please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
The Pub is now back open, but unfortunately it is being run by two of the worst publicans I have ever met. They are rude and arrogant, plus they were drinking at the bar and seemed more interested in getting their own drinks in than the customers being served. If you want a bad experience, then visit this pub.
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The Cardinal seems to be open again
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This pub is closed as of October 2012.
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I went into the Cardinal for the first time yesterday having walked past it thousnads of times. It's not the smartest pub in the area, but SO friendly. The dogs loved the garden and the whole place had such a lovely, laid back atmosphere I will definately be back.
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This pub is my 'local', but unfortunately it is a pub which we find ourselves bypassing on a frequent basis recently. My husband and I used to visit here two to three times a week, and we loved the food and the general atmosphere of the place, but recently the pub seems to have become more and more dishevelled - the decor is old and tired, the wine is overpriced and children run riot around the place well into the evening. The pub's saving grace is its bar star Jason - a young aussie guy who always smiling and happy to help. We do continue to visit the Cardinal, but more out of convenience than choice.
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Indeed this is a much improvement on the old days. I tried The Cardinal for the first time in years with my partner. Upon first impressions very impressive. Decor, a bit out there. Some what a culture vulture designer 'wanna be', nice try, but a bit tat.
The fire place is a WOW!
WOW... dirty, dangerous and unhygenic. I saw a mature gentleman fuelling the damn thing and then served my partner without washing his hands.
The food was by far the best I have had in a long time. Would have been excellent if I did not have a stinking, drooling dog next to me.
The wine available was well recommended and nice, however I do love a pint, but I will never buy another one here again due to the appalling state of the beer served to me. <ATTENTION CAMRA>
Overall atmosphere better than the yobbish feel of not being welcome of yesteryear. But then how old is a yob? A screaming child? An unruly toddler? I do not find it cute or amusing to have young children running riot in a licensed establishment.
Deeply disapointed with my experience after reading how positive the reviews
were on this web site. Since, I have also spoken to friends who have had similar experiences.
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This pub used to be my local when I was younger and lived at home on Tudor Drive. I used to frequent it the most back around 2001/02 in the days when Bob(remember him?) was the landlord.
Admitedly, the pub did used to be a bit of a dump however it was a good place to go on a Sunday afternoon to watch the football and talk about the previous nights shenanigans and the scene of may an Xmas Eve piss up when you used to be able to sit a drink into the small hours.
Pub has completely changed since those days with some improvements made. For one the decor now is not to everyones taste however it is an improvement on the tired look of old with the hideous pattern carpet. The food is also excellent now with the Sunday Lunches a must try. They have also shortened the bar on the right hand side of the pub which used to be the old public bar.
However, I do not understand why a pub in a very middle class area that doesnt really have a yob element insist of stripping the place of everything that can be fun in a pub. There is no pool table so no more games of (good natured) winner stays on pool. Secondly, no Sky Sports (they could at least show sport in 1 side of the pub and no dartboard or games machines.
In summary, well done to the owners for rescuing a place that did look at one point that it may go down the pan. But why oh why does every pub insist of getting rid of the sports and the pub games. Normal people like myself enjoy these things, not just yobs as a lot of people seem to think/make out.
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Great pub, beautifully restored from a total wreck to a cheerful drinking hole with something for everyone and great food.....
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I especially wanted The Cardinal for my wedding clebration because my parents had their reception there over 50 years ago. I'm Soooo Glad I ignored certain reviews and went to see for myself: Delicious food - including a good, imaginative vegetarian selection, lovely garden and great decor, friendly atmosphere and I couldn't have wished for more helpful accomodating staff. And the fabbest dog! I'm really looking forward to having our big day at such a great pub!
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Bad beer, rotten decor,boorish drinkers and annoying brats everywhere. Overpriced dump. Enjoy
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Use the Cardinal lots. A really friendly well run pub that serves just the best food. The Owners Sarah and David are terrific hosts and the staff are both fun and attentive. I cannot recomment the Cardinal highly enough as a great local where you always have a great lunch or evening... Indeed Sarah's Sunday Lunches are tremendous. All in all a great place to go to catch up with friends, as a family or just sink a great pint!
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Use the Cardinal lots. A really friendly well run pub that serves just the best food. The Owners Sarah 7 david are terrific hostsvand the staff are both fun and good fun. I cannot recomment the Cardinal highly enough as a great local where you always have a great lunch or evening... Indeed SArah's Sunday Lunches are tremendous!
