for a drinker at Sunday lunchtime. So I quickly moved on. Worth seeing for the interior though.
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Well run, good drinks, traditional service, hedonistic food. The locals are very fond of it and it's almost as crowded as the churchill down the road most nights. If you get a table, you need to guard it with your life.
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Nice beer, but spoiled by incredibly rude staff.
A group of us visited this pub on Saturday 26th November and were lucky enough to find a table as a large group vacated one not long after we arrived. Several of us ordered food over the course of a couple of hours. However, we were abruptly asked to vacate the table "because it had been reserved". No reservation sign had been on it at any point, nor had any of the staff mentioned this when we had ordered food or at any other time.
While I understand that mistakes can happen, the best option here would surely have been to make us aware that the table would be required at time X, so that people who were eating did not have to move -- they had served food to the table no more than five minutes before asking us to move from it.
During the process of moving us from the table, the bar staff also managed to clear away two mostly-full drinks -- which were replaced when I complained -- and to lose at least one food order, of which they later denied the existence.
The range of beer and cider was good but we won't be going back to somewhere which can't even manage basic politeness to its customers.
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Great pub, full of character and a cracking beer garden with a bar in the back for those summer evenings.
Lots of nooks and crannies which aren't ideal for bloaters like me to negotiate but a good buzzy atmosphere.
Forget about getting seat friday evening though.
Excellent range of beers and ciders. Westons Old Rosie at �3.70 a pint will finish you off nicely.
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worth a visit , interesting inside too many booked tables and had a poor pint of Copper Dragon,will try again hoping its an off beer day. The Uxbridge which I have been to a few times has much better beer than here, shame could be a classic.
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Nothing wrong with the pub presuming you wished to be served beer in a jug. It's ceratainly no worse than a pub presuming you wished to be served in a straight glass. This is a wonderful, traditional pub and so observes the custom whereby pubs used to have individual glass policies - straight glasses, dimpled jugs, grooved jugs etc. Now everyone simply dumbs down to straights.
I would highyl recommend this marvellous pub. Use it - they are disappearing fast.
Tewin - 11 Mar 2011 11:22 |
Great Pub! 3rd pub on our pub crawl. Great looking place, Three beers on all at �3.50 ish a pint. Which seems standard for the area.
Beer OK but my beer was not as good as my pint in The Uxbridge Arms. Saying that well worth a visit for the interior which is strange and quirky. Going to the toilet is like doing limbo dancing. Glad we didnt visit it towards the end of the crawl.
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A pub that clearly hasn't been spoiled by modernisation. Very busy last night. 4 handpumps but only Landlord and Deuchars on offer. Another place that assumes that everyone wants to be served in a jug!
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Fabulous pub, full of character and love the fact they've kept the partitians with a little door you have duck through and standing in the bar you could feel the floor sloping away. Place was very busy on a Tuesday night with a lot of people eating, the food did look good. Had a pint of York Brewery's Ghost Ale which was excellent. Crackin place, definitely will be back.
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Really nice interesting place, friendly bar staff - went on a Sunday afternoon and it was VERY busy, so really to appreciate the place properly Id like to go back earlier in the day maybe on a week day - but certainly worth seeking out. Good range of beers and food looked good too.
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Based on my visit last night this is a top-notch pub:
* Staff who are far more friendly than one's used to in London (while simultaneously being laid-back and efficient).
* Great beer (I enjoyed several pints of 'Landlord').
* An absolute gem of a building, inside & out.
* Tasty, inexpensive food.
I love it and will definitely be going back.
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This has the potential to be a good pub. It has a really nice old feel to it, with the little doorways, wooden panneling and a relaxed atmosphere. However all this is let down by the bar staff who looked like they couldn't be bothered. I stood at the bar for about 5 mins before they even acknowledged i was there (it wasn't busy). We ordered food which look a long time to turn up. When it did it was cold and a bit hard. It turns out it had been cooked then left as no-one delivered it to our table. A big shame as it it could be a great little spot.
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This is a great pub, full of character, quite quirky, and a welcome respite from the nearby hustle and bustle. For me the best bit is the "doorways" between each bar area. The one through in to the small left hand bar (visible in Photo 2, above) can't be any more than about five feet tall, and there's a considerable step you have to climb over as well. The doorway in to the rear bar, is even smaller, around four feet I would guess! As I said, quirky. Fortunately the bar counter runs round the corner to all three rooms, so you don't have to negotiate these obstacles whilst carrying a round of drinks.
