please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
That rare thing a modernised pub with character. This is quite simply a very pleasant place. Particularly liked the selection of books in the corner. Perfect pint of Young’s. Recommended!
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Well I have commented many times in the past on this pub as Mr lunch but my login has expired so I am back! What on earth have they done? For the last few years there has been no need to comment as their manager Charlotte did a fantastic job. Now she has left the owners have taken it into their own hands. Best described as an all bar one for students. The refurbishment is shocking. The old bar etc have been removed. No bar stools for the old regulars and just bright and unwelcoming. The bar staff are either chatting or looking in the mirror trying to look like posh and becks. Going to vote with my feet on this one. Especially as it is cheaper to drink in Mayfair than hanging out with students. A shame, I have been going here for 20 years but they don't care or even ask anyone's opinion. You can't even buy a normal bag of crisps anymore! Grrrr
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Improved Ram Pub Co house with a good range of Youngs beers and nice decor.
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Large modernised Young's pub on Merton Road
6 cask hand pumps, 5 serving ales. 2 from Young's, Wells, Sambrooks Wandle and my choice which was Twickenham Summer Ale
Mid afternoon on a Tuesday and it was pretty empty
Music playing at an acceptable level
The front drinking area with bare floorboards and lots of wooden furniture, the raised seating area to the rear is carpeted and has more of a dining feel to it.
A good tick for me
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I really like what the new management has done with this pub. They've improved the decor, outdoor furniture and added nice little touches inside. It was a nice pub before, but it's even better now. Bar staff are great and service is speedy. Great pub where you can watch sport if you want to, but volume levels are low enough to chat if you don't. They've got the balance right. Keep up the good work!!
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Recently under new ownership and beer Is not bad. However, when it becomes busy (usually with food service) it needs to be better staffed. It also needs to decide whether it's a pub or a crèche at times. Not sure about the disabled toilet placement either?????
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Notwithstanding the ongoing problems with the drains which do not make the toilets the most attractive, this pub has definitely upped its game in the past few months. I have eaten here several times and the quality and variety of food has been good, especially the specials board. It isn't the cheapest but the place has a bit of a buzz about it now and I reckon the best staffed for some years.
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After looking at the pub's website prior to visiting, I was then charged considerably more for a pint than stated.
Update your prices please and stop taking the piss out of customers.
As for the pub? Meh. And the toilets stink.
The Wandle nearby is much better.
I won't be back.
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This could be a great pub if they'd just make a little more effort.
It has undergone several changes in the past year including a tasteful refurbishment, a new menu and strong branding and yet it is still not a welcoming place.
The bar staff are a mixed bunch but only one member could be described as friendly and she's not always on duty.
Prices have shot up which makes me wonder if the customers are paying for the refurbishment. �3.50 for a pint of Bombardier is a whopping 20p more than in Central London and Youngs Bitter is 15p pricier than at a nearby Youngs pub.
Such a shame that a potentially fine pub is let down by such small faults.
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Ugh just arrived home from having a meal with friends at this place. The food to be fair, was really good. The staff however - why do they bother getting out of bed every morning when they clearly cant be arsed to be there? Unless your're a face that they recognise dont go here! the barmaids are so rude its almost laughable, this pub is not woman friendly!! the barmaids are too busy giving you dirty looks for having the nerve to walk into their little 'youth club' to even consider giving you half decent service. My opinion? find a manager who's priority is delivering good quality beer and service not one who clearly cares more about impressing young girls and the locals. Never again! horrible atmosphere, beer and staff. Im pretty sure an 18 yr old is running this place, either that or a 45 yr old man who is chasing his youth..either way, terrible. What a waste of money on refurb when really nothing has changed.
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This pub is my local and is has been through a really dire patch over the last couple of years - really glad that it has finally been revamped. What a difference - this place is back how it used to be when we first moved here - a real local's pub with great food, drink and atmosphere. Well worth visiting especially if you went in the last couple of years and were disappointed! We didn't go for years walking to the Earl Spencer in preference - since the revamp we haven't been back to the Earl as the Pig is so good. Well done Barny!
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Just been re-done. Really nice inside - not too pretentious but not full of oiks, either. There's outside seating now at the front as well as back so there's always a chance to catch the sun (on the rare occasion it's out!).
Good selection of beer and the food's yummy too (not to mention the barmaids).
The bar staff are all friendly and efficient - surprisingly so when it's busy.
Best pub in the area - a league ahead of the others.
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Ok where to begin. I've lived in Southfields all my life and although this is the furthest pub to walk to, there is a reason for me making this trip.
The 2 near Southfields station although cheapest only attract thugs and scum with horrible staff and horrible drinks.