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The Cardinal,Tudor drive is a fantastic community local. We have been going to the pub regularly sine the new owners David and Sarah took over the pub. The food is excellent, the atmosphere friendly and as a mother of two girls it is great for my husband and I to be able to have a social life that includes our girls as they are welcomed at the Cardinal. I have to disagree with the writer of an earlier detremental review of the pub and as a parent who regularly takes my children to the pub I found the posters comments offensive. The Cardinals attitude to familys is refreshing and modern they appreciate that parents do want to eat and entertain and include their children. The London Pride is the best my husband has had locally and the wine list is extensive, they also make a great coffee/hot chocolate for those not drinking. We love our local pub and urge you to try it for yourself.
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Having drunk in the Cardinal for the past ten years I am shocked by the bad comments that have been made. It is a wonderful family pub where no request is to small. We have good, great value for money food where we are happy to eat as a family of four. Always greeted with a warm reception the Cardinal is lovely pub which most families would love to have in the area.
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Absolute dump.
Everything about this pub is grubby, floor walls furniture and toilets.
The place is full of dogs, and what is it with Parents these days, allowing their kids to run riot whilst they get smashed and pay no attention to them whilst they cause mayhem.
The beer is rotten the decor drab and why anyone would want to eat whilst a very large dog has the run of the place, including the kitchen? is beyond me.
I would rather walk to the other end of Kingston to drink than visit this Chav filled kindergarten Hole.
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Not the best atmosphere or decor, but totally brilliant staff and service, with excellent food to boot ! .....
Would definitely go back, but they need to sort the decor out, and "create" a bit of atmosphere.
8/10
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The Cardinal came to our rescue and saved our son�s Christening Party after The Hand & Flower pub in Ham decided with only 1 week�s notice that their Sunday lunches would be more profitable than holding a Christening Party and left us completely in the lurch to find another venue for nearly 70 people!!
The owners of The Cardinal could not have bent over more to try and help us out. Even though they were fully booked themselves they moved all their furniture around to host a fabulous party for 50 adults, 17 children and 8 babies!! They cordoned off and decorated a private area and supplied a fabulous hot & cold food buffet. A great time was had by all and I can�t thank them enough!!
Great pub, really friendly staff and fabulous food!
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The best point about the Cardinal is the food, basic but good value. It is totally devoid of atmosphere and the beer is poorly maintained.. We had to send our first pint back and the complaint was handled poorly by the staff member. he did not believe us and was initially reluctant to replace them. I think it had got to the bottom of the barrel.
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The Cardinal is by far the best pub in Kingston. The garden is great, fantastic for children of all ages. Books & colouring in for kids as well as a Playstation. The food is always lovely & is fairly & reasonably priced, cheap for the area. The staff are charming, the regulars are lovely. They have great themed parties. They do a great quiz night. Good selection of drinks. Very friendly atmosphere. Great, warm smoking area. They also do cash back!
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Never been in before but tried Sunday lunch. Decor good for "modern pub". Sunday roasts were excellent. New hosts obviously trying hard. Beer good. Lots of families, so a few kids running around, but generally well behaved.
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THE CARDINAL IS A SUPERB PUB,THE FOOD IS EXCELLENT, A GARDEN THAT IS EQUIPT TO KEEP THE CHILDREN ENTERTAINED AND THE STAFF ARE VERY EFFICENT AND FRIENDLY AND ALWAYS WELCOME THE CUSTOMERS WITH A SMILE
THE CARDINAL IS A MUST TO TAKE YOUR FAMILY OUT FOR A MEAL AND ENJOY A NIGHT OUT IN HAPPY ENVIRONMENT
WELL DONE TO EVERYONE IN THE CARDINAL PUB
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Please note that currently the pub does not have sky TV, karaoke or a pool table.
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This pub was taken over July 2007 by new landlords Sarah and David and it has improved dramatically, both in decor and atmosphere, so much so that we frequent it on a regular basis. All ages are made very welcome by the friendly and efficient staff. The food is extremely good with a menu which has both standard dishes (burgers, fish etc)and innovative specials. Vegetarians are very well catered for. The piece de resistance has got to be the Sunday roast - definately the best in the area! We spent a wonderful evening there last Friday (30/5) with "live" music from "The Fabulous Lounge Swingers" who definately lived up to their name! This is apparently a monthly occurence. With regard to the previous comment I have only seen one altercation and that was dealt with swiftly and with minimum fuss by David and Sarah. You must visit!
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Definitely going back here for a revisit as only permitted to be there for the grand total of 15 mins due to pub crawl in process...seemed really nice, friendly bar staff and the food on the blackboard looked delicious... hope it is as good as I hope it is...
