Kingston pubs

Now closed. Looks like it will be re-opened as "acorn urban bar and kitchen". The pub's sign does not bode well. The dancing image of the famous character from Oliver Twist and the wacky writing promise the kind of 80s theme pub hell that died out over a decade ago. We were expecting such varied delights as plastic furniture, video machines and perhaps even a bowling alley. Thankfully we were wrong. The reality is a decent local boozer with a pleasing variety of offerings at the bar. There is a pool table, a modest number of games machines and a small beer garden that is covered by a vine-clad pergola. Its proximity to the station is a likely indication that it gets busy after work. For maximum enjoyment arrive on a Saturday afternoon when all the idiots are drinking elsewhere in the town. Has just undergone a refit, which from the outside looks truly horrific. Recently underwent a refit and although there is nothing wrong with the new decor, it is lacking something. It serves OK beer, serves decent Thai food and was quite busy when we visited in mid-week but it seems to be somewhat soulless. My brother was quite happy with it, but then he lives in Hong Kong so doesn't get to visit real pubs very often. And even he was grumbling about the poor selection of proper beer (IPA and, er, that's it, on the evening we visited). It was a very proud moment for me when my two and a half year old daughter turned round to me and said 'I want to go to the pub'. Not wanting to disappoint her, I stopped what I was doing and immediately took her down to the Boaters. OK, this isn't entirely true since I'd already planned to meet the rest of the RPF team there already. It was a beautiful summer's day, the kind of day this pub is designed for (if you're wondering why it's taken me this long to review the place I've been kind of busy. That and being useless). Located on the riverside in the park this is a great place to sit outside in the beer garden with a cool pint of fizzy. If you've got kids, they can run round in relative safety whilst you get merry. If you're not in the family way, the hordes of screaming tiny tots may put you off your beer.
In the winter months, it's a different proposition. The walk through the park can be pretty terrifying with about one functioning street light. Inside, it's a pretty ordinary pub and the beer is not outstanding. After the earlier partial refurbishment, finally The Bricklayers has been totally gutted and is reborn as a proper pub. The refit is fairly restrained, managing to retain the character of the building and it still feels like a real pub. I think this is a good move since this will always be a local pub, being located just too far away from the centre of Kingston to be visited on a big night out. Food is back on the menu and again goes down the traditional pub grub route, with the Sunday Roast rating highly with my other half, myself and my daughter. The selection of real ale is still not spectacular but is certainly much better than in the past. The only problem now is that I feel guilty not visiting more regularly to help support my local pub. Ever since I've lived in the area, The Bricklayers has felt like a pub suffering from a long painful death. So when it closed I thought it was highly unlikely it would ever reopen, especially with the profusion of other pubs in the area, but it would appear my pessimism was unfounded. In many ways very little has changed on the surface, but it's amazing how a slap of paint and replacing some dead lightbulbs can improve the whole place. Apparently there have been several other changes under the covers, such as fixing the death trap electrical wiring. Some things remain the same, the only ale on (Greene King IPA) had run out on my visit. But there are now customers so things are definitely looking up. Not only that, there is talk of a proper refurbishment, which may help improve things even further. No food currently, since the kitchen needs replacing. The AFC Wimbledon fans are now a distant memory, the tumbleweed blows through the pub and there's very little beer behind the bar. I'm not sure how it manages to keep going. It seemed for a while that, like many of the other pubs round these parts, The Bricklayers was doomed to demolition and replacement by a block of luxury flats. With no customers and no atmosphere, there wasn't a great deal of point in visiting. But the arrival of AFC Wimbledon has helped revive its fortunes, as it seems it has been adopted by their fans. I presume AFC fans have a pile of cash, because 'Honest' Kev has upped the bar prices to a ridiculous level. So of course any other night but Saturday the pub is dead, which at least means there isn't a wait at the bar and the pool table is generally available A few years ago the Canbury was a local specialising in strong beers; now it has turned into more of a foodies' place though still has aspirations towards being a proper pub, with four or five real ales on, often local brews, and live music and other events taking place. The decor is a bit subdued, grey walls and monochrome photographs, and there could be a few more comfortable chairs than there are, but it is far from being just a restaurant with a bar. In my honest opinion The Cardinal is overall pretty grotty and has little going for it. It is situated in the middle of a 1930 Tudor style estate and the bus route 371 stops almost outside. Off street free car parking is available. When we entered about 9 o'clock mid week it was almost empty and totally void of any atmosphere. The service was efficient but mechanical, certainly not welcoming. It has a long bar and a garden at the rear. There is a public bar which was more crowded that was probably because it was showing a football match on Sky Television. The beer was badly kept and we were not far off sending it back. We understand the highlight of the week is the Sunday roast which we believe is very good and is the only time the pub gets crowded. We decided to cut our losses and leave. It is not a pub we will be returning to again. Not reviewed yet.

