please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
The Queens Head is a pub full of character, tastefully restored with some of the original features remaining in tact.
My first visit a week or so ago on a Monday night for tapas and a few beers with work colleagues.
A good selection of 5 beers, I opted for Adnams Southwold and it was perfect time.
As there was a large group of us we were given the whole of the upstairs dining room, the food was plentiful and quickly dispatched to our tables. Good value for money, with quality ingredients used...I must say I thought it was some of the best Tapas I have ever had.
Attentive and quick service from the waiter / server...all in all I had an excellent experience here and will not hesitate to come back
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I am glad other reviewers have had more favourable experiences than me here.
Against my will I was dragged back in here again last night, and to give credit where it is due my experience this time was better in certain aspects.
Firstly the French landlord has finally realised that on hot sultry days people want to stand outside in the air, and therefore the exterior wooden bench tables are now packed away to provide some space so that he no longer has to do his very annoying impression of a sheepdog on heat trying to get everyone to stand inside some imaginary white line that appears to be only drawn in his head.
And secondly , all five handpumps were functioning and the quality of the ale was quite good.
Unfortunately what hasn’t changed is the ability of the staff employed here. Frankly long gone members of the Guild of Barkeeps who were adept at serving several customers in parallel and keeping the charges in their head before taking the money to enter into the push key tills in the days before EPOS terminals, would be spinning in their graves when watching this lot.
Firstly , when you make it to the bar, be prepared for the lottery to be served as they still have no inclination to who arrived first or second and still serve whoever is closest to their eyeline when they turn back from the EPOS terminal
Secondly, when you do get served be prepared to have to ask for top ups as on three occasions last night I was the victim of woefully short pulling unless you like a good 2 centimetres of foam on the top of your pint.
And finally when you try and pay expect further delay whilst the complexity of pushing a few buttons on a state of the art EPOS terminal has a hypnotic effect on the user.
So an improvement , but the Queen & Artichoke still does not inspire me to return out of choice.
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I was actually reasonably impressed by this pub. Despite it being very crowded and a little trendy, it had a reasonable pub atmosphere and an acceptable choice of ales. For some reason I had imagined it would be a typical gastro type offering, but the food trade seems to be mostly absorbed by the upstairs restaurant, in which by the way, the food was pretty good. Deserves way more than its current rating.
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Seems ok, landlord was good, pedigree and others all on, middle of the day so quiet but nothing else to report...
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Well worth a visit. Last Friday (Dec10th) very crowded but speed of service acceptable. Five ales on hand pumps: TTaylor's Landlord (being changed); Marston's Pedigree; Adnam's Bitter; Sharp's Cornish Coaster and Sharp's Abbey Christmas.
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After meeting up for a bit of sport in the park we decided to go in here for a few post�exercise pints as it looked like a decent pub from the outside and there was a fair crowd on the pavement on this warm evening.
We won�t be making that mistake again.
On entering only the Pedigree of the three hand pumps was on and the Adnams and TT Landlord had gone. And , despite there being five staff dressed in the black pub uniform, only one seemed to be involved in serving people at the bar. I guess the others were all concentrating on the restaurant upstairs.
And then that persons inability to recognise who was next to be served was only matched by their inability to pull a full pint.
Despite this we decided to stay for a few rounds, but even this was almost thwarted by them running out of glasses because no one was bothering to collect the empties now covering every table surface.
So looking at some of the reviews below with regards to the upstairs restaurant, I suggest this place sorts out if it wants to be a restaurant or a pub. Because at the moment it�s making a piss poor attempt of trying to be both.
Conclusion�. Very poor.
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Excellent food - great value and delicious. Friendly but slow service. You won't need a starter as you get complimentary homemade foccaccia and oil/balsamic for dipping which is seriously moreish. Gets too crowded for comfort on fridays and saturdays.
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Surprised at bad reviews on here. Been in a few times as is popular with some of my colleagues. Bit ponced up and expensive, but generally I was indifferent to it. Very middle of the road. But admittedly there are better options in this neck of the woods.
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I don't know where mycetes got their prices from below, but I have been in this pub a few times this year and the cheapest wine is about �13/14 a bottle, not sure about the champagne but I can only imagine most pubs charging a similar amount for beer and wine in this very central part of London.
