please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
What a pity you can only contact this pub through a premium phone number! I wanted to book a lunch there, but being put on hold at a cost of 10p a minute - I don't think so!
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Have to disagree with Simon on a couple of points. The "nautical theme" actually has nothing to do with the Thames. A previous manager who clearly had mental health problems got them from a bric-a-brac sale or similar. He was also responsible for the "Alice in Wonderland" cocktail bar above which unsurprisingly nosedived but had a brief res erection as the set for a couple of porn films.
As far as "locals" are concerned, Hinchley Wood is a mile away according to the stats above. However I don't blame them at all for wishing to spend their free time somewhere else !
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Excellent little pub opposite Giggs Hill Green.
Fullers London Pride, Sharps Doom Bar and Timothy Taylors Landlord all excellent. Ales are well kept with the usual stuff on the taps (lagers etc)
Relaxed and informal atmosphere in this pub with a comedy bar upstairs. Friendly staff and punters, a great place for a few pints.
FF
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Very pleasant pub to spend a sunny evening at; tables both out-front and in the garden area behind. Bar staff (who I assume were the landlord/lady) very friendly and welcoming.
London Pride was maybe on the way out, but both the Youngs and Hooky were pretty tasty. On the whole, very nice. Will be visiting again.
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Agree with GuideDog about the beer, but not the tables. Cafes have tables (the Angel has loads of them) Wine bars have high stools that old folk can't manage (the Angel has a few of those as well) Pubs have comfortable low benches along the walls. The Angel used to have these until some moronic manager ripped them all out and installed ceiling fans just as the no-smoking ban came in (no doubt following some package trip to Raffles in Singapore). For what the inside of an Olde Worlde pub should look like, try the George and Dragon.
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Pride, Ordinary and Doom Bar which were ok if not spectacular. Pleasant enough low beamed pub with plenty of tables.
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New management a big improvement on previous one (not difficult). Trying hard, deserve support. Things to change: The "locals in the window extension" who are not locals at all, they live in Hinchley Wood. Also the decor. Traditional olde worlde pub on the outside, cross between a wine bar and a cafe on the inside. Needs carpets and soft furnishings, too many tables and chairs. Can't even see the fire for all the tables. Will take a while to rebuild the customer base, who have all gone elsewhere as a result of years of totally incompetent management. Worth a visit.
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has come back on leaps and bounds recently and the food at lunch time is very enjoyable and great value. we had stopped coming here due to the regulars who sit by the window extension looking down at you (we had strayed into their area and they were not chuffed!) but its back on the list now and am sure my rating will go up in time too
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Great little pub. Hopefully moving to Thames Ditton in the next few months so had to check out the pubs before signing the dotted line. We were so glad we found this one! Fullers London Pride and Sharps Doom Bar were excellent. Friendly helpful barstaff and nice punters.
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I love this pub!
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My favourite pub in Thames Ditton. I always bring along a few dog biscuits for the hound. Good bar snacks.
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There was a time when you struggled to get served in this pub, simply because it was so busy. It had a great atmosphere with clientele from all walks of life. Haven't been there for some time but now I'm back in the area will do so soon.
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Nice patio area at the rear, went on Sunday, no food and only Youngs or Courage Best, yuk
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Well this pub is just great!!!
The dog's a legend and the Landlady's done a good job in creating a good atmostphere within.
Quality food at good prices, and the drinks are a good price too in comparison with a few of the other Thames Ditton pubs.
anonymous - 22 May 2007 16:34 |
Certainly nothing wrong with this pub. Well looked after, the front bar area is particularly pleasant. Definitely has no prentions, but it's not the ramshackle affair that you often get with 'traditional' taverns.
Well worth a visit if in the area.
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Beer is disgusting, expensive as well, the Fosters anyway, only had one so can't comment on anything else, looks nice enough inside, good old english pub.
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Another friendly local on the howling main road between Kingston / Surbiton and Points South. Seemed pleasant enough to me.
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This pub has been my local for the last year or so and it's one of the nicest pubs in the area. It has a friendly clientele from all walks of life, and a great landlady who put on a fantastic New Year's Eve night recently!
I can highly recommend the food, which is of good quality and reasonably priced. Best of all is Harvey, the pub dog - the friendliest, most laid back pub dog you could wish for.
All in all, The Angel is a relaxed, welcoming and pleasant place to be - a bit like your living room but more sociable!
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Aaaah the Angel. Shame Mr Anonymous had such a negative experience/view of it. The Angel is great. Best pub in the world, although as I don't live in the area any longer I'm not so local and regular to it. Used to drink there a lot when Dennis and Lynne ran it and had many great times. I just wish the present landlords would bring back the huge table football table they used to have! Christmas eve is always fun there and all the old faces seem to come out of the wood work then, so I'll be seeing you soon!
Great atmosphere, nice fire, great location, interesting pub with interesting people. Beer prices possibly a little on the steep side, but you pay for quality I guess!
