BITE user comments - beeronaut
Comments by beeronaut
The Bricklayers Arms, Kingston Upon Thames
Now under new management with comfortable seating at both ends and some live music. Downsides? The only beer is Greene King IPA. No more Kev, either.
5 Jul 2008 16:41
The Kelly Arms, Kingston Upon Thames
One beer on, rotating between Woodforde's Wherry, Ringwood and Doom Bar. Looks like a locals' pub in that almost everyone in there is male and probably owns a dog. For all that Kev (formerly of the Waggon and Horses) is a good bloke and is running a clean pub.
4 Jul 2008 21:23
This is not a YOung's pub,, you were thinking of the other one down the road, it's a lot nicer than that but it is expenseive.
20 Jun 2008 14:40
The new landlord is Ken Maguire, formerly of Latymers, Hammersmith. The beer is good, the food should be too if it is up to Ken's previous place's standard, and there is music: Kindred Spirit and Catherine Paver on this night, providing good atmosphere.
8 Jun 2008 00:26
The Jeremy Bentham, Bloomsbury
A nice pub for the area, four ales on tap, basic but adequate decor and a larger room upstairs.
27 Feb 2008 07:38
The Marlborough Arms, Tottenham Court Road
Obviously very busy and carrying on despite the renovation work which means you could miss the pub sign among the scaffolding, the Marlborough Arms is a typical central London pub in many ways: two ales on tap, tables full of people having loud conversations, a large hole in the partition between the cubicles in the gents' ... huh? Yes, there is one, and why is it not fixed? Undoubtedly too busy to do so. Not bad though.
22 Feb 2008 16:52
Made over it may have been but it is still recognisably a pub, which on the hike up Muswell Hill is a rarity. Four real ales on including Itchen Valley Fagin's; plus the Thai restaurant out the back. Found the people friendly and the pub comfortable. Pleased I persevered uphill and found this place.
22 Feb 2008 16:49
It has a captive audience so you shouldn't expect much, and by and large you would be right. London Pride on, yes, but coffee in paper cups? This marks it well down. You are taking the p*ss surely. It's ok if you happen to be at Ally Pally but it could be a whole lot better.
22 Feb 2008 16:46
Closed and boarded up. Does not look long for this world as this area is undergoing 'regeneration'.
20 Feb 2008 22:58
Good pub on a street that is mostly known for its Indian restaurants. Black Sheep in handle jugs! Friendly enough place.
20 Feb 2008 22:42
The Park Tavern, Kingston Upon Thames
No gimmicks like food or football (though there is a TV) - it's a pub. It sells beer. Three regular and three guest ales on tap (recently there have been beers from Orkney and Surrey Hills). The only food is filled rolls - it isn't a restaurant either. As to expensive, the 3.20 only applies to the guest beers, the regular beers are 2.50 to 3.00 a pint, which is normal for this part of town.
19 Feb 2008 19:56
Reopened after several years derelict. Reasonable decor and selection of beers.
18 Feb 2008 20:15
Like being at the zoo. Who needs the monkey house when you have hordes of screaming teenagers - why can't teenage girls talk without screaming every few seconds? and yoofs cracking their knuckles, usually on someone's face.
18 Feb 2008 09:13
I wandered in here just wanting a drink and was served by a very surprised barman who was probably astonished that I did so without being accompanied by my wife, children, several other relatives, and wanting a full meal. Clue, pal: it's supposed to be a pub, that's as in House, Public. Not a local branch of Mothercare set up in a Victorian barn which it resembles.
17 Feb 2008 18:04
This was a good food pub with some real ales as well.
'Nothing on the menu for the youngsters'? Don't kids eat proper food then? Mine do. A smaller portion size, yes. Chicken nuggets, no.
Oi loikes Dorset, oi does.
29 Jan 2008 17:54
The Grouse and Claret, Belgravia
And when I say, 'getting rid of', I don't mean selling them off as pubs, I mean redeveloping the site as more 'luxury flats'.
23 Jan 2008 12:37
The Grouse and Claret, Belgravia
This is worrying. I'm increasingly convinced that H&W are concentrating on a few 'key' pubs such as the Eel Pie in Twickenham, and getting rid of the rest. The Archery Tavern already, the Marlborough (Kingston) and possibly the Tanners (Horsham) in the near future, and now this.
23 Jan 2008 12:35
Bishop Out Of Residence, Kingston Upon Thames
Quite good for Young's beer and one or two others, the atmosphere isn't very traditional but it has a good situation on the riverside and is a lot better than many of the 'bars' in that overcrowded area.
4 Jan 2008 11:36
The Artful Dodger, Kingston Upon Thames
Why, what was wrong with it before? I thought it had a certain smoky charm to it. And a variety of beers often including unusual ales. I sympathise with the wish for cute barstaff but do we need yet another 'bar'?
11 Dec 2007 13:36
The Honest Cabbage, Kingston Upon Thames
Rumour has it that the Honest Cabbage is due for a change of ownership and a major shift in direction in the new year. Hopefully it will stay a pub.
4 Dec 2007 12:58
Pleasant little rural pub with a good range of beer, comfortable corners to sit in, and snuff samples!
26 Nov 2007 09:27
Only groups of people were being allowed to sit at the tables by the river. The bike, like goodness, had nothing to do with it.
19 Nov 2007 18:41
The Honest Cabbage, Kingston Upon Thames
Much improved recently in my opinion and they seem to have taken note of comments on this site. The beer has been improved (Wells Bombardier and Youngs Bitter), the layout also, and the pool table has been reinstated. Plus jazz on a Thursday night.
18 Nov 2007 08:23
Surprisingly good Timothy Taylor's Landlord considering the pub is very sterile and the barman seemed astonished to see me in some way - I can't account for it but his entire attitude connoted surprise at my existence, especially in his pub. Perhaps it's because I'm not a local.
11 Nov 2007 18:51
Such a shame it's going. A good night last night, there are just too many beers to try! The place itself is quite basic but it really is, as in for example the Bricklayers Arms or the Evening Star, about the beer.
1 Nov 2007 07:46
Exactly. What score to give a bar that does reasonably-kept beers sometimes with an interesting range, but is also the haunt of drunks (face down at the table ... the staff just say 'Don't serve that one). That end of Leeds station is older than the rest and quite atmospheric however.
22 Oct 2007 20:05
There was real ale when I was there - Fullers London Pride and Courage Best. Astonishing deco interior. Atmosphere ok.
13 Oct 2007 20:05
The Artful Dodger, Kingston Upon Thames
To be 'Acorn Urban Bar and Kitchen' according to planning applications.
OMG WTF...
10 Oct 2007 08:51
Not at all rough. An Irish local and the people are friendly. The only paper I could find to read was an Irish one but one of the regulars, realising I wasn't Irish, came over with an English paper for me instead. Now that is the kind of small kindness you do not get every day.
10 Oct 2007 08:05
The Hope and Anchor, Hammersmith
Why has it gone no RA now that it's a gay bar? If this place replaces the Royal Oak -and- the Pennyfarthing it's going to have to do better than that.
8 Oct 2007 13:50
A regular little local pub with two ales on tap and doing a good lamb baguette (!) at Sunday lunchtime. I don't know what a 'drink drive' customer would be like as I don't drive, but everyone seemed allright in there to me.
23 Sep 2007 20:43
The Lamb and Star, Weston Green
Reopened, lots of taps and pretty barstaff but no ale on tap! They are also going to close in October to refurbish the outside.
23 Sep 2007 20:36
The Red Lion has now reopened, all opened up into one space, with pickled eggs behind the bar and Wells Bombardier on tap. Pictures on the wall in the style of Georgia O'Keeffe.
23 Sep 2007 20:33
It's a restaurant ... I can't even sit by the river as I have arrived by bike, on my own (which is the sin against the Holy Ghost in modern pub/ restaurant terms).
23 Sep 2007 20:25
A quirky arty sort of place in the best possible way. Definitely Brighton.
12 Sep 2007 20:19
The Kelly Arms, Kingston Upon Thames
This pub has now reopened under new management and with a refit that has kept much of its old charm. Four real ales on tap, including one from the Twickenham Brewery, all in good condition.
Rumours of its death are greatly exaggerated!
2 Sep 2007 21:40
OK little local, no real ale, nobody tried to bully nor chav me when I was in there.
25 Aug 2007 18:49
Quiet little local with Thai food. I had Phat King (sounds like it ought to be deep fried peanut butter sandwich but wasn't) and some Shep Neame beer to go with it. I am no 'would be media kid'either.
25 Aug 2007 18:46
Operates a 'Gothic only' dress code even on a quiet Saturday afternoon. If I'd been dressed in my usual black T shirt and jeans instead of like a reject from Miami Vice I wonder if I'd have been allowed in. I hope so.
25 Aug 2007 18:40
Just now has Deuchars IPA on with others coming soon. A bit tatty from the outside but inside is fine. As said, it is a gay pub but not threateningly so - there were women in there also and it is a pleasant place to be.
10 Jul 2007 23:54
This pub has had more names than Madonna's had comebacks, but it is a welcome addition to the North End Road and not a bit Dickie (bad pun).
8 Jul 2007 08:33
That and serving staff wandering around apparently unable to find the person whose food they are carrying!
Good for a drink though. After all despite the poor tales of food here the pub has a reasonable score.
6 Jul 2007 22:16
The Lass O'Richmond Hill, Richmond
Post-refit, this is really a restaurant, not a pub, although it does have three (standard) ales on tap. You notice that all the recent reviews relate to the food, not the drink or the pub atmosphere, because you wouldn't go there for that.
1 Jul 2007 18:22
Small and friendly local with a secluded garden out the back, and which sells among others Somerset and Dorset Ale (4.4%). A lot of railway memorabilia around the walls.
3 Jun 2007 18:29
The Opera Tavern, Covent Garden
Cosy little pub, knowledgeable landlord, friendly enough place.
31 May 2007 22:36
Down to earth local with one bar occupied by a pool table. One real ale (not on at the time of visit).
26 May 2007 17:40
The Boaters Inn, Kingston Upon Thames
It isn't that close to the noisy centre. This is the place where Kingston does proper riverside, not just a slice of the town centre that happens to have a river next to it, as is the case further south. Four ales including a revolving guest beer. Do yourself a favour and walk or bike along the riverside path to this pub.
21 May 2007 21:31
A range of real ales despite which it has an alternative feel and young / indie customers. Counter-culture stuff. Music downstairs.
12 May 2007 06:01
The beer is top-end expensive stuff here though so no wonder it is dear. The tea menu stops at 5pm: why do cafes close at teatime? However it is a comfortable place for the quirkyalone to sit and watch the world go by and quite honestly, if they give you your change on a saucer, take it.
5 May 2007 00:44
Marquis of Cornwallis, Bloomsbury
That said it isn't a bad pub in the modern idiom. Three ales - Spitfire, Bishops Finger, T Taylor Landlord - and a range of non-standard lagers.
2 May 2007 05:37
Marquis of Cornwallis, Bloomsbury
Yes, expect to ask for top-ups. And be ware of your bag. Mine was nicked here.
1 May 2007 23:15
The Prince of Wales, Weybridge
Friendly little local unruined by 'progress' - Brian likes it being a traditional pub and that way it will stay.
30 Apr 2007 05:19
Once it was a pub called the Lincoln Arms. Now it is a family eaterie and the barstaff was surly when asked to top up a less-than-full pint.
30 Apr 2007 05:17
Not that bad. Had run out of beer on pump but apart from that the band was good (not just your usual three-piece covers band).
29 Apr 2007 01:07
The Pantechnicon Rooms, Knightsbridge
This pub seems to currently be closed, probably for refurbishment as it isn't boarded up.
25 Apr 2007 22:08
I was there a couple of years ago. Truth I did not visit it just before the review, but I have visited it.
23 Apr 2007 21:16
Very much in the modern idiom, the former Fulwell Arms (which is still the destination on the buses) serves two good real ales including products of the Twickenham Brewery, and a wide range of Belgian beers.
23 Apr 2007 19:12
Certainly better than a lot of its press, aimed at sport - at least six screens. Sort of 'The Malden Tup' without actually being called that.
Deuchars IPA palatable on a warm day.