The Earl and Gardners are nice but get mixed crowds, for both being next to each other pull in 2 completely different people in a social hirarchy and even though the Earl is nice, most of the people in it are too old and the pub is very unsociable unless you go with a decent sized group.
Park Tavern is the only one that has anything on the pig mainly because of the food and staff yet since the small refurb there are no deals so the fantastic pizza's they do are a bit pricey to have so often.
Now the Pig, probably the nicest Bar staff in the area, always smiling and friendly and speed of service is usually great as there will always be enough people behind the bar however busy it is.
3 communities all meet as one and the age ranges from the young to the old, but everyone seems to get along nicely and interacts with each other too.
The new look is great and should hopefully pull even more people in, hopefully a bit bigger younger crowd especially for the weekends as the Pig is great in the weekdays but weekends lacks a bit of a vibe.
The food is worth the money though Pizza's would do wonders as the Park Tavern has shown with the amount of people that order them there including myself!
Its fairly big and great for sporting occasions as there are many TV's and a big screen t the back and the garden out the back is always nice in the summer. The new front garden seems nice too and the Pub has some of the comfiest chairs i've sat on in a pub.
The pub also serves a bit later than all the others and the extra 20 minutes makes a big difference as I feel pressured at other locals to drink faster as the last orders bell is rang to early in them and they kick you out about 5 minutes after the bell goes so you have to down your last one usually.
I give it 9/10 as its the only local one that pulls me back with the Park Tavern being its closest rival, although the Pig pulls in more punters and a more diverse and friendlier crowd on weekdays in comparison.
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A friend of mine begged me to go with him to the Pig (as he used to live in the area and not been back for a while).
I tried to tell him not to bother, but we went all the same.
He now vows never to go in there again. He remarked how the bar staff had to continually run out to the local corner shop to buy more tomato juice for his bloody mary(s), which meant that it took ages for him to get a drink.
For my part, nothing has changed (it's only been a month since i posted so I'll try to be fair) - the toilets still stink, the bar staff are still slow and the beer still continues to taste (I imagine) like the urine from the afore mentioned loos - hope to god they haven't got their pipes mixed up...but that would explain things.
On the plus side, they've got rid of a few tables from the main seating area, which actually allows you to enter the pub easily.
The worst pub in the area. Fact.
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This Pub should be renamed Pig in S*** because that is what it is. It used to be so clean you could eat here! The bar staff are hit & miss as is the beer. I always judge a place by its toilets, you can smell the gents from the top of the stairs! No soap or towels, the ladies is not much better, no lock on the door, loo roll on the floor, no soap & no towels. I dread to think what the kitchen must be like! The tables are left unwiped it' is such a shame how it has gone downhill. This place needs a manager that knows how to run a pub and manage staff. Come back Youngs!
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A wonderful local pub , exactly what a local should be ! Friendly staff , friendly patrons , geat beer , good value wines awesome food , theme nights , live music sport .... seriously ..... i want to live there !!!
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I've joined BITE for the simple fact that I have to complain about this pub. I've been a resident in the area for the past 6 years and this pub has gone downhill massively.
What's wrong with this pub?
1. The barman has one eye watching the TV while he's pouring your pint, so your service ends up being slow.
2. No please, no thank you.
3. He spends more time playing the fool behind the bar, desperately trying to get the female barstaff's attention.
4. The beer tastes awful - clean the pipes perhaps?
5. The place looks a tip.
6. The food is crap and overpriced.
I could go on. I now have to resort to walking down to Earlsfield to get a decent pint. This could be such a good pub and it's a shame that nothing has been done about this yet. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.. please please please we need a decent boozer in our area!
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Absolutely terrible food, and the rudest barmen. A real pity, used to be such a nice place but it has been ruined. Avoid.
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Been here many times in the last few months after moving to the area. Good beer, freindly staff and big food.
zak39 - 29 Dec 2008 13:23 |
Went to the Pig & Whistle last night for a pre-Christmas party with about 20 people. A very pleasant evening. Excellent and generous food (lamb shanks, pear in wine sauce, mince pies) for about 18 GBP. Staff (3 young guys) were perfectly friendly and efficient. My first visit to this pub, but certainly not the last one I hope !
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Went there one Friday night for a few pints and some food. Beer was OK but the portion of ribs was seriously massive - it drew gasps of surprise from the table next to ours when the waitress brought it over! All in all a good night, didn't encounter any problems with the staff as has been suggested by previous reviewers
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In there the other night,and all I can say that I've never come across a more surly and ignorant barman. I think the two phrases "please" and "thank you" are somewhat out of the comprehension of the afore mentioned member of staff. Also the barmaid on duty at the same time was rather too busy to serve customers as she was talking to the barman, despite 3 people waiting!
