please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Can only agree with the post below lamenting the loss of the O'Neil's Pub. Was in here twice in past seasons before and after Celtic friendlies against Fulham. Then it was a fantastic venue, with good staff dealing with hundreds of raucous football fans in a fast and professional manner. Live music after one of the games was great. But returned last night after the Ireland v Columbia game to find this fabulous pub has morphed into a dreadful 'modern-urban' faceless monstrosity! What football fans there where, were outnumbered by pseudo posh (jumpers draped over shoulders!) types! OMG! How a great boozer has fallen. And despite the fact that it was only a quarter full it took an age to get served...and they'd ran out of Guinness!!! Nuff said really...
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Very welcome addition of Timothy Taylors Golden Best as a regular beer on handpump in company with the Landlord. Also absolutely superb guest mild, Moorgate Black Cat, which I am also hoping can become a regular here - if not I suggest ale lover's sample this gorgeous mild before it all goes or before I drink it all!
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I was also in the pub on Boat Race day....and it was quite obvious the menu had been chaged to simplify and speed up service and was advertised all day (and at the same prices/similar to the normal menu) so don't see the issue.I know the management is relatively new but this pub seems to be going in the right direction with a great selection of Ciders and unusual beers available. Just have to wait and see but I find it about the best value in the area at the moment and with a nice friendly vibe too.
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Went in on Boat Race day to find there was no table service and the already pricey menu was replaced with a truncated menu designed entirely to fleece the casual punter. This would not be a problem except they took orders based on the normal menu, only to say we couldn't have it later and they wanted more money off us. There was 10 of us, we'd have stayed in there for ages but a complete lack of customer service and the ramped up prices drove us away. Very disappointing.
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Having posted before that this place was really quiet, I popped in on friday night and it was packed. Service very slow as a result - think it's time they took on more staff at peak periods.
anonymous - 4 Nov 2007 09:43 |
If you boringly bland & a poncy wannabee - head for the Temperance.
O'Neills Putney was the central meeting point for hundereds of vibrant people who loved to have a good time with friends, get some decent service and be part of an unrivalled atmosphere and experience. There was and still is no place to match it (Walkabout Putney and ZULU's are more specific in their clientele and not as good as the O'Neil's was). Friends and I (and many others) recall having watched many sporting event there which was the best in London as it attracted a variety of clientele from all sorts of backgrounds and at times was just as good as being at a ground - if not better! Many recall having watched the Champions League final there of 2005 and loved every second of it! We have also watched many rugby tests there on the unmatched big screens and everytime it was great! Would have been the perfect venue for the rugby world cup and it will be hard to find a place to match. The Putney O'Neills was able to provide that common place that all six nations and all other antipodeans supporters can use to meet up for the games? We certainly do!
And as for the St. Patrick's day celebration - those were THE BEST at the O'Neills in Putney. We are certain the O'Neills would be more of a success than the current Temperance which is not nearly as inviting nor can it be as successful. With the well priced drinks and decent food in O'Neills we would love to see a return of this more acceptable, more inviting and more appealing venue than the drab one currently found. A return of O'Neills would be favoured by the people who miss it and those whom have not had the pleasure of being able to go there having seen photo's and been told countless reminiscent and fondly remembered stories of the place.
PLEASE PLEASE BRING BACK THE O'NEILLS PUTNEY TYPE PUB?BAR FOR THE REAL PEOPLE!
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Had a cracking meal in there last weekend. Not cheap, but not bad for the area, and the food is definitely at restaurant standard. Really friendly barwoman - gave loads of advice on the wine and knew what she was talking about. Barmen looked a bit more grumpy though so I think we struck it lucky.
It's still really quiet - though O'Neills was never busy except for sport - which may or may not suit you.
anonymous - 17 Aug 2007 17:48 |
Nice bar but it's a shame about the satff. They were extremely rude and impatient when asking us to leave at the end of the evening, even though they had only sold us our drinks not 5 minutes earlier. It culminated in the waitress, at 11.20pm, screaming us all (of which there were at least 50) 'have we not got homes to go to'. VERY RUDE and needless to say I shall not be returning!! I suspect this will be the case with the rest of the clientelle.
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Lovely place with smiling, welcoming staff. Food was excellent. It's a million miles away from the S**t pit that was O'Neills
anonymous - 24 Mar 2007 14:20 |
Great looking bar. menu alright. handed out by a girl wearing a skirt so short you could almost see what she had been eating. the smoking area is good although my friend lit up without realising that. he asked if it was non smoking downstairs when he was icely told that it was, and "HENCE the lack of ashtrays". raspberry beer not needed nor will it ever be. students behind the bar are not good if you want to be this kind of place, you want someone who is on the ball and generating repeat business along with some passion. students are for the walkabout.
anonymous - 17 Mar 2007 20:41 |
The re-fit has transformed this place into more of a gastro-pub. Was quite taken aback at the price of the food, though there was an impressive sleceted, served throughout the day. I didnt sample any though.