15 Apr 2007 18:37
Sounds like it's been ruined. Your chance at a good Young's pub hereabouts: the Spring Grove or the Waggon & Horses.
11 Apr 2007 20:46
Deservedly in the Good Beer Guide, the Bear and Billet has a good range of well-kept ales and is also a friendly little pub on the way down to the river and away from the tourist-thronged centre of Chester.
9 Apr 2007 18:43
Seems to be a regular place for locals including families. I agree with possibly widening the beer range - I'm sure people would go for it. My only problem was finding my way back out again - the pub is a bit of a labyrinth.
24 Mar 2007 21:33
Refurbished in an unpretentious style, serving Hobgoblin (�3 a pint!) and GK IPA. A handful of local people have complained about 'noise' from this pub but it doesn't seem like a rowdy place to me. Besides, why move near to a pub and then complain there's a pub nearby?
24 Mar 2007 13:24
Such a shame it's gone, the Hard Edge Club used to take place here upstairs. One of London's classic little venues, this was.
18 Mar 2007 17:25
The Hedgehog and Pheasant, Pimlico
Possibly - but it was the Princess Royal until some time pre 1997 when it became the Orange Kipper (see comment re crappy made-up names).
15 Mar 2007 18:38
Cracking and friendly at the end of a long evening 'across the river'. Wandsworth and Putney are up and coming areas so they do get the gastro treatment quite a bit but consider the alternatives; many are far worse than simply raising the bar with regard to the food. The beer is good too. Plus you can sit outside. The people who use it are friendly also.
4 Mar 2007 09:57
He may know his real ales but why does he serve them so darn cold? My pint of Grand Union One Hop was too cold to taste. They advertise 'the coldest beer in town' but that shouldn't apply in this case (but it shouldn't be warm either).
25 Feb 2007 08:14
Basic pub but with good Thai food. Not at all like a dosser's armpit, unlike some other pubs around here.
17 Feb 2007 17:46
Nice local pub along the canal, even my friend who doesn't particularly drink and isn't fond of pubs was quite happy there when she lived in the area.
17 Feb 2007 17:44
The Sun In Splendour, Notting Hill
This is a relaxed corner pub with a small range of beers including Friuli (one of the few times I've ever seen that put forward as a 'main' beer! I suspect the beers on the counter tap vary regularly.) In a way it's as much a cafe'-that-sells-beer as a pub but sometimes that is what you want, and it isn't really a concept we have in the UK so it could be hard to get a handle on. The people there certainly seemed ok. As to the barstaff, the young woman who served me was sympathetic to my lack of familiarity with the brews on offer. It is all a bit Notting Hill, but then it is in Notting Hill so what do you expect? Dalston?
12 Feb 2007 09:50
Surprised this pub has such a low rating. A nice little local between river and road, on the border of Surbiton and Thames Ditton. Sunday lunches, quizzes on a Wednesday night, two regular ales and a guest ale. A good pub.
10 Feb 2007 18:04
Another friendly local on the howling main road between Kingston / Surbiton and Points South. Seemed pleasant enough to me.
10 Feb 2007 17:59
Large local and female-friendly pub with an easy-going atmosphere, all the best to it.
10 Feb 2007 17:58
Not the most upmarket pub, but as City_Womble infers, is that any reason to demolish it? No it bloody well isn't. The more remote areas of Surrey (of which this isn't one) were only 70 years ago among the poorest parts of Southern England and it's only recently that the BMW set have decided it's all theirs. Good Courage Best here, nice staff and down to earth but friendly locals.
10 Feb 2007 17:56
Sort of retro-local on a square near Baker Street. Decor amusing (well it is), food good bar snacks - not everybody wants a square meal in a pub, that's what restaurants are for, and the people at the Gunmakers seem to have realised this. Beer is Greene King IPA and Bombardier. A mostly young crowd and that extends to the barstaff also.
9 Feb 2007 21:26
Friendly enough local Youngs pub. No sign as far as I can tell on the outside of what the name is; I had it as the 'White Horse' (a common enough name). Had a conversation about football. I know nothing about football. So be it.
4 Feb 2007 19:03
Come on you slags, go to this pub, why don't you? I can't believe there was almost nobody here on a Sunday afternoon. Friendly staff, good Young' s beer, jazz in the back; what's not to like? Local equivalent of the Grey Horse in Kingston (and yes, it's Young's as well, or should that be it's Wells and Young's), but less smoky and less poky. Still love the Grey Horse but I can walk there in 10 minutes and the Half Moon is a busride away. I shall take the bus.
4 Feb 2007 19:00
Let the caged bird sing. One of the best pubs in SW London, in England, in the world. Beers from Timothy Taylor: don't be decieved if you have only had Landlord, that is their 'loss leader', the others are better. Lovely bar staff, friendly regulars, so beautiful ...
4 Feb 2007 18:55
Thee up its own arse. Look at the specials menu. How long do they take to say 'liver and bacon with mash'. Talked to a nice SE London girl who doesn't drink bitter either.
4 Feb 2007 18:53
Rather tatty-looking but this belies a decent local pub where three ales are on song. All power to the new team who have been there a year now.
3 Feb 2007 23:25
The Spring Grove, Kingston Upon Thames
Come 1 July it'll be allright then. Once you get south of the railway in Kingston it's just this place and the Bricklayers I reckon.
31 Jan 2007 13:15
Friendly large pub with a good range of ales and Belgian beers.
29 Jan 2007 21:00
Why are Kingston riverside pubs mediocre? I have no idea. Hammersmith, hardly the most salubrious town on Earth, redeems itself by having several pleasant pubs by the river. Kingston seems to be incapable of doing that. It seems the riverside here is designed to be looked at from the buildings along it, not actually used, which is a shame, but there is no reason why a decent pub or two can't take root here. Just because the town is oversubscribed with young families (just try dodging the pushchairs on a Saturday morning) doesn't mean it can't have good pubs - parents need pints too!
28 Jan 2007 20:20
The Bricklayers Arms, Kingston Upon Thames
Not the most promising location but this former Morlands pub now getting its beer from Greene King is a genuine local with a charismatic landlord who cares about the beer, the food and the pub. If anything there are too many pubs in the Fairfield area and a lot of them are mediocre, but not this one. The Park Tavern is nearer Richmond Park but apart from that there is not a lot of difference between the two.
28 Jan 2007 20:14
One of the first pubs I ever went into. But it was the Sanford Arms back then.
27 Jan 2007 19:50
The Marlborough, Kingston Upon Thames
If it was 'just like any pub in Fairfield' it would sell Greene King IPA and possibly Courage Best. The Marlborough (that's its name, not 'M') breaks the local GK monopoly and sells Badger beers. Now whether you like those or not is up to you, but I say give the Marlborough a chance.
22 Jan 2007 13:53
The Queens Head, Kingston Upon Thames
Range of beers plus proper cider, pleasant barstaff, two large television screens, pool in a separate room and a dartboard (and how often do you see those around here, eh?). Has much improved from a year or so ago when it seemed determined to be yet another chichi and unfinished gastro bar.
21 Jan 2007 19:46
The Willoughby Arms, Kingston Upon Thames
'Has no redeeming features'??
What about:
- a wide range of interesting beers
- proper cider
- music on a Saturday night
- a landlord who actually gives a damn about running a pub
- being a proper pub in a town that doesn't have enough of them
- a beer garden
- events on during the summer
And from 1 July it won't even be smoky any more.
21 Jan 2007 12:45
Bar Ha Ha, Kingston Upon Thames
The trouble with this whole area by the riverside is that it seems to have been designed for nice views of the river for people sitting in the bars and restaurants, but less pleasant for anyone actually on the riverside path - which is a shame, despite what Jerome K Jerome said about 'it is very pleasant to sit in a pub looking at the river. It is far more pleasant than sitting in a river looking at the pub.' The riverside path is thus crowded with overlarge developments and is less than utterly pleasant to walk along. Richmond and even Hammersmith have far nicer river frontages (though Hammersmith's is cut off from the town by the A4). It is ok to sit in Bar Ha Ha with a coffee looking at the river but there is not a lot of atmosphere.
20 Jan 2007 17:00
The Cardinal Wolsey, Hampton Court
Nice pub, nice beers, pleasant barman, redoubtable manager (not seen), shame about the yappy little dog. Oh well.
16 Jan 2007 23:28
Extremely pleasant pub in a street one or two back from the river opposite Hampton Court. Deuchars which tasted nice and a couple of other ales as well. Quiz on Tuesday nights. If I lived anywhere near here I would come here a lot.
16 Jan 2007 23:27
Prince of Wales, Hampton Court
Down-to-earth locals' pub overshadowed by the Albion nearly opposite. Serving three Greene King beers, the Prince of Wales is also dominated by three (at least) large television screens. It may not have been the worst in the area but the area has lost a lot of pubs recently, one or two of which were from this very street.
16 Jan 2007 23:25
The pretension problem isn't the French House, it is what it is, but the Guardianista mob who bang on about how wonderful France is until you want to scream "If it's so naffing wonderful why don't you shove off and live there?" Mind you I was first taken here by a beautiful half-Asian woman who later did go and live in France. C'est la vie, pet.
14 Jan 2007 21:12
The Honest Cabbage, Kingston Upon Thames
Well, it was busy last night too and a good time was had by all. Item '2' on the list of 26 August can be ticked off - IPA now OK, though one of the barmaids insisted there wasn't any (not just that it had run out, that there wasn't any at all). Me: what am i drinking then?
14 Jan 2007 11:18
No.88 Bar and Grill, Kingston Upon Thames
Now back up to three ales on pump, which is more like their usual standard - nothing out of the ordinary but at least there is a choice, unlike some of the Fairfield pubs which I won't bother to name.
13 Jan 2007 16:39
that 'over 21s' story does seem overreaction. I'd think that normally that kind of rule is something that _can_ be invoked if someone looks like they're causing trouble - but you weren't - not something that has to be adhered to as if it were gospel. Clearly in Fulham they think they can always drum up a couple hundred more punters from somewhere. But such behaviour will often turn round and bite a pub in the arse.
12 Jan 2007 13:23
The Willoughby Arms, Kingston Upon Thames
Several well-kept ales in one of the best pubs in South West London. Back up to an 8/10 (and nowhere has ever got a 10!)
6 Jan 2007 23:57
The Lord Moon Of The Mall, Whitehall
Further to last night's comment, they do vary. Some Wetherspoons are better than others when it comes to the beer choice, and the Lord Moon, with two proper ciders and something like five or six ales apart from the standard big-brewers' ranges, is one of the better ones. JDW's pubs call themselves 'Free Houses' which changes the meaning of the phrase a bit, but beer choice is down to the pub's manager. Even the Kings Tun which has come in for a bit of stick had Hogsback A over T last year - hardly a 'bog standard bitter'.
5 Jan 2007 09:54
The Lord Moon Of The Mall, Whitehall
Actually there was a range of non-usual beers here.
5 Jan 2007 00:47
And it was called the 'British Oak'. It seems the Irish don't mind drinking in a pub called 'British', so why do the gastropub set seem to think the word offends them and must be removed?
31 Dec 2006 15:46
The Warrington Hotel, Maida Vale
Apparently he is aware of the significance of the interior and that it's on the CAMRA Local Inventory. Not that that stopped the people who revamped the Queens Arms, Hammersmith.
31 Dec 2006 15:40
The Crown and Anchor, Chiswick
Former Young's pub with modern decor, not very trad but comfortable enough. Barmaid apologetic that they 'only' had London Pride on tap, perhaps this means they usually have more choice, but Pride was fine. More of a local pub than others around - pool table, etc.
30 Dec 2006 19:41
Largish town centre pub which claims to be Winchester's oldest, with a non-smoking area downstairs, as davel_cats suggested. A pub owned by Greene King (founded 1799, tortuous Crosby Stills Nash reference possible) and does a middling-sized range of their beers including something wintry at 4.5% whose name I've forgotten. No ploughman's lunches, but salads are ok.
29 Dec 2006 16:09
Little corner pub near the station that might be unremarked (it certainly looks more like a shop than a pub) were it not for the presence of guest ales: today, Cheriton Flowerpots (yes, they're brewing again) Jingle Juice. 6.0%. Lovely!
