Rachael's reviews
Review of Railway Tavern
29 May 08, 17:59
Very nice place for a beer 
This was a nice pub I visited recently. It was full of men being rather loud, the younger ones were a friendly crowd. The rest were old folk nursing their pints, watching the football on the small telly above the bar. We walked into one bar and were kind of nicely directed into the next...So who knows what goes on in the first bar, maybe it's locals only for whatever reason! The drinks were so cheap, though it is because I am used to London prices. Very nice place to go simply because of the back drop to the pub - beautiful rolling hills.
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Review of Sir Robert Peel
29 May 08, 17:33
Rather ropey 
I have been to see a few bands here and they've been ok. But this joint is perhaps better known for it’s female, erm, exotic dancers performing on certain nights. Whilst I am intrigued about this side of the Peel's business, I am in no immediate hurry to rush over there and check them out. It is in the less desirable area of town so emerging after a late night out and having to pass the local estate on the way home isn't the most attractive prospect...
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Review of The Ram
29 May 08, 14:09
Jolly nice riverside public house
The Ram is a good pub, specially in the Summer as it has a large riverside seating area at the rear. They occasionally have live acoustic bands. It's a traditional old building, with a 'real' pub feel, in the nicer part of town, and the prices for drinks are very reasonable. I have been here many times and love the vibe.
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Review of The Kingston Tup
29 May 08, 14:03
Popular but pricey 
This is a good pub but a bit on the pricey side. It has salsa classes on a Monday, one of which I've been to and he's a good teacher. The food is fairly good also. I think it's run by Australians so it is big on screening all the big sports matches. The staff are pretty friendly and very efficient.
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Review of The Albert
29 May 08, 09:02
Expensive!
Well I suppose this IS the nearest pub to the Kingston entrance of Richmond Park and therefore they can charge what they like - but under £3 change of a tenner for 2 drinks? It is a nicely decorated place though, rustic mirrors and nice art on white and green walls. Downstairs are some interesting conservatory bits. They have a few tables outside on the ground level too which is good for summertime.
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Review of Six Bells
28 May 08, 14:15
Not it's real name!
This pub is now called The Honest Cabbage. It can be a bit scary in the sense that upon walking in all you get is stares off the locals...one of those joints that is almost TOO local, if that's possible haha. Women with goled 'mum' chains round their necks. Sometimes they sing karoake in there really badly. There is a Thai restaurant too, which I have not tried, but there's no way it's rivalling Kai's Thai in the Cricks, nohow.
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Review of Isha Lounge Bar
27 May 08, 14:13
Late night drinking hole
This place is good - the night I went there was a good DJ who played decent dancy chart stuff and took requests...even though we asked for the same Gorillaz tune about four times :) The drinks aren't too pricey, the staff nice and the crowd in there were cool. Definitely a better, classier bet than O'Neill's for a drink after hours.
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Review of Surbiton Flyer
25 May 08, 19:04
Bit on the rough side
This pub is right on the high street in Surbiton, and the crowd is usually either really young or a bit rough, or both. Outside there once I saw some police whacking a guy to the floor and then chucking pepper spray at him, surrounded by a crowd of squawking women. It has live bands at the weekends, the one I went to see was a covers band.
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Review of Rubicon
25 May 08, 18:54
Good bar
This is one of the bars in the long line of drinking establishments on Maple Road, and it's quite nicely done out in comparison to the older pubs. They have live music evenings downstairs with some decent acts. It's like a grotto down there with fairy lights all over the back wall, and there's only a few seats so it's nice and intimate.
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Review of The Antelope
25 May 08, 18:48
Average boozer
This pub is a favourite with the locals, you get crowds of blokes around the pool table singing along to the juke box - sounding a lot like bad karoake. Prices are quite high - typical of Surbiton. The toilets are quite ropey. They were showing the Eurovision on the screens when I was last in there, making for an interesting atmosphere...
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Review of The Agricultural
13 May 08, 17:54
Lovely bar
This is a very nice bar near the market and shopping centre in Angel. In response to Harry C above - I had a drink there the other night in balmy weather and it was really nice...large windows stood open to let the air in and big easy chairs to lounge in. They even have a couple of tables outside. And grolsch on tap alongside other good lagers and bitters.
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Review of Isaac Merritt
05 May 08, 22:52
Good cheap pub!
This is a wetherspoons pub so boasts the usual great prices, a round in there for four people gives you change of a tenner - it's awesome! It is very quiet though - no music playing and no juke box unfortunately. The location is a way off the sea front though, so Isaac Merritt attracts more local people than tourists, which is a nice change. The staff are very friendly and efficient. Definitely worth a look if you're after a great value pint.
