please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Seemed to have the full range of Fullers beers, my Red Fox was nice, £3.10 a pint though. Sports oriented but not a 'sports bars' as such, had the Footy on when I was there, but Rugby is the main game here judging by the paraphernalia on the walls.
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Interesting pub which is a shrine to Rugby - lost on me as I'm not a fan. Good range of Fullers beers & the HSB was very nice, £3.20 for a pint was a bit stiff though - but that's Fullers houses for you.
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Pleasant Fullers house convenient for the station but tucked away behind the main street. Central island bar with brass hand and foot rails, bar stools and a mix of booth seating and chairs and tables around three sides. A seperate conservatory/dining room to the rear. Clearly a rugby pub, memorabilia and paraphenalia associated with the oval ball are everywhere, even on the ceiling.
A traditional feel however with lots of brown stained wood. Benches and tables in the attractive small front garden area.
Pride, Chiswick, ESB, Discovery, Red Fox (autumn ale, 4.3%), and HSB ex Gale's all available at the time of this visit. Friendly and helpful guvnor behind the bar too.
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I have never had anything but a good time in this pub, but be warned, if you don’t like rugby, this is not the place for you. On a rugby international day, the place is rammed from morning until night and the atmosphere is always superb. It is also possible to see the odd ex international playing stumbling about. A nice drop of Pride to boot. The only down side is getting served because the bar is incredibly small compared to the size of the pub itself.
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As you can tell from my previous post I really liek this pub. It's a great place for a drink and has a really friendly atmosphere.
However over the last few weeks something has spoilt my enjoyment of this fine establishment. One of the barmen now seems to have developed the worlds largest chip on his shoulder. His service comes with a scowl, he eyes anyone with suspicion, when moving people out of the side garden at the end of the night to lock up he says things like 'come on move on'. On a seperate night he also confiscated a mostly empty bottle of water from my group telling us off for bringing in outside drinks and saying if we wanted water we could get it at the bar for free. As we already had a round of beers and were all drinking them (the water was just brought in as we had been drinking it earlier) this seemed a little extreme and if they insist on not letting you bring in bottles of water a friendly word or a could you just put it in your bag would have been much more appreciated rather than snatching it from the table and a telling off like we were school children.
I go to this pub at least once a week with a group of friends and have always really liked it. However the attitude of this one member of staff (and it is only one member of staff) is really off putting and has led to talks of moving on else where.
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Cracking pub !! All beer in fine form on my visit,bar staff ouick and plesant.check it out.
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Very good pub - really the place is a gem!
BenEd - 21 Jul 2008 14:32 |
I just love this pub! I always make a point of popping in when I'm in Richmond.
Joe and Margy run a brilliant ship and are always friendly.
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One of the nicest pubs in the area. This is my regular call after playing touch rugby on old deer park and is always a highlight of the night. Good choice of beer which is always served with a smile. The food is pub grub which is actually a nice change from the wealth of gastropubs in Richmond. IT'S A PUB NOT A RESTAURANT.
The only down point is that the crowd of stools right by the bar make it a bit difficult to get served when it's busy.
Am looking forward to my next visit.
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Best rugby pub in Richmond although can be a rugby clubhouse some days. Good place for a fun saturday night with friends but beer can be hit or miss though.
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Visited and the beer was decent both Chiswick and Pride. This is a good pub when the beer is good.
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Nice traditional pub round the back from central Richmond. Fullers but also Brakspears as guest beer at the mo, and also Fullers Porter which was unusual.
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Joe could do better with the beer.
When on form though, a super pub to have a beer and natter with mates. Unspoilt, which says it all.
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The pub has been part of my life for the last 20 odd years, I became a regular 2 years ago.
The beers are kept in top condition, the home made food is top quality.
Our hosts are Joe and Margy Clarke who have lived at and run the pub since 1985.
The Sun is one of the best rugby pubs in the local area, and certainly gets a 10 / 10 from me.
Certain Tuesday nights during the year there is a quiz night which starts at 8pm.
