please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Quiet Youngs pub on a sidestreet, not too bad, nicely decorated, Youngs beers plus Twickenham Summer Sun as a special.
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Visited this pub a few weekends ago on a trip over from Ireland. Staff, food, service and atmosphere all excellent. Fantastic beer garden which will be even better in the summer, although fleecy blankets are provided for the colder evenings which is a nice touch. Have been to London numerous times and this is by far one of the best pubs I have been to, will definitely be back!!
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I don't think the Landlord's daughter should work behind the bar. She appears to have minimal people skills and appears more bovered deal dealing with her yoof friends who over dominate this venue. Crowd of neanderthal type regulars seem to take pleasure in blocking the small bar and glare at anyone not from around there a la American Werewolf in London.
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I used to be a regular here until moving to Dorset some years back. All our old buddies now drink in the Mason's round the corner, so the wife and I dropped in to have a look to see if it was as bad as we had been told. I'm pleased to say it wasn't.
The decor has certainly changed, and we found it a little gloomy on a sunny day compared to the old scheme (I was one of the aforementioned hideous caricatures dear readers...). On the plus side, the rear of the pub has been opened up really well, the staff are very friendly and helpful and the beer was top class, even if it is not really "Youngs" any more.
A little tweaking to the decor is all it would take to make this a really good pub. Certainly worth a visit though.
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The Abercorn Arms is a cracking backstreet local. It used to be very olde-worlde with an interior that hadn't changed in decades (think your nan's front room with hideous caricatures pictures on the walls and you wouldn't be far off). The old geezers playing flacid jazz of a Sunday were given the push when the new landlady took over and it's now a top boozer selling Young's ales in great condition with a funky, comfortable garden. Combine it with a visit to the Mason's Arms (two minutes' walk away) and you'll enjoy two of Teddington's best pubs.
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Dropped by early on a Six Nations Saturday lunchtime; public bar was full of guys watching football; lounge though was very quiet; a couple of families - one the landlord's? - occupying the pole positions. A bit cold and characterless. However, beer (Special) excellent and home-made burgers extremely good - though a few more chips wouldn't cost much to provide on the small plates. Staff friendly. Just all felt a bit random. Would go back.
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Excellent local pub. Youngs ales well kept. Much better since the refurb, and now has really good food at lunchtimes,
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Have to say I agree with TW11. When I hear of a pub getting "done up" its normally curtains but not for the Abbers. Very good move by the new owners and if it wasnt for the fact that I moved away from Teddington then Id still be a regular there. Still a great Ramrod n Special, served correctly ie not tight gits, and food looks ace. In fact Ive talked myself into going there again soon. Out of my way? Yes. Problem? No
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It's not often I like pub refurbs, but this one is excellent. Most impressed. The Abercorn is a bit of a walk for me, but I will be making the effort in future. Big improvement.
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I think this pub has benefitted massively from its refurb, and I love it! I have read the comments from people who obviously "fear change" but I can't fault it. Yes the prices are high, but there isn't much variance from a lot of expensive Teddington pubs. The Garden is excellent, it has a good smoking area, the staff are friendly and smiley and the atmosphere is spot on for a local pub. Stop moaning and start enjoying!
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Unsure about this place, it all looks lovely in a modern refurbished pub way and the staff were friendly but it was very quiet and lacks a bit of atmosphere, may be the prices which seemed very high. I'd give it another go as it was mid week and apparently the food is good
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Far be-it for me to turn this into a "tit for tat" however, I feel compelled to add a comment following on from beerbaby.
You rightly observe the pub was in need of a makeover, however, have you considered whether Youngs were the cheif architects / designers ? That said, I am thrilled with the way the interior of the pub has changed - by this I mean the decor as well the new clientele.
There is now greater seating capacity as the toilets have been re-located. Not only can you enjoy a quiet drink away from the busy bar area's - but you are able to enjoy outstanding and highly recommended home cooked fare at a table you can actually reach - especially on a Sunday.
The benches are still there - and you will be pleased to know they have been recovered - as are the chairs.
The faithful majority have indeed voted with their feet - and remain planted firmly within the Abercorn. Those few who may have decided to take their custom elsewhere are missing out on so much.
Roll on Saturday when I will be sipping ale at the Abercorn - whilst sitting on a bar stool without my chin resting on the bar !
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As it says above the reviews section on BITE, reviews are purely the opinion of the visitors- as true for my view here as in my earlier comments on this pub (see 31st July 2010). Nevertheless, I know I'm not alone in feeling very disappointed by the changes to the Abercorn, so much so that I know I am not alone in having deserted it to sample other more cosy and comfortable places for a drink and a chat of a Friday night.