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Review of Old Well House Inn
05 May 08, 22:47
Hugely characterful
I really liked this pub for the true 'local' flavour that hits you as soon as you walk through the door. We went in for an afternoon pint and there was a jazz instrumental version of 'Summertime' playing on the juke box. We got our pear ciders and sat down to drink them, watching an elderly man dressed in a smart suit dancing happily to the music. When I approached the bar to ask one of the staff directions to somewhere, I got referred by the young barmaid to a more mature lady whom, I was told, had lived there all her life.
Another elderly man then complimented me on how lovely I looked, and asked me to take his pound coin and put on some similar tunes on the juke box, as he could not see the items properly. So I went and had a look and found all these different groupings music, by classification of genre and period - what a brilliant juke box. I just knew that the classical and jazz were the most played in there, and that is why I would always go back just for that great atmosphere and friendly people.
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Review of Spinning Wheel Inn
05 May 08, 22:33
Great pub
This pub is a very popular drinking hole, situated right on the sea front. It is a good place to sit outside with a fish and chip lunch taking in the oceanside views. The table numbers (which you are asked for when you order food at the bar) are hard to find however - being etched in red pen on the wood! If you can't find it the staff are very helpful.
In the evening they have great live music interspersed with a DJ playing all sorts of tunes, modern pop and 80s classics. The band we saw played great covers, with a strong female vocalist. The DJ is situated upstairs in a strange barrel pod from which he plays his set - see the pictures for the band and DJ set up. It gets busy but the size of the place makes it OK, we found seats even in the middle of the evening. All in all a really good place for a night out - my favourite in Paignton!
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Review of Marquis Of Granby
19 Apr 08, 17:17
Popular pub
This is one of Epsom's most popular pubs, it's always heaving at weekends. The staff are sometimes a little slow, considering the permanent queues at the bar. There is lots of outside drinking space, which is good, the best of which is round the right hand side towards the car park where the benches are a bit more secluded than those at the front on the main road. Average beer selection and prices.
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Review of The Coal Hole
19 Apr 08, 16:47
Characterful pub
This is a decent pub in a good location on its own on the Strand. It is dark inside and out, I like the mock-gothic exterior, it almost looks like the entrance to a ghost train ride. And the inside is nice and traditional, with booths and beams. You get larger than life characters in here, chatty local Londoners so it's a good place to go if you like random conversation with strangers. I have not tried the food but am determined to try the pies people have been raving about here!
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Review of The Porterhouse
19 Apr 08, 16:38
Busy busy!
This is a large, very popular Covent Garden venue. It gets manic and on the sub-terranean levels it's pretty much impossible to get a signal on your phone, which is irritating when trying to locate friends in there. But if you can handle pushing past people all night to get to the bar and then back to your spot (which is a given with London pubs of this scale) it'll be OK. A good move is to hire out a booth if you are going with a group (it doesn't cost anything to do this). An interesting feature for me was the positioning of the live band that started playing halfway through the evening when I was last there, they were stuck up on a tiny stage suspended behind the bar!
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Review of Waxys Little Sister
19 Apr 08, 15:44
Characterful little place
This is a really great, tiny pub tucked away on a corner. The staff are friendly and it has a good atmosphere. My favourite feature is the small drinks pulley lift that is used to transport upstairs orders of more than two drinks, or stout pints that take longer to pull. You go downstairs to order and pay, then return upstairs and wait for the lift to deliver your drinks! Fun factor 10. Being quite small you feel it when it is busy so my advice is to head there as early in the afternoon as possible (or straight after work) to get a seat on one of the couches upstairs.
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Review of Waxy O'Connor's
19 Apr 08, 15:34
Treemendous
Yes! The tree in the middle of the pub, scaling each floor and spreading its branches akimbo is quite something to see. The layout of the pub is sprawling and unique, there is nowhere quite like it in Soho. I don't mind the tenuous Irish connotations. They serve great Guinness, and that's enough for me...what do you want, Irish dancers kicking away like in the Irish pubs in the US? They wouldn't have the room to do it around the tree in this place anyway :)
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Review of The Comedy Pub
19 Apr 08, 00:08
Nice pub!
This is a fine pub - and I am not a Sporrts fan, so offer you a non-sports related review. The food is good, offering many dishes as 2-for-1 so it is a good place to have lunch with a mate. When you go upstairs you have the offer of watching whatever match they are showing on the many screens, or you can have a game of pool of darts. The choice is yours! I like the old design of the building, with openable windows and classic booths.
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Review of The Hampton Court Palace
18 Apr 08, 13:01
A-mazing! 
Hampton Court is one of the Royal Palaces and located in a great area for visiting. It lies away from the more popular Buckingham Palace and the manic tourist hustle of Central London, in the opulent, green Surrey suburbs. A good part of the Palace is open to visitors, so there is much to view. Henry VIII lived here, there is an exhibition dedicated to him and his Great Hall is one of the highlights. All sorts of seasonal events take place here, there is an ice rink at Christmas time. It also features a maze and beautiful surrounding gardens, for which you can pay separately and enter without having to pay full whack to get into the Palace itself. The maze is a lot of fun, especially for children.