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Probably the most unspoilt pub in Richmond now, along with the Triple Crown. People - including me - have made adverse comments about the beer quality in this pub in the past, but last night's Pride was on good form. Slightly surprised to see a guest beer on - Thwaites Lancaster Bomber. Fuller's do allow tenancies to take a guest beer - but no advertising / promotional material is allowed, so if you don't spot the pump clip on the handpump you wouldn't know it was on offer
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A great pub indeed but its often a shame to find narrow minded idiots like Cossack frequenting it. Get over yourself, and if you've a problem with 'plastic London Welsh fans' go to another pub. Better still, try being friendly, we're not a bad bunch.
anonymous - 22 Mar 2007 12:48 |
This is the place to go after a game. The conversation revolves around rugby and despite the fact it is frequented by plastic London Welsh fans (why don't they go to Wales if they're home sick)the atmosphere is always raucous. There are always rugby legends in this place who are happy to talk to you if you buy them a drink. On the downside the beer is average and there is an East European barman who doesn't know the difference between ale and lager. Overall this place is worth trecking to, the walls are adorned with rugby memorabilia and if you are a devotee of the oval ball, you will fall in love with this place
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Good pub, great character, big rugby pub. Heard that they may be redecorating which could ruin it??!!!
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Great pub. Will miss it when I move away. Great rugby boozer. Never had a bad night here.
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Another fine pub. Definitely a rugger bugger pub and all the better for it. You can buy cobs (the East Midlanders will know what I'm talking about) but also have more substantial meals. Like the layout of the pub and another place where conversation is supreme. Fullers ales which in passing can never be faulted are excellent here. Never blame the brewery only the people who sell it.
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The beer in this place is bloody awful. Not helped by the fact that it's Fullers (vile) but even the Stella's rubbish. Shame, cos I do quite like the place despite its cliqueyness, largely thanks to the rugby, but am loathe to go in cos of the dreadful and overpriced beverages on offer.
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Beer & Rugby, hey? Well The Sun's looking well on it, its always busy & over-flowing onto the pavement whenever I'm passing en route to the Orange Tree. Perhaps i will detour one of these weekends, to sample some ale and get some 'Sun'! (Just hope i don't get that glass that stinks like where the Sun doesn't shine..!! - that would not be good!)
(PS- can you get moonshine here..?) TJ
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apa...there is a little thing called inflation with regards to the priceing system, also how many little scrotes have u seen in this place? personally i have seen none...now if the price for being able to have a pint in a nice pub with out the influx of chavs that are invading richmond means i have to pay an extra 10 or 20p on my pint i really dont care.
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We've never had a bad night here! Apart from the odd "we don't serve crisps on a match night" ( I mean, what?!!) and the slightly scary Bar Manager... it's been classic. We've been kicked out at closing time with great charm over and over again... Rugby fans haven. If you love the game, watch a match here. Regalia stuck on all the walls... and normally, present in the flesh as well. Great great pub.
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average pub, couple of guest beers (tinner's and hsb) Fuller's Pride £2.80 which was very expensive i thought
anonymous - 22 Jun 2006 13:03 |
Not as good as it used to be years ago.Just an average Fuller's pub now.The Pride was in very good condition even though at £2.80 a rip off.
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The Chiswick bitter was cloudy and sour when I visited last Thursday. Staff disinterested - more concerned setting the place up for some football match later that day. I won't go back.
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A lovely old school boozer. I can't stand rugby but it doesn't stop me enjoying this pub that is nicely tucked away by the green.
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As a frequent visitor to the Sun Inn I agree with GeorgeW. Drink is good and people are too. Only difference is my opinion on the food! Excellent home cooked food and value for money- certainly wont go home feeling hungry or disappointed!
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Great traditional pub furr of beer swilling rugby people, young and old. The kind of pub you would never dare to eat in but beer excellent always.
