please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
With most tables set out for dining, an extensive wine list chalked up on one wall and a limited range of ales, this pub appears to have its foot firmly planted in one camp. Yet there are Banksy-esque and G&G prints, an eclectic music selection and crafty concessions on tap which are enough to keep the gastro pretensions at bay, although one would struggle to imagine this place heaving with the after-work crowd more through space considerations than anything else.
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In may ways this really seems to be more of a trendy wine bar than your traditional pub, with it�s chunky wooden tables, each with a candle on as well as some small candelabras in the window and reclaimed wooden floorboards but it�s a pleasant enough place I suppose, although it was very noisy on a recent Friday evening visit.
It�s a light and airy place with large, dual aspect windows, a dark maroon ceiling and leather bench seating around the perimeter. There is also a small amount of outside seating. There was an extensive wine list chalked up on a board next to the bar, which unusually listed the vintage as well as the grape and the vineyard. These were all available by the glass and there was a further wine list available in addition to this.
Beers on tap were London Pride, Doom Bar and Black Sheep. They also had Addlestones cider which made a pleasant change from most of the sweet, fizzy concoctions that you get around these parts.
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Decorated in the deeply dull 'gastropub' style which is to common these days, and filled people who mainly look like young Tories, this is a restaurant and not really a pub. Such a shame - the pre-makeover Wellington had real character.
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For about four hours in mid-afternoon, this pub is quite a nice pub. The rest of the time (lunch time and evening) it's basically a restaurant with some slightly drunken people standing at the bar or sitting outside, where to they kick all the drinkers to make way for diners.
If you are OK with your pub being a restaurant in disguise, then I can recommend the decor, which is tasteful, and the food - which is very good, although served on cold plates. I must however warn you the service could drive you insane. It's slow, not exactly helpful, and a couple of the staff are just plain rude. Wine is expensive by the glass (�6.40 for the cheapest pinot noir on the blackboard): you are probably better off getting a bottle. Beware that if you choose off the wine list you may have to wait 25 minutes while they hunt in the cellar for the bottle.
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First impression not great but very friendly service , three ales on Black Sheep , London Pride and Deuchars . Pleasant enough outside to sit in the sun and watch the world go by .
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I went there for lunch today. Black Sheep on draught which was in superb condition. The food was absolutely fantastic and very reasonably priced. The staff were extremely good and there was never any pressure to vacate the table when we had finished lunch.
Everyone who came in was eating so I never could see if people would come in just for a beer. I cannot see why not as they make up the table for food after you order. Also there are a couple of stools at the bar.
I would recommend this pub to anyone visiting the area for lunch, dinner or even just a quiet pint.
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This is another restaurant pretending to be a pub. The fa�ade is now painted that dark grey that these sort of places seem to like � as in Imagine 9 of the photographs above. Images 1, 2 and 3 are out of date. But the Black Sheep Bitter was pretty good - �3.20 a pint though. Can�t see any real reason to return.
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I have not visited this "pub" since me post of 22 Sep 2005, but it's obvious from the photos this place has gone to hell. Total, complete shame! Where have all the good London pubs gone???
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I'd never been there before the make-over, so I can only judge it on its own terms (while agreeing to be saddened by the trend that its transformation represents).
On this basis, I have to say that I was very favourably impressed. The service was friendly and helpful, and, while admitting that nothing's cheap here, the beer, wine and food were all good. The atmosphere was much better than I'd feared - a surpisingly mixed clientele, with lots of people just in for a drink, denying the impression that this is now an entirely food-dominated establishment.
Not bad at all.
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rubbish , nothing "pub" about this place. if i wanted to sit somewhere surrounded by prams and MILFS, this place is great. if i want a beer with the mates i def wont come here
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I wanted to hate this new gastropub because it replaced a corking little boozer that dripped character from every creaky pore. The transformation antique to gastro-chic has been accomplished with the standard asylum white-washing of the walls and removal of decorative trinkets. The place has been culturally sterilised and the charm is gone.