The range of beers is outstanding...if you like the strong urine-coloured stuff from Benelux. My Guinness tasted pretty good too.
Staff were great (this was a Thursday evening) and very helpful.
Asked about big screens for sport (original O'Neills was the best in Fulham for 6N rugby for example) but now they only have small plasmas dotted around upstairs akin to those at the Sports Bar in Haymarket. Pity.
A totally different offerring from the previous two incarnations and I hope they are successful. I wont be rushing back there though.
If only someone would buy Zulus and convert it back to the good old days of a "pub for everyone"...ho hum.
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I have to say I didn't think this was the worst pub in the world when it was an O'Neill's, not brilliant but it had an acceptable level of mediocrity. However the change is still to be welcomed. The beer was very reasonably priced, we were paying £2.85 for pints of Peroni, and whilst we didn't eat the menu seemed to well priced also (£10 for a Sunday roast is pretty good going in this part of West London). All in all I found it a decent place - staff were good, beer tasted fine and the decor post the refurb is interesting and reasonably faithful to how I imagined it once looked. Looking forward to visiting again.
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I never came when it was an o'neils, but I am very impressed with its current incarnation. Great selection of drinks (3 ales, 5-6 lagers, countless bottles, and many wines by the glass). Food looks well thought out...
If only all chain pubs were refurbished to this standard.
Excellent.
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This is about as far away from the old O'Neills as you could get. As previously noted, non-smoking restaurant downstairs, loungey-type bit upstairs - although no separate bar. Nice decor, if a little dark, decent furniture and a good-quality refurb. Truly outstanding range of beers: I could be mistaken but counted 4 real ales and at least 8 other draught beers, including Erdinger and Paulaner. Reasonably expensive, but not off-putting prices as far as the drinks are concerned - lagers from about £3. Food looked a bit steep though. No real problems with the staff on my visit, and as for "undesirable" clientele, the manager was very quick to eject a girl who tried to use fake ID. Top marks for that.
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Interesting idea to keep the entire downstairs area non-smoking and looks to be proving a hit already.
I haven't tried the food yet so can't comment but the huge range of ales is particularly impressive.
The upstairs area has the comfier more loungy feel to it, but for that reason has an almost posh youth club vibe - that may just be because it has only recently re-opened but one wonders how long it will be until it has tempted over large swathes of The Larrick's regulars...
Initially impressed and it's great to have a decent pub in this area for once.
Now, how to get rid of Zulu's....
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This is a very nice place, I like the décor, the beer selection is good (lager and ales) and the food is top notch, although the menu doesn’t appear to change very often.
The absence of a TV and a no smoking policy makes for a pleasant change too.
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It's just not my sort of pub. Nice interior but drinks are pricey enough for you to expect a decent level of service and well trained, well mannered staff - and I'm afraid you may well be disappointed.
Food also not up to the match as you could see into the kitchen, and it seems the chefs did not know what was happening....well sad day for all
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Now the Temperance: a surprisingly good range of beers on draught, ales including Timothy Taylors Golden Best & Black Sheep (and an Old Ale, maybe Adnams). Smoking is permitted (for now) contrary to the suggestion in the previous review.
This pub was a really good example of how a quite pleasant drinking experience can be spoiled by a single instance of terrible customer service: There were an awful lot of staff on hand, and their purpose was made clear when closing time came around: clearing the bar as quickly and rudely as possible. They were much more enthusiastic in this effort than they were in serving drinks, that's for sure. I understand that it can be irritating and obnoxious when punters refuse to leave at closing time, but this is why a reasonable amount of drinking-up time should be allowed. Here, barely ten minutes passed between last orders and the demand to leave immediately. A real shame: I had a good night until then, but look how little I've written about that.
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This has been changed from the O'Neils to "The Temperance". Completely different - the bar is now an island in the middle and there is lots of dark wood in the place - floors, tables, etc. Possibly no smoking already as well. The area nearest the river was laid out as a restaurant (i.e. table settings laid) but I can't believe they'll be able to keep that up on a busy match day. Didn't venture upstairs but it was very full. There's a big view into the kitchen as well - but from the bar, not the restaurant.
Obviously it's early days yet so hard to tell how it will pan out. Staff were really good - guess they've just had a load of training and there were too many of them.
Either way, it'll still be in a different league to the O'Neills. Good change.
anonymous - 2 Dec 2006 07:48 |