Price is not the issue, nor is the quality of the product. London beer is expensive, and Young's - ever since it made the move to Bedford- more so than most. But we've grown almost immune to that. The problem that the new tenants of the Abercorn Arms is that they seem to have thrown the baby out with the bathroom- by which I mean the toilets, which have been moved and replaced as part of the recently completed major refurb.
Undoubtedly the Abercorn was in need of a makeover, but I fear they've done a botox job rather than a seriously considered way of keeping what we were promised when Mel and Linda retired. The great thing about the "old" Abercorn was that there was a place for all- the saloon bar was the noisier, music and games bar favoured by students and younger types, while entering via the very narrow door on the corner, you could enjoy the peace and quiet of the lounge bar (except when it was in use for quizzes or live music).
The new landlady (whose name is above the pub for 'legal' reasons as it were) and her husband have improved access to the patio and garden, to make more of that- great, this was an under-used feature of the pub before. But they've also stripped out much of the panelling around the bar which helped to insulate the lounge from the saloon and as a result made both bars a much noisier place. Not welcome!
Not only that, but the furniture has changed. Gone are comfortable benches and chairs, replaced by tables and rather too high bar stools which scarcely make one want to linger.
Also, the lighting is much harsher and less easy on the eye than the "front room" look of the old Abercorn.
No doubt this new look may appeal to some, for a while. But I suspect the faithful majority will vote with their feet, heading instead, indeed for The Mason's Arms- a true museum piece but a good one, or The Adelaide. Which is where you'll find me tonight. Sorry Abercorn, but you've lost our custom for now.
The Abercorn always had
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To the comment of beer40 bellow me i would just like to say that going to the abercorn arms on a regular basis you should realise that the decor of the pub has been chosen to yes modify the pub but also keep the old english relaxed atmosphere as before, myself am pleased to see the owner growing a pair and changing the decor. i believe that this will give the pub the vibe it had many years ago back and will bring possibly new smiling faces back into the bar like the owners have behind the bar. Every time i go into the abercorn i am greated with a lovely conversation from whoever is behind the bar and a smile leaving me feeling like i have been somewhere nice. Yes the drinks are expensive but only like every other place in teddington today. Go on abercorn arms your a lovely pub and i would recomend you to anybody.
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This place appears to be undergoing a serious refurb. Not for the better from what I could see on Saturday. The character seems to be in the process of being ripped out and replaced by pastel colours and naff wallpaper. I can only guess this is a misguided effort to attract more women/couples who the owners hope will buy overpriced food and and even more overpriced wine. A big gamble in this neck of the woods I reckon. Fashion and food do not improve great old pubs like this - and once it's gone, it's never coming back.
I know I should reserve judgement until it's finished, but this looks perilously like becoming another super, characterful old pub utterly ruined.
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A two-bar, traditional Young's pub in Queen's Road, The Abercorn is a nice place for a few fine ales and a chat. Beware jazz but otherwise good. Two minutes' walk from The Mason's Arms so very doable on a crawl.
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Further to my previous posting, paid my first visit to the pub since the change of landlords on 13th August.
Pleased to notice that nothing much has changed so far; the beer is still on form, the barmaid has kept her job, and the lounge bar/saloon bar separation remains leaving plenty of room for a quiet chat in the lounge.
All that's gone are the china cats collected by Linda- and the net curtains!
There are also some new parking restrictions outside, due to council work on the children's playground opposite which is likely to continue for the best part of two years. However, this is only a minor inconvenience- still plenty of on-street parking nearby.
The new couple running the pub are much younger than Mel and Linda, but seem friendly enough. Let's hope this "different, yet the same" policy continues.
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Mel and Linda, the long-term licensees, retired at the end of July 2010. This is an update to my review of nearly four years ago, and is based on how the pub was under the "ancien regime"; it's too soon to say how it will be under incoming licensees. Mel says he's done his best to get the successor tenant (or is it a manager?0 to keep the place the way it's always been- it's main appeal- but time will tell, of course, Will update again when I've had a chance to try out the new staff- the pub is apparently closed for refurbishment for a couple of weeks over the summer.
It speaks volumes for the affection that Mel and Linda were held in- and the amount of money that floats around Teddington- that on 17th July they held a farewell barbecue party and disco. The regulars and staff had clubbed together- and bought the retiring couple a 40 inch plasma TV!
Under Mel's stewardship, I don't think I'd ever had a duff pint in this pub- or else it was quickly replaced without fuss. We'll miss them, but the students have now all gone too- or at least, confine themselves to the "public" bar, leaving the lounge as a nice area for quiet conversation and a refreshing pint. Let's hope it will be ever thus.