I notice that above the bar is an award, saying that the place had won some sort of customer service award for 2007-2008. Must have been for the previous staff,certainly not this shower. Shame really as it used to be a decent pub.
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Shame - always been a reasonable local pub, but can only echo niois87's comment. The current bar staff seem more interested in their mates than the customers. would love to see the Aussies back ...
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Went here yesterday, with three friends all very tired after nearly completing the Wandle Trail from East Croydon. Good Beer, peroni on draught and my real ale drinking buddy said that the 'Special' was excellent also the Roast Dinners were the best we've had for a long time. The only gripes were the prices and the souless and non-descript interior.
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In response to anonymous, this is Sarah from The Old Sergeant. Just to set the record straight...
The Sergeant was part of the Barbeerian Inns group but have not been since May. Still a Youngs pub but now run by another independent company.
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Now (along with the Old Sergeant and ???) under the management of a company called I believe "Barbeerians". Management seems to be remote/by cctv...spooky!
Food seems to sell well but clientele seems to be in transition since the smoking ban...the court is out.
Not sure how the young staff would deal with a riot.
anonymous - 2 Aug 2007 21:20 |
I was a bit confused with this place. It was as if it could not make up its mind wether it was a hotel lounge , gastro pub or student pub. The bar staff seemed friendly and there was Queen being played in he background. The food was very plain...nothing to email home about. So I still do know wether I like this place or not. It is the "Switzerland" of pubs.
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An average pint, an average pint of Special (if that's not a contradiction in terms). Friendly barman.
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Attracted back a few times by the news of the departure of the awful PM.
New management firm but friendly. Beer supply a bit hit and miss; Special not available on a couple of visits. Quality average.
Food looks/smells good but haven't tried it yet.
Beware SKY haters, it has been restored!
A pub that doesn't seem to quite know what it wants to be yet. Music can be intrusive at times and not matched to profile of the custom.
But I am pleased to be able to give it a rating above zero at last.
anonymous - 18 Oct 2006 20:34 |
Been popping in here, on and off over the last few years. It's nice to see a change in attitude and a warmer welcome than in the recent past. Bar staff are excellent, efficient and best of all - friendly.
Music's not bad either, although I think if I hear "Too Many DJs" on a Saturday night again, I might opt out.
A decent local, on the up again.
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Not amazing but a nice pub. It seems to be getting busier recently. Its reputation must be recovering from 'pyjama man'.
Not tried the food yet but it looks ok.
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After the Earl Spencer & The Gardners this seemed like the two mixed into one, okay pub and with the best pint of Youngs for a few weeks, must have timed it well! May return again as it's on a convenient bus route.
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Standard Young's pub both in respect to the beer and interior. The atmosphere is pretty nondescript, and once served me one of the worst pints of Ordinary I've ever had.
If you want something more intresting head to The Fog instead.
anonymous - 25 Jun 2006 21:41 |
Pyjama man has gone...
It feels brighter..
The staff are smiling and friendly..
The beer has gone from undrinkable vinegar to actually being rather good..
Only nipped in for a couple of crafties so shall reserve judgement for now but things are definitely looking up.
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Having reread Mr_Lash's comments earlier... this dive of a pub is actually only 1.6 miles from it's brewery.
Pub postcode: SW18 5JD
Brewery postcode: SW18 4JD
YTDM...
Roll on 13th May and the changing of the guard.
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News reaches me that pyjama man is leaving 13th May 2006. We can only hope for better things to come.
anonymous - 10 May 2006 22:08 |
I go to the P&W reasonably regularily and I have never seen this now infamous pyjama man! The clientelle are by no means rough looking either generally speaking so I suspect that their has been a change of ownership. Nice pub for a quiet drink.
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Opens one hour later than most other pubs in the area, beer is always good and the staff are friendly. The other customers also seem quite civilised. I haven't seen any pyjamas since I started patronising the place in late Summer. I like this pub.
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I moved away from earlsfield about a year ago and the PnW was already in decline then. I remember the pyjama clad chap posing as a publican and indeed the beer, food and clientele had already started to slide. A real shame as this used to be a quality boozer. Ian may not have been the most sociable landlord but he could keep beer.
anonymous - 10 Aug 2005 12:16 |
in response to Kezzer, a lot of the loacl area is owned by the Mormons and they have a say on how the licencing is controlled. As it is at the moment there are no more licences available and for a new bar / restaurant, an old one needs to shut down. I couldn't agree with you more though about a decent pub in the area.
