please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Extremely Irish even for Kilburn. Heavy focus on Gaelic football and construction workers discussing their jobs. Doubt there was anyone of non-Irish decent other than myself in there. Interior is basic Oirish fare. Extremely heaving drinking is omnipresent. Needless to say no real ales.
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The recession in Ireland & mass emmigration has kicked life back into the Irish boozers in Kilburn which once looked in danger of becoming extinct. The Crown in Cricklewood (mentioned in McAlpine's Fusiliers) had even stopped showing GAA macthes, but like the Kingdom, is once again packed on matchdays. The Kingdom crowd is a mix of new arrivals, second generation Irish & old timers who have been here several decades. The atmosphere can be initimidating on the surface, but is very good esp when there is a big game on. There are also quite a few amusing 'characters' running about the place to keep things interesting. The only negative is the music. They have live bands, but no proper trad sessions... you feel the place would erupt if they introduced the latter.
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This is the best pub for the gaelic games, going to watch the kerry game on saturday there will be great banter. I love the atmosphere its like being at the game. The drink is good (even the guiness), and you can have a laugh rather than these new yuppie bars where they overcharge, you can't see in the place because of darkness or hear yourself speak as the music is up so loud. The old school is the best. Also if you don't like generic irish pubs why go into them? its just common go somewhere that suits you. Then you won't have something to complain about.
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This is a generic Irish bar with the usual standard draught array and more than enough plasma screens that were showing two different rugby matches and horse racing during my fleeting visit. I didn�t stay long as I didn�t find it very welcoming, although the barmaid was pleasant enough.
The Guinness wasn�t the best and next time I�m in the area I�ll purchase it from the Golden Egg up the road as it is better and a pound a pint cheaper.
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Having recently visited the Kilburn area was in this bar a few times and found the staff and customers very friendly. This is a real drinking mans (and womans) bar - act like a normal person and you'll be fine; act like a muppet and you'll find yourself in bother. There is nothing wrong in hanging on to your heritage (in this case Irish) and this is clearly what the staff and patrons are trying to do. These traditional pubs are dying out, especially in London, so hang on to them - once they're gone, they're gone for good. For anyone visiting the area i would say this pub is a must-visit
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This place is one of the last great Irish pubs of the Kilburn High Road as it was in the days of yore. Sure it's not for everyone & is capable of being hostile to someone coming in and not observing the etiquette, that's what it's all about.
Packed on a Saturday night, amazing regulars, all ages, live music, impromptu dancing, very friendly, a guy right next to me got decked, out cold on the floor - his own fault. It's like living in an episode of Father Ted.
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Irish pubs and bars seem to be 10 a penny these days, especially in this part of the world, so they need to be something special to stand out from the rest. The Kingdom looks OK from the outside but for the most part is as plastic and contrived as an Irish bar can be. All the usual characteristics are present, the sports shirts, the homages to Guiness, Harp and Magners, multi channeled TVs showing Irish News and horse racing. In short it is all very typical with little to lift it over and above any other Irish Pub. The interior is a single, rather open room, comfortable without being particularly cosy, with built in seats along one side opposite the bar, quite plain d�cor and half frosted windows depicting the pub name and parent company. An impressive array of trophys are lined up at one end (not sure what for though � there are no obvious pub games played here). Being a sports ground enthusiast, a panoramic 1938 photo of Croke Park caught my eye, which left me wondering how people managed to get into the upper tier of the stand that seems to hover over the crowd. At best, I would describe the place as average but, whilst I didn�t witness or get any impression of the aforementioned tales of violence, I was hardly afforded a big welcome. From the moment I approached the bar to the moment I left with my pint of Guiness (Irish Bars generally mean no Ales), the barman did not utter a single word. Not a hello, a please, a thank you or even that�ll be �2 whatever. My change was virtually thrown into my hand and I got the distinct impression I wasn�t expected to stay long. They needn�t have worried. Being packed to the rafters on St Patricks Day may be one thing but whilst it displays such open coldness to a first time visitor on a quiet early evening, it isn�t going to win me over.
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Well, as one poster says, if you dont like proper Irish Pubs dont go here. Stick to O'Neils or equally bland venues. If you like a bit of crack, great Guinness (one of the best pints in London), bit of a sing song, Gaelic football on several TVs (and SPL and EPL), fast, friendly staff, then the Kingdom's the pub for you. I'll ignore the old post about sectarian songs, as he obviously sees any Irish song with a bit of spirit as sectarian...what a load of rubbish! I know pretty much every 'rebel' song ever written/sung and cannot think of one that could be (mis)construed as sectarian. Sorry, not a very good job of ignoring it. Anyway, this great wee boozer is one of the last PROPER Irish bars in Kilburn and long may it continue to do what it does!
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Dreadful. Been in for a late drink a couple of times violence erupted on both occassiona which I'm told is the norm. Punters are unfriendly and the music is apalling.0/10
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Hey Tree surgeon for someone who finds the pub depressing you sure go there alot. Why don't you stop going there and find somewhere you like.
anonymous - 6 Oct 2007 16:55 |
Place gets worse every time I visit it. Should cure anyone suffering from any nostalgic feelings for the 'good old days' in Kilburn.
