please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Clean, smart, modern pub feel which, fortunately, keeps a range of (expensive) ales...as always quality is up and down but that is more to do with ancient dispense systems.....why don't the new brewers find something better than uncooled pipes to uncooled pumps? Interesting high quality cider from France..good initiative..standard lagers sadly but menu is the draw which I cannot comment on.....BQ 8.2
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Typical Esher pub where you'll fin plenty of hooraying posho's. Don't let that put you off too much though as they do serve a good selection of beers, and the food is nice in a pricey Esher kind of way. 6 ales on tap when I visited & they show sports too but not too obtrusively. The only slight downside was that I had to sit within spitting distance of Joe Cole & I'm an Arsenal fan! Good place overall
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Anyone looking for ale would worry reading the sign ‘Bar, Restaurant, Private Dining’, but I was steeled by GuideDogSaint’s mention of several great beers. Six of the eight handpumps were on, offering Surrey Hills Ranmore & Shere Drop, Twickenham Ales Scrum Down, Hop Daemon Golden Braid, Cottage Whippet Pawfather, Pride, all £3 or, most annoyingly, £3.10 for 2 halves! Horseshoe bar at front entrance, good enough drinking area, signed rugby shirts, a few old shots of locale, plasma screen, tall round tables with stools. Beyond this a long narrow stretch of tables laid for dining, banquette seating one side under windows (blinds throughout), chairs the other. A small admin position oddly sits between the bar & rest – I doubt I would enjoy being seated for a meal next to a phone & computer point. I didn’t see the main menu, bar sarnies were £3-£5, wine list was good but the decent stuff accelerated pretty quickly from £18. Beer choice was good and such a selection suggests that they have the evening throughpull to support it but I tried 4 at lunchtime and they were just ok, leaning slightly toward tepid, and were poured from on high in that one-handed (off-handed!) ‘glass-sitting-in-drip-tray’ fashion. Can understand ‘pretentious’ comments elsewhere but I can think of many worse places for a few pints if the beer was pulled thru & served properly.
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Mark for this place is being dragged down by some old ratings.
In here on Wednesday and 8 real ales were on, I tried the Surrey Hills Shere Drop and Albury Ruby, Crouch Vale Amarillo and the Waylands Addled Ale. All very nice particularly the Albury. They also had Twickenham Original and Naked Ladies, Pride and Brewers Gold.
A must visit if you are in the area, worth making a trip for if not.
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The pub has had more management attention recently and sells the biggest range of real ale I have seen for a long time. Surrey Hills, Pilgrim, Crondall, Hogs Back and Fullers. Good range of wine too as the owner is a wine merchant.
Food does look quite expensive at £16 up for a main course in the restaurant area.
Friendly helpful staff and good service.
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The reason for such generally mediocre service is that the owners also own the restaurant 'George' on the High Street. They put a hell of a lot more into that place than they do the good old Albert.
To the owners: Do the locals a favour and sell it to someone who gives a crap, please.
anonymous - 2 Dec 2006 04:14 |
Visited the Pub 7th November 2006, took a couple of guests, service appalling, youngsters who in their defence were very pleasant but hadn't a clue as to what they should be doing, Drinks order incorrectly taken. Soup was ordered by one guest but no spoon, upon the second time of asking two spoons were offered this took 5 mins so far soup getting cold. Which spoon would guest like to use, desert or soup was the question!! soup spoon was the obvious answer, doh! Order was incorrectly taken in first place, delivered to the wrong table in an other instance, bill was presented for 4 covers only three of us attended!! Shame they don't have a manager anymore, used to be good. Doubt we'll visit again
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Anonymous gets rather hot under the collar about reviews querying how good the Albert is. I would say that the staff are lovely, as are the owners. However I doubt that even they would deny that they have concisously gone after a rather moneyed crowd, and that leads to lots of people talking about how much they are worth, whilst wearing clothes too young for them, and women with no wrinkles and perma-tans. The food is great, but a little overpriced
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In the below reviews this pub has been accused of attracting the style above substance, shallow, pretentious type. Its been dissed because some Chelsea football players choose to drink there and the landlord accused of trying to make it too trendy. Who are you sad people? Go and drink in a student bar or down the legion. Fabulous pub, great food, great atmosphere, best staff anywhere and full of genuine and friendly locals.If you want a spit and sawdust place full of scruffy oiks then no you won't like it.
anonymous - 14 Dec 2005 16:00 |
Full of blokes who are up there own arses and women looking for their sugar daddy.
19119 - 19 Sep 2005 20:14 |
The antithisis of the Wheatsheaf... horribly over-priced and full of complete wankers. On Sandown race days multiply this by about a million. Plus it doesnt help that they kicked me out for wearing an Iron Maiden t-shirt. Tools.