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Incredibly expensive , but a nice old fashioned boozer - and what a pleasure to have a cigarette at the bar !!!
anonymous - 24 Apr 2006 11:02 |
London Pride is consistently poor in here - a staff training need exists, but because it's a tenancy, Fullers don't want to know - so go to the Princes Head instead, where, not only is the LP always in good nick, but its 25p cheaper as well, because its a managed house. Now that's weird !
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Cracking little Fullers pub. Had on the full range of Fullers beers. Very pleasant to visit in the afternoon, sit at the bar, and watch the Sky cricket coverage.
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A little way away from the main Richmond "scene" and probably a better pub for it.
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There's too many negative comments from too many posters for them all to be untrue.. And they all involve the service.
I like the pub itself, and the other punters are happy rugby loving folk, but in a service industry the way the staff act towards their CUSTOMERS, (you know the people putting money into the pubs pockets) is nothing short of disgraceful.
Only in England would you get away with this...
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Ambled into this pub for the first time on Saturday. Had absolutely no problems with the service, beer was good and I had a great time. Lovely character, old traditional rugby pub......bliss.
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Ladyboy? erm, nope. Footballer? ahahahaha, with my gut?
Clearly I've been in the wrong frame of mind on previous visits.
Alright bigb, you've talked me into it. I'll give it another chance. I really will. I'll walk in with an open-mind next time and start afresh.
I did go back to change the shit-flavoured pint by the way, but the barman had vanished.
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i must say... issas?! really, what r u on about? are you a lady boy footballer or what? most people tend to bring up their discreppences with the bar staff at the time or purchase. i know i do if i have a problem! that aside ive never had a problem in this pub. Friendly staff good atmosphere and awesome food. fair enough it is a bit pricey but do u ever see any underage chavs or idiots trying to start fights? no, and thats y i like it. this is very much a pub for sivilized adults. not got a bad word to say as i always enjoy my drinking at the sun.
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Dreadful bloody place with a dreadful reputation and not just on Rugby days. The only reason I ever pop in here is because it's close to the Station and I sometimes fancy a bit of a change.
The last time I was here I walked out thinking 'never again' - and the time before that, and the time before that etc etc. Lord alone only knows why I keep going back, I must be under the sad but hopeful illusion that the bunch of comedians running it have been booted out and replaced with a more professional bunch - fat chance!
Last time, in April I think, I waited nearly fifteen minutes to be served. No problem, one of those things, it happens sometimes but I'm sure the barman was pissed. This probably also accounted for the fact that he ignored me and served two other obvious regulars who had just walked in. Right, well I've waited long enough for a sodding pint and I'm going to have one even if it means waiting all night!
Once our customer service champion had finally got round to providing me with the good stuff I found a table and settled down with a paper. But hold on, what's that smell?
The glass smelt as if it had been handled by someone who had just wiped their arse without washing their hands. Reminds me of a story about a squaddie who stuck his finger up his backside then wiped it round the rim of his mates pint when he wasn't looking. I can't describe it any more succinctly than that, it stank!
I mean, not only is the service shit but your beer smells like it too!
That finally did it for me. You pay good money for a pint and even if the service isn't that friendly the very least you should reasonably expect is fair and prompt service - and beer that doesn't smell like it's been been mixed with an enema.
Not good.
issas - 25 Aug 2005 23:15 |
so my dear drinkers of the mond. i hear many complaints about one of the oldest and most famous pubs in the country but so far, but for the last one, i have not yet heard much praise. in how many pubs can you walk around and be swept along by the history of ours countries, some would say,national sport. so what if some boy picked up a ball during a football game. rugby isn't in the stand or players or grass but is in the soul... the sun.
walk around and you'll see how the pub has progressed from a mere tributary through the mond to a place that holds your attention till closing.
voyeurs, sit at your leisure and witness the eclectic flow of fans, drinkers, theatre goers or mere students that tidally wash through the doors
rugby days are indeed busy and as such should not be expected to be the hospitable ambient pub that it is
350 days of the year. i think drinks are served here and as a past pub man the drinks on rugby days are important not the recepticles... get a grip you mary.
esb tony
anonymous - 21 Aug 2005 05:51 |
Been drinking in this pub for a while. Quality boozer that makes a nice break from the usual chain pubs. Never get any trouble in here as the Landlady has it all under control. Bar staff are effient and friendly and never had to wait more than a min or two for a beer if that. If the landlady has taken a dislike to anyone it's cause they are behaving inapropriately. Locals are all good lads and lasses. Reasonably pricy but keeps the riff raff out. Never any kids in the Sun which is good.