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Now that the new look Cardinal has been open for a while it is a good time to make an assessment. I could mention the beer, the food, the patio, the atmosphere and their plans for the future but it is simpler to say that this has become my main pub, as it has for several familiar faces from other local pubs.
anonymous - 4 Dec 2007 12:25 |
Not my type of place at all.
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How much is the landlord paying for all these gushing tributes?!!
Formerly, i think we're all agreed that the place was a rathole. My partner keeps on telling me we should give it a try. But I just can't see past that oh so dull facade because it reminds me of how it was.
So come on guys, the inside sounds great, but how about a bit of 'wow' on the outside.
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This pub is fantastic!!
Pub reopened, GREAT!
Complete makeover, wonderful staff, great food/ales, lovely beer garden and just a nice all round atmosphere...
Would recommend to anyone who would like to take their family out for lunch, or just a drink in the garden.
Well done David & Sarah, Wonderful Landlords.
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Went here 15 years ago and have been avoiding it ever since! Heard about the refurb and so gave it another go and am very glad I did. Decor is clear, spacious and interesting without being fussy. Nice pint of Summer Lightening. Good menu with lots of veggie options, ended up having lunch there when I had not originally planned to. Food was good, the service was better. This will now be a regular haunt of mine.
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The Cardinal is a totally different pub now, it's great! Fantastic tasteful refurb and a great family atmosphere, they stock sweets and children's soft drinks as well as a superb wine list and range of drinks for the grown ups.
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24 July 2007 pub reopened. Still early days, but the signs are encouraging. Very family friendly, well decorated, comfortable leather armchairs and couches. Great for a quite drink or for a large group in the large garden, that I am told will be renovated also and plans for the introduction of a wide ranging menu of quality food and wine. Watch this space. This could turn out to be a hidden gem!!
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rhub a dhub dhub.
anonymous - 6 Jul 2007 16:55 |
pub now closed for re-furbishment
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This pub is vile - worse since the new owners have taken over. There is nowhere to escape the screaming and swearing of the yob element youngsters - discipline is non-existent - (especially the foul language of the younger girls on one of the nights I was there) The beer is below average if you can wait to be served as there is only ever one barman on. There is no hot water in any of the toilets. The decoration is a hybrid of south America meets Eastenders. It has nowhere to escape the smoke. This is definately NOT a pub to take anyone over 30 to for a 'quiet' drink - especially not a wife or girlfriend.
No bar mats, sticky ashy tables. On the few occassions I have visited - dogs have been roaming the pub off of their leads. Two televisions show different programmes whilst commercial radio blares in the background. On my final visit I had to leave my drink, as the smell of disinfectant from the cleaning five minutes after time, made me nauseus.
Walk past this pub to ANYWHERE else!
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THIS PUB HAS JUST CHANGED HANDS<
And thank God, the last landlord was a nightmare and completely useless, not to mention his people skills (or lack thereof).
The new owners are a nice mixed group of Argentinean and English folk. Really friendly, it�s like a new pub, really good vibe.
They have brought in a brand new pool table, all new fruitys and the plan is to completely renovate toward the end of the summer (I was quite under influence when we were talking about it so don�t hold me to dates).
The Pub will continue business as usual during the renovation.
If you live in the area pop in and you will notice the change. It�s amazing the difference a family can make to the running of a pub.
Aha, I forgot to mention the barbeques�.
Not sure how much I should say about these, (afraid too many people will come and I won�t get any) but if you smell food cooking on Tudor drive, you should pop in and have a look at this traditional (looking) speciality. I am fully confident that these evenings will become legendary.
I was there last week, coincidently for the landlords Birthday. The night was a riot as was the landlord and I was so full (of food) I couldn�t eat the whole next day.
Honestly I boycotted this pub for 7 months previously because the last landlord was probably the worst I have ever seen in my life and I have worked in many pubs in my life. But I would recommend The Cardinal to anyone now.
Have a look for yourselves.
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I think the only reason this pub survives is because of its position with the next nearest hostelry being over half a mile away. Very little to recommend it, average beer, no atmosphere and on our visit a number of children allowed to roam around. The big problem is the shape of the pub which is not conducive to making this a good venue. Needs ripping out and starting again.
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Tired and uninspiring pub. Service is OK, beer reasonable, lacks any kind of atmosphere.You would only come here if desperate for a drink.
Twojs - 17 Oct 2005 18:06 |
First visit here last night - cheap and cheerful, amusing locals and gorgeous aussie barmaid.
anonymous - 27 Apr 2004 14:05 |
Not a good pub but it's the only one for some distance in the area.
DeviousDave - 6 Nov 2002 16:17 |
