please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Very likeable Victorian pub with bags of charm - one of the best in the Kensington High Street area.
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Nicholsons pub in a fairly quiet pub just north of High Street Kensington. I was in shortly after opening time on Saturday. So I was the first in. I was joined shortly later by a guy with a stick who looked vaguely like Doc from Back to the Future. I got the feeling I was sat at his usual table, as he chose to sit as close to me as possible, whilst the rest of the pub was empty. This is a fairly small one room corner pub. Music from a radio was being played. Ales were Sharps Doom Bar, Roosters Fort Smith, St Austell Nicholsons Pale Ale, Trumans Yule Star & Camerons Tontine. I opted for the Camerons beer. But it was on the turn and the worst beer of the day. The pub itself wasn't too bad though and is handy to know about.
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Popped in here for a pint whilst on business in the area and it was OK for a chain. Several good beers including a couple of mild/stout type offerings.
So impressed was I that I came back with some work colleagues a week later as one of my colleagues was into the dark stuff. It was off, as were 2 of the rest of the total of 6 beers on the bar. what was really irritating was that the clips all faced forward giving the impression of a fully loaded cellar. This accompanied by the rude and arrogant attitude of the barman when asked why he didn't turn the clips of the dead beers means that I will not be going back to the Elephant and Castle.
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Visited here last wednesday 26th Jan Late morning. I was doing the Dick Whittington Ale Trail. Unfortuantly they did not have any Tee Shirts Left but did provide an Good Pint of London Pride. Staff were friendly and for early lunchtime the pub was quite busy. Very appealing from the outside in a nice quiet location. would definately go back and would luke it as my local. (unfortuately it is nearly 30 miles away).
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If there is anything such as a Nicholsons chain pub, this is it
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Judging by the other recent comments, we must have been unlucky when we visited yesterday about 1600. The place was empty, the staff unwelcoming and clearly bored (despite there being empty glasses on the tables) and with no idea as to a pint measure.
A pretty standard Nicholsons decor. 6 ales on offer - Pride (�2.95), Doombar (�2.75) plus 4 guests (�3.40 irrespective of strength). Usual Nicholsons food menu.
I wouldn't race back.
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Popped in on a Tuesday evening as part of a trail around Kensington. Very busy but served quickly none the less. Managed to get a table but there is also the option of standing under a heater outside. Good atmosphere, plenty of noise, beer was fine. Great little pub though out of those I called in found others that in my opinion were better, Churchill, Windsor Castle & Mall Tavern
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Great pub in a back street, good beer and bar comestibles! Had about 4 ales on, all top notch!
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Lots of dark wood in the typical Nicholsons style, settles, stools and banquette seating. Wooden floor, old photos, several of the Indian Raj era, but more interestingly the small area to the rear of the bar has a number of framed copies of newspaper headlines from momentous days of times gone by, such as the 66 world cup win. moon landings, D-day and more.
Hops entwined above the bar, friendly but perhaps I was slightly unlucky today beer wise, four pumps, two serving Pride, plus Pedigree and Caledonian Top Banana.
I am reliably informed that the late great Dave Allen used to drink here.
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This small but quite picturesque corner pub in a back street but seems a mile away from the hustle & bustle of the nearby High Street and it was proabbaly my most visited Kenny pub when I spent 10 years working in the area. Recently had my first visit for several years and little seems to have changed apart from the fact that the old regular chatty and welcoming bar staff appear to have turned into an automaton barmaid incapable of speech or smile facilities. The interior is cosy but quite basic and simply furnished with panelled windows and a traditional style bar frame. To the rear is a small, dark paneled section containing reproduction Daily Mail / Evening Standard front pages of some of the more monumental days in history (the Associated Newspapers are based just off the High Street). There is some outside seating to the front and rear but the residents apparently get a bit narked if the customers spill on to the pavement. 4 Ales - Landlord, Badger, Pride and Broadside at what for Kensington, are reasonably priced. All my memories remained thankfully intact, but a point deducted for the dreary barmaid. A smile and a hello makes all the difference!
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I'm mystified as to how this pub has managed to attai n the cask marque. I tried a mediocre pint of Timothy Taylor Landlord followed by a slightly better Broadside. I suspect the locals have more money than sense. The landlord/landlady has a lot to learn about keeping a good pint.