29 Dec 2006 16:02
Triffic little local pub - yes, people there wear baseball caps and it's a Chelsea pub, but it's good natured, even the dog, and they sell good Young's beer.
27 Dec 2006 23:55
I thought it had reverted to its original name of the Roebuck. You're right though it does look very restauranty, if that's a word.
27 Dec 2006 10:24
Popped in here while following (with a couple of slight changes) Brighton and Hove CAMRA's 'Best Brighton Pubs' crawl. Almost nobody in but then it was Christmas Eve. Had some Shepherd Neame Master Brew which was fine. This is another little Brighton local of the kind that should be cherished because 'you don't know what you've got 'till it's gone', as Joni Mitchell sang.
24 Dec 2006 19:19
Brighton is full of little locals like this, so much so that you wonder why other towns aren't. There really does seem to be a pub on every street corner, and probably a pub or two in the middle of the street as well . Quite possibly there are also vertical drinking joints and chichi bars too but I wouldn't know. This one is typical of the breed - a straightforward pub selling Harvey's Ales and serving as a community resource in the way that pubs should.
24 Dec 2006 19:11
Wonderful range of beers centred on the Dark Star range but other stuff too which goes all the way up to 10. Percent that is. It really is all about the beer here - as Alph_river said, there aren't any gimmicks to get in the way.
24 Dec 2006 19:07
Big pub with lots of people in on Christmas Eve, staff handling all food and drink requests happily. Harveys Sussex as in most pubs around here.
24 Dec 2006 19:03
The Northumberland Arms, Brentford
Oh come on Rollo, it's not that bad. It's now called O'Briens II but despite the Irish name has some real ale on tap and is comfortable enough.
23 Dec 2006 09:37
The Magpie and Crown, Brentford
Great pub whose guv'nor keeps a variety of real ales on the go. Brentford is an odd place - half council, half gentrified - but has maintained a lot of pubs, many of which unfortunately are rather crap. The Magpie and Crown however is a lovely place.
23 Dec 2006 09:31
Entertaining Hall and Woodhouse pub with the usual wide range of beers from their Badger brewery: I would say the Tanglefoot or the King and Barnes Sussex Ale are the best to try, other Badgers being hopless and sweet, as seems to be the style of this brewery, not to every taste. Landlord is a bonzer bloke.
19 Dec 2006 23:51
A bit dark and dingy and despite its GBG rating I found the beer (Deuchars) to be warm and a bit stale. Echoing Bedfont's comments of two months ago. It was, also, a Tuesday, so quite likely it was the end of a barrel, but still. Apparently has a cracking jazz club so it might be worth turning up for that.
19 Dec 2006 23:48
The Westminster Arms, Westminster
I ought to hate this pub. Obviously aimed at tourists, so you expect it to be full of them whinging about 'warm beer' - but it wasn't. Seven real ales, seven malt whiskies, seven dwarfs (er, persons of restricted growth) ... well, I made the last bit up. Besides, there are plenty of working folk around here and they must polish the bar with their elbows of an evening, same for people attending conferences in the nearby QECC and Methodist Central Hall.
So I don't hate this pub.
19 Dec 2006 17:26
The Sanctuary House, Westminster
A bit hotel-like, beer fine, no-smoking area, but restauranty or hotellish (well, it is a hotel).
18 Dec 2006 19:10
Oh, did I mention I actually liked it? Maybe I didn't and I was just going on about the beer. No, it's good, the best around here along with the Buck and the Cask and Glass (of the ones I've tried anyhow).
18 Dec 2006 19:04
A wide range of beers here, if by wide you mean Youngs and Fullers which is a bit like Celtic and Rangers fans in the same pub. Does happen though. Young's Winter Warmer on song. At least nobody whistled at me here.
18 Dec 2006 19:04
Well, this is allright then, isn't it? Nothing wrong with this one, or perhaps we're overwhelmed with cosy little pubs in this area. The decor is ok and the fireplace is interesting, as are the five ales on tap and not one of them under par.
18 Dec 2006 19:02
Oh dear oh lor. What's going on here then? The coppers at least used to drink in the Buckingham up the road. When I worked locally with a Scots DI* called ... well, I won't name him, but he had a bit of a reputation, it was a proper pub with proper sofas you could get lost in. Now it has been ripped out and turned into a ghost of a fleapit - I doubt there are any crims in here, they wouldn't be stupid enough to drink on the doorstep of Scotland Yard, surely. That is something in its favour, and by god apart from the pretty darkeyed barmaids it needs something in its favour.
*Daily Inebriate
18 Dec 2006 18:59
I see what you mean, I last came here last century also! But come on, it isn't that bad (as Harry Lime said). Still a proper pub, on three levels, with pleasant bar staff and as decent beer as you are going to get from Greene King who are not, in all fairness, my favourite brewery, but the Ruddles County was fine.
18 Dec 2006 18:52
A small corner pub to which the approach is simply terrifying - by bike at least - but it doesn't follow that the pub is poor. I was glad to see three Youngs Ordinary handpumps only be told that the Youngs is off, because since production switched to Bedford the beer hasn't kept at all well. (They should really turn the handpumps round if the beer isn't on).
17 Dec 2006 17:05
What the curious little country pub poised on the edge of Putney Heath. Young's Special not altogether brilliant. But for a Saturday afternoon when the whole of South West London seemed on the move, it was good to kick back and then walk from here along the Heath road, between light and dark. The Green Man did not have the character of the Angel, but then perhaps it doesn't have the characters, either, or I was sitting in the wrong place.
16 Dec 2006 20:40
Nice little pub with the usual Wells-and-Young's range. Frequented by locals who have increasingly fewer places to go around here - the wine shop opposite used to be a pub, and the Maltese Cat has gone, flats built in its place. Had a good off-the-wall conversation with two local good ol' boys here and then went back along Roehampton Lane, past the shuttered-up shell of the Montague Arms. The BITE listing gives seven pubs in Roehampton, four of which have now closed down.
Young's Ordinary seems to be getting back to its old self again, after the initial phase from Bedford when it was too damned sweet! It went down very nicely in the Angel though.
As Hilaire Belloc wrote, as long ago as 1911, "When you have lost your inns, then drown your empty selves, for you will have lost the last of England."
16 Dec 2006 20:35
Now known as Waterside, either it doesn't serve beer in the winter or it won't open at all in the winter. One or the other but people weren't sure which.
12 Dec 2006 11:24
Young's Ordinary definitely on the up, good food and Winter Warmer also.
11 Dec 2006 11:41
Bass, Adnams Bitter, I don't remember the third. Did I say three good real ales? (insert comment about GK IPA)
9 Dec 2006 18:12
A lovely little backstreet pub in an area of row houses probably unchanged for a century and a half - but only a few blocks from Waterloo Station. A paradox? Yes it is, and it has three good real ales on tap also.
7 Dec 2006 21:20
Nikolaus, do you mean the Falcon? Bird of prey, yes, but another one! Certainly that doesn't come into my categories of 'dives' or 'vertical drinking bars'. Not sure about the Goat; it looked more like a restaurant.
27 Nov 2006 21:04
The Windsor Castle, Clapham Junction
Seemed ok to me, everywhere else around there seems to be a vertical drinking bar or a dive and this is neither. Front bar operates as a valve, much as in the Pavilion, Shepherds Bush, and the serious socialising goes on in the main back bar.
27 Nov 2006 20:53
Great pub, five ales on tap, small but good food menu, friendly atmosphere. Hidden away down a back street away from the main Hampton Wick pubs and also a bit of a hike from Teddington. Also has live music on Saturday nights. I'll be back!
22 Nov 2006 21:03
Still seemed good to me the other night even though I'm not keen on Young's Bitter since they moved production to Bedford: but that isn't the Foley's fault. Local CAMRA Pub of the Year also.
19 Nov 2006 19:35
Used to be a good venue for book signings organised by Forbidden Planet.
15 Nov 2006 07:54
Did this pub used to be called the Hawk and Harrier? I remember a pub in Dunsfold called that, years ago, but no sign of it now.
9 Nov 2006 21:54
An astonishing range of beers and some decent food, but you will be surprised how quickly your wallet empties. �4.50 for a 25cl bottle of beer is something around �9 a pint. They aren't all as expensive as that - the premium price attaches to the 9% brews and the like - but it is not cheap.
Certainly somewhere to go for a special occasion though.
9 Nov 2006 09:39
The Marlborough, Kingston Upon Thames
Has now reopened as the Marlborough, decor is sort of colonial (and more comfortable than the Canbury Arms for a start), only one ale on at present (Badger) but there are three pumps so this may bode well for the future.
1 Nov 2006 23:02
Great little pub between Euston and Euston Square with a good range of beers for the festival and pies also.
31 Oct 2006 21:00
The Essex Serpent, Covent Garden
Strange name and a strange little ?gay pub near Covent Garden.
26 Oct 2006 22:40
Beer is Wells Bombardier and Youngs Ordinary: a visible sign of the brewery merger. Quite a quiet pub but not uncomfortable. My cheese sandwich was in a fresh baguette but what happens if you put grated cheese into a baguette? It all falls out, d'oh! That apart this was an ok place but not fantastic.
25 Oct 2006 14:55
I haven't been here for years but glad to hear it's still as good as I remember it being. Hoping to go back there again some day. I wonder if the saucy pictures are still up on the walls or if the politically correct mob have demanded that they be taken down. I hope not for the country pub is the last bastion of good old fashioned English vulgarity.
24 Oct 2006 16:55
The 'new' Clarendon seems very much a food-oriented pub despite the four ales on tap; it is a pub but on first sight I wasn't sure that it was, rather than a restaurant.
It doesn't have a lot of character in the fittings but the staff are friendly, and the food was good, the vegetables flavoursome - none of your frozen afterthought here. The second bar is a curious thing: I suspect it may once have been part of the building next door but was annexed by the Clarendon at some point.
In all a fairly resto-pub experience but one which seemed to please the recently-arrived Americans at the next table to mine.
24 Oct 2006 14:03
The Lord John Russell, Russell Square
Ales weren't brilliant but they do have Budvar Dark which is well worth having. Regular sort of backstreet pub except that those are rare nowadays and this is a few blocks from Russell Square Station.
23 Oct 2006 22:14
The Financier and Firkin, Kingston Upon Thames
This is now a Pizza parlour. So many pubs in Kingston have gone in recent years, either demolished or just closed down. Didn't people use them? There are places in the town centre where you think "There should be a pub here. And in most towns there would be."
20 Oct 2006 09:42
Cosy pub on the way between Kennington and Borough, serving Black Sheep, Courage Best and Adnams Broadside. Three bars including one occupied by a pool table.
18 Oct 2006 14:52
The Mash Tun, Victoria Station
Re thenationofjames's comment, I was wondering that but as it is generally open to the public and without paying an entrance fee, serves beer on pump and without needing too eat as well, it does count as a pub. So it seems.
18 Oct 2006 08:44
Wetherspoons, Victoria Station
It is in a railway station so you hardly expect people taking their time over a pleasant pint but they do real ale and a good deal on double Jamisons and occasionally you get some characters staging through (one evening the place seemed inexplicably full of gorgeous women and I'm sure it wasn't just the beer goggles).
These places do count as pubs, according to the CAMRA definition, as they're open to the public. That this one is also open to leftovers-swilling tramps (love that story!) is neither here nor there.
18 Oct 2006 08:34
The Hand and Raquet, Wimbledon
Far from 'hardly any ales on', there were five, usual GK plus Ruddles Orchard, Timmy Taylors Landlord and a.n. other. GK own Ruddles and a few other brews so they ought to be able to come up with a decent range but in so many of their pubs it's the usual gruesome (sometimes) twosome. I thought this was good, at least as good as the Alex next door but one.
16 Oct 2006 20:22
I remember this fondly from when it was O'Riordan's. And I'm not even Irish!
11 Oct 2006 12:28
A good local pub overlooking the scarp of Richmond Hill and serving a regular range of ales plus, when visited, Hopback Crop Circle and Equinox, both very well kept. Charming barstaff a plus also. I see from previous review that this has been refurbished and is not as good as it was. In which case had I gone there before it was probably a 9 or even that elusive 10. I was pleased to happen across this pub during a detour on the way home, and even more pleased to find how good it was.