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I have patronised this pub on several occasions both at lunchtime and in the evenings and I've had a pleasant time on each visit. It has outside seating front and back and the interior is made up of several bits, very cosy, traditional and typically English. Its low beamed ceilings, open fire, friendly atmosphere and pretty location make it well worth a visit. It's always been busy when I've been in and the bar staff provide good serviceand are friendly, as are the clientele. I'm told the food is good too. There are usually dogs inside but they are always well-behaved. I'm only sorry I haven't encountered the boxer puppy, he sounds adorable!
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This should be one of the very best pubs in the area, and at last, after years it seems in the doldrums, it might just be getting there. Always had a soft spot for the place - I mean any pub where you run the risk of banging your head if your not quite 6ft is OK in my book. On a cold winters day, in the room on the left, with the fire blazing and rain lashing down, well you could be up in t' Dales lad! Good in summer too, when you sit outside, cradle your pint and watch the cricket over on Giggs Green. Blessed Albion at it's finest.
anonymous - 28 Jul 2005 14:58 |
Nice 1
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As the owner of the "hostile and aggressive" dog referred to in a recent article, I thought that I should reply. The article makes the pub seem like something out of a Clint Eastwood spaghetti western. The fact is that in forty five years of using the place I have never seen a violent incident - the closest was probably half a century ago when my mother burst in and apparently slammed my fathers stone cold dinner down on the bar in front of him, much to the amusement of his fellow drinkers.
The Angel has a magnificent setting facing the cricket green, log fires in the winter and a stable door and cool breezes in the summer. After a stream of completely incompetent managers over the last twenty years, each seemingly worse than the last, the pub has seen a dramatic improvement in the last few years. The place is clean, the food excellent, and the beer well kept, although the Youngs still causes problems from time to time.
However, the most important thing about a pub is the clientele. Most are locals, some rich, some poor, some grumpy some extrovert, with a broad spectrum of religious views, political leanings, and even sexual orientation. What glues it all together is tolerance. Readers may also be intrigued to know that Thames Ditton apparently has a reputation for being a community of "swingers. I confess to being slightly put out at never being head-hunted for this activity, if you'll pardon the expression, but if you like people-watching Friday nights in the Angel are great for a little harmless speculation as to who might be what with whom. I have to say that some of the suggested couplings are bizarre to say the least, but then some people just have warped minds.......
Back to the dog. He is a Boxer puppy, just five months old, full of mischief and his stump never stops wagging. In his short life he seems to have endeared himself to everybody in the pub, and he is kept on the lead at all times. On Saturday a group of four of us were indeed talking to the bar-maid, who is Polish and lovely with it. She gets married in a few weeks, and we were giving her a few helpful tips about her wedding night, as you do. This guy walked in, didn't acknowledge any of us by so much as a nod, sat on a stool right on top of us although the pub was empty, and didn't so much as smile the whole time he sat there. He then stomped off a little way, and I spoke to him because it was becoming a bit embarrassing with him so out of it. He then went off into one about the dog, and one thing lead to another.
I have no respect for people that write anonymous letters. He need not "fear for his life". I doubt that any of us would even recognise him if he came back, far less care. Life is too short. There are a number of good pubs in Thames Ditton, and I hope he has found one that he likes upon which to inflict himself. Their loss is our gain.
So what is the pub like? Is it like a sparsely populated episode from Last of the Summer Wine. Is it full of sexual tension and inuendo. Or is it just locals relaxing and exchanging banter and insults. The truth is that its probably a bit of all three at different times. Why not drop in and find out ??
foggy - 24 Jun 2005 10:26 |
TheAngel is the quintessential English pub, not a wine bar or gastropub, just a good honest pub offering for cask ales good wholesome food and great company. Situated on Giggs Hill Green In Thames Ditton you can enjoy lunch and a pint while watching on of the longest established cricket teams batting it out before tea.Used by friendly locals and passers by it has outlived the everchanging nouvelle pubs and enjoys its traditional status. If you are in the area pop in. A warm welcome awaits!
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I have been drinking in this pub for many years and enjoy it immensely. It is beamed with low ceilings and a cracking log fire and it is friendly.
What sets it apart is its food, four real ales all well kept and the charm of the Landlady.
I recommend it to all because it opitimises a good traditional local
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Hello,i dont really do this sort of thing,you no... make a comment,talk outloud.because iam quite shy and a newbie to forums even though i look and watch them i dont take part,i blame my parents.
The subject.
The Angel
Angel road
Thames Ditton
Surrey
KT7 0AU
Tel: 020 83982005
The Angel in Thames Ditton has given me the courage to stand up and be counted.I moved from Surbiton to Thames ditton last July (04) and the local out of choice(there are around 4 other pubs to choose from)became The Angel a home from home(when iam aloud to go down there)
The comment from this chap who ...in his words ...