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Fantastic pub, great food, especially the Sunday roasts. Good atmosphere on a Friday and Saturday night.
Best place in Esher to go and staff are brilliant too!
anonymous - 19 Aug 2005 21:51 |
Basically, the 'Circle of Hell' Dante never found. Chelsea squad drink in here - tells you all you need to know. The clientele here personify style above substance, and the price of everything outweighing any notion of value. Shallow beyond belief.
anonymous - 28 Jul 2005 14:51 |
The bar in this place is a pick-up joint for the well heeled over 30's! Very good atmosphere, does attract some very nice "expensive" looking female clientle, also known to attract various members of the current Chelsea squad, who shall rename nameless, just incase Jose is reading!
Although bar is tightly packed on a Friday and Saturday night, getting a drink is not a problem, bar staff are excellent.
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very nice bar very nice barstaff in particular a nice young australian he was very chatty and made an old lady happy. If only i was twenty years younger and not so rotund he could have been the man for me.
This would get a ten if i could get a date with this young man ( does he like 53yr old woman)
great atmosphere keep it (so too speak)
anonymous - 7 Feb 2005 16:05 |
A large restaurant "round the back" makes the bar small, and the huge bar itself makes space for us, the punters, even smaller. Having said that, it's not a bad pub, quite a good atmosphere and, most importantly, it's totally devoid of chavs (but then again, it is Esher)
The Parkhillian - 25 Oct 2004 19:19 |
Amazing sirloin steaks and brilliant value for money, love the atmosphere too
Kerry - 21 Oct 2004 14:38 |
Sunday lunch was a rip off - very expensive wine, inedible pudding and fairly naff main course. Service very slow and offhand. Won't go again - used to be a nice old pub.
Liz - 5 Oct 2004 16:53 |
Great monk fish ....
kelly - 28 Sep 2004 15:23 |
We only went because nearby pub at Moore Place was so awful but glad we did. Amazingly smug Surrey-type regulars (swingers?!) but v funny to watch (incl brill Rod Stuart lookeylikey!). Wil def go back to try the food - prob the only way to get a seat.
Daevid - 18 Sep 2004 13:59 |
One of the best Steaks ive had in a long time. GREAT food.
James - 9 Sep 2004 17:19 |
This used to be your archetypal old man's pub but the landlor retired and its now very beige walls and wood floors. Incredibly friendly bar-staff make up for the rather idiotic punters. A lot of middle aged men and women in clothes far too young for them, flashing their cash. Great atmos for rugby though.
Ciarán - 26 Aug 2004 15:34 |
A largely middle aged crowd on Friday / Saturday nights, probably all divorcees and on the pull. Very crowded and can't get a seat, often spilling out onto the pavement outside. Good food and drink.
Barry - 17 Jun 2004 15:42 |
Has limited seating area and so most times I have been I have been left standing for a couple of hours. Good food and a reasonable pint.
Bob - 20 May 2004 12:34 |
Dirty, old mans pub.
rob - 30 Apr 2004 15:24 |
Clientelle reckon they are the dogs, given that they are all probably worth a few million each then fair enough. If you fancy an expensive pint whilst looking at stunning barmaids, surrounded by up their own arse wankers, this is your place.
Scotty Boy - 13 Jan 2004 13:37 |
I´ve been there once and thats just because of the RFU history. Got me self a few over priced pints but it was worth it. Nice personal and very nice visitors who bouht me some funny Smirnoff Ice.
Classe "The Swede" - 26 Jun 2003 02:14 |
The only reason this place gives the impression of being busy is because the moron who refurbished it decided to replace the drinking area with a bar that covers two thirds of the pubs total floor area. Lovely for the bar staff- they have acres of space in which to pour overpriced drinks, but not so good if you are one of the 15 people crammed into the remaining cutomer area...
dave - 3 Jun 2003 17:46 |
friendly atmosphere.good food.nice lights outside!
jeni - 19 Mar 2003 10:25 |
I have always rated this pub. It has made the transition from friendly spit and sawdust local's local to classy friendly pub very well!
Paul - 18 Mar 2003 16:33 |
Local boozer by day and week-nights, packed to the rafters on a Saturday night.
Cheaper than the Bear, more fun than the Wheatsheaf and less knocked-down than the White Lion
Mine's a pint of Tea.
Peter - 18 Mar 2003 16:33 |
Smart pub with a good selection of beers and an excellent reputation for its food. The sausage and onion sandwich is my lunchtime favourite.
Angus - 18 Mar 2003 14:15 |
Very nice pub with a local feel on Sundays and Weeknights, but with a very lively Friday and Saturday night. Often frequented by Racegoers due to being so near Sandown Park. Also does excellent food in the Restauraunt section- but you will need to book.
Mike - 18 Mar 2003 13:37 |
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