10 Oct 2006 23:22
The Warrington Hotel, Maida Vale
Re the 'brothel' rumour: sadly not true, and at least some of the saucy wooden panelling is dated 1965. Still a cracking pub though.
8 Oct 2006 10:37
Plenty of odd little spaces and a range of Belgian beers but no real ale. Interesting tiling in the entrance.
7 Oct 2006 22:11
Pleasant enough local with a few interesting architectural features including exterior and interior plasterwork. Beer was Young's Special.
7 Oct 2006 22:09
Your wish seems to be somebody's command, as this was boarded up when we passed it on 7 October.
7 Oct 2006 22:05
The Warrington Hotel, Maida Vale
Splendidly opulent pub with an over-the-top interior in the main (right-hand) bar, serving several ales including Deuchars IPA at the moment. Thai restaurant upstairs. The pub was used in the Sweeney episode 'Night Out' and hasn't changed much since then.
7 Oct 2006 22:03
Low ceiling in the Windsor bar, a friendly little local near Chertsey Station, the only real ale was Courage Best but it was in top condition. Restaurant being refurbished at present.
5 Oct 2006 14:22
The Fighting Cocks, Kingston Upon Thames
I like this place. No real ale so I can't give it more than a 6 though. Come on, you know you used to, why not now?
1 Oct 2006 21:38
Big predominantly Harvesters pub but you can also treat it like a pub, pub meals, beer including GK IPA. Ignore the screaming kids and look at the rain falling like in the old song.
1 Oct 2006 20:40
The Duke of Wellington, New Malden
Reasonable, landlord is potty about Arsenal, beer includes Bombardier, large rambling sort of place.
30 Sep 2006 17:40
Does do real ales (not on at time of visit) and the usual range of lagers plus Tiger (Anchor also perhaps? Can but ask). The South East Asian colonial theme is a bit of a hoot but why not? It's comfortable and some of the bar staff are stunning. It is technically a pub despite selling itself more as a restaurant.
29 Sep 2006 23:59
Office workers' pub possibly, three real ales none unusual but the Bombardier seemed well kept. Chicken BLT sandwich ok. Slightly off the beaten track and worth going into.
27 Sep 2006 14:13
Fairly expensive bar-restaurant where there used to be a pub called the Duke of York. Stylish and modern as is appropriate to the area estate agents call 'Brackenbury'.
26 Sep 2006 13:40
A good place to meet before a gig at the Academy, larger than it looks at first as there is a back bar. No real ale.
23 Sep 2006 09:31
A tiny pub in Borough Market - allegedly the smallest bar in London. A long time ago it was the King's Head and is now a modern bar serving a wide range of beers from Britain and abroad, as well as Dark Star mild and Old Ale on the pumps. A large outside area caters for smokers. Very trendy but also very good beer.
17 Sep 2006 00:01
The Refectory, Kingston Upon Thames
This used to be in the Good Beer Guide. How things have changed.
11 Sep 2006 14:08
I'm glad to see the rating for this pub edging up. A non-pretentious local on the riverside road (but the wrong side of it). If this was in Kingston it would have been demolished by now.
11 Sep 2006 13:56
I thought this was a proper down-to-earth local pub. One real ale, London Pride, but in good condition. Live music and a friendly enough place I thought.
10 Sep 2006 01:02
Yes but ... given the previous review is pretty much one of a restaurant, what happened to this being a pub? The beer is ok, no more than that - but then it now comes from Bedford, not Wandsworth.
7 Sep 2006 23:57
Just heard this pub is being converted into a Korean restaurant.
6 Sep 2006 11:49
The Marquis Of Cornwallis, Bethnal Green
I can't give any pub that doesn't have real ale higher than a 6 (unless it's a specialist place which does Dutch or Belgian beers), but here at least they had Grolsch which was good. There doesn't seem to be a lot of ale around Bethnal Green, or if there is, I haven't found it yet.
6 Sep 2006 11:26
Is there actually any ale in this place? When Malcolm ran the show there were always several on the go but now I'm not sure there are any. Place was full of suits as well, but perhaps that is no surprise.
1 Sep 2006 20:58
The Dartmouth Castle, Hammersmith
Has been heavily revamped but not ruined. Only one ale on tap: London Pride, which was certainly at least drinkable. No, it isn't the traditional pub it was, and unlike the Stonemasons Arms down the road, in its previous incarnation it wasn't that bad, but it could definitely be worse in its new form. Certainly an improvement on many dire Broadway and eastern-end-of-King-Street pubs.
1 Sep 2006 20:56
It's ok for a station bar. I asked for a 'small' coffee and what turned up was quite large. I dread to think what the 'large' would be: one's caffeine fix for an entire day I should think.
Beers are the usual range of lagers and fizz on handpumps, not tried, but I'm quite prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt.
29 Aug 2006 10:34
The Cardinal Wolsey, Hampton Court
Shepherd Neame pub which makes a lot of its live music with such circuit stalwarts as Loudshirts, Bad Influence and Papa George playing here. Conveniently near the railway station and bus stop though buses into Kingston are not frequent.
28 Aug 2006 16:46
A shame, this was a down-to-earth Irish pub ten years ago or even less, and a good base for Carnival. What is happening when even places like this go gastro?
27 Aug 2006 18:54
Real ale and cider pub with a friendly atmosphere, near the centre of Hitchin but sufficiently far away from it to be a bit quieter if that's what you want, but hosts regular beer festivals and quiz nights, etc.
27 Aug 2006 07:46
The Wych Elm, Kingston Upon Thames
Very nice, superb garden, welcoming hosts, shouldn't be interfered with in any way. More of a 'quiet pint' place it is true but that is often what you want.
26 Aug 2006 11:52
Nooo ... they actually have real ale (one or two) which is unusual for a music venue. Besides, it isn't about the beer but the music and the atmosphere. BMovie club excellent the second Friday of the month!
25 Aug 2006 20:44
Not a scary pub at all. A proper pub though with a confusingly layered name, something like Jack Beard's at the Fog (the Country House). It's called the Fog because as it's near the station, homeward rail commuters would pop in here for a quick half or three, and phone their wives to tell them they were 'stuck in the fog'.
25 Aug 2006 13:33
The Grouse and Claret, Belgravia
I only found my way to the public bar - clean and tidy, and quite relaxed despite me probably being the only customer who wasn't wearing a suit and tie! Surprised to see a 'King and Barnes Sussex Ale' pump clip - didn't they go out of business in 2000?
I will definitely go back to try the other bar.
24 Aug 2006 21:32
The Norbiton and Dragon, Norbiton
Unfortunately the turning of the Royal Borough Arms into a gastro pub seems to have meant that the rougher elements from that pub are looking for pastures new and as such are experimenting with the Norbiton and Dragon and the Willoughby Arms.
24 Aug 2006 13:30
The Institute of Education, Russell Square
"Secondly, if you're not a student what are you doing in there?"
They do hold other events in the Institute from time to time - I seem to recall UnConvention was there once - so you could have a reason to be here. I remember the bar as being quite ok, though I'm not sure it counts as a pub, as it's manifestly part of the University of London.
23 Aug 2006 13:35
I certainly don't object to Polish barmaids - Katryna who worked in the Hop Poles, W6 a few years ago was the best thing ever to happen to that pub - but she spoke good English and the point here is that barstaff have to. If they can't understand English, as it's spoken by someone who's had a pint or two in a possibly noisy pub, then it's humiliating for them and annoying for the customer.
Not knowing the difference between cask ale and fizz - as one such did in a south London pub recently - is another matter, as that's just a matter of learning the ropes and the Slovakian girl in question was so endearing I'm sure there would be no shortage of volunteers.
21 Aug 2006 11:44
A nice pub which is in a sidestreet (the pubs around here all are, because the wellheeled locals a couple of hundred years ago realised their servants and stable-lads (hence the horse-related names of a few pubs around here) would slip off for a pint or two but didn't want them doing it on the main drag, so to speak). As such it is less likely to be affected by corporate makeovers and persist as an excellent local, which it is.
20 Aug 2006 10:00
A very idiosyncratic pub, a wooden former sports pavilion whose walls are covered in sporting articles and memorabilia. A dartboard makes you realise how rare those are in London pubs these days also. There are several real ales and a beer festival in August. It can be hard to find - but fortunately there is now a sign pointing down the track off Thetford Road that it is on. Once you have found it you will be glad that you did.
19 Aug 2006 09:50
The Hoop and Grapes, City Of London
I liked this pub, it is unusual for the area in not being a bar on the ground floor of an office block (or if it is it transcends that by its atmosphere). Someone is bound to complain about the Spitfire ads especially the 'ones that got away' in the back courtyard, but so what? "No Nazi aftertaste" indeed. Hee hee.
15 Aug 2006 09:22
I didn't dislike it, and certainly didn't want my review to communicate that. Nor did I mean to convey that it was 'rough', just that it was unpretentious. Which it is. As ghc said, it is a real pub unlike some of the posh bars nearby. I would certainly go back there.
15 Aug 2006 09:16
The Artful Dodger, Kingston Upon Thames
I have to agree. The Dodger is actually a pub, and feels like one which, when you consider that a lot of Kingston 'pubs' are menageries-cum-kindergartens, is quite an achievement. Keep the unusual ales coming also!
14 Aug 2006 14:19
Ye gods and little fishes, a decent real ale pub along Fleet Street. Not that there is no beer to be had nearby but this is the best I have tried in the area. Skinner's 'Heligan Honey' on the night which was fine.
11 Aug 2006 21:49
Gastropub makeover of a classic corner local which still does beer in handle mugs. Beer includes Black Sheep on draught - not a common find. Worth a look but as it is very close to the Wenlock I wouldn't make the William IV my only stop in the area.
25 Jul 2006 07:26
Cheap and don't it know it, it's very rough and ready really and the beer wasn't that well kept.
25 Jul 2006 07:17
I liked this place, no real ale but a good atmosphere unlike quite a few other pubs and bars nearby.
25 Jul 2006 07:16
The Old Queens Head, Islington
Terribly up its own arse place where even the non-alcoholic drink is frighteningly expensive, no real ale, very different to the Winchester down the road.
25 Jul 2006 07:15
I quite liked this place for a swift half on the way home. Had forgotten what GK IPA should taste like - but here it was excellent.
23 Jul 2006 23:20
The Honest Cabbage, Kingston Upon Thames
Amazingly this place is actually getting worse ... undrinkable IPA instead of London Pride, and they've replaced Kronenbourg (about the only generic lager I'll actually drink) with American Budweiser, aka pisswater. I've also heard that house prices in the street are forced down by the proximity of this pub.
23 Jul 2006 23:16
Pretty much ok considering it's in an ultramodern development - the Riverside opens to the river frontage and you can lean on the rail and look out to sea, er, Thames, while supping a good pint of Young's ale. One of the barstaff is from Plzen (home of the Pilsner beer style) so she should know her beer!
21 Jul 2006 14:47
The Prince of Wales, Wimbledon
Large pub which must attract numerous commuters changing from train to bus. A range of fairly common real ales including Theakstons XB as a guest; comfortable old fashioned or late-Victorian-town-centre decor. OK for a pint or two watching people go by.
19 Jul 2006 18:51
The Old Parrs Head, Kensington
A shame if it's been 'turned' because by the time I left the area in early 2005 this, along with the Cumberland Arms, was my favourite pub in the area. Maybe Dave is right and it was time to go ....
18 Jul 2006 23:29
Formerly called the Spread Eagle, the Grosvenor has been refurbished and the beer range improved, as well as a few seats put outside round the back. At least the new name is one that might conceivably apply to a public house. It's a bit off the main drag (despite being overlooked from the back by huge almost Stalinist flatblocks) but the owners are clearly making an effort. Nice barstaff also.
17 Jul 2006 14:24
Not bad with a wide range of beers but it tends to smell of fried food and as others have said there isn't much interaction with the staff - but they do get quite busy sometimes so you can't always expect them to pass the time of day with you, they have a job to do.
Not sure what people's problem is with civil servants. If they were private sector workers would that make it alright?
17 Jul 2006 14:06
Very nice villagey pub which unfortuntely no longer brews its own beer. The doggy factor is a plus and also large apple trees to sit under outside.