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Its recently started a music quiz which had been running for around 3 years at another local pub before an ownership change. Screams potential for a busy wednesday night just needs some awareness created about it. Seems a fun night from around 8.30 with some good cash to be won .. up to �400 !!
A nice way to catch up with friends, have a beer or two and have a laugh doing the quiz too. Well presented too, the guy doing it knows his stuff !
Try it out, ........... theres buggerall on tv worth staying in to watch i reckon.
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Opening hours have now changed. Sadly a sign of the times but not now open till 4.30 weekdays (except Fridays when it reverts to 12.30)
Continues to be a superb pub which deserves some support if you are in the area. Dying breed.
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A traditional local pub - comfy, cozy and friendly. The Special's good too. Well worth a visit.
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Charming back street local. Old fashioned and all the better for it. Opens 12.15 in the week so you have to walk round the town pretending not to be waiting for the pub to open.
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I may be a little biased - being my local, but the Corn is great local, traditional pub, off the beaten track in Teddington. Good beer and great company - what more could you want ! It's got everything a good local should have - friendly management, pool, great music selection, beer garden, darts and a great mix of characters - including the staff. The students are few and far between and those that do go in are a friendly bunch. Good to see new faces becoming regulars. Highly recommended.
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Good pint of Youngs, friendly locals, Nice backstreet pub, spotless but knackered decor.
They have Footy on TV, a Pool table, juke box which means it sometimes gets full of kids (now Waldegrave has closed) which is a mixed blessing.
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I drink wine & real ale - both will occasionally be off - most of the time it is not the proprietors fault.
Friendly, homely Youngs house in good order.
The cartoons on the wall could go in the bin, the pool table attracts some yobs but otherwise a nice pub.
Was here on a friday night when all the kids come in -now the Waldegrave is closed they lay siege to the near bar.
The beer is fine & so are Mel & Linda.
(Norman who used to run the Dowager was working in here recently so be grateful for small mercies in both pubs...)
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Very nice, traditional pub, great interior, good facilities, only let down by the following:
The disgusting beer, the ridiculous prices, and Mel.
No swearing at the bar? Don't make me f*****g laugh, it's a pub, not a puppet show.
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monday nights ..Jazz other nights....forget it
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Still cannot be faulted on the quality of beer, even though it will be sad to think of it travelling all the way from Bedford shortly rather than from Wandsworth barely eight miles away. It would be nice to see the seasonal ales on, but the quality of the Special and "Ordinary" has only once disappointed- and was rapidly replaced with a new barrel without quibble.
However, the bad news since I last reported on this pub in August 2005 is that it seems to be becoming something of a student haunt, apparently due to the closure (temporary?) of the Waldegrave nearby. Most of these are from St Mary's college at nearby Strawberry Hill. Of course they need to let their hair down, but it's a pity they have to do it here to the detriment of the regulars who have been gathering here for a quiet drink on a Friday night for years. They have occasionally been asked to tone it down by the landlord Mel, but can the lure of student pounds and hence increased profits be resisted for long. Don't give up on it yet, but be warned.
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The special is foul,once youve had it changed 3 times you start to wonder ? Mel smiled at me once back in 1993, still we all get grumpy with old age .For a pub within a family area i would expect more of a welcome for the younger members of our community.Re king Rama entry ,when did Youngs last have 6 real ales on draught (circa 1806)?
anonymous - 28 Jul 2006 17:19 |
My new favourite pub in Teddington. The Abercorn Arms is easily missed, hidden away from the other pubs in the area, indeed I stumbled across it by accident.
It's a Youngs pub, and is incredibly like a traditional proper pub. One side of the bar is full of old regulars, the other side has a pool table and dartboard, and there is a little garden. Service is excellent. It's not cheap, but I don't mind paying a little more for a nice drinking experience like this one.
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A really nice (and small) backstreet pub. Two bars which is quite unusual and Young's ales on draught (although not seasonals). It has a very loyal (and forty-ish onwards) clientele but they don't bite and the ale is good. Definitely a place to take your wife...or your mistress! Also handy for the Mason's Arms a few minutes away.
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Excellent pub. Good pool tabel and darts, friendly bar staff, cheap grub, realy traditional. The place has character and seems to be very popular. Pints are a little pricey, but then again where are they not in teddington?? It would be nice if it stayed open later as well. But yeh, a realy nice pub. Definatly worth a visit.