Besides that it's got some great wood paneling, a real feel of history to the place (it dates from the 1600's), church pews to sit in, a decent sized beer garden with some covered seating and patio heaters, and a decent, reasonably priced "pub grub" menu. What more could you want from a pub?
Beer choice was Doom Bar, Timothy Taylor Landlord, Adnams IPA, Caledonian Over the Bar and London Pride. Also an equally extensive choice of ciders which I was pleased to see - Weston's Scrumpy, Weston's Vintage, Weston's Old Rosie, Addlestones and Aspall's Suffolk cyder.
Well worth a visit.
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Almost a brilliant pub. Inside is very cute and welcoming, but getting anywhere to sit can be tricky if you don't get in early (especially if you are in a group). The last time we were there we were moved from a reserved table for three women who stood at the bar for most of the time. I don't eat in pubs very often (they can be very unreliable and expensive) and I guess I will never warm to the idea of reserving tables in a pub. Rather anti-social, I think. Ho-hum. Last visit we had Adnams IPA, Landlord and �2 a pint Adnams wheatbeer; all fantastic and the barmaid was very friendly.
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We went to the Windsor Castle last sunday for a quick drink and ended up staying for a fantastic roast and taking part in a cribbage tournament that they are now running every sunday night! The staff were really friendly and we had a great night. We will definitely be returning next week.
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Food was pretty decent on Sunday (nothing special though), beer OK too
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Huge outside seating. Heater are working very well and big umbrella if it's raining.
Inside typical British.
Large choice of beer.
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Great little pub, busy and fun crowd although some of the bar tenders were very rude and had a bad attitude and the jug of Pimms was a waste of money as it is very watered down and tasteless, I wonder if they actually put any Pimms in it! Otherwise, we enjoyed this pub on a Saturday afternoon and would definitely go again....just won't waste my money on the jug of Pimms next time!
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3 out of 4 real ales on Deuchers, Summer Lightning and Pride, T T Landlord not available, slow service and glasses not topped up. Quirky, interesting interior, interesting, historic pub but not a pub for a session.
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Beer was nothing special, and they didn't serve a full pint. Also expensive. But the interior, staff and location were good, probably its only redeeming features?
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went here yesterday for a bite and a beer and was really sad to see how far downhill it had gone. It used to be my favourite pub in London serving nice beer and decent grub. Yesterday my roast was cremated, my wife's fish and chips cold, the beer garden was scruffy and dirty, it took forever to get a drink. Interestingly we turned up on a sunny day at 1PM expecting to fight for a table to find a half empty beer garden. It's not a sign of the bad trimes but of a pub that has let it's high standards slide. We didn't stick around and went off to the Ladbroke Arms were we had a much more pleasant and friendly drink. very sad to see a once great pub on it's knees.
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my wife and I were not very impressed by the food we had at the Windsor Castle yesterday evening (11th Feb 2009) �� food quality was OK, but not outstanding �� our main complaint would be that the dishes were dirty �� the ale that I had was also OK, but not outstanding �� this pub has a very nice interior, but I would have to read of an improvement in food and drink quality before returning
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Amazing pub in Kensington. Really olde wordly, with an impossibly low door from one bar to the next, and a lovely big tree in the delightful beer garden. One of the very best. Kensington is blessed with great pubs.
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I went to this pub with a group of people (some of whom had come from as far away as Holland, Belgium & Italy), who had booked a reservation for us which would include a meal there. On arrival, we were told we were not welcome because our party contained a couple of minors (who would not of course be drinking alcohol) - a fact which had been discussed at the time of booking, & were told it would not be a problem. The reality was, the Landlord, as surly a piece of work that could have stepped from the pages of a Dickens novel, insisted that he would not honour the reservation. His reason? He claimed that this was a completely inappropriate pub for minors, as the Saturday night client�le were loud, drunk & aggressive, & there could be bottles or glasses smashed & fights breaking out. Really! Some recommendation! Given his desperately unpleasant demeanor, we decided to leave, but not before the landlord had engaged in a furious argument with members of our group who had had the temerity to buy soft drinks for the minors who had been waiting outside.
The pub itself indeed has a very 'cosy' & traditional feel to it, very comfortable surroundings, if a little small (cosy=small) & has a decent selection of drinks available, but is seriously let down by its surly & unhelpful staff.