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Surely some entrepreneur out there will soon realise that there is a huge market for a decent boozer in this area? i.e not The Slaughtered Lamb from American Werewolf. If Youngs can't manage it, someone will. Arthur Road, near the tube, would be the best place.
In the meantime, us Wimbledon Park locals are forced to patronise the P&W as is, with Mr Pyjama Man as Landlord and the cast of the Thriller video as fellow punters. Somebody please do something. Maybe we should march on Youngs like the Chartists and see if we can get it changed? Decent toilets might be a start.
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Visited with some friends on an early Friday evening, as part of a local Youngs crawl. We thought it was uninspiring and lacking in any sort of pubby atmosphere, whatsoever. Probably the least enjoyable visit of the 5 we did that evening. One of our group likes drinking from a jug - ie a dimpled pint glass with a handle - the inept barmaid didn't even know what a "jug" was ! And, yes, you've guessed it - they didn't have any.
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Ian and Val back? Your having a laugh I hope. Thanks for the spelling lesson anyway (pyjamas). Lets get a community pub back, not a private drinking club for the landlord's friends.
anonymous - 18 Jun 2005 23:46 |
Is there anyway we can get Ian and Valerie back? Good beer and food are now a distant memory. Young's (yes pyjama man, it is spelt like that)please listen and get rid of the skeletal looking man. Oh, and if you wanted to sit in the 'beer garden' you may find his car is parked in the way so it is probably best not to bother trying......
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Not wanting to believe Mr Lash, I decided to re-visit a pub I had faith in. The verdict?
Mr Lash utters no lies... The Pig & Whistle once thrived on it's ability to quench the thirst of pilgims from Wimbledon to Clapham, sating their hunger with Branigans Roast Beef and Mustard crisps into the bargain.
Now it wallows in ineptitude, attracting the bizarrest of patrons and producing some of the most disgusting fairyliquid-infected head that I have ever seen - even on pints of lager.
Also, I've eaten better food in a Wimpy.
I mourn the death of a well-placed establishment.
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No hope until pajama man goes, and then not much unless Youngs give the pub back to the local community, serving good food, quality ales and lagers and stop worrying about what somebody may have said or done in 1997. I have been to the funerals of several of the people of the banned list behind the bar (and I'm not one of them by the way).
anonymous - 16 Jun 2005 17:19 |
It pains me to say it but this place is becoming a total dive. I've started using it less and less - the beer is just poor. It's a Young's pub within at most 5 miles of the brewery and the beer just takes like piss. I am at a loss to explain how they do it. They've recently given up on serving Pilsner (the Young's house lager) - not surprising, the last time I tried it there I understood for the first time why people refer to rubbish beer as tasting like vinegar. On the increasingly rare occasions the beer is even faintly palatable it's because the landlord is on holiday.
Every time I've been in there recently I've seen people either sending the food back or querying as to why it's taking so long to appear. I had a roast there a couple of months back and it tasted as I would imagine a Birds Eye microwave meal for one (loser) would.
They don't serve good beer, they don't serve good food. There is no longer any point to this place whatsoever. Youngs, either sack the landlord or close the place down. It is now officially a shit pub. Give it up, you're going nowhere but even further to the sewer. Nul points.
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An excellent pitstop, but certainly not a yard-arm to closing time pub. Good crisps and good Young's beer. Some strange patrons, however...
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This pub is a decent local. Unfortunately, the good atmosphere is often changed by the rather morose looking skinny lad who always leaves his Arsenal scarf behind at the end of the evening. It is the likes of him and his other odious mates who sit there all day on a Sunday getting slaughtered and talking b*llocks that give this pub a bad name. And just who is that racist Northern bloke in shorts - one of their Dads? Prats one and all.
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This pub has recently started playing good music and actually playing it at a decent, though not intrusive, volume. Having said that, I wouldn�t recommend it on a Sunday.
It would be OK were it not for the imbeciles who insist on drinking all day at the centre table of the smoking section every Sunday. They�re loud and abusive and bring down the tone of what could be a very welcoming pub. I don�t want to single one of them out in particular, but �Rick Astley� seems to be particularly loud.
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I went to the Pig n Whistle last night with a couple of friends. We had a fantastic evening. They serve really good food & from Wed - Sat you can get 2 meals for the price of 1 if you order between 6.30 and 7.30pm! Very good value! I will definitely be going back there!
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to add to Mr Lash's previous comments, i have been here a couple of times this week and both times the new 'manager' has been sitting in his pyjamas drinking stella while we had to stand due to lack of seats. He then proceeded to get himself another pint while people were queueing (being a saturday evening) at the bar. On a more positive note I did see someone's sharing platter and it did look rather good. Perhaps the manager could muster up the courage to say hello to a customer and stop looking ill in the the corner.