Most of the negative comments seem to be from people who have come in on rugby days when the pub is heaving with non-regular barstaff working. Rugby days are an expextion and the landlady and landlord seem to have it sorted, due to doing them for 16 odd years. This is a legendry rugby pub that proper supporters would understand the difficulties of a busy international test. I feel that previous comments made are obviously not from genuine egg chasers who would be better off drinking in the Richmond arms. (for all you sweeties!)
Judgy - 26 Jun 2005 02:55 |
Actually, despite going in here fairly regularly for the last 2.5 years, it's actually rather hostile. Bar staff superficially friendly but definite undertone of 'If you're not someone we know really well, fuck off' As exemplified by the plastic 'glasses' doled out last weekend...
My friend & I had been given glass initially but then were told on round 2 that they were expecting a big rugby crowd so were only serving plastic. Fair enough - 'cept we observed obvious regulars coming in and getting beer in glasses. My mate went to the bar for round 3 and, upon plastic being drawn, requested we receive our beer in appropriate vessles - and had to argue his case! We did get our beer in glasses eventually but the route there was ridiculous. Great for a quick drink/one-off evening if you don't know Richmond but not recommended as a regular haunt. (Still can't complain about the eye-candy tho!) Definite feeling of hostility to those not esteemed with the landlord/lady/barstaff which is very evident to the regular, yet non-ingratiated punter.
Think I'll avoid for a while, especially now I know where the fab Twickenham donkey-grazing pitch pic hales from. Shame, cos it's a great rugby pub and has always been my 2nd fave pub in Richmond but OOOOHH sooo cliquey!
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Cant help but go in as i play rugby but isnt it time for a re-think. Much better places to go...
anonymous - 13 May 2005 13:52 |
Smells terrible. Couldn't finsh my drink. And who's the woman (big) with black eyes-she scared us all.
anonymous - 10 May 2005 14:20 |
More fun was had at this venue than it was thought to be possible. Roll on the team that no longer exists get togethers. Didn't get as much abuse as was expected though!
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I got wasted in this pub, the service was rubbish (the pub would be rated much higher otherwise), so I nicked a glass.
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"Found" the bigger bit of this pub to the right - It is a shame that the staff service is below-par in here, as it is seemingly a great rugby pub.
TheGP - 18 Mar 2005 09:16 |
i have mixed feelings about this place.For the most part I love it due to its blatant rugby-orientated nature and the generous amounts of eye-candy on display on any given weekend (I have often thought whilst in this pub on a Saturday that heaven would not be a dissimilar place) but I have witnessed (albeit from afar) the attitude of the landlady who does look at non-regulars as though they were dirt on her shoe. Other staff have been friendly enough tho so I'll happily go back for more until such time that I or my friends are on the receiving end. Fantastic photo of Twickenham stadium on the wall with donkeys grazing on the pitch circa 1910.
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I agree with Munster fan below. Had a superb day having watched the rugby, the pub was heaving but the atmosphere was tremendous and every single person was in great spirits. The only thing to spoil it was the attitude of the landlady as we left. I couldn't believe the obsenities that were shouted at my male friends even though we did absolutely nothing wrong!!
Having spend the entire day there and having rung thousands through the till the last thing we expected was a torrent of abuse and sarcasm as we left.
Highly inappropriate, I would strongly recommend avoiding this place. A real shame to end such a fantastic day on sour note.
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I have been to the Sun a few times and will never return again after my experience on Saturday evening. I have never encountered such an abusive manageress / landlady in all my years.