Having read these reviews before posting this one, I see that this is a recurring theme, & one that could seriously impair the standing of a pub that once had a very good reputation.
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I am glad to see SOMEONE remembers "The Bard" (Michael Mannion). I often wonder what people make of that photo, which was taken in 1983 in Durango, Pais Vasco, where I now live. Mind you, many people from here pay a visit to the Windsor just to see the picture -- because THEY know THE OTHER TWO GUYS in the photo!!!
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Nice, quirky and surprisingly uncrowded on the Sunday afternoon I visited however the barman's a grumpy bugger who could do with a good hair cut.
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Excuse me... but this is Beer in the evening !! it seems to have turned into some bloody restaurant guide...IT'S A PUB !!! and as such it has three real ales on but usually only two but if the Timothy Taylor Landlord is on it's excellent, the only downside are the chinless wonders and Hooray Henrys that get drunk on a bottle of Magners, and talk about scharfing ????
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I was very exited when my wife suggested we head to the windsor it was sunny and I was hungry and rather thirsty.When we ordered our food my excitement turned to dismay.My wife's lambshank was cold to the core. My corriander and carrott sausage was average and plain. The Windsor use to be my place of joy my place of funk on a Sunday.Instead it's turned into a place of food sadness. I will return only for the fun and remember the day I spent drinking cold beer and scharfing with my mate Jimbo
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I have been going to the Windsor Castle for the last couple of years. The outside beer garden is one of the best around and the quirky interior is fantastic. However, something has gone horribly wrong after their recent re-fit.
I have eaten there a couple of times since they have re-fitted and both time have been poor, the last time so much that I feel I need write this review. We initially ordered the Sunday roast off the blackboard and were told how good it was by the bar staff. A couple of minutes later a member of staff came to our table to tell us the roast wasn't on offer any longer and the standard menu was all that was in operation. From the very limited menu we decided on a shepherd's pie and the pork belly. We were apparently unable to be refunded on the price difference as the computer wouldn�t allow it. Instead we were offered desert (see below) as replacement.
The 'shepherd's pie' consisted of large amounts of potato, pees and leaks, and the most miniscule amount of mince. The small amount of mince they decided to sprinkle in the pie was very raw. Our pork belly was initially delicious, until we spotted a black hair nested in the potato. We asked for a replacement and when we eventually got another dish, it appeared the returned the same piece of pork belly and had just kept it in a warming draw, as it was now tough and chewy and a lot smaller than the original portion.
For deserts we went for the �sticky toffee pudding and ice cream�. This came out with the tiniest amount of toffee, a very dry pudding and no ice cream. With no explanation offered when we received the dish we were later told the ice cream had run out (as the toffee must have been close to doing).
The Windsor Castle is a fantastic place to drink, especially on a sunny day, but save yourself the misery and stay well away from anything that isn't alcohol, as you will undoubtedly be disappointed!
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Truly excellent - the only thing that prevents a higher score is the Hackett-shirted hordes who tend to invade the garden the minute the weather rises above about 11 degrees. Very cosy indeed, with some wonderful alcoves, the garden itself is a lovely and the pub is picture perfect from the outside. One of London's best traditional ale houses.
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I'm always pleased by visits to this lovely pub. Often crowded. Nice people.
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Lovely pub - but closed till March 7th apparently
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Parked here last Saturday with a few friends and had a great time. Good selection of continental beers and British ales, but all at London (and at that Notting Hill) prices.
This does not, however, diminish from the decent food and odd, but friendly bar staff (think Kerrang readers). Well known for its sausages this is a good place in both summer and winter. Good place to park off for a few hours if you need to catch up with someone in a good pub. Diverse crowd as well.
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Very atmospheric, my favourite pub in this area. Lovely interior. Wasn't too difficult to bag a seat on a saturday night. Yes there were a lot of posh people but not in your face types. There were 3 or 4 ales on, which nearly all ran out by the end of the night. The guest ale was scribbled on a blackboard sign on the handpump but illegibly. When I asked the barman about it he didn't seem to know much, or maybe he did but his English was so poor I couldn't understand a word he said (Japanese I think). To be fair I did get a generous sample from him before buying.
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Slightly self-conscious in its authentic tweeness and crowded such that it's often hard to get a seat, but still a nice pub and well worth a visit.