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Further to previous comments I'm sad to say that the jury is still very much out on what is happening to this pub. Prior to the the change of landlord it used to be a very friendly and pleasant local. It served decent food, it served decent beer, and that was pretty much the end of it. I understand that the brewery (Youngs) did not deem that the place was profitable enough and that a change was due, but surely they can not have envisaged the transformation to a 'Welcome Break' style roadside cafeteria that seems to be taking place. I am aware that the profit margins on food are higher than those on drinks but the number of tables that are now crammed in in rows (bringing to mind a Victorian classroom) make it almost impossible to move through the pub. The landlord seems happy to serve drinks only for himself. (I hadn't known who he was before he was pointed out to me last night - I had presumed that the chap in question was a local 'character' who enjoyed propping up the bar in his pyjamas drinking stella but, no, apparently this is the gentleman responsible for this once fine boozer). The misguided innovations continue - the weekly music quiz continues to drive away the punters (witness the travelling gap toothed Mickey-Disco type setting up on the stage at the front of the pub as people look awkwardly at each other and their watches before making their excuses and leaving..) I don't want to be too negative about this pub as I really do want it to succeed - but it's in real danger of becoming the sort of place where the same 5 people sit at the bar all day glaring at strangers and leering at the barmaids.. Youngs, please sort it out!
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I have used this pub for the past 15 years and have seen many changes.Up until last year I considered it to be the best pub in the area, there was always a warm welcome from the Landlord and Landlady. This is sadly lacking now.
I am very pleased to see the introduction of a non smoking area and some good value meal deals. On the downside the removal of Sky TV is dissappointing as is thecleanliness of the pub and in particular the toilet area. The Manager appears to spend more time this side of the bar leaving his staff to work whilst he sits drinking.
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Opened in 1975 and over the next 20 years developed into a thriving community pub. Refurbished in 1996 as Youngs decided on a change of direction. 47 regulars excluded in 1997 for mostly trivial reasons (if any. These bans are being upheld by the new management.
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Not bad for a local, although new Landlord seems to sit on his derrier rather than doing any work- only real complaint is the crazy policy about children. Does the Landlord or Youngs not realise that they are in Wimbledon Park? The amount of business they must lose because of this is huge. Come on - sort it out.
Kezzer - 11 Oct 2004 14:28 |
The pig has had a pretty ropey 6 months or so following the change of landlord, the newcomer seemingly looking to bring a little bit of Essex to this very pleasant corner of SW London. Full credit to the (Youngs) brewery which has reacted to customer feedback (a big thankyou to Mr C for that) and has thankfully put a stop to his recent neon-isation of the pub, for example removing the extra televisions that were propped student-house style on tables around the place. The Youngs ales are well kept and the armchairs are very comfortable. Good range of snacks though they persist in keeping a vat of vinegary olives behind the bar, the level of which hasn't moved in the 4 years I've been using this pub. A new menu has recently been introduced, and it's hoped that the Pig is on its way back up again.
Mr Lash - 24 Sep 2004 14:40 |
Hey Olly, are you still alive or have you quit the drink ?
Gary - 17 May 2004 11:56 |
Gary - went to the Earl of Spencer last night. Not bad at all. Certainly offers a different atmosphere and evening out to the Pig. However as a local I think the Pig is still in front. Food looked pretty good at the Earl and the beer was nice, but a bit too far to walk for me. 5 mins to the Pig and 15 to the Earl. Hmm.
anonymous - 7 Aug 2003 09:40 |
If you want a better pub, try the Earl of Spencer just down the road. Great food, good beer and friendly staff.... what more could you ask for ??
Gary McQuarrie - 25 Jul 2003 11:41 |
I really enjoy this pub, good beer, good food, good atmosphere and a landlord that keeps the riff raff out. What more could you ask for from a local.
Sam - 27 Jun 2003 15:01 |
Come on - there has to be ONE pub in Wimbledon Park where you can drink beer (excellent) or wine + food (admittedly expensive) without being crowded out by meatheads (Woodman anyone?) or Poseurs (try the Puzzle). Then there are always those delightful theme pubs in the Broadway for your last respondent to drink in.......
Mark - 19 Jun 2003 01:16 |
Excellent food if the Landlord is overseeing it. Good service, good beer, not full of load-mouth Australians. What more could you want.
Pete MC - 26 Sep 2002 12:36 |
Youngs pub on the corner of Penwith Road - great beer and even better food. I give this pub 9/10 - it really is excellent.
Olly - 23 Aug 2002 15:39 |