16 Jul 2006 19:56
A nice pub with a couple of interesting choices among the general standard range of ales, including Greene King Mild. A large outdoors, and friendly (and cute) barstaff.
16 Jul 2006 19:54
I don't know what you mean by 'lack of a quality ale', there are several and a mild (Pressed Rat and Warthog) to choose from. This is an excellent little pub that escapes being the nearest pub to the station by the proximity of the 'Railway'.
16 Jul 2006 19:49
The Cricketers, Kingston Upon Thames
Is it the Six Bells (aka 'Honest Cabbage' - did they keep the old sign? Because I suspect they'll be needing it) or the Albion on Fairfield that the Crick's old landlord is now running? I'd heard the Thai chef had moved over to the Albion - haven't tried the food there yet.
1 Jul 2006 07:54
Nicely situated pub although at the moment dominated by the football - like many other pubs it has a football-related ale (Playmaker) and a large screen on which I watched Ukraine's world cup hopes come to an end. A small front terrace secluded (haven-like) from the outside world and especially so from the bustle of Ealing Broadway.
1 Jul 2006 05:50
The Carpenters Arms, Marble Arch
Rough floorboards do not a rough pub make, and this place with its tiled walls (Victorian? It's of some interest from a pub architecture point of view), friendly barstaff and range of unusual ales is in my opinion - which doesn't seem to be shared by many on here - a bit of a treat.
1 Jul 2006 05:47
Interesting little sporty place with Welsh and English rugby and football posters all over the walls, only one real ale but what there was was good.
1 Jul 2006 05:39
Young's Pub doing the usual range plus St George's Ale for the football tournament. Friendly staff, relaxed atmosphere and good food which arrived quickly and was very palatable.
1 Jul 2006 05:38
Small local full of memorabilia. Plaques on the bar commemmorating the Fallen of various events. Adnams Bitter and Bombardier which seem to be the local standbys.
1 Jul 2006 05:36
The Duke Of Wellington, Marylebone
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.
1 Jul 2006 05:33
Lovely as a pub, I once took two Japanese girls here and poured ESB down their throats (not literally). Unlike the other Hammersmith riverside pubs the outside, while not huge, directly overlooks the river without having to negotiate the riverside path. You also have the option of the 'conservatory' with its vine, or the solitary little platform accessed by a staircase above the terrace. Being Fullers you get decent beer also.
I have never tried the food here so I can't comment, but the pub is one of the handful of things I miss about my old home of Hammersmith.
30 Jun 2006 05:45
The Old House At Home, Hersham
When I passed this on the way to the Royal George it was the scene of a riot nearly as full-fledged as the one that shut down the Stoneleigh. Drunken youths being bundled into police vans, the lot.
30 Jun 2006 05:30
The Hole In The Wall, Chiswick
That's unfortunate that you didn't eat there, because the food, or at least the Sunday lunches, are excellent. Good meat and also vegetables prepared and presented with some imagination and flair, not just the usual frozen carrots and broccoli you get in so many places
29 Jun 2006 18:39
Nice Fullers pub which is in a sidestreet near Eaton Square. Serves the usual range of Fullers Ales and also Chiswick at the moment - I tend to prefer this to the more ubiquitous London Pride but YMMV.
Food is ok but no sandwiches in the evening.
A peculiarity of the bar area is that the gantry is very high up - probably put there by some bloke about 6 foot 2 who said "Well, I can reach it." One of the current barstaff has to stand on a crate so that she can fetch glasses down from it. Ahh.
29 Jun 2006 18:34
Large pub which being near Victoria Station attracts tourists and large groups as well as the 'solitary drinkers' mentioned. Staff seem friendly and attentive. My drink was topped up to the line without my asking. Good for a pub that is technically round the back of a railway station!
29 Jun 2006 08:59
The Princess Victoria, Kensington
Small pub just off High Street Kensington which does food in the evenings and Courage ales.
26 Jun 2006 15:30
No music, fruit machines, nor huge telly; just a decent pub with four real ales (some unusual) on tap and an adequate food menu. I liked it.
26 Jun 2006 13:42
The Worcester Park, Worcester Park
Can any pub survive stopping being a music pub? The King's Head in Fulham (later Zulus) didn't seem to. I wonder about the future of the Worcester Park which stripped of music seems yet to find a new function. It's central, opposite the railway station, which is usually a recipe for disaster, let's face it (unless you're the Surbiton Flyer). It didn't seem too bad in fact (but it didn't seem too good, either).
26 Jun 2006 11:17
Hogsmill Tavern, Worcester Park
Not really much cop as a pub although it's quite an interesting-looking old building, I suspect it's in the wrong place to be a good location for a decent real ale pub, for example. Mostly seems to be useful for eating or for sitting outside. There is a largish car park, a children's play area, and no bicycle parking at all; which says a lot about the expected clientele.
I grew up a few streets away from this place and I don't think any of my family ever went there. I certainly can't remember going there until last night.
26 Jun 2006 11:13
I so agree with several reviewers here. Beer ok, the place is comfortable enough and easy on the eye, but the meat was thick slabs, and the vegetables an afterthought.
25 Jun 2006 20:02
Three-room pub with a lot of the original interior remaining. Friendly enough service but no real ale.
25 Jun 2006 08:01
Formerly a Victorian gin palace this pub has unfortunately been stripped out internally and now only some of the tiling and beams (painted red to look like the England flag?) remain. This is a sad comedown for what must have been a spectacular interior. There is also no real ale.
25 Jun 2006 07:59
Big two-bar pub with a spectacular interior. One smaller public bar and the larger Walnut Bar, with panelled walls; beyond this bar is a function room which is equally spectacular and has stained glass representing musical instruments. There is a garden at the end of which the landlord keeps an aviary. Beers are the Greene King range.
25 Jun 2006 07:57
Two-bar red brick estate pub with largely unspoilt interior. Beers are the Greene King range.
25 Jun 2006 07:54
Nice street corner pub - can't really call it a local with all that passing trade. Intact Trumans interior in both bars, Adnams ales, and a good place to sit and watch people go by. Dog which could at first blush be mistaken for an ambulatory mop likes to sniff around.
Music was too loud for 6 of a summer afternoon though!
25 Jun 2006 07:48
Architecturally odd with that green tiling it has however been turned into a single large space. There was also no real ale on the day of visit.
25 Jun 2006 07:44
The Pride of Spitalfields, Shoreditch
After the real-ale desert of East London this was a superb place to stumble over. A very good range of ales in a comfortable little pub in a sidestreet only stumbling distance from the restaurants of Brick Lane, and almost overshadowed by the old Truman Brewery.
25 Jun 2006 07:42
Good local pub, close to the Boleyn Ground so very much a Hammers pub. No real ale on the day of the visit but apparently they used to have some, so they may do again.
25 Jun 2006 07:39
Surprisingly good for the area, this is an oldeworlde pub parts of which are very ancient indeed. Service is friendly and there is a small but adequate range of real ales.
25 Jun 2006 07:35
It was the Boileau originally then became the Old Rangoon (about 1984). Then it was the Boileau again for a short while (if I remember correctly), then the Garden House, then Browns. Now, whee, another name change!
23 Jun 2006 10:53
�xcellent, a genuine pub (Young's) on the outer edges of Surrey / London. Three bars including the small one in the middle which may once have been an 'off sales' counter.
16 Jun 2006 00:01
Largely unruined country pub where they serve the beer from a hatch in the old style. Nice for a bike ride up from Billingshurst, a couple of pints and then coast back down again.
'Ship' as well as being a boat is the dialect singular of 'sheep'. But why a blue sheep, I don't know.
14 Jun 2006 23:40
Large Young's pub with traditional decor and comfortable leather seating, multiple rooms some of which are non-smoking (you see, it can be done!). I wonder if they'll change the sign outside ('London beers from the Ram Brewery') when it moves to Bedford.
13 Jun 2006 19:11
The Willoughby Arms, Kingston Upon Thames
They had morris dancers during Mild May, which was good, sitting outside drinking our way through a choice of milds. This pub is a real classic - and in the area it's unusual in that it hasn't been sacrificed on the altar of trendiness. Should be National Inventory listed if it isn't, for in the pub desert that is Kingston (no disrespect meant to the Wych Elm or the Park Tavern and a couple of others), the Willoughby Arms is as good as it gets. Yes, it can be smoky and the front bar is a joke - really sitting around the bar itself under sufferance as people lurch by from the sports screen area to the other bar - but this is far outweighed by how basically good it is.
8 Jun 2006 14:20
It isn't so much a beer garden as the Anglers has taken over the entire area between here and the footbridge. It took forever to get served but this was on a Saturday night and the person ahead of me was ordering food and drinks for six: this isn't a problem in a restaurant with table service but in a pub it causes a bottleneck and it is no fault of the barstaff. Youngs Ordinary (which seems to be appearing as a guest ale more and more along with its now-stablemate Charles Wells Bombardier) was OK.
Yes, the clientele is predominantly young and in some cases gorgeous, in others you think you've pitched up in a rugby scrum par accident.
Maybe they should start doing table service for food? I'm thinking out loud here but until a few decades ago, later in Northern England, waiter service in pubs was a fact. Now that so many are focussing on food perhaps it is time to investigate this option here. Places such as the near-ubiquitous Fullers / Thai Cafes already do a sit-down waiter service so let's get through the bottleneck by letting people do the food / plastic order bit where they are and let those of us who only want a pint order at the bar. Makes sense?
3 Jun 2006 22:24
The Tide End Cottage, Teddington
Quite busy of a Saturday night but not the scrum of the Anglers, the Tide End Cottage is a friendlier place entirely serving a small possibly predictable but reasonable range of real ales and a pleasant place to be of a warm evening. If you are more familiar with Richmond and want to know how this compares with the Anglers, imagine the White Swan as opposed to the White Cross.
3 Jun 2006 22:17
A relaxed local pub without the pretensions of the riverside ones but with some good beer and a nice attitude. Sans dog but with bike I may emulate stones and head to this pub after my regular bike thrash over the river from Kingston into Bushy Park. Made me wish I lived closer so it could be my local. But I'll just have to get on the bike more often, won't I?
3 Jun 2006 22:13
Roomy Fullers pub with the usual Fullers range. Beer OK and there is plenty of space to expand into. However I had the stuffed chicken in here and it was barely edible! I suspect it was dodo instead! I can't account for other items on the food menu but none of my companions had trouble with theirs.
2 Jun 2006 07:46
The Honest Cabbage, Kingston Upon Thames
It's the 'Honest Cabbage'. The interior hasn't been changed but apparently will be soon and they intend to get a second real ale on also.
31 May 2006 13:47
The Sportsman 'Time Well Spent', Mogador
Good country pub - though I didn't try the food it looked ok but expensive.
28 May 2006 17:23
What they said ... gorgeous bar staff but a proper pub, pints of Youngs Ordinary and Special at normal prices, a jukebox, a rambling and friendly place.
28 May 2006 08:44
Gordon Bennnett bar + kitchen, Surbiton
'Sfunny, I had the same thought regarding KT6 (Surbiton) not SW6 (Fulham); this place may be fine as a restaurant but as a bar / pub it is recherche' in a particularly Fulham kind of way; a menu so pretentious it belongs in 'American Psycho', and no sense apart from the bar in its island of amber light that this place with its stripe-shirted and cocktail dressed habitue's ever had anything of the pub about it? Failing that, why must restaurants be chichi and offer a fusion menu each more bizarre than the last? Could we but impose a Vulgarity Tax on fusion menus it might bring down the price of the beer, beer which is made in the honest brewery of Hogs Back at Tongham but which here costs �3.10 a pint. "Gordon Bennett!" is presumably the drinker's response to the price of the ale.
28 May 2006 08:42
Very nice two-bar pub (the two bars are joined by the gents' loo, odd situation) with Hopback and guest beers. Little outside space with tables for when the bars get too busy. Beer very well kept.
27 May 2006 00:15
Trafalgar Freehouse, South Wimbledon
A good range of milds and ales in this friendly and compact little pub, surprisingly good for its location.
27 May 2006 00:13
The Lamb appears to have failed again under new management. The pub is closed with the door and windows boarded up.