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A perfect lunch experience! Lamb & Rosemary Sausages & Mash. Pint of Timothy Taylors Draught Landlord. Stupendous cheeseboard served with panache and a smile in the courtyard.
A first visit for me but certainly not the last.
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Works equally well for either a sunny Sunday afternoon in the garden or a warm and cosy drink on a winter's evening. Top notch ale (a lovely Timothy Taylor yesterday) and the food's always been excellent whenever I've eaten here.
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Absolutely brilliant. Amazing interior that has to be seen to be believed - only Ye Olde Mitre and the Holly Bush can compete on this score. The beer garden is one of the best I've been to in London too.
Perfect pint of Adnams Broadside. Food looked triffic but didn't eat here (wish we had).
Bar staff weren't the friendliest however, though not arsey enough to ruin this 10/10 pub experience.
anonymous - 18 Apr 2006 09:45 |
This was wick-ed as the locals or hugh laurie might say. Qualidee!
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Still a great pub for a quiet romantic drink in the winter or with friends in the beer garden in the summer. Food is nothing special and expensive.
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When it's busy it can be a bit of a turnoff due to the fact that there's absolutely nowhere to put your drink down. But that doesn't really bother me since by the time it's time to put the pint down, it's empty. I love all the nooks. The doorways are quaint but a bit bothersome after a while. It doesn't take too long to figure out that you're better off going out the side door and back through the front door if you want to get from one side of the pub to the other. Full marks for character. Decent selection of ales available. The large table in the back is a nice private place to enjoy your drinks.
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Heard a lot about the place so went there one Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately couldn't get a seat in the garden so we sat inside. Lovely garden though and the clientele seemed very amenable. Unlike the bar staff were young, surly and constantly pre-occupied. There didn't seem to be any management keeping them in check. The service lacked politeness (in some cases not a word was uttered!).
The food was awful for the price. �8.50 for an Angus burger which arrived in a tiny faux wooden bowl. This was filled with a wilting pile of grey chips, a bog standard catering burger in a bun with a lamentable salad. At least Dick Turpin wore a mask! All in all a mediocre experience. Could do much better....
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Yeah its alright this place, nooks and crannys, a real pub, pub-kinda-pub-type-pub.
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When reading these comments you've got to remember not to listen to people who's username is 'pintofcarling'. This did have some toffs in it but it is kensington, one of the most affluent areas on the planet. We found the beer garden without trying where we enjoyed three top notch rib-eye's for a tenner. If you can't afford that don't go out drinking in kensington, unless you find a weatherspoon's.
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Lovely pub, though as said before it is pricey, especially the food. But has to be done in summer, as the beer garden is the best for miles.
I don't understand how anyone can miss it, referring to some of the posters below; it's outside ;-)
Either go straight into it through the gate from the street on the side of the pub, or from inside go to the left of the bar (from the punter's perspective) and when you leave the last part of the bar continue straight on, past the gents on the left, and it's right in front of you. But please don't go there on sunny weekday lunchtimes, cos we don't get there till about 1 and it's difficult enough getting a table!
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A lot of the comments below are spot on. The Windsor Castle is well worth a visit for its traditional dark wood and curious low ceilings, but it disappoints in other ways. The staff are unfriendly and inept. The customers are loud and overprivileged, even by Kensington standards. The small range of ales is not well kept, and the food is overpriced. I'm with Gerry on the beer garden that everyone keeps mentioning: Where is the entrance? I've visited this pub half a dozen times, and never seen it.
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Splendidly traditional pub.A throwback to the old days of proper pubs. The previous contributor is spot on with his comments. Remember to mind your head when passing beween bars - you may regret it otherwise !
Food is pricey, but I suppose that's to be expected given the location
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Imagine if you will that you are in the belly of a galleon. The smell of old wood, wooden benches, wood everywhere. Little trap doors to enter the next bar and low ceilings to boot. No, you are not a mariner scurrying to canon in the Victory, you are a boozer in the Windsor Castle. OK, so I exaggerated. Beer, food and garden are good. This pub, along with the Uxbridge Arms, The Hillgate and The Churchill Arms are the jewels in the crown of Kensington beer culture. One of the best pub crawls you could imagine.
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Suppose it's not that bad as Kensington goes (pretty dull place for a night out i think). Have to agree though with the comment below about the service even though it was made a few months ago, judging by my visit on a Friday night it doesn't seem to have got any better, took about 5 minutes to get served even though it wasn't amazingly crowded compared to other pubs i've been to at similar times. Don't go out of your way to go there.