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Review of The Alexandra
15 Apr 08, 21:12
Central
This pub is very central to Wimbledon's busy high street so perfect for a pint between shops or at the end of a busy day of retail therapy. They even allow children in the early evening, directing you to the quieter area in the hindquarters. A decent venue by all accounts.
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Review of The Dog and Fox
15 Apr 08, 21:09
In the heart of Wimbledon Village
The Dog and Fox is a large, nicely designed old pub at the top of Wimbledon Hill, really close to the wonderful Common, yet smack bang in the middle of all the boutiques and restaurants of this popular, upmarket area. It serves a good selection of beers and wines and decent food. There are plenty of seats outside which keep it in line with the rest of the area's public houses. A top venue.
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Review of The Crooked Billet
15 Apr 08, 20:59
Pub on the green
Alongside the Hand in Hand, this is another great pub for social summertime drinking. You can combine it with a ramble in Cannizaro Park. And you can take your drinks outside and sit on the grass. Great food available, and a roaring fire so good in the winter too. What a gem, this and the Hand in Hand are definitely the two greatest pubs of Wimbledon Village as they are right on the Common.
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Review of Hand In Hand
15 Apr 08, 20:51
Summertime Venue
This pub is so great because of it's location. Inside it is a really nice old pub with character, and with a great selection of tap beverages. Outside is where it's at in the warmer weather, people can take their drinks and sit on the grass outside to socialise in the sunshine. Beautiful.
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Review of Earl Beatty
15 Apr 08, 20:33
Good ole Beatty!
The Earl Beatty is a nice family pub on a very small village high street, there is a real 'regulars' air about the place. The car park is a bit of a nightmare to navigate but there is plenty of free parking in the streets outside. And mostly the people who go there live close enough to walk. Pool table and beer garden are features at the Beatty.
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Review of Huntsman Hall
15 Apr 08, 20:27
Pub Close to the Station
The Huntsman is close to Worcester Park station , so makes a good meeting point. It can get kinda rough and rowdy in the evenings, especially at weekends. The food is good for weekend lunches though. And there is a pool table!
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Review of Royal Oak
14 Apr 08, 14:14
Quite a nice boozer
Good roast lunches here, comfy seat, real 'pub' feel. It's big enough and far enough away from the high street to feel a bit more special than the other central drinking holes, which can attract the rougher of the locals. If you're going to pick one New Malden pub, try this one first.
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Review of Bar Malden
14 Apr 08, 14:08
Station Pub!
This pub could not be closer to New Malden rail station, so if you're desperate for a drink either just before or after a train journey, here your place! Also good for meeting people who need a location close to the station. It can get busy at all times of day, and on every other level (staff, prices) it's not much above or below the other locals.
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Review of Half Moon
14 Apr 08, 13:59
Good Live Music Venue
I have been here a few times for gigs and it's a good venue for it, quite intimate with a small stage to the corner of the room. The bar area outside is much larger, with band photos all over the wall to get you in the mood. One of south west London's most renowned live music venues.
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Review of The Cricketers
12 Apr 08, 17:43
Genius Thai Food!
The Cricketers is a great live music venue with a big stage, whose upstairs space I hired out for a big birthday party. They also have comedy and quiz nights, so a lot goes on... But the best thing about it by miles is the in-house Thai restaurant, 'Kai's Thai' which is genuinely amazing and really good value. The yellow and green curries with coconut rice are delicious, and the starters are beautiful, and the starters! Minced chicken on toast with sweet chilli sauce!! You can be guaranteed a delicious fresh meal here for a great price. The owner is a real character, what could be construed as stand-offishness we put up with because his food is so beautiful :)
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Review of Wheelwrights Arms
12 Apr 08, 17:31
Tiny old pub hidden amongst the shops!
Now this is what I'd describe as an 'old man' kind of pub, although it was brightened with a decorative overhaul quite recently. The location is brilliant for a quick day time beverage, tucked away between Argos and Specsavers, and I think that's what gives it the proper 'local' feeling about it, the realisation that a good few geezers would happily stop off there whilst their wife is doing the shopping. There is a more pleasant and safe feel to this venue, than in some bigger places in the town centre.
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Review of Druids Head
12 Apr 08, 17:20
Good for Daytime
I really like this little pub, I advise that if possible you make it a lunchtime or afternoon visit and that you take one of the very few, coveted window seats as they are perfect for people watching in Kingston's busy market place. There are two entrances - a smaller bar on the right hand side that is separated from the rest of the pub, good if you want a quieter atmosphere...otherwise, the bigger bar on the left is busier but just as nice. They serve the usual pub sorta food.