25 May 2006 13:44
Usual leather couches and modern decor in a bar with only one real ale, Ruddles County - an odd choice and all the odder that it costs �3.10 a pint which I think is the most I have ever actually paid for a proper imperial pint of wallop. Cheeseburger and chips (or were they fries) quite palatable but I sat lamenting the old Hammersmith which had proper pubs in it.
22 May 2006 21:52
The Old Fire Station, Hammersmith
A fairly industrial-gothic conversion with as people have said not a lot of seating. DJBurns, you were fortunate you did not try the Hampshire down the road, for the beer there costs more than it does in this place.
Both ales were off when I visited - staff apologetic. Ales were Bombardier and (Lancaster) Bomber, which I wondered was a pun, as 'el bomber' is Catalan for 'firefighter'.
This place does seem as though it is still trying to get its act together, several months down the line.
22 May 2006 21:50
A good half of HSB overlooking the cemetery here. Let's hope Fullers don't wreck it (though in their defence they don't tend to wreck pubs, it's just that after their takeover of Gale's we're feeling a bit defensive).
21 May 2006 08:21
Good spacious and cool place, friendly and attractive barstaff, good range of real ales including mild for May.
21 May 2006 08:15
Pilgrim Brewery's only tied house that does their pleasant range of brews plus a great range of Northern European beers. No advertising and no gimmickry make this backstreet pub a wonder.
9 May 2006 23:35
Youngs Ordinary or Adnams Broadside in this fairly traditional pub which has no smoking at the bar and a no smoking area in the middle. Not too crowded on a Saturday afternoon. A decent bowl of chips also.
6 May 2006 19:45
This pub has now reopened - at least it was last night!
27 Apr 2006 07:32
Small family-run village pub with a good view over the valley. Timothy Taylor's range including Mild.
21 Apr 2006 18:18
The Shoulder of Mutton, Hebden Bridge
Rambling and friendly pub near the centre of Hebden, with a reasonable range of real ales.
21 Apr 2006 18:16
The Park Tavern, Kingston Upon Thames
As always, North Kingston has the best pubs in town - this very little pub has a good range of ales and knowledgeable owners. If it weren't for the smoke it would definitely be my top pub in town and unfortunately too far from my house! (solution: wait for 2007 and move).
16 Apr 2006 22:50
Estate pub for the Lillie Road estate, replacing the earlier Lord Clyde. No real ale, karaoke on Saturdays. That said, it isn't unfriendly and you get a mixed crowd in there.
11 Apr 2006 13:09
The Kenilworth Castle, Notting Hill
Basic estate pub with two bars, usual lagers and Guinness and no real ale. Has recently had a makeover so it is not as dingy as it was before, but apparently it is going to be seriously remodelled in the near future. Not a great pub but better than one or two of the grim little boozers nearby.
11 Apr 2006 12:25
Good little Young's pub that may not be incredibly exciting but is homely and as people have said a friendly local, which is very often what you want in a pub.
9 Apr 2006 00:31
The White Hart, Fulham Broadway
A shame though from an historical viewpoint ... the White Hart has been around since the 16th century and was originally called the Beggar's Rest.
9 Apr 2006 00:25
The Railway Tavern, Hampton Wick
Friendly enough local but as people have said a bit quiet. A good pint of Abbot Ale here.
8 Apr 2006 15:48
Fairly upmarket for the area, a long food menu and sausages a speciality. The only RA is London Pride.
8 Apr 2006 15:47
The Old Kings Head, Hampton Wick
A bit like someone's living room only with Timothy Taylor's Landlord on tap. Has live music but I don't know where they'd fit the band in.
8 Apr 2006 15:45
I don't understand why people have given this such good ratings. Sports bar kind of place with mediocre food.
8 Apr 2006 15:44
The White Hart Hotel, Hampton Wick
Soulless hotel bar rather than actually a pub. Fullers Porter was actually very good but the miserable barstaff counterbalance this. If there are pubs in Hell they will be like the White Hart.
8 Apr 2006 15:43
Used to be the 'Bush', alas,
Let's all queue up and kick its arse.
6 Apr 2006 13:21
In a way a shame it has been modernised, but the new Laurie is a larger and good little pub with nice staff and (we hear) Thai food (not yet tried). A valiant effort.
4 Apr 2006 15:51
I used to live quite near this pub and hardly ever went in. It didn't appeal and still doesn't: lots of TV screens, no decent beer, and with the (then) newly-refurbished Cumberland just up the road there was no reason to go there.
4 Apr 2006 15:46
The Old Suffolk Punch, Hammersmith
I don't understand why they do this 'no admission after 11pm' thing. They may be entitled to do it but it is utterly against the spirit of liberalised licensing hours (or as the people who are opposed to it call it, '24-hour drinking'). If practically everywhere is open till 12 midnight or later, what is the point of stopping people coming in at 11? It's mean, that's what it is.
This pub used to be the Golden Gloves of Mancini family fame and a lot of live music. Haven't liked it since it changed.
4 Apr 2006 15:35
The Express Tavern, Kew Bridge
Characterful little pub near Kew Bridge and Brentford, which has a changing small range of Real Ales.
26 Mar 2006 20:17
Clear decor, no real ale, San Miguel instead. So much has changed around here, so many people but it's got no soul ...
23 Mar 2006 19:49
Currently shut as there seems to have been some trouble there. Owners were considering turning it into a 'bistro' after the World Cup ... now it may be sooner than that.
17 Mar 2006 10:59
Underwhelming and cramped bar near Baker Street which hasn't got several messages including Make Sure Your Barstaff Speak English.
15 Mar 2006 14:06
The Seven Stars, Shepherds Bush
Nor for that matter is there food before 7pm. Investigated the chippie. Nowhere to sit. Went to the Fried Chicken shop over the road instead.
13 Feb 2006 11:25
Good little pub with friendly staff and a decent range of beers. Good value Sunday lunches also.
5 Feb 2006 21:29
Small corner pub with three real ales on tap, traditional decor (though apparently a fake, according to earlier reviews). Doormen to stop the place getting too full, and as a result - and unlike the Coach and Horses nearby - it wasn't. Not enough places to sit though.
28 Jan 2006 21:44
Gales brewery trad local - Gales have now been taken over by Fullers but the two companies are going to be run side by side. Does HSB and Butser (my fave also) as well as London Pride, and will allow you a 'taster' of ales before you buy a pint of something new. Obviously a regulars' pub.
24 Jan 2006 14:16
The Artful Dodger, Kingston Upon Thames
New landlord does try out eclectic real ales so it may be the place to go for a rarity or one you haven't tried before.
20 Jan 2006 11:23
Pseudo French place which has charm the first time you go there but runs out rapidly after a while when you realise the people who run it do not actually give a damn. Now that we can all have pubs opening until whenever they please, its midnight opening is no longer remarkable. If anyone told _me_ (as I overheard here once) that they went there to 'get away from horrible English people' they would get their (watery) coffee in their lap.
20 Jan 2006 11:13
The Honest Cabbage, Kingston Upon Thames
To add to the 'please's: please stop letting people smoke at the bar. I don't want a faceful of their fug while I'm getting a pint.
19 Jan 2006 16:05
The Canbury Arms, Kingston Upon Thames
It is also non-smoking throughout which is a plus in my book, as well as the changing range of real ales and the food (not yet tried). It opens at 9am for breakfasts also.
18 Jan 2006 21:55
Old Orleans, Kingston Upon Thames
Not a pub, a restaurant with a bar (as everyone else has said).
Vile coffee also.
Is there any point to the Rotunda?
9 Jan 2006 22:36
Proper beer, goth barstaff, a lot better than other places along the riverfront. I was pleasantly surprised (considering I wasn't expecting at all much).
22 Dec 2005 19:00
Bar Ha Ha, Kingston Upon Thames
Very expensive! I suppose what you're paying for is the riverside location but not everywhere along there is that dear. To its credit it has a no-smoking zone for eating food, this from someone who just had the pleasure of smokers to each side when he was trying to eat his lunch in O'Shite's.
22 Dec 2005 18:57
The Gazebo, Kingston Upon Thames
Sam Smith's pubs usually have the virtue of cheap proper ale. However this place does not have proper ale and so you are left with somewhere with all the atmosphere of a building site (minus the sense of purpose) and crap cheap beer. And this is on the riverside?? Smith's should be ashamed of themselves.
22 Dec 2005 18:55
O'Neills, Kingston Upon Thames
If this were to stop being an O'Neill's and revert to its former identity as the Apple Market Inn, it might become something central Kingston very much lacks - a decent pub.
21 Dec 2005 10:29
Dysart very crowded on a Sunday just before Christmas; had to wait 20' for a table for two. Steak and kidney pudding and yorkshire good, but few and uninspired vegetables. Note to try the vegie option next time! Coffee more like brown water: didn't pay for it, but waiter didn't make a fuss over this. Beer: choice of two real ales, reasonable.
11 Dec 2005 17:21
The Waggon and Horses, Surbiton
Youngs beer was good, place is traditionally kept as Youngs pubs always seem to be, barstaff however saw me coming in and decided she would rather fiddle around with something behind the bar than serve me. Was alright once she did actually deign to notice me though. Once again I ask how it is that the Kingston / Surbiton borders have better pubs than Kingston proper?
4 Dec 2005 19:38
There was only one real ale on tap - Bombardier which was ok but why not more range?
3 Dec 2005 23:25
Large but distinctly average Barras pub; not a lot of choice in New Malden which seems to very much lack pubs in the central area. Pint of London Pride and a rump steak for �7.66.
22 Nov 2005 19:38
Apparently it's just been bought by someone called Gourmet Buffet Ltd. who run Chinese buffet restaurants (e.g. the one in Horseferry Road, SW1).
Sort of apt as 'Autumn House' sounds more like a Chinese restaurant than a pub to me...
16 Nov 2005 13:02
The Spring Grove, Kingston Upon Thames
Nice big Youngs pub with friendly staff and a trad rambling interior decor. The usual choice of Young's ales + the same kinds of lager you can get in any old beerhouse. Sunday lunches good at �8 for roast. Somehow the southern part of Kingston seems to have got all the good pubs and left us in the middle bit with nothing so good ....
13 Nov 2005 18:19
The Kelly Arms, Kingston Upon Thames
It's a real locals' pub and looks it. The pub has been knocked through into one at some point - 'saloon bar' and 'public bar' doors lead into the same space, but the general feel of the place is very trad. You almost expect to see Jack Regan sitting at a corner table with one of his snouts. Dartboard, darts trophies, posters incl 'Kingston by Tram' (the tram was the rescuing of Kingston after being sidelined by the railway).
Fullers Pride (�2.40/pt), Courage Best. Current licensees celebrate a year there on 19 November, 8pm: buffet, karaoke.
13 Nov 2005 18:14
The Bull and Bush, Kingston Upon Thames
Abandon hope all ye who enter here. Inside the purlieu of the Cambridge Road Estate, the Royal borough of Kingston Upon Thames's very own bit of urban deprivation, the Bull and Bush is a two-bar estate pub without even Kronenbourg to its credit. Of five people at the bar, two were wearing baseball caps. Here, the men are men. And the women? They are men too.
On the way home I was treated to the edifying sight of a shirtless man, driven to madness by the yobs on the estate, screaming in the middle of the road. Why this is Hell, nor are we out of it.
29 Oct 2005 23:29
The Kingston Mill, Kingston Upon Thames
Went on Halloween weekend so can't tell re normal atmosphere, but seems to be full of students who are popularly supposed to be poor but intelligent so how come they are able to afford to drink a lot and also they smoke? This pub is dominated by a huge television screen for showing the inevitable boring football matches. It is also smoky (did I mention this?) without actually having any atmosphere at all.
29 Oct 2005 23:26
Didn't seem dodgy to me and I went on a Saturday evening. Range of real ales, plenty of people enjoying themselves without being louts.
15 Oct 2005 23:28
Good little local pub, unmessed around, with as people have said a Swedish connection.
15 Oct 2005 23:26
Nice traditional little pub (and I mean little) near Victoria Station. Good Shepherd Neame ales. Shut on Sundays however and closes at 8pm on Saturdays.
10 Oct 2005 10:04
The Duke Of Wellington, Portobello Road
Big Youngs pub, not that cheap but keeping some of its original decor as well as the large 'island' bar. Live music good on Sundays.