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As said before a very small and dark pub, which gives you the feeling you've just stepped back in time to 19th century London. Nice beer garden in the Summer too. My only complaint is for a pub like this they could do with having a larger variety of ale.
Yes it is full of toffs, but what do you expect for a pub in Kensington?
anonymous - 24 Nov 2004 18:20 |
Really nice little pub - don't go in a big gang, though. It's not big enough!
Darryl - 25 Oct 2004 18:06 |
Just one question: how do you get to the beer garden everyone rants on about? -it must be from outside as we couldnt find an entrance from inside-or maybe we missed it? actually how does anyone move around this tiny partioned dark pub, its a recipe for a bang on the head or a trip up/fall...esp if drunk-even the floors are are warped!
very atmospheric, a dick turpin feel to it, dark and moody, but thats it.
rothschild wines served here, which is a nice touch
overall posh busy local kensington pub.
gerry - 13 Sep 2004 19:08 |
Yes, nice place, liked it, BUT quite the most indecisive inept goons behind the bar. Picture this: 9.20pm, Saturday evening, end of June. Whilst one inept soul went to change the barrel of lager, the other stood awkwardly, shifting weight from one leg to tother, unsure what to do, whilst about 6 of us (good friends by this stage) waved out tenners at him. He refused to serve us until his little friend came back. 10 minutes later. Hopeless. We served ourselves in the end, leaning over the bar and operating the taps, backward-style. Left the change on the bar. No tip.
Nice garden BTW. Go there. Laugh.
Lawrence - 5 Jul 2004 17:01 |
Recently hijacked by out of towners, the WC has great heritage. Time was, you would enjoy the company of suits, dustmen, musicians, journalists, teachers, bankers, artists and expat locals. The favourite haunt of Michael B Mannion, whose picture still hangs of the wall, poet Michael brought glee to the entire pub. There are three distinct cultures in three different bars and seldom do regulars switch from one bar to another. Great to visit in summer months during fine weather because everyone is sitting outdoors and the characterful, cool interior is relatively empty.
Richard Robinson - 27 Jun 2004 09:42 |
Full of toffs, barging and haw-hawing their way past you to the bar, so's they can buy their toff mates pints of champagne, despite the fact that you, a decent, hard working - POLITE! - tommy has been waiting patiently for half a corblimey hour. Jesus. I hated this place.
ElDickster - 12 May 2004 21:22 |
Marvellous place, if you're Hobbit-sized. Atmospheric and serves great food. Esp.nice in the afternoon.
jer - 16 Apr 2004 17:56 |
Great local. Warm and cosy in the winter and their platters of sausages are just what is required to soak up the booze. Summer their garden is fab. One not to b missed
Diana - 22 Dec 2003 19:44 |
Very plump barmaids in extremely dark, dingy and restricted setting - mind your head - true.
Perky_Pat - 5 Dec 2003 13:16 |
Almost always full of Hooray Henries talking in overloud voices...their excited shrieks can be heard from the beer garden on summer evenings, often causing sparrows and larks to fall from the trees. A dark and dank place even on bright days. Few local locals actually use it as Churchills is better, if you can avoid the tourists...
Thedoghector - 14 Nov 2003 18:13 |
I didn't think much of it on the first visit, but on a subsequent trip I sat in a different area of the pub and really came away impressed. A great locals pub.
Jeff - 13 Nov 2003 12:17 |
this is a really good pub, it has 3 bars and a great beer garden, and it is georgian -a very mixed clientele-mostly locals-though i have seen suits, tourists and goths.its the best pub in the whole kensington area-from Holland Park roundabout to the west -right up to Park lane to the east-this is the one that matters!!
Lord suffer-fools-not-so-gladly - 10 Sep 2003 11:56 |
Wonderful little pub with unspoilt interior and a great beer garden for the summer. Beer is well kept London Pride and the pub is very popular for Sunday lunch, any time of the year.
The Abbot - 11 Mar 2003 18:49 |
Nice little quiet pub off Notting Hill Gate on Peel Street. Small and old fashioned on the inside, but has a gorgeous little beer garden out back which usually gets quite full on sunny days. They also make the best homemade sausages and mash you've ever had (venison and red wine, lincolnshire, pork and ale, etc).
Dominic - 3 Mar 2003 18:09 |