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Truly the best pub around. When I visited this pub I was firstly struck by how many real ales they had on (round about 6 constantly changing) and then secondly by the type of people that visit this pub. One table had two men arguing about politics, anouther the decline of Great Britain and the third table was 5 men arguing about duck eggs......now Ill be buggered if thats not a good pub
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A realy nice place, upon my first visit me and my freinds were treated to a BBQ and the staff were extremely friendly.
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Lovely pub - very well run! Worth a visit.
Chloe - 22 Nov 2005 18:26 |
Definitely worth a trip to on a Monday. The Alley Cats are brilliant. Dave rocks!
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Great little pub and niceley tucked away off the highstreet. Barstaff were very friendly and the decor was dark..just how I like it.
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The friendliest pub in the area, and yet to serve a dodgy pint to me! Mel, mein host, was former chef at the Press Club in London and the reputation of his food at the Abercorn is testimony to this.
A cat-lover's paradise, punters are regularly treated to a visit from "Alfie", one of the two pub cats, when he's not bolting for the cool of the cellar, that is. However, when Alfie's up to his mousing, the kitsch cats which adorn every windowsill are just as much fun, as are the caricatures of regulars drawn by an artistic regular.
The lounge bar is a good retreat for the unsportingly minded on footie nights though this is also a good outpost for rugby devotees from Twickers.
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What a great little pub! Up Church Road which is a long sidestreet off Broad Street (the main drag, folks) and close enough to several other great pubs in order to make it a cert for any pub crawl you're planning. Kick off at the other Young's pub in Tedders, The Queen Dowager, then to the Mason's Arms and then here for a taste of three really good pubs.
Two small-ish bars, it's a small managed house with the Young's usual ales in great condition. It's easy to imagine yourself as a regular here; it has a dead homely atmosphere, the place is spotless and the welcome in evidence.
anonymous - 15 Aug 2005 21:23 |
Worth a visit for the good beer and the omelettes. Sign says they are world-class. Dunno about that, but they are pretty good. Seats uncomfortable and magazines are a bit old. Otherwise tough to criticise.
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Couldn't believe it when, during the Cheltenham Festival, a bunch of guys from Teddington (including Mel) walked into my local in Brighton!! Hadn't seen them for about 10 years, from when I worked at the Waldy - brought back some memories, I can tell you
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One of Youngs classic pubs. Mel is very friendly and always ready for a chat. Consistently good beer
John - 13 Oct 2004 16:21 |
I have to say I think it's a very well run Pub with excellent Beer, Superb Landlord/Lady & great staff even though I've been asked to leave and can't go back - I await the next Landlord who I hope will do as good a job as the old and who I hope will welcome me back in!
The Pub Ghost - 8 Aug 2004 17:30 |
The best Pub in Teddington By far, possibly the world! The kindest, most friendly Owners, a real Landmark.
anonymous - 26 Apr 2004 19:57 |
My favourite pub. One of the few remaining traditional pubs left in London. I always thought that a pub should feel like an extension of your own living room... and this one is. (Apart from the decor of course).
Rashley - 18 Feb 2004 19:38 |
Lovely pub. Two bars - saloon and public to choose from depending on your mood. Hope it stays the same forever.
Chris - 18 Dec 2003 00:29 |
This place is stuck in a 50's timewarp. Not my favorite place to visit.
richardaustin - 13 Oct 2003 15:32 |
Great pub great atmospher you can also find a friendly local
or some one behind the bar to talk and amuse you. though
you should watch out for the geeks with laptops!!!!
at the abercorn they still have a bar and a lounge and different
rules of conduct for each.
any way great service, good food excelent crisp and drink
i'de take my mother there any day!!!
James - 19 Sep 2003 15:21 |
Great Pub pool great food and above all best crisps in Teddington. Hackers welcome.
Olly - 17 Sep 2003 10:57 |
Top pub! Very comfortable, good beer (they do have Special now), bizarre mix of punters. World class omelettes too.
Trowa Barton - 15 Sep 2003 16:25 |
I agree a locals pub but friendly to outsidders. Particularily cosy in the winter. saw Jimmy Tarbuck in there at the bar a couple of months back as well.
PJ - 8 Aug 2003 14:40 |
A decent, friendly place. No Young's Special when I went there, though.
DeviousDave - 7 Aug 2003 12:47 |
This is a hidden gem. Away from Teddington High Street it's a small pub, tied to the Youngs brewery. The pub is very much a locals pub but very friendly to "outsiders". Once you're well known the landlord arranges for a caricature to be drawn of you and these are displayed around the pub. Two sides - one with pool table, darts, big screen TV, games etc.and one "quiet" side. A library exists in the lounge. Nice terraced garden. Good beers. An excellent pub.
Phli Brittain - 6 Jul 2003 20:45 |