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Review of The Gazebo
12 Apr 08, 17:13
Kingston's cheapest pub?
The Gazebo is another great Sam Smith venue with all it's own branded, ridiculously cheap and fine tasting alcohol. Located on the river it's a perfect summertime pub, you can sit on the benches outside or on the balcony upstairs. The food is fair, atmosphere nice, and the staff seem mostly made up of travellers.
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Review of Boaters Inn
12 Apr 08, 17:00
Great Live Jazz!
The Jazz on Sundays is what The Boaters is all about...the musicians are really very good and for those who know their jazz, there seem to be a good mix of styles from week to week. It gets busy, so arrive early if you want a seat. The Boaters is a very popular pub in the summertime (with outside seating), it is found a good walk down the river from town, so quite exclusive and out of the way.
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Review of Bishop Out Of Residence
12 Apr 08, 16:48
Riverside pub
A good summertime drinking venue as there is seating outside near the river. The upstairs part seems to be a popular place for functions, I have been to works and wedding ones there in the past. As far as prices go it's pretty average and the staff are friendly and on-the-ball.
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Review of O'Neill's
12 Apr 08, 16:42
Late opener
Haha, the choice of photo is interesting with roadworks outside! O'Neill's is a large, crowded pub just off the marketplace in Kingston. The benefit is it's late opening, though unless you are inside before 10.30pm, you will have trouble getting in, the queues form quickly. The atmosphere and staff are fine, as you can imagine it gets pretty packed and noisy as the night goes on. Sometimes there is live music, usually average covers bands. Not a bad Kingston drinking venue.
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Review of The Chandos
12 Apr 08, 16:12
A real boozer!
You just can't argue with the value if this place, it has been mentioned in many of it's reviews already but a pint for 2 quid? Isn't that what the bloke with the cask fixed to the top of the building is there for - shouting it from the rooftops?!
I only go in there at lunchtime so the vibe then is very much an old man's one, I can only imagine how busy and loud it gets at night. But rightfully so.
The booths are great, I love the 'real' pub decor, the darkness of downstairs is a stark contrast to upstairs, it's like two different venues almost. Go and check it out, it is a little hidden gem within the busy expensive venues near Leicester Square.
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Review of The Goldsmiths Tavern
12 Apr 08, 15:54
Student late boozer
This place used to be a gothic dream, opposite the equally gothic looking Venue (which I never actually went to). The GMT, as we used to call it, was full of punk rockers. There were hardly any chairs or tables inside, and everything was painted black. I wonder if it has been done up now? It was also a live music venue, one of a few in the student domain of New Cross Road. The good thing about it was that it stayed open after regular drinking hours. The Goldsmiths Tavern holds happy memories for me of my great student days...I'd be interested to know if it is still as dark and basic inside as it used to be!
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
Review of The Kings Tun
12 Apr 08, 14:03
Cheap beer
This is a Wetherspoon's pub so you can guess the vibe - huge expanse of floor space and cheap lager...I don't know how they manage with these prices when they always seem able to snap up the biggest and most desired locations...just shows you how we pay disgustingly more than we should in other bars. This pub is right near the station and opposite the Rotunda centre, housing the Odeon, a load of restaurants and a bowling centre, so it's a convenient place to have a preliminary drink when out with mates. I have only been in there a handful of times though, due to the fact that Kingston's rougher crowd seem attracted to it.
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Review of Grey Horse
12 Apr 08, 13:52
Good Live Venue
Yes! The Grey Horse is somewhere I have visited on and off since my student days at Kingston College. Definitely a dusky, dusty student venue but open to anyone! I agree wholeheartedly with Bravenewmalden, this is a great live intimate setting, and the sound is better than in the Cocks because there is more space in The Grey Horse. The best band in Kingston - Tulpas - have played here many times. They also have a comedy club here on Sundays (think it's called The Crack). It is in the same back area as the live music, and they get some decent comics in. Go check it out!
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Review of Ha Ha Bar
12 Apr 08, 13:04
Nice Location
OK we all know what to expect with Haha, it being a chain and all, but the location of this particular one, right on the Thames in Kingston makes it a cool venue. Sofas, space and river views. The food is really nice too, with choices for all palates and a few veggie options.
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Review of The Garrick Arms
09 Apr 08, 20:03
My Works' Local
It's overpriced but the measures are big, so it's easy to get drunk. I like their White Zinfandel, it's like drinking squash...not many pubs serve that. They do jugs of Pimms in the summer. A man tried to sell my friend fish in there once, from inside his jacket. Another old vagrant-looking guy one night approached everyone rambling solely about football. You do get random characters wandering in. I guess a pub is made by the people who drink there, and as those are friends from work, its an ok place!!
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