Also the food is great and so far I've had really friendly helpful staff and good service (although i do agree the service charge is out of order). BUt i htink the reviews on here are really out of line comapred to my experiences in this place. Nice pub, nice, decor, good atmosphere and good food.
spana - 16 Jun 2009 15:40 |
First of impressions of this out-and-out gastropub were not promising. I'd had in mind the bad reviews on here, and the pub looked untidy, with piles of dirty plates stacked up on the right-hand side of the bar. Service was nowhere to be seen and when it did arrive there were two or three very stressed looking barmaids trying to serve the entire pub. Our table was ridiculously close to the one beside it and we had to shift it such that it blocked the fire exit. But, things improved. Two ales on tap (Pedigree and Adnams) and the Adnams was well-kept and very drinkable. The food, when it arrived was good: I had roast beef (it was a Sunday) and there was lots of it and it was tasty. The food prices weren't cheap but were good value given the quality, I thought. I thought that with a bit more thought given to presentation, this could be a decent place to eat.
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Had a birthday party here on Saturday night. Guests were typically late but the staff had no problem with delaying the food. Service was friendly, beer was alright, whisky was lovely and everyone commented on how nice the tapas was. Will be back.
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You would be forgiven if you thought this was a pub. As there was no price list for beer and as I was handed back �7 change from �10 note after asking for a beer [Marstons 4.5%] I conclude it cost �3.
Champagne prices very clearly list �40 for Veuve Clichot or Moet Chandon. Wine �22 per bottle.
Pretends to be a very expensive restaurant. Will leave you very short of money. Charges 12.5% for service -if you get any.
Stay well away from this rip-off joint
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I was astounded by the low score for this pub as I worked nearby for a year and liked it; however, I went back and have to say 4.1 is generous. Awful, awful staff - can entirely identify with the review from nk74 - if they feel they can make a bit more cash from anyone else they will shift you on. Not a pub but a greedy, greedy hole.
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I was peacefully sitting at one end of a long table last night having a beer with a mate. A couple with a toddler were at the other end.
French waiter trots over to chuck us all off the table because it was 'reserved'. No reservation sign in sight of course. He then brings one from another table as if that is supposed to settle the matter. If of course he'd acted politely and said he'd made a mistake that would be one thing, but he didn't.
There's a right way and a wrong way to deal with things, and this pub is currently choosing the wrong way. Won't be going back for a couple of years until there's been some staff turnover.
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In view of the past reviews here of this establishment I was filled with trepidation at being invited here for a birthday lunch yesterday (Sunday). However all of my fears were put to rest. Although the first pint of Adnams that I ordered was towards the end of the barrel it was readily changed with an apology and replacement with the barman making sure that the glass was suitably cool. Henceforth my wife and I were looked after with two excellent value bottles of bordeaux with the meal. Furthermore I could not fault the meal despite my concern at the large number in our birthday party and in consequence the cooking of the beef to our preference of medium rare. To our delight the beef was properly served medium rare (not medium and not rare) and my starter of pea and mint soup was one of the best that I have had. Although not on the menu my wife and I finished our meal with Afrogato which was served without any fuss. The food, drink, hospitality and service for such a large party was commendable. My wife and I will definitely return as will I am sure most of our party. The prices, although not cheap, are very reasonable for the quality of fare.
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Too pretentious for its own good. Myself and a freind were chucked off a table as we were only drinking beer and not eating, despite other tables in the "pub" being free. Someone needs to remind them what the concept of a pub is all about - drinking!
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Booked a table for 4 tonight. Arrived to an empty dining area (it is Monday night after all) and requested if we could have a different table, nearer the window and away from the bar. Was told my an eastern European waitress that it was not possible and she then continued to argue with us! There was at least 8 tables free! Her behavior defied logic and was amongst the worst I have seen in London for a fair while. Avoid this place if you have the choice. It doesn't strike me as a gastro pub anyway and you'd probably find a better atmosphere at your local conservatives club. My wife did also point out that the place smelt like urine too. AVOID.(I am giving it a score of 1 for the name though)
anonymous - 8 Oct 2007 21:19 |
I am a regular at this pub from the day it was re-opened, and i think it is a lovely place with very personal service. The French waiter in question is charming in a continental kind of way. Whoever says he's rude obviously has never been to Paris!!
The food is good 9 out of 10 times, and the blond barman is cute...although he is a bit blonder now than he's used to be.
I want to praise the management of this establishment for doing a great job!