"I could not fail to notice however that one of the customers had a rather hyperactive and aggressive dog"
The pub is "dog friendly"
The pub is "child friendly"
The dogs are "people friendley"
I take my duaghter ther some weekends for a pub lunch.As i think of different ways to tell you how fantasic this pub is.iam also drawn to try and understand the vibe this chap had and how he tells us his version of events.I was not there so i cant say 100% what happend that day,all i add to the pot is......."ITS THE BEST PUB FOR MILES"
p.s The Angel ....is i think 3/400 years old and wont be closing like the gentleman thinks.Come back and try it again.
pp.s whats with the barmaid "was of Eastern European origin" ALL ABOUT
Thanks for your time
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Hostile and troublesome locals - you are urged to think carefully before visiting this pub. I made the mistake of calling in last Saturday week - 11 June 2005
( Please note that I have been a regular contributor of fair and balanced comment to this website for approx 9 months and have never been afraid to put my name to my contributions. This time, regrettably, for reasons of personal safety, I am contributing anonymously for the first time ever )
Entering the pub at approx 2.30 pm on the 11th, I ordered a pint of Youngs from a rather pleasant barmaid, who, I later presumed, was of Eastern European origin. There were a group of about 4 - 5 other customers, evidently locals, together at the bar engaging in good natured conversation with the barmaid - a typical everyday pub scenario being played out daily in pubs up and down the length and breadth of the country.
I could not fail to notice however that one of the customers had a rather hyperactive and aggressive dog that was continually straining at the leash. Not surprisingly, this made me somewhat nervous. I stood at the bar for approx 10 minutes or so, later moving to a seat by the window close to the entrance to the pub. I had by now decided that I would not linger here over my pint. A few minutes later, the customer with the dog commented to me that I did not look very happy. Presuming that he had realised that I did not feel particularly comfortable with the lively dog, I told him that I was not particularly keen on the animal. A brief conversation ensued in which I expressed disappointment that we were having what seemed to be a minor disagreement. I pointed out that I was not a troublemaker and was in fact one of the nicest people you could wish to meet All he could say was that I was "unsociable" - hardly a crime even if it were true. I suspect that the conversation would then probably have petered out - the dog owner did not look the type of pub hooligan that we all try to avoid - but, at this stage, another member of the group, who was rather younger and had been sitting unobtrusively on a bar stool in front of me, joined in, telling me to "pi** off". He proceeded to tell me that the landlord was upstairs with a big Dobermann dog and would be down shortly - the inference being obvious. I took this as my cue to get the hell out of the place pretty pronto and did just that.
What more can I say ?. The pub is situated on the main Kingston - Esher road in a good location, just opposite Giggs Green. From the outside it looks quiet an attractive and inviting pub. Ostensibly, it seems a "nice" pub - not the type of place where you might expect to be threatened with the owner's dog - but, as we all know, "nice" pubs are closing down all the time all over the country and being replaced by flats, Chinese restaurants etc. I'm sure we can all think of pubs that have met this fate. It would be interesting to see if this pub is still around in its present form this time next year - I wouldn't bet on it.
To the landlord - to whom a paper copy of this submission is being sent anonymously - I would say " does it not concern you that a seemingly less attractive pub like The Ferry Tavern 100 or so yards away was packed full that afternoon, when your pub had only these 4 - 5 locals plus an unfortunate passer by ?( me !)
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I liked this place, its sprawling and been added onto. The food was good, the fireplace warm and the pub dogs friendly. It looks like the pub all the london pubs try to be like :). Wish I'd seen it in its heydays.
Definitely coming back for more.
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I have a print of this Pub cica 1930's. It has a friend standing outside with his cycleing jobpers on plus other friend who have stopped for a drink on their to possibly Brighton!There is also a horse and cart outside next to a horse carriage company! Would the current like to have it!
Michael Woulfe - 27 Oct 2004 10:35 |
I agree with Barry - something's missing although I couldn't tell you want. The bar billiards are fantastic though.
Ciar�n - 26 Aug 2004 16:28 |
Small Village Pub near the Green. Friendly and good food, nice to be able to crawl home afterwards!!
Andrew - 25 Aug 2004 12:17 |
This should be the perfect pub - a beautiful buildig, good range of beers, friendly barmaid....but something somewhere is missing. Can't say what. Still worth a visit though.
Barry - 17 Jun 2004 15:55 |
Used to be a really good local pub run by the nicest land lord and lady you could hope to find. exposed oak beams, low ceiling and an old man playing the electric key board by the open hearth fire on a Friday night out the front for the older generations, whilst out the back an eating area, amazing table football table, quiz machines and themed Alice in Wonderland bar upstairs to the rear meant that all would have a great time every weekend until about 4am in the morning, when our good hosts would finally feel it time to retire. Unfortunately they eventually retired on a more permanent basis and the pub has changed hands a few times since, with a nice hike in preices on each occasion. Today the same old locals still prop up the bar , but sadly this is in now way a redeaming feature, and all that was ever good about this pub left with or soon after Dennis and Lyn, who are sorely missed.
Chris - 1 Dec 2003 11:23 |