30 Sep 2005 23:01
The Portobello Star, Portobello Road
Proper ol' fashioned locals' pub in otherwise increasingly chintzy Portobello Road. Flowers bitter �2.50 a pint.
30 Sep 2005 23:00
The Portobello Gold, Portobello Road
Redecorated Portobello Gold retains the area out the back for dining. Brakspears bitter makes a change, as does the gorgeous barstaff....
30 Sep 2005 22:59
Good Sunday lunches in a pub on the Richmond to Kingston road. Not pretentious unlike so many places in the area!
19 Sep 2005 22:41
The Cocoanut, Kingston Upon Thames
OK for a trendy sort of pub playing funky music (white boy) but there was sod all beer - no real ales (in a Fullers pub?), no Kronenbourg - offered wifebeater (aka Stella) I settled for Grolsch and left after one.
4 Sep 2005 08:35
It is now called 'Pacific Bar'. Largely a restaurant but there is also a bar area where they do Beck's and a few other beers.
2 Sep 2005 18:19
Good and big Fullers pub that always feels like there's a lot going on; I've only once not gone in because it was too damn full. It now has a big space out the back where they have jazz gigs. Years ago I used to run a performance poetry venue upstairs at the GIV, but they've expanded since.
31 Aug 2005 22:22
The Honest Cabbage, Kingston Upon Thames
Still a bit quiet ... could be a very good pub if it knew what it wanted to be, but it doesn't seem sure whether it's a sports bar, Irish pool pub, or real ale pub. It has the location (if you ignore an unfortunate closeness to the Chavbridge Road Estate) and the architecture to be quite ok.
31 Aug 2005 21:48
Possibly better later on ... I can distill the comments already made and refer to
(i) cliques
(ii) nowhere to sit.
The two being linked as groups of people had taken over entire (long) tables. The music was ok but the ambience was entirely more white and quiet than I was expecting / hoping for.
20 Aug 2005 23:32
Badly refurbished which is a sad thing to happen to one of the oldest (in parts) pubs in the area. Less like a pub and more like a Harvester every day. When it was turned round (literally) in the 1970s so it faced the river it had the opportunity to be a good riverside pub, but at the moment that isn't being exploited.
16 Aug 2005 13:40
Very good little country pub with a small selection of real ales including at the time of visit a St Austell ale. Cracking breakfasts also! There is a huge area out the back which is used for events.
15 Aug 2005 07:45
Barcadia, Kingston Upon Thames
Named after a bar in Bret Easton Ellis's 'American Psycho' but you don't need to be a nutter to drink here. I found it relaxing and goodhumoured compared with the vertical drinking dens just up the road. No real ale but you wouldn't expect that. They could have a better choice of whiskies though!
11 Aug 2005 21:45
Huge and architecturally interesting pub with real ales available, and an upstairs room for functions, for example folk music. Bar staff gorgeous and not at all unwilling to serve customers.
15 Jul 2005 23:56
The Hole In The Wall, Chiswick
The refit is not at all bad I thought. Hasn't lost all character though a more interesting paint shade than Dove Grey would be interesting.
2 Jul 2005 22:11
The Refectory, Kingston Upon Thames
Not quite as bad as the recent reviews make out IMHO. Still I'd go to the Cricketers instead.
29 Jun 2005 07:44
Does no food at the moment because the chef is being 'customized'. Not sure what this means: fitted with a larger exhaust and a metalflake paint job? Beer ok though and the inside is trad, there is also an outside area behind the pub. Clientele a mix of younger people and tourists.
29 Jun 2005 07:43
Small, smoky and very trad two-bar pub which has avoided any hint of gentrification or modernisation.
27 Jun 2005 22:10
Quite. The less alarming residents of the estate drink in the Pump House on Rylston Road. The Norman Arms is where the barstaff ask if you want ice in your lager.
As I gave the British Queen 1 point I have to give this place 0.
27 Jun 2005 13:42
If this is now a proper pub then the name is misleading. It used to be the "Queen of England" and has variously been "Charlotte's Wine Bar" and "Brook's".
27 Jun 2005 13:20
Grade II listed, extended in the c20th, still retaining its interior layout with separate rooms. Beers an ok small range of real ales, and food reasonable.
25 Jun 2005 16:56
Built as a guest house in 1936, then it became clear the A3 wasn't going to pass close by after all. This is an estate pub keeping a lot of its original features including separate rooms, one of which is currently being sympathetically refurbished. Beers were Tom Woods and Hopback Summer Lightning. Considering it's an estate pub it is very nice indeed and the landlord is friendly and knowledgeable.
25 Jun 2005 16:55
The Duke of Buckingham, Kingston Upon Thames
I agree with PJB, the Buckingham has kept a lot of its old architectural features but unless you like Guinness Extra Cold there is bugger all to drink there.
25 Jun 2005 16:50
Very bland and ordinary with bar staff who didn't seem to have much of a clue. And think that there used to be another pub next door, called the Plough. I can only wonder what that was like. Look on this pub, ye thirsty, and despair.
18 Jun 2005 22:40
The Canbury Arms, Kingston Upon Thames
Newly reopened, all pine floors and wooden tables, very much a place for smart people to have dinner, and at least on this occasion they were better dressed than your average pub people. Clearly this area - it is North Kingston, after all, being north of the railway - is on the up. I don't know what it was like before as it never seemed to be open when I went past. There was a Newsletter; it seems the priest at St Luke's Church blessed the beer barrels (Harveys Best is �2.70/pint), they mention a list of <i>teas</i> - a new departure for a pub, but this one also mentions breakfast, and cakes for tea time. To evoke a BMW marketing slogan, the pub that doesn't evolve is dead. But nobody mentions what they will evolve into.
11 Jun 2005 23:41
The Havelock Tavern, Kensington
Used to be a proper pub but now is hideiously expensive and unfriendly.
9 Jun 2005 08:05
If you like beer (and this isn't some snide code for 'if you're an alkie', I do mean 'if you like beer') this is a good place to go. A range of real ales local and out of town as befits a place by a railway station. As is the decor, which together with the beer might make the place a bit blokish, but it seems to avoid that pitfall also. The toilets are downstairs from the pub so you need a passcode to access them, so people can't get into them from beneath.
9 Jun 2005 07:54
Average big place in a useful location round the back which if it shuts on bank holidays must have an identity crisis: is it for office workers, tourists or locals?
9 Jun 2005 07:43
Agree with Steve - looks like a nasty estate pub from the outside, but inside there is no problem. It was closed down for a while but reopened without having had a refit, by the look of it.
4 Jun 2005 15:00
Small locals' pub with nothing really adventurous nor modern about it. Dominated by a pool table.
4 Jun 2005 14:40
Owned by the same people as have the Stonemasons Arms in Hammersmith, it is really the same pub in a different location. Big wooden tables give the impression it's mainly about dining and the food is quite good. Limited range of not-brilliant real ales. Also like the Stonemasons it has a changing variety of pictures on the walls, and a stripped-down and inoffensive decor.
4 Jun 2005 14:26
Good food menu and some real ale without being too trendy . Considering the mix of horribilia and trendiness around this area the Victoria scores.
4 Jun 2005 14:23
Don't be put off by the small front bar, it opens out in the back to a large saloon bar which does good Sunday roasts as previously mentioned. This pub was featured in the 'Sweeney' pilot episode 'Regan'.
3 Jun 2005 23:20
Average and the barstaff are surly. However it gets a lot less packed than the Morpeth, and it smells less than the White Swan.
2 Jun 2005 18:00
The Bull and Bush, Kingston Upon Thames
PJ may mean the Duke (aka The Pub), that's gone.
31 May 2005 19:48
The Wheelwrights Arms, Kingston Upon Thames
Tiny proper pub in the centre of Kingston. Had cappucino (tasted salty? Might just be me). Will try the beer later.
31 May 2005 19:34
Good real ale pub with ok food, trying not to be taken over by its restaurant's 'L'Auberge' branding.
29 May 2005 21:08
The Kings Tun, Kingston Upon Thames
Huge Wetherspoons (with all that implies) that gets rammed just before 10pm when all the youths have a cheap drink before going into Oceana.
22 May 2005 10:03
My experience (when it was the Mitre before) was similar to foxski's - not homophobia in my case, but badtempered rudeness from the bar staff. Maybe it was the same person, but they surely can't still be working there.
18 May 2005 20:32
A real bit of a timewarped old 1970s workingclass London (but with proper beer, i.e. Young's). Gawd bless yer, guvnor! Shame if it gets demolished though.
17 May 2005 19:56
Secluded and comfortable pub which does good Sunday lunches, but get there before 2 or they may have run out of food! That's how popular it is, not a reflection on the catering abilities as such!
2 May 2005 06:10
The Albion, Kingston Upon Thames
I've been in here twice and both times I was the only person in there apart from the manager, who wasn't behind the bar on either occasion.
2 May 2005 05:58
No.88 Bar and Grill, Kingston Upon Thames
Lots of different events going on including bands, Tup Idol, salsa, quizzes. Not cheap however, and the staff seem to adhere almost excessively to closing time, so much so that I suspect their clock is set five minutes fast.
30 Apr 2005 20:55
Rough and ready is it. But there is real ale - IPA, Abbot - and it isn't unfriendly.
21 Apr 2005 20:33
You should have seen it when it was the Cambridge Arms. A good place to score, and I don't mean pick up girls.
17 Apr 2005 19:51
With regard to the last comment I can only say that I was a regular at Latymer's from its opening as the Red Cow in 1989 until I moved away from the area earlier this year, and I never found the staff to be rude, nor did I see any trouble there.
17 Apr 2005 13:26
Good enough (well it is Young's) a bit suburban, by which I mean the same things as the previous reviewers have said about the clientele (not sure whether 'middle aged alcohol types' could refer to me, expect it could). You could expect the twinsets pearls and greyhounds in here. Volvos optional.
7 Mar 2005 18:17
The Royal Borough Arms, Norbiton
Dull place with no real ale. Not worth visiting in my humble opinion.
7 Mar 2005 18:12
The Norbiton and Dragon, Norbiton
Curiously shaped (as people have said) curved little pub which still has marks of the Victorian backstreet boozer it undoubtedly once was, and which then opens up into a Thai restaurant (the 'dragon' half of the name) at the back. This is no identikit gastropub, though; beyond the leather couches and wooden floor there is a quirky and individual pub which is good for settling down into a quiet corner. Not a huge range of real ales when i was there, but 6X is always welcome.
7 Mar 2005 18:10
Basic but friendly enough and a good range of real ales. It looks from the outside like a 1930s roadhouse, which it may be.
7 Mar 2005 17:58
Untroubled by the gentrification and winebarification that has taken so many Fulham pubs, the Wilton is a timewarped two-bar place; the front more so than the back. The back bar, with its blue walls, sporting pictures and pool table, has a bit more life to it and can even be opened to a small patio when the weather permits.
6 Feb 2005 20:14
The Famous 3 Kings (F3K), West Kensington
I must admit I forgot to give the girl a tip .. though I did leave my change on my table. Varied sort of pub, music and pool in the back like a rock n roll bar, posher up front. Yes, it has doormen, what (of this kind of place) doesn't these days? Deuchars, the Pride of Scotland, on tap, which is good in itself.
29 Jan 2005 00:27
Traditional pub that was fairly quiet even on a Saturday evening, despite being just south of Trafalgar Square. Fortunately no TV blaring football at us, so we could have a conversation....
23 Jan 2005 10:00
The Dartmouth Castle, Hammersmith
Friendly little pub untouched by corporate modernisation - one of the very few around there that you can say that about - and it does a good-value Sunday roast as well.
14 Jan 2005 11:17
The Packhorse and Talbot, Chiswick
Large, fairly standard boozer with two real ales on pump and the usual lagers. Steve's experience of 5 Jun 2003 was not unique: I had the same thing of someone coming to the bar after me and being served first, _and_ there was only me and him at the bar.
14 Jan 2005 11:14
The Curtain's Up, West Kensington
"Nicest pub in area"? Is this because, "Only pub in area"? The streets around there are not heaving with pubs, but the Colton Arms isn't _that_ far away.