However, the food is great. I was dragged there by a "food-loving" friend of mine and had some bisque and cottage pie. Both were excellent. Even the bread on the side was cooked fresh and tasted great.
Long the lunch, short the evening pint.
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I totally agree with the last comment. Except this isn't "virtually" a restaurant, it is one. I went there on Saturday, admittedly lunchtime, and it was full of prams and people eating in hushed tones. I never went to this pub unfortunately but I can imagine it was a lot more interesting than my experience on Saturday. The food was incredibly expensive and not up to much too.
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I wish restaurateurs would open up restaurants in empty shops rather than ruining traditional pubs. In it's old guise this place had real character and was a place for everyone - now its virtually identical in look an execution to numerous other gastropubs. The march of predictable, safe uniformity continues unabated and not even Marylebone is safe.
This is virtually a restaurant now - so much so that if you want to find a review of it in the papers, you need to look under the restaurant section.
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This place is now apparently a gastropub - it was reviewed in yesterday's Evening Standard
I wholeheartedly agree with the sentiments expressed by the previous reviewer - he's summed up perfectly what we're all thinking.
It's a crying shame.
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Sad to say the old Duke has been cleared out, and all the memorobilia has gone. It's a great shame because this pub had real character. Now it will be another clone bar. Another bit of old London gone for good.
What we need is a Pub Renovation Society that buys up horrible modernised pubs and stealthily puts them back to how they used to be. One week the music is cut off; next the dartboard is back; then the spotlights are removed ... and so on!
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I walked past The Duke a couple of days ago and the pub was in the process of being refurbished. I dont know for certain but somebody told me that the owner has sold up and gone into retirment taking his collection of Napolionic objets d'art with him apprentley the pub will reopen sometime in October in a new guise as a gastropub.
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PLEASE CLEAN, this is what's letting the side down, this is very nice pub, the landlord is a lovely chap, the clientele are all good eggs and the atmosphere is conducive to having a good session, but the greasey seats leave a lot to be desired, please spend a few quid and you'll have a perfect little backstreet boozer, 9/10 would be a 10 if the furniture was replaced or spruced up at least. Great selection of Militaria on display.
anonymous - 3 Sep 2007 21:39 |
Went here for a pint while waiting for Thai takeaways, place needs a GOOD clean, toilets were a disgrace and place smelt old. Punch Taverns should do something about one of there pubs.
anonymous - 31 Jul 2007 18:48 |
good pub, nice and friendley, on the downside the place could benefit from a deep clean then it would be a perfect 10
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The Bombardier was smashing, but the Adnams undrinkable. Talked to the manager who said the landlord had had some that day and thought it was alright. Worrisome!
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A very old man's old man's pub and I like old man's pubs. Beer is usually good. Always think the place could do with a bit of clean though.
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Excellent pub,good well kept beer and an interesting sort of chap behind the bar,likes his locals but didnt sneer too much at outsiders like me!A must visit pub .Have a nice day
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Nice traditional pub, full of Wellingtonia. Well worth visiting if in the area. Seemed very quiet yesterday afternoon, which is probably a reflection on the fact that this is quite a good area for pubs
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A traditional pub, of which this area seems to have a refreshing number; in this case full, as people have said, of Napoleonic Wars memorabilia, which makes it stand out from other pubs.
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Superb Well's professionally served in a deafeningly quiet quirky and altogether enjoyable setting. 8/10.
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No better Pub.
Worked there 12 years ago and think daily on the wonderful experience and give much love to all the locals that had welcomed me.
If anyone has any news on Kieran Tierney, kindly please send my way. Te BEST Guv'nor and biggest Steve McQueen fan EVER! Thank you for all you taught me.
And to James Brennan, hope your drummin' again.
Much Love to all the Welly regulars from Sept. 1993 to March 1994. Special thanks to "my girl" Shirley, "Irish" Joe, Dickie "O-Hi-O", John, Kenny, Annie, Chris, "eastender" Wendy, Irene, "god loves a trier" Eddie, "Bollocks!" Mick, and "weekday lunch is for Tennents" Brian.