It's the hospitality industry, you should be thankful for people's custom and not being screaming at them to get the f**k out of your pub and other obscenities and telling them to be grateful for the service that they received.
It's a pity as I have had good night in there before but don't appreciate being abused by the staff in such a fashion. AVOID!!!
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Nice traditional rugby orientated pub, but the London Pride is consistently below par. It is cheaper and on consistently better form in The Princes Head.
I agree with earlier comments about the staff attitude - not good enough, given that they're supposed to be in a consumer focused environment.
John - 8 Nov 2004 12:57 |
The staff seem a little disinterested at times, but at least this isn't a hell hole of young adults 'expermimenting' with alcohol. Pricey, as is the football table, and the beer isn't as good as it could be (The Princes Head down the street is better), but otherwise it's a pleasant place to hang out providing you can afford it.
MrTall - 6 Nov 2004 21:33 |
I agree, very rude - we never bother going here any more. If they're going to sting you for expensive booze they could at least smile while they're doing it. Definitely biased towards the regulars!
S - 12 Oct 2004 22:03 |
I'm local but this isn't my regular pub, although I did start popping in here once a week as I had business nearby,
I say did, will never use it again! Don't bother unless you're a regular. By all means, queue for ages at the bar and watch as a regular walks in, jumps to the front and having exchanged winks with the Polish (I think) barmaid gets served ahead of everyone else.
After seeing this on two seperate occaisions with two different punters I've crossed 'The Sun' off my list.
If you like rudeness and pricey beer, this is the pub for you!
Anon - 8 Oct 2004 16:55 |
Good rugby pub, always packed for big games, but good atmosphere.
Not cheap though - But this is Richmond
TheGP - 16 Aug 2004 12:54 |
Quite expensive but if you are looking for one of the better Rugby pubs in this town this is the place. Ninety-Nine!
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Great rugby pub, nice beer, loads of memorabilia on walls, just the place to escape pissed soccer fans. Handy for Richmond and Lon Scottish RFC
Owen - 25 May 2004 12:08 |
Good traditional old style pub and if your mates are having an off day on the conversation front then there's plenty of rugby memorabilia to keep you entertained.
One bad point, I left a coat after a big night out on the beers and went back next day to see if it had been handed in. Was told that any lost property is left hanging in the bar for any random to take instead of being put behind the bar. Thanks
Toby - 19 Apr 2004 13:17 |
Fantastic place to watch rugby, great fun and atmosphere. Spoilt a bit by the snotty landlady who clearly sees customers as a money machine and hasn't heard of 'marketing, pr or customer service'. Also spoilt by ridiculous queue of people trying to get Jason Leanord's autograph blocking all roads to the loo!
Sarah - 29 Mar 2004 09:51 |
Never go to this pub. Due to the complete incompetence they managed to ruin a party booking. The "manager" seems to cancel bookings on her own whim, and treats potential customers with complete disregard. Will never use this pitiful pub again.
anonymous - 17 Nov 2003 15:31 |
Excellent pub to watch rugby in, full of real boozers. Joe, the boss, is a star. Best pub in Richmond.
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Not a bad establishment, although a bit over the top on the egg chasing tat on every single wall.
This place is now notorious as the place where a mate of mine exploded a bottle of mustard over himself. The kind barmaid gave him a tshirt though )
David - 19 Oct 2003 16:33 |
Beer and Rugby.......if God was alive, he'd live there.
anonymous - 7 Aug 2003 12:25 |
Naked drunk men most Saturday nights. What more can a girl ask for?
Siren - 5 Aug 2003 10:59 |
Fantastic pub - beer excellent and ideal for Rugby Internationals if you can get a seat - tends to be packed on these days.
Olly - 13 Dec 2002 13:34 |
Good Fullers and Adnams ale. Lots of rugby memorabilia. Good place for watching sport on TV (especially Rugby). Barbecues on match days.
Richard - 29 Oct 2002 09:49 |