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I was in last night and the bar staff were excellent - fast, attentive and polite. I believe the landlord can be a grumpy b*gger however and about a year ago I had a spat with him when he served people out of order. When I politely objected he said "I haven't got eyes in the back of my head" and when I then pointed out that the his customer care skills could do with a tad of brushing up he informed me that if I didn't like it I could clear out of his pub. Apart from being a charmless nerk he's obviously never heard of the "cycle of virtue" and how good manners breed good manners (the opposite also being true) ...
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Quaint old pub on a lovely corner in Kensington. This is just the kind of pub I like, and I have known about this place for years but had never been there. I was therefore bitterly disappointed by the rude reception I received on Saturday afternoon. I asked for 2 pints of Amstell. I nipped to the toilets while the barmaid poured them and on my return I found a pint in an Amstell glass and a somewhat darker pint in a Pride glass. I politely asked the barmaid what the darker of the two was, and she told me it was Pride, like I asked for. Just as politely, I told her that I had actually ordered 2 Amstells, and could she please exchange it for another Amstell. "Of course," she said, "No need to argue." Who was arguing?! She then said to me, as she was pouring, "In that case you owe me another 50p". No 'please', very blunt. I handed her over the 50p and she took it without a thank you and then plonked my pint down on the bar. Is this anyway to treat customers? Has anybody else had similar experiences in here?
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Nice place. Serve a good pint. Quite unpretentious and fun. I work round the corner so this is a cosy little retreat post stress.
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I went on a quiet Sunday evening. It's a comfortable, straightforward place witha friendly atmosphere. The Pride was excellent, although the guest beer was finished. There's a Real Ale festival on here throughout February - the landlord went round giving out fliers, indicating an enthusiastic commitment to good beer.
anonymous - 22 Jan 2007 11:12 |
Good pub. Decent range of real ales.
Weirdly the pub closed at 7 p.m. on Sunday but it was Christmas Eve!
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this is a really nice little back-street pub, if a little posh, but hey, it is in Kensington.
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Great little pub hidden away in quite a residential area. Cosy inside, nice bar and friendly staff. Quite a find in an area that seems to be full of charmless, same old-same old watering holes.
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Nice traditional Kensington pub. Good beer, and a very good atmosphere. Recommended.
anonymous - 21 Sep 2005 14:22 |
good pub, great food done by the landlady (very sexy lady)toilets need a lot of TLC. landlord is a bit grumpy.this pub is well worth a visit and the bar staff are very good.
aecjs - 15 Apr 2005 12:38 |
Very nice, but outside seating is rather cramped. Nice selection of proper beers.
gink - 21 May 2004 15:31 |
We use this pub most evenings for a couple of pints after work. Landlord and missus are very friendly, beer is kept very well and the menu has something for everyone. Believe me, my colleagues and I have discerning tastes and the Elephant knocks spots off the opposition.
Jonny Hunn - 1 May 2004 14:36 |
Great pub. Been going there for about three years and althought the new incumbent of the landlord post is not as good as the old it is still the best place ever for a drink outside late on a summer afternoon.
Lewi. - 19 Feb 2004 07:01 |
A very neat compact little oldfashioned pub and not full of men in suits on a Saturday night, far more 'local', though you should understand that 'local' for the Kensington High Street area doesn't mean quite what it means elsewhere. Yes, give it a second visit, or even a first for that matter.
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i am fairly local to this place-live not a million miles from it however i can honestly say its not a pub i'd choose, round the corner is the catherine whhel, further which to my personal taste is excellent. This is the only local i visited once and havent been to since-i guess the venue is ok its just too backstreet ...i dont know...lack lustre as they say...
perhaps worth a second visit.
kisskisskiss - 22 Jul 2003 11:08 |
Visit it on 20 May at 7.30 to see the London Pride Morris Men dance....
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It is an amazing pub, the new Landlord is just fine. Madonna use to go there when she was visiting some freinds around...
Alison PO - 9 Mar 2003 16:00 |
It was a fantastic pub 20 years ago when it was run by a real landlord. It's a bit past it's 'sell by' date now.
Charles Farrow - 20 Nov 2002 21:26 |
ok if you like crowded pubs full of men in suits.
anne - 28 Jun 2002 11:10 |