Lastly, thank you to the Turners Arms (across the street) for serving up the Murphy's Stout so quickly while I was on a break from the Welly. You always sent me back to work seeing straight.
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Went there for Sunday roast because I heard it was good. I was lied to... it was FANTASTIC!!! Huge portions and very tasty. Beer was equally fantastic. Owner was very nice. Also, no music to interfere with people's conversations. As stated by johnh, this is how a great pub should be. I will be returning soon.
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one of the nicest pubs one could wish to visit, lovely atmosphere, the man who owns the pub makes you feel very welcome, even if it's your first visit here, there is a sense of belonging, i visit as often as i can, sometimes my visits are spaced apart by many months, but the owner greets you like a regular and has the knack of knowing what your drink is, that's a man who enjoys what he does, which is most refreshing in these days of the chracterless chain pub. What first attracted me to The Duke was the window display of Waterloo memorabilia, which prompted me to check out the pub proper and i was amazed by the wealth of items pertaining to Wellington and Napoleon, how often have you been to a pub where the interior bears little or no resembelence to it's given name? Every visit i see something that new on me. The regulars are a nice crowd too. Top marks, keep up the good work
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This is how a pub should be.
johnh - 24 Apr 2005 09:52 |
So quiet you can hear Americans say "Gee, this is neat". And it is. But I'm thirty going on 85. Good selection of beer, nuts, and board games. Yes, it's one of those pubs. Snooze-tastic!
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I've been a 'regular' at the Duke of Wellington for 20 years, even though I live in California. In my very humble, but well-experienced opinion, this might be the best pub in London. It's gone through various hands over the years but governors and the staff have always been exemplarary. The outdoors seating, weather permitting, are lovely, with a quiet view of an ever-changing pleasant street scene.
While I want to recommend this pub whole-heartedly, I'd like to think that it should retain it's laid-back unassuming atmosphere. Nevermind that I saw Wendy Richard enjoying a libation there.
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Was here a quiet afternoon for a glass of wine, both the landlord and Australian (?) barmaid were very friendly and welcoming. Got a few looks from the locals, but they were probably just curious who this 'new' girl was.. Good old fashioned and charming pub!
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Great pub with very good beer. For me it is a very good early evening pub. Friends say that once upon a time George Best was a regular and would always be sitting at the end of the bar every time they drank there. Exactly what you would think of as a traditional London Boozer.
Gareth - 6 Nov 2004 18:06 |
Very quiet and old fashioned boozer
TheGP - 13 Sep 2004 11:21 |
I have always found this a most charming pub, good beer and the food, especially the Sunday roasts
are excellant
ALAN - 12 Sep 2004 13:42 |
A few years back, as part of a program at University here in the States, I had the opportunity to live in London. The Duke is where my friends and I would gather in the evenings after a long day of class. By the end of my time in London, the Duke had become my second home. While I've been back since, the original trips remain the best. Of all the pubs I've visited in Britain and Ireland, this remains the best I've ever been to.
Michael - 26 Aug 2004 13:23 |
the Duke is a pub I visited whilst I stayed in London. Lived just round the corner. This pub is moments away from a laundrette--put your clothes to wash, grab a pint and a bag of crisps. Put yur clothes to dry, grab another pint and a salt beef. Back in "the day" the cast of East Enders would be there. There is heaven on earth on a late spring night after the rain, walking from where I lived, to the Duke. Long live the Duke!
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Loved this pub. I've read lots about Wellington and it was cool to be here. Great atmosphere. Loved Napolean's hairs!
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my favourite pub on crawford street. it's not really anything special, but for afternoon drinking it's up there with the best of them.
anonymous - 16 Sep 2003 14:24 |
only been in once and there was some unpleasantness with the landlord over my mates' bankcard. we had been drinking for a couple of days beforehand so pretty hard to be objective about this pub
alex - 19 Aug 2003 11:16 |