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Like other reviewers the worst feature of this so-called gastro pub is the appalling rudeness of the French waiter and the fact that half the tapas menu doesn't exist in reality. Pleasant barman tried hard to compensate for the arsehole in a pinny. Having been told that our first three choices were not available, a spinach dish that should have been at least warm had obviously just been dolloped on the plate straight from the fridge and was foul. The lamb kebab amounted to two miniscule balls of mashed meat (possibly dog but it was impossible to tell)and the two miserable tiger prawns were still frozen in the middle. Just don't bother going there - it is awful.
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we went to the QH&A for a celebration, first mistake.
Lovely venue
But we were served by the grumpiest rudest most ineffective waiter. The French are renowned for their love of food - out waiter did just about everything, including playing with any left overs on the plate with a fork, to put us off the scoff and our ever coming back.
The food was underwhelming/ Dont expect a handsome share of vegetables - they generally came in two's - which is fine unless we are talking miniature varieties.
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In many ways this is a lovely pub - it manages to look cool but traditional at the same time. The food is excellent. The service however, particularly at busy times, is not so good. So one for the daytime.
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very mixed back - adnams/pedigree were suppose to be available- adnams was off and pedigree was dire (its shite beer at the best of times) the bar man was more interested in chatting to his mates than serving anyone, the main bar makes no concession to non-smokers, intrusive pointless music, however the food is dam good - atleast from the Tapas menu so some hope but there are plenty of pubs around London than can better this one in all round terms.
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Nice pub, terrible service. I saw one of the staff making a lager top, with 75% lemonade, then asking how you made a shot of vodka. Took me fifteen minutes to get served with four staff behind the bar. Pretentious.
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We went to the restaurant upstairs, excellent and well priced Malbec, I asked for my steak rare and thats exactly how it came (you'd be surprised how uncommon this is) and it was extremely good. The initial drinks did take a while to come, but everything after that came at the right time, time enough to be relaxed and really enjoy the food, wine and good company. If you want fast food, go to a fast food restaurant! We spent about �35 a head but we did consume a good deal of wine. Thoroughly enjoyable evening.
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Waited at the bar for one of the four staff to stop chatting around the coffee machine, finally shown to my seat, where 2 seconds later a waitress turned up asking for my order (luckily enough had a quick glance at the bar as I was waiting) and knew what I wanted. About 45 minutes later the starters turned up and then an hour after that the main course! No-one came and explained why there was a delay and when I asked they said rather rudely that they were busy. The tables filled up with glasses but no-one seemed to clear them up, even though strangely enough downstairs there were hardly any people, Oh when I asked for my bill they took 20 minutes to get it - and forgot our coffee...The food actually was okay if a little overpriced. I shan't be going back, shame though as it used to be a nice pub.
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Trendy but not in a bad way. Not what I would call a boozer but the guy behind the bar appreciates beer. Once he drew me a pint that had gone off and he really abased himself for doing so.
Not what I would call a 'great' pub but considering that the area is filled with 'OK' pubs and it is certainly better than most I'm sure I'll be here again.
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I visited this pub for the fourth time last night and was for the first time disappointed. They generally have two cask beers, but last night the Pedigree was off and I watched in vain as the last of Ushers dribbled into my empty glass from the pump. The barmaid did show some sympathy, but its pretty incompentent to let both bitters fail at the same time isn't it? Went for a Lowenbrau instead and regretted it immediately. The interior is still beautiful, but the (all female spanish/hispanic) staff seemed a little more concerned with shouting gossip over the music than looking after the punters.
The food did look very good though. I'll return again, hopefully on a better bitter night.
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nice bar - this used to be a really mental old pub with chelsea nutters and old drunken blokes dancing to elvis on the jukebox. i used to be quite fond of it as it was.
the new version is nice though - the food is really good and nice beer and very nice people.
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great little pub - if you want to eat and it's busy down stairs, take a trip upstairs! The food is wonderful and the service is great too. Never had a bad meal in here and I've eaten there many times.
london - 28 Oct 2004 11:00 |
The pub has been praised in the Guardian's national gastropub guide, which lists the top 150 pubs in Gt Britain. Must be good!
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it's a chilled out kinda bar. relaxed dark wood decor, good looking bar staff, comfy sofas and some good music, some jazz and a bit of groovy house on the weekeneds. although probably mainly a wine bar, it's good for a few beers too and the spanish tapaz menu is very tasty, if a little pricy.
alisdair - 21 Nov 2003 13:24 |