Last time I was in here witnessed a mother and son punching crap out of each other. Had one pint and left. Depressing? Think I'd have felt suicidal if I'd stayed in this place any longer than that. 0/10
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With paddy's weekend over i can honestly say i have never seen the pub so packed. As for the pub being depressing, get a life, the pub was full of atmoshpere and if you don't like irish music there is no point going to an irish pub. People were singing and the food given out was gorgeous. I must say the pib has come a long way.
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Like stepping back in time twenty years. Probably the last of the old style Irish pubs in Kilburn.Mainly for an older Irish crowd. Beers ok ,musics awful I found it fairly depressing
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This Pub was taken over by new management last year, and it has come on leaps and bounds. You still have the traditional Irish folk there, but there is varied music and a great team of staff who make sure the place is kept clean and who serve with a smile. With Paddy's Day coming up there will be great fun and festivities from sports games, food, special drink prices and music. I'll will be there celebrating in true Irish style. Also the Gaelic season is kicking off soon, so the atmosphere there will be emense.
anonymous - 14 Mar 2007 16:18 |
Watched QPR v Cardiff on the telly here. Small, very smokey, Irish and friendly. Probably wouldn't take your girlfriend here but I liked it. Carlsberg nice and cold and filled up to the top, none of the short pints you get so often now that it's becoming the norm. �2.50. Lots of interesting characters here to look at too. Music from 11pm to 2am but I'm getting on and couldn't last out long enough to see what it's like. If I had a choice between here and The Black Lion or NLT for me it's a no brainer but obviously depends on what you like.
Incidentally, we won 1-0 too. Get in there.
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Sigh...not sure why I'm even going to respond to such ridiculous criticism, but here we go:
1) I never mentioned what style of music it was, all I mentioned was the lyrical content. If it was selective hearing, then it must be contageous, because all of the group I was with heard exactly the same thing.
2) If I was prejudiced and ignorant against the Irish, what the hell would I be doing in The Kingdom, in Kilburn, on St. Paddy's Day!?
3) If that was "what I wanted to hear", my post would have been entirely different. Do you think I go around pubs trying to find things that offend me?
4) Yeah, I saw what you did with 'loyal' there. Genius....
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topdog_andy..your comments ( politically ) are based on ignorance and nothing more. Since when did Irish Rebel music have ANYTHING to do with "killing protestants" ??
You show your prejodice and ignorance by making fleeting statemtents about something you have absolutley no idea about...You heard what you want to hear but in reality most Irish people and decent minded peoople just feel sorry for you ! this is a great pub which runs with its loyal regulars in mind and serves a cracking pint...
"loyal" see what I did there ?
No didnt think you would because you're ignorant !
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Oh yeah, (mind slip - probably due to excessive Guinness on the night)...
While PHYSICALLY the pub has been stripped of it's old character, unfortunately not all of the old aspects had been removed.
On St. Patrick's Day I briefly stopped in on a Kilburn High Road crawl, to find their 'entertainment' for the evening was a very drunken man with a keyboard and a microphone singing (well....bellowing) about the IRA and killing protestants.
Not going to get political (it's not allowed, and my personal views are irrelevant), but how any pub - in this country - in this day and age - can pay someone to sing to their patrons about killing people based on their religion is beyond me. A disgrace, and deserving of a boycott.
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After Biddy Mulligan's became the Southern K, this was THE last of the traditional Kilburn-Irish pubs. However, it seems even The Kingdom couldn't avoid Kilburn's gradual gentrification, and it has now been refurbished, and stripped of it's character. Whether that's a good or bad thing I'll leave to your judgement, but it's the end of an era.
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Funny pub with mad regulars who could entertaine you for ages with some of the stuff they come out with. Drink is good and prices are very good.
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wonder why they are all here when you see the state of them when the National Athem is being played,patrotic,I do not think just trying to be espeacially when some of them were born here,good thing beer is not bad as long as you do not wait 'til closing time
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I know I shouldn't but I can't help liking this place, notwithstanding the ridiculous national anthem rubbish at the end. There is no glamour, average age is about 50+, most of the people are off their tits and if you can understand what they are saying its a miracle. However, it is exceptionally friendly and strangers (if they can get over the other worldliness of the place - most pop their heads in and straight back out) are always welcomed.
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Give me a rope. Depressing during the day - definitely not a pub for a bit of craic and lively entertainment. They do have Setanta Sport and Magners though.
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Real Irish pub, great crack and very mucha locals with great characters, you may as well be in ireland.
Not the cleanest pub
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So Irish that you wonder why it (and the people in it) bother being here at all. Often has that awful Irish music blaring out of it with twee nonsense about whisky in the jar. Eeeuuugh.
They also play the Irish national anthem every night where the regulars stand up and get misty eyed about "back home". So bloody pointlessly patriotic.
Seem to regularly hear about violence in here too. Which I'd no doubt be next in line for if I dared express any of these opinions in there. Coward.
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