Want to review it? Like some kind of weird catering tennis match, the Thai food is back... The Thai food is no longer available, it's moved across the Fairfield to The Albion A good-looking, traditional local boozer, cosy in the winter with a real fire and lots of beams overhead. Summer evenings can be spent on benches outside, giving views of the Fairfield and its population of drunks. There is also a beer garden out the back, although this has recently been re-jigged, losing most of its character. The thing that really raises The Cricketers above the ordinary is the great Thai food, also available to take away. Now reopened, new review to follow. One of the better pubs in the area but unfortunately not popular enough. It will be closing shortly. The highlight of my last visit here was the sight of a trampolining dog. That I think is reason enough to recommend the place but it has other things going for it. It is owned by Badger Breweries, so they have some more interesting beers than the usual London breweries. They do decent food, have a pleasant beer garden and are child friendly (although offering to put CBeebies on the telly is perhaps a little too child friendly...) so no complaints really. But forget all that, they have a trampolining dog, get down there. Primarily a music venue, in the rough'n'ready tumbledown student manner of old. Quite cheerful, does food and all of that stuff, and seems to have bands on almost every night of the week. Styles itself as "South West London's premier live music venue", which may be pushing it a bit, but it isn't bad if that's your poison. Re-opened, allegedly not too good. Before I even have a chance to review it, it has shut down. Future uncertain. Not reviewed yet.

Want to review it? Not reviewed yet.

Want to review it? A good range of well-kept ale, friendly staff and regulars, rugby oriented - roll, pint, rugby - perfect! The term spit and sawdust is being kind to the Park Tavern, it was dirty. The seating, much of which is wooden benches, reminded me of an old railway station waiting room. The whole pub looked like a poorly maintained public bar from the 1980s. Adding insult to injury the prices are exhorbitant, over £3.50 for a pint of beer. They do not sell food, not even sandwiches. The gents' toilets needed ripping out and modernising. As hard as I try I cannot find anything good to say about this pub. Certainly one to give a miss. I presume the handful of locals keep this pub in business and even they were cliquey and looked down on strangers. The Park Tavern is on the steady road of decline. At one time it was a vibrant friendly hostelry selling a good range of real ales. Now it is on the downhill slide. It is in urgent need of an upgrade on all aspects. The decoration is tired, the seating is the most uncomfortable imaginable with either springs protruding from the chairs or hard wooden benches like a downmarket doctor's surgery. The price of drinks has escalated and is now one of the most expensive in and around North Kingston. The gents' toilets need ripping out and on my last visit it was a case of holding my bladder as long as possible. The service which was once good has got really poor. All aspects of the Park Tavern were dirty. The pub seems to be loosing trade hand over fist, except Friday evenings. I used to be a regular here when I would visit once a week now I will not be going back until they update all aspects and reduce prices. The heavens opened as we wandered the streets of Surbiton so a trip to the nearest pub was required. As it turned out, the nearest pub was The Spring Grove. My first impression on entering was 'Crikey, this is a bit busy for a Saturday afternoon'. I think this was down to the rugby being shown on the numerous big screens. Fortunately the pub is pretty big so it's not overwhelmed by the number of TVs, there are still areas of the pub where you can avoid watching if you want to.

Unfortunately the Winter Warmer was off but the pint of Bombardier was a decent replacement. There were a couple of raging fires to keep us warm so this seems to be an ideal winter pub. We didn't try the food but the menu looked reasonably priced and unpretentious. Overall, a top quality pub if you're in the area. Not reviewed yet.

Want to review it? The Wych Elm is a cosy neighbourhood local run by the same couple - Manny and Janet - for 30 years now. Fullers beer, two bars - the back bar has a dartboard, which isn't too common around here these days. Also worth a visit is the garden, award-winningly managed by Janet.

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