4 Dec 2004 18:28
Lovely little place with a lot of original tiling and a range of real ales. Crowded in the late evening but then it was the beginning of December.
4 Dec 2004 18:24
The Salisbury, Leicester Square
Ok with great original decor, but crowded, crowded, crowded.
4 Dec 2004 18:22
Expensive but then consider the rent they must have to pay. This is a genuine pub, as Nick Hamer says, and you can imagine - if the relevant cartoons weren't on the walls anyway - a string of slightly worse-for-wear out of work thesps and Fleet Street journos shambling in and saying, "JEFF BEEN IN?" Even so, refer to first word. Expensive. It is by no means the only pub with character in that area.
4 Dec 2004 18:20
The Litten Tree's an interesting phenom; kind of Wetherspoons Lite, though without the interest of different names for different pubs. The Artillery Row branch is comfortable enough but at 1pm on a Saturday had committed the cardinal and unspeakable sin:
All the real ale pumps were turned round. There was none available. Alas I had to drink a pint of keg, which gave me a headache before I'd even got halfway down it. This is not beer snobbery, the stuff is unpleasant. If there had been RA I would have almost certainly stayed longer. Food (a bacon burger) was ok.
4 Dec 2004 18:12
The Queens Head, Kingston Upon Thames
They had real ale when I was there - Brakspears. Relaxed sort of place as people have said, just up the road from the Grey Horse.
21 Nov 2004 18:43
The Cricketers, Kingston Upon Thames
Nicely situated pub opposite the Fairfield recreation ground. Divided into restaurant (Thai) and comfortable and welldesigned pub area. Cute and friendly barmaid - as mentioned previously - adds to the charm.
31 Oct 2004 07:25
Good range of beers, comfortable pub. I don't know about teachers but it was full of Forteans when I was in there....
31 Oct 2004 07:22
Average food, beer ok, there should be a non-smoking area for people who want to eat while not being fumigated ... but that doesn't just apply here. Service friendly enough as people have said.
23 Oct 2004 13:05
The Lord High Admiral, Pimlico
This is a pub in a modern flatblock and is, as people have said, run by Portuguese. This informs a slightly different service culture, for example, large rounds may be brought to your table (they don't want you spilling it after all!) and they may well expect a tip. Two real ales (London Pride and IPA). It wasn't very busy on a Friday lunchtime, which may have to do with it looking like an estate pub - so people don't go in there thinking it'll be rough, though it's actually quite pleasant. Background music varied from Abba to Toto Cutugno.
16 Oct 2004 07:39
Very few pubs called the 'Redan' (a Crimean War name) left. Pub ok, real ale, chips also. It's had a certain level of gastropub remake but it still looks like a pub, and there are many that don't even do that.
5 Oct 2004 21:53
Passing-trade sort of place, can get crowded but there is an upstairs. Cosy enough to get out of the stream of tourists and Harrods customers.
1 Oct 2004 07:16
The Druid's Head, Kingston Upon Thames
Terrace was closed, but it was a late September night. Good location in the 'old town' of Kingston. A reasonable range of bitter also.
20 Sep 2004 22:04
Bishop Out Of Residence, Kingston Upon Thames
Not typical Young's; a lot more pricey than the Grey Horse in Richmond Road, and no atmosphere unless it's trying to be Raffles'. I sat there and imagined myself in the beginning of Apocalypse Now. It was the best way to drink in this pub.
20 Sep 2004 22:00
The Artful Dodger, Kingston Upon Thames
Okay though no real ale. Attractive ?East European barmaid a nice draw.
20 Sep 2004 21:58
It may be odd to find a Fullers pub this far from London, but the Red Lion is all you'd want from a country pub. Rustic interior, a pleasant garden, friendly staff, good atmosphere.
19 Sep 2004 22:02
Large and fussily decorated Fullers house with a small bar at the front and a big eatery/bar at the back. Used to be the pavilion for an Army rifle club, hence the name.
Also the only pub for quite some distance in most directions - the North Pole is the nearest one (see 'other pubs nearby' list).
29 Aug 2004 22:42
Very nice, good range of beers, unspoilt interior. Some people have intimated they couldn't find it:
On Old Brompton Road, find Earls Court 2 - by the Prince of Wales. Stand facing it and turn about (through 180 degrees). You will be looking down Seagrave Road. The Atlas is down there on the left.
21 Aug 2004 09:17
This pub has had a bewildering variety of names - the Crown, the Fulham Tap, the Fulham Volunteer, the Goose and Granite, the Goose. What it is, is a large boozer without a lot of decor, probably catering mostly for people who've just done their shopping in North End Road market, or local people sheltering for several pints while watching the racing on the telly. Don't go thinking it's as dire as some of the Uxbridge Road pubs, for it isn't, but there is not much more here other than drinking and a small patio out the back.
21 Aug 2004 09:12
The Duke of Cornwall, Hammersmith
Now the 'Duke of Cornwall' again, with a lot more light inside as the old skylights have been opened up. The barstaff has a far better attitude than before, and although the place still runs very much on pool table and large TV screen, you can get real ale as well as the ubiquitous Guinness and lager.
21 Aug 2004 09:05
The Hammersmith Ram, Hammersmith
That's because it's a pub, not a 'bar'. At least it sells decent beer (Youngs in this case. If it isn't your scene, don't go there. I shall, though.
21 Aug 2004 09:02
The Hope and Anchor, Hammersmith
On the CAMRA London Inventory for its unspoiled 1930s interior, this is a straightforward two-bar pub serving the usual lagers, Guinness, and London Pride. Unlikely to be overwhelmed by refurbishment as it's away from the main drag, in a side street near the Town Hall.
21 Aug 2004 08:56
Airy pub retaining some of its original features (tiling, fireplace), usefully situated on King Street. Garden out the back. Small range of real ales.
21 Aug 2004 08:54
This is now (July 2004) closed and boarded up. Anyone any clue what's happening there?
9 Jul 2004 19:14
Good if a bit crowded and a limited range of real ale. Friendly staff and customers, also a Thai restaurant upstairs (almost inevitable these days!). Regular Elvis night with a bar extension until midnight.
9 Jul 2004 08:11
The White Horse, Parsons Green
Yes, it has a good beer range and is comfortable but god are the customers ever a bunch of braying yaahs. I realised last night why I've never lasted more than one drink in this pub. Also some of the bar staff don't seem to know what beers they're selling nor have particularly good English.
9 Jul 2004 08:08
A really good pub, a wide range of beer and plenty of room to relax. No piped music either.
5 Jul 2004 07:48
The closing date isn't set but believed to be not too far off now.
2 Jul 2004 22:54
A strange survivor given the Old Oak down the road and the Seven Stars on the other side of the road. Who drinks here? But it seems to maintain a darts team by the look of the trophies over the bar. I think if you asked for food you'd be told there's a chipshop down the road (and a boy in it who thinks he's Elvish). Dan whose sarcasm rivals that of Father Jack may scoff, but if you went to the bar in the Elm and said DRINK! they'd know what you were talking about.
27 Jun 2004 22:44
The Slug and Lettuce, Shepherds Bush
Desperate. Do you need a pub that much? Used to be the Wellington which was noisy but ok.
27 Jun 2004 22:36
Good little Young's pub that does get very full with (a) visitors from the Tate along the road and (b) employees from GOL just over the road. Food ok. Seats outside but unfortunately there is too much traffic on Millbank to make sitting out very pleasant.
West London CAMRA pub of the year 2004.
27 Jun 2004 09:44
OK for watching sport on TV with a lager in your hand, but it closes too early. Out the door at 11 prompt - somewhere like this needs to have an hours extension. Yes, it does have doormen but it isn't too heavy.
27 Jun 2004 09:37
The Marquis Of Westminster, Victoria
Dreadful little boozer serving no good beer and with aggressive customers. Why go there instead of one of the several decent pubs in the Wilton Road area?
27 Jun 2004 09:34
The only pub in the area without television: they pride themselves on this. So not the place to go if you want to watch football, but an ok place to have a drink.
27 Jun 2004 09:33
The low rating probably derives from it being an identikit pub: same wooden flooring, menus on chalkboards, low leather couches, etc, etc, as everywhere else it seems.
20 Jun 2004 20:26
One of the oldest pubs in the borough, unfortunately it was bombed during WWII. The Sun Inn has two bars: the Saloon, which has carpet and patterned couches, and a large television screen; and the Public, to the right, where the floor is lino and the seating is more basic. A fairly average high street pub.
20 Jun 2004 20:22
Big trendy bar with doormen and lighting effects. Underwhelming.
19 Jun 2004 06:16
The Royal Court Tavern, Sloane Square
Full of braying yaahs who can't be arsed to walk along the King's Road a bit further. A Void.
19 Jun 2004 06:13
What a lovely little pub! I only happened upon it by chance. Should have stayed in there instead of going anywhere else. Decor is 'nostalgie de l'empire' - guys check out the 'Green Eye of the Little Yellow God' and its parody in the toilet.
19 Jun 2004 06:12
St Stephens Tavern, Westminster
Good pub recently reopened in High Victorian style, three or four real ales, sandwiches made with fresh bread not soggy, good on a spring Sunday for watching tourists go by.
13 Jun 2004 22:02
The British Queen, Shepherds Bush
Another and probably the worst of the local Celtic supporters club pubs. Why spend time here if you could go to the Queen Adelaide down the road?
31 May 2004 09:00
The Famous Cock Tavern, Islington
Almost empty on a Sunday lunchtime which may tell you a lot about it; the only real ale Courage Best or Directors; food mediocre. Not a welcoming place.
30 May 2004 15:12
The Bricklayers Arms, Brentford
Yes, I believe this is the original of the 'Flying Swan'. It's a bit basic though, a small range of beers too; no real ale, at least when I visited.
13 May 2004 21:34
The Dolphin Tavern, Bloomsbury
Pleasant little fairly oldfashioned pub down an alleyway from Red Lion Square. Usual lagers and a small range of real ales.
21 Mar 2004 08:42
Good local pub with Thai food, run by the former manager of Latymer's on Hammersmith Road. Full range of Fuller's beers.
10 Mar 2004 08:31
but for the non-faint-hearted English (and everyone else) it stays open late and has live music, DJs, you get your beer spilled all the time, it's too crowded, I had an ace time.
6 Mar 2004 17:54
The Stinging Nettle, Shepherds Bush
Yes, it's a QPR pub, but it also does good beer and good food and isn't too rammed apart from match days.
21 Feb 2004 17:35
The Duke of Cornwall, Hammersmith
The former 'Finnegans Wake' is currently undergoing refurbishment and will reopen as the 'Duke of Cornwall'.
7 Feb 2004 19:29
It's moved distinctly upmarket since being renamed from the Adelaide, but has kept some of its original decor, thankfully.
28 Dec 2003 22:08
The Duke of Cornwall, Hammersmith
The Finnegans Wake used to be the Duke of Cornwall and is the only survivor of about half a dozen pubs in the streets from there to Bridge Road. It's a grimy cavernous place for which there seems very little point.
28 Dec 2003 22:05
The Defector's Weld, Shepherds Bush
Pointless redecoration of the old Beaumont Arms which survived being 'facelifted' by the Luftwaffe in WWII but has now no sign of its original character. Cash point inside because it's so expensive.
28 Dec 2003 21:54
Has gone a lot more upmarket since its recent remodelling which has left the back bar alone but done a lot more with the side and front bars and the garden to the side.
17 Dec 2003 07:39
Used to be ok if not special, now very much a pastely clone of a lot of other places.
13 Dec 2003 23:51
Odd little thing that unfortunately has no real ale but has proper atmosphere and feels cosy.
13 Dec 2003 23:36
The Coningham Arms, Shepherds Bush
Large nondescript Irish pub, one of the local Celtic aficion which centres on the Princess Victoria.
13 Dec 2003 23:34
The Elephant and Castle, Kensington
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.
13 Dec 2003 23:27
The Catherine Wheel, Kensington
Unfortunately it is now closed, to become a restaurant, the Elephant And Castle in Holland Street is owned by the Catherine Wheel's old owners.
13 Dec 2003 23:26
The Honest Cabbage, Kingston Upon Thames
Niksic keeps commenting on this place but he is actually the manager, as a previous comment makes clear.
6 Jul 2008